In April, I traveled to Sicily for a class I was taking at the American University of Rome. Being Sicilian, I signed up for the class as soon as I found out it included a trip to visit the birthplace of my roots. The only catch? It was a business class. As an English literature and religious studies major, I generally avoid business classes. It only got worse when the teacher told us we had to write a 10-page paper. Thankfully, I was saved from a full-blown panic attack when the professor advised the paper could be anything we wanted. Catering to my passions, we devised an interesting topic focused on religion in Sicily. A paper that could have been my demise suddenly became something I really enjoyed writing, and in the process, I learned more about the customs my family holds near and dear. Even though I avoided writing a business-themed paper, I still traveled with the class to various businesses in Sicily to learn more about the economy there. My favorite stop was Oro d’Etna, a business that produces and sells honey and olive oil. During our visit, we learned how they take the honey from the beehives, remove it from honeycombs and collect it. They sold solid honey, maintaining the texture from the beehives. While this is different from the texture commonly found in the United States, it tasted similar, only much fresher. Samples of the different flavors of honey were all around the store. During the tour, an employee explained the business as our teacher translated. The employee stood next to the beehive and caught bees as he spoke — tons of bees were landing on his hands! The company was family-run, with a total of 10 employees. They also offer olive oil. The oil, like the honey, is produced in different flavors and is extremely fresh. My favorite was the garlic-seasoned oil; it was delicious and went perfectly with bread. In a busy and hectic world, we can forget about small companies and family-run businesses, so it was rewarding to visit Oro d’Etna and be reminded of the benefits of hard work. In this case, the reward is very sweet indeed. — Mary Carpenter, intern