May 16, 2019 - Noah McClerkin


 Today was a good, not too hectic day. I enjoyed the class we had today. In class, I became informed of Spain’s politics and some of the not too distant history which still influences the people who live in Spain today. After class I went and had coffee with some friends and then we went to a park where we ate lunch and talked about different aspects of the trip so far. Lunch was refreshing and shortly after, the entire group met near the middle of the city to attend the Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity (MUVIM).

The Valencia Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity

The MUVIM was an incredible experience. When I heard the that we were going to a museum I admit that I was expecting a very ordinary museum where we walk around and look at different artifacts of history and learn about the history of Valencia from someone narrating. To my surprise, I was in for a unique museum experience. Right off the bat I was taken by surprise when a mysterious man dressed as a monk opened a door and welcomed us into a dark room without saying anything. From there, we watched a short video introducing and preparing us for the rest of the exhibit. The exhibit took me way back and made me think of humans as basic creatures on Earth. It moved me to think about the evolution of humans and the natural curiosity in our DNA. I concluded that humans are creatures that want to gain knowledge beyond what we already know. We strive for more and more knowledge and with this knowledge we seek to benefit ourselves. While attempting to benefit ourselves, we often neglect other humans and the Earth we walk on. I think that with knowledge comes power and the hunger for power can take over and blur the goal of benefiting humanity. I think humans forget the impact that we have on the world and those around us. I think that we get caught up in our lives and while being caught up in our routine, we do not always see the harm that we cause to others. We are human; we make mistakes. It is important that we learn from these mistakes and work toward a better tomorrow because at the end of the day, we are ALL human and all we have is each other.

Classmates walking around Valencia and talking about our experience at the MUVIM.

The museum was definitely an eye-opener for me. I saw a lot and learned a lot in a short amount of time. The exhibit pretty much left me speechless at the time. It gave me a lot to think about and to reflect on. It made me question my role as a human being and what I can do to see a better tomorrow.

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