Why Roma? Why Study Abroad?

People have been asking me what brought me to Roma, and I had a little bit of trouble answering it honestly. So the best response I can come up with to that question is this uber lengthy post. And yes i know there are tons of run on sentences, grammatical, spelling errors as there will be in all my posts. It's just the way I think so please bear with me =)

The transition from Irvine to Roma, for me, was pretty intense. Actually, that is probably an understatement. What has drawn me towards Roma for my study abroad semester was learning about how much history Roma has. Moving from a suburban city, with pretty much every building looking like every other building with the history of about 50 years or so, to a city which has the history of a few thousand years was ridiculous. It was shocking to see how much there is to see in Roma. Getting lost on the first day and running into the pantheon just comes to show how Roma is so densely packed with history. I could probably run into over 100 churches, monuments, and piazzas walking across Roma in a single day, and that’s not even me exaggerating. Also, every alleyway I walk down is a completely new experience. The cobblestones on all the sidewalks give the city so much character. And at night it gives it a whole new dynamic. While walking down them on a rainy night makes the cobblestones glimmer a sea of jewelry reflecting the moonlight and the tungsten orange toned city lights. I have studied a little bit of art history, and have had some knowledge of all the famous monuments, cathedrals, and piazzas and all of it has been amazing. However, the little things like the cobblestones, the amazing alleyways, my giant castle key for my apartment, and how all the food and produce here is fresh and doesn’t have hormones or preservatives are all things that I was not prepared to experience. All the little things I have been noticing here in Roma have been very… refreshing. It’s refreshing to see a world outside of the States, and that there are other ways to live. That is the culture exposure that I’ve been craving and will continue to experience.

That was me glorifying Roma, but there are definitely a few drawbacks here. None of which really bother me except for a few… but that is for another post.

This past month of Gennario was definitely the most dramatic change that I have put myself through. Well, in terms of experiencing a whole new type of environment and culture, completely by myself. Even though I've been living on my own for the past 5 years or so, I've always had the convenience of having my home home near me, for whenever I wanted a home cooked meal or to use the gym. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have been blessed with such an amazing group of friends. Ever since I could remember, I’ve always been surrounded by truly good hearted people that have always given me infinite support, no matter what I'd be trying to do, including me coming here to Roma. I’ve just been in need of a change of scene the past year. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my friends or family for the world. I didn’t come to Roma to get away from my loved ones; on the contrary, I came here hoping to become a stronger and better person so when I do come back home, (wherever home may be in the future) I’ll have more to offer. I have felt, more recently, that what I had to offer to my friends and family was insufficient at times back at home. This is probably because I haven’t truly grown as a person, or as much as I wanted to in the past few years. I’m not going to lie, it is painful to be away from my loved ones, especially after having that kind of support my whole life, but it will definitely be a long term payout for my friends, family, and for myself. I feel that by being completely independent in a different culture will help me learn more about myself and become a stronger person. Gaining new perspectives from different cultural standpoints will also play a large part of my learning experience here. Just living here for the past few weeks has already made me see things differently. It has been a little hectic trying to adjust to the culture, planning trips, learning the language, and just taking care of myself. But it has been rewarding to see that I’ve made it this far in one piece, and I’m looking forward to all the new things I will learn in the next few months. Hopefully I will achieve my main goal during my stay in Roma and become better equipped to deal with and adapt to any situation that I’m thrown into.