This is my first posting from Rome! So much has happened in two short weeks, I can’t even begin to explain it all! The semester has started, which means we have to go to class every week. Even though we are studying abroad, we always seem to forget that we aren’t on a six-week vacation. I am taking Art History and Roman History, and there isn’t a better place to take these classes! We go on field trips for our classes and get to see all the history first hand.

Living here is great. We take the metro and buses like the locals and can wander around the city and not have to worry about seeing everything in a few days. We have six full weeks! Even though we have time, we’ve already seen so much! We took pictures by the Trevi Fountain, ate gelato on the Spanish Steps, sat around the Piazza del Popolo and walked around the Vatican. But there is still so much more to do.

We’ve also visited some hill towns outside of Rome. We walked around Todi, which is in the Umbria region and had a 15-course meal in Titignano. We also visited Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este for our Art History classes. All of these places were beautiful.

Some of my classmates and I just returned from the Amalfi Coast. We stayed in Sorrento and visited Pompeii, Capri and Positano. It was amazing! We climbed Mount Vesuvius and had amazing views of the Naples region. We went through the Blue Grotto in Capri. Words and pictures can’t even explain the beauty of it. The color of the water in both Capri and Positano was so blue! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier shade of blue, and then to be able to swim in it was ever more amazing.

#StudyAbroadBecause

Living in Rome is one of the best experiences I’ve had so far in my life. Six weeks won’t be enough though. Midterms are next week already and I’m dreading haing to take that flight back home. 

More to come soon!

Ciao!

RFies is the Students Studying Abroad Editor for Wandering Educators 

This is part of a series on international education, as part of our commitment to #GenerationStudyAbroad and our commitment to the White House Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship. You'll find many more inspiring stories here on Wandering Educators!