Submitted by Sydney Ballenger on the 2024 semester program in Rome, Italy…
My first week in Rome has been beautiful, exhausting, fun, and challenging. This week was packed with orientation activities before the semester begins next week and was full of other stressors and challenges that come with moving to a new school in a new country. My roommates and I navigated through the grocery stores, reading the Italian labels until we figured out what to buy to cook. Google maps helped me to figure out the bus station and how I could explore the city. My step count doubled, as I walked absolutely everywhere and spent as much time as I could exploring my new home. So far, the highlight of the week has been finding cafés to try cappuccinos and a cornetto (a croissant) and finding gelatario’s on every street corner. Being in Italy this past week has also made me very excited to start classes next week and begin to learn Italian. I hope that by the end of the semester I will be able to order my cappuccino in Italian and confidently take public transportation without the help of my maps app. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to get so far out of my comfort zone and get comfortable being uncomfortable in unfamiliar places and situations. (Submitted January 11, 2024)