I have officially been here for just over a month now. This has been the most exciting month. I have been lucky enough to take two trips, and I have had my best friend and mom come to visit. I have been able to see all the classic monuments one would want to see in Rome and have been able to see other parts of Italy which differ from Rome. After this month I feel like I actually live here in Rome. When my friend came, and I was able to show her around and use my basic, and I mean basic, Italian skills I felt like it really solidified that I was living here.
The transition from feeling out of place here to feeling like I actually live here was a bit difficult. I am lucky that I am here with other students from Rollins so that has made the transition much easier because I am able to have familiar faces. There were some aspects that made the transition particularly difficult. One of these would be the difference from classes at Rollins to classes here. Most classes here are an hour and a half of lecturing which is very different from the interactive class discussion we have at Rollins. Also, the commute to school is around 30 to 40 minutes and requires two different forms of public transportation. Again, very different from my 5-minute walk at Rollins. Lastly, it would be the fact you have to go to the grocery store every day considering everything expires so quickly here. Though now that it has been over a month these have started to become normal to me. The commute feels very quick now and going a day without being in the grocery store makes me feel like something is off in my life.
The two trips I have taken have also made me realize how much I consider Rome home now. I have gone to Venice and Naples, Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii. All of these places have been very different than Rome. Just like how no specific place in the United States can encompass all of the cultures in America the same thing stands for Italy. The pace of life is different in all of these places, the food is different, and the Italian is different. These two trips have really taught me the importance of problem-solving. It is not like I have never had to engage in problem-solving, but it is just very different to do it in a place where the language is different. It has really taught me the importance of it, and it has also made it so the people I am traveling with have become very close with me. I feel like traveling together and needing to solve all these challenges has forced us to become closer faster than usual. These challenges just make the trips even more memorable. I had never imagined that I would be getting to see all of these amazing places and learning all about their history and culture first hand.
Considering I have explained the Rome is my new home, I thought I would add how we now compare what is different in the other cities compared to Rome (just like we did with Rome and the United States in the beginning). The biggest difference is Rome has water holes everywhere and it is the biggest lifesaver. Also, the public transportation is so easy to follow and reliable which is not the case for everywhere else in Italy. I am so excited I finally feel acclimated in Italy and excited to be beginning my travels outside of Italy to other countries I Europe.
