Submitted by Julie Dumont on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
Sad to say study abroad is over, but the last week was just as amazing, as the month itself. We spent four days in Venice and then our last four days in Rome. Venice was by far my favorite city we visited. There was so much to see and do and the beauty was indisputable. In my last post, I talked about our first two days in Venice, but during our last two days we took a gondola ride through the city and we saw the St. Mark’s Basilica in St. Mark’s Square. The building was amazing and there was gold and frescoes all over the walls. We took a seven hour bus ride back to Rome and enjoyed being back. We had a lot of free time these last couple of days and that gave me time to go back and see some of my favorite sites like the Colosseum and eat some more of my favorite food (aka pasta).
I have learned so much from this experience and the most important was that cultures can be so similar, yet so different. Simple things like hearing American music or taking the subways/metros reminded me of the United States, but then other things like the bathrooms or the hotels were very different from what I am used to. This program has inspired me to look for more opportunities to go abroad and really embrace the global attitude. I also met some amazing people and it was so sad leaving them yesterday. I will forever be grateful for this study abroad experience and the people I got to share it with. Thank you again for the scholarship! Ciao!
