Submitted by Kristen Pruett on the 2018 spring semester DIS program in Copenhagen, Denmark…
I’ve just come back from a week in Rome with my DIS core course for our long study tour! It was an amazing trip. While we were still going to academic meetings with class, we had plenty of free time to explore Rome. It amazed me how different Rome was from Copenhagen. There are ruins everywhere you look and surprisingly enough to me there were so many palm trees! It was a lot more green than Copenhagen with all the different types of tropical looking trees throughout the city, it was truly beautiful. In every piazza there are elegant fountains with people gathered around, licking their gelato, or enjoying company with a friend. I visited the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Borghese Garden, the Pantheon and many different neighborhoods like Trastevere, Monti and more! It was truly a great cultural experience and I learned a lot about different immigration, refugee, LGBTQ and discrimination issues in Italy. Our class was lucky, we had perfect weather in Rome. We had expected a week full of rain, however we were pleasantly surprised with nothing but sun and 70 degree temperatures! After losing track of how many gelatos and pasta dishes I ate that week, we made our way home Friday afternoon after having a class wrap up in a beautiful garden full of wonderfully smelling purple draping flowers. I hope to make it back to Italy to explore more of its cities someday!
When I came home, I had a wonderful and relaxing weekend with my host family. We were treated to dessert Saturday by the neighbors with their milkshake and ice machine! Then a movie night with my host sister, Natasja, where we snuggled in bed and watched the Lizzie McGuire movie which set it’s story in Rome! On Sunday, Natasja and I had a really nice “girls day”. We went into the city and brought our bikes, which was the first time either of us had biked in the city! I was a little nervous because there are so many people biking and it’s very different than the small streets of Taastrup. However it ended up being wonderful! It was a beautiful sunny day and all we needed were light jackets, not our heavy winter coats, a first in Copenhagen for me! We biked through Norrebro where we passed the famous lakes. We made our way to a warehouse sale for a store called Wood Wood that Natasja likes. Then we headed to the main walking street, Stroget, where we picked up lunch and sat on the edge of a fountain and ate. Finally, we headed to the Botanical Gardens. I’ve been there at least five or more times by now, but it never gets old. This time it was warm enough to sit out on the grass. We both laid down and shut our eyes, taking in the warmth of the sun on our faces before heading for the train back home. At home, we continued our mini day adventure. We stopped at a grocery store for an ice cream bar and a cool drink. Once home, we couldn’t stop enjoying the weather! We grabbed pillows and blankets and took a nap on the trampoline outside! It was truly a great day with my host sister, who has become to feel like a real sister.
While I enjoyed my adventurous week in Rome and relaxing weekend at home, I still have school work! This week will be about getting all my final papers and group projects completed before the long weekend I’ll be spending outside Berlin at an Ultimate Frisbee beach tournament with a Swedish team! More about that in my next blog!