As I sit inside the campus dining room one month away from leaving Rome (my favorite place in the world), I can’t help but think back to when I first arrived and am overcome with an expanse of emotions. It seems funny to me now that I ever had doubts about the program I chose or the trips I would take because now, as I sit here, I am certain that coming to Rome and immersing myself as completely as possible into Italian and European culture has been the most gratifying and enriching experience of my life.
I remember walking off the plane and looking for the exit sign. “Uscito means exit” my roommate told me. I laughed exclaimed “Uscito” in my best and most likely most offensive Italian accent and realized that I was about to live with an Italian women and had no real way of communicating with her. I was overwhelmed by the prospect but chose to ignore the feeling of terror that consumed the pit of my stomach.
After we found the “uscito” we hopped on a bus that took us to Rome, but my first views of the city made me nervous. In my head I had always envisioned Rome to be an ancient but metropolitan city, bustling tourists running past vespas, buildings older than Christ remaining on every corner, aromas of pizza and pasta to waft through the air with the delicate ease of a fall breeze (which it is for the most part). Well, when we first drove into the city, we had to drive through the outskirts first and then through a primarily residential area called Monte Verde, where I would later find out I was living.
I looked at the outskirts and saw mostly grafiti and unkempt buildings, and a small voice in the back of my head started yelling “You made a mistake.” However, after we turned a corner and hit the apex of the hill the neighborhood Monte Verde is located on, we drove past the most breathtaking view and as I exhaled a sigh of relief my stresses faded far from the top of the hill and I knew Rome was a city I could fall in love with.
The first few days were overwhelming. We ate lots of pizza quickly in between information sessions, attempted to figure out what the Roman night life scene was, and chose to drink espresso instead of sleep. Despite the early stresses, our group of 11 began to form early bonds. One evening before we left for dinner, we all sat on a terrace at our university and enjoyed the view while sipping our first few drops of Italian wine. We chatted about life and school and mutual friends and were excited at the prospect of having this experience to share. It was a beautiful time that I will always cherish, the time when our group first started becoming friends.
Then, once the first few days were done, we moved in with our host families. My host mom Federica was the sweetest old Italian grandmother, and I knew she was going to be delightful to have for the semester. Meeting her and knowing I could feel comfortable despite the massive language barrier was very assuring, and I was excited to get to learn a lot of Italian.
After we met our host families and the info sessions were over, the real experience began. We went all over the city, exploring ancient monuments, visiting world famous churches, getting to know some local hangouts, and enjoying the company of new friends. I was overwhelmed by everything but could not have been falling in love harder.
Now as I sit here and think about leaving within a month my heart aches. It’s interesting to think how far I’ve come since my first few ignorant impressions and I feel like I now understand so much more about the world. I understand different perspectives better and know how to leave behind a life and establish something greater for myself than I ever could have possibly imagined. Rome, you have my heart.
Conosco I Miei Polli 