Student Journals: AIFS in Florence, Italy

Lindsay Gordon
Emerson College
Richmond in Florence, Italy

Lindsay Gordon

What I can say aloud, I can write more clearly on paper. What I can write on paper, I can express more vividly in a photograph. And if I can’t express what I feel in a photograph, then I haven’t delved deep enough into the emotion or mood I am attempting to capture.

Throughout this semester, I have tried my best to keep a daily written journal of my time in Florence. However, I have found my tedious, detailed writing style too laborious and timeconsuming for what little time I find at the end of the day. I can’t complain though. From the time I wake up in the morning into the late night, I am constantly busy with classes, exploring the city, enjoying long, relaxing dinners with new friends, traveling Italy and Europe, and keeping in touch with family and friends back home. Many times, I become upset with myself for not keeping up with my written journal, the leather-bound book sitting on the shelf above my bed, collecting dust, not guilting me enough to write in it every once in awhile.

Lindsay Gordon
But, after almost an entire semester here, I’ve realized that my true journal is the thousands of photos I have taken over the semester, a photo-journal, instead of a traditional, written one. I have spent copious amounts of time going through photos, deleting the unworthy ones, sending my favorites to friends and family, and organizing the events of the semester into albums. At home, I am studying to be a documentary filmmaker and photographer, so now that I think about it, it’s only natural that I have focused more towards documenting my semester through photos rather than in writing. I no longer mourn the absence of a full written journal, but rejoice in knowing that I will always derive the happiness, beauty, and humor from my semester in my collection of photographs.

Richmond in Florence

Richmond Florence Internship Program