Feels Like the End

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Smells and Bells has come to an end and so has my time as an undergraduate student. This course has changed me significantly- not at the core- I have always appreciated my senses and taken the time to understand them, but in the way that I am able to much more precisely identify just how important these senses are to me and why. It has also in a way prepared me for leaving this place.
 


It has allowed me to soak in my sensory experiences here knowing that they will be with me forever, if not physically through memory and through connections I find everywhere. The distinct smells of my Davis House kitchen, the touch of my friends hands, the sounds of walking the Chapel bell as it hits the hour, the feeling of the Emerson House ghost following me into my backyard. These are all things I have been able to pay more attention to, immerse myself into more and more every day with greater appreciation for how each of these senses is contributing to my overall experience- one that I will be missing so greatly. 

Smells and Bells has been one of the most impactful courses I have taken at Wheaton and has led me to better connection with myself, those around me, and more importantly the world around me. I enjoyed our ice- breakers and learning about everyone's personal experience with each individual sense and seeing how our associations with different senses can be so similar and yet so different. 


This class also allowed me to explore my existentialism in such an open and honest way- it really illustrated to me how even when nothing feels real, even if it seems like we will never be able to understand each other, we are still feeling and we are still existing, and this is one of the most important lessons I have learned in my life. 

Comments

  1. DevaanshJuly 27, 2022 at 4:45 AM

    Thank you for sharing this with us. I indeed feel the same way about the class, with the class's curriculum and experiences being very helpful in better understanding the world that we live in. The Class's focus on the senses was something unexpected, as i had often seen rejection of the senses and religion in the same light. However, this course helped me see the errors of my ways, and how one could reconcile sense and religion.

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