Studying Abroad in Rome, Italy

With the STEP program I decided to take a semester off of Columbus, Ohio and through a third-party study abroad program study for a semester in Rome, Italy. Through Arcadia University I studied for five months at Roma Tre University.

I have always known that I wanted to study abroad and wanted that location to be in Rome, Italy. I did not realize how much love I had for this city and this country until it was time to say goodbye. The Italian culture is joked about being revolving around food and I am here to tell you that is indeed the case. But the idea of food is different there compared to here in the states. Food is about how and where the ingredients on the plate came together. For example, if you ask an Italian who makes the best blank, it is their mother or grandmother. So all of a sudden there is a tradition to your plate of food. You see outdoor spaces even in the bustling metropolitan of Rome that are used as gardens and so the plate becomes organic in the most purist form of the word. The idea of food also incorporates where you are eating and who you are eating with. My favorite moments abroad in general were the hole in the wall places that you walked down two alleys and just stumbled upon. Those were the places that we as a group drank wine with the owners and tasted the chef’s favorite, creating memories that last a lifetime. So there are two parts to that, the location and atmosphere of your food and who you are sharing your meal with. In the states both those sentiments have been lost in our fast paced lifestyles and that isn’t a fault on our part but it is drastically different. My view of that differences became apparent being abroad and coming home. It is a noticeable difference that has inspired me to take some changes in my life including finding farmers markets on the weekends and family dinners even if they are quick.

Rome allowed for so many interesting and inspiring relationships that have quickly impacted my life. To start the people that I was able to interact with was so refreshing. My program was an international study abroad program that included eighty-five students. I was one of four coming from Ohio State. I loved that fact because while I had never met my other three peers I am now able to return to campus in the fall with three new relationships that are unique because of our experiences abroad together. The other eighty-one students came from all different places and we were all able to swamp stories from our different home schools. This formed a bond leading into our structured classes.

Classes through Roma Tre were led in english by professors. All who have inspiring resumes and were just unique people. Classes were structured in the sense that it was mostly out of the class work, where we would meet somewhere in the city of Rome and conduct class in front of ruins and in front of art or food. That then contributed to a close relationship with our professors which allowed for in depth conversations. What I thought to be the most fascinating thing about ninety percent of my professors is that they all came from other countries and in fact not native Italians but ended up staying in Rome because they fell in love with the city.

That is the relationship that has touched me the most, my relationship with Rome. The cobblestone streets and hustle and bustle of mopeds and bikes are something that I longed for the moment I landed back in the states. For as loud as Rome can be, all that sound became white noise and for awhile I couldn’t sleep without it. Rome has an extensive history and you feel that walking around the preserved ruins but you feel that walking through the different neighborhoods and the different bars (coffee shops) that have been there and have seen many years. You taste the history in the cucina povera (poor food) that now has become delicacies after generations and generations of perfecting. You taste it in the family owned gelato place around the corner. All things I miss everyday.

I am a sport industry major and whole I have always had an interest in travel it does not necessarily apply directly into my major but with that being said I feel that I have been enriched as a person from my experience abroad. Studying outside of the states pushed the limits of my comfort zone and I will be the first one to say that I did miss home. Reflecting back though I know I have grown as a person because I have experienced different cultures, being truly independent and navigating language barriers. All of those things are interchangeable with the different aspects of my life. I would encourage all undergrad students to enrich their lives by going abroad.