When I first arrived in Rome, I was eager to meet my program peers, who I believed would be my support system while abroad. I was thrilled to meet my roommate, Gianna, whom I met over Facetime before my trip. She goes to school at San Diego State University in California. I met another travel abroad friend, Sophia, who was on my flight, which was funny because we had no idea we were in the same program. Sophia has since become one of my best friends on this trip, and both she and Gianna will find it challenging to part ways when we return to the States. Despite parting ways now, I know we’ve connected in a way that will allow future visits to each other at our universities in the coming years.
I didn’t sleep a wink on the nine-hour flight from Atlanta to Rome. The long flight and lack of sleep affected my morale when I arrived because I was jet-lagged. Fortunately, my peers and I had a welcome dinner on the first evening in town, where I had my first authentic Italian pasta dish. It was handmade pasta (as all pasta is in Italy) with basil and tomatoes, and it was so delicious. My apartment is located in a prime location in Rome, Trastevere. My roommates are all so cool and welcoming. We all clicked immediately. Our apartment has a balcony with an amazing view. I have enjoyed sitting on it and soaking in all the Roman scenery. Also, that balcony has been an amazing place to do schoolwork. I highly recommend an Italian city view to do schoolwork or anything else!
Back to food! My favorite dish has been cacio e pepe, which means cheese and pepper, which are basically the only ingredients besides the pasta. This dish will be hard to replicate in America because of the skill that goes into making it. I believe the best part about authentic Italian food is the homemade noodles. I may miss them the most when I return home.
While I am beyond grateful for the experience of studying abroad in Rome, Rome has not been my favorite place ever. It is the capital of Italy so the city itself is very run down. A lot of graffiti and some parts are not well taken care of, just like in many big metropolitan cities. It holds so many tourist attractions with many tourists during this time of year that it makes it difficult to visit and enjoy places like the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon. The people of Rome are often not friendly to Americans. It is understandable but uneasy when you are living here as well. I found that the people in other European countries were way friendlier.
During my first weekend abroad, three friends I made within the first week decided to book a trip to Florence. He had two of his college friends from Arkansas who were staying in Florence. We rode the speed train to Florence from Rome. When we arrived, we explored the city and went shopping. I was in awe of how clean and well-kept Florence was compared to Rome. The town was filled with beautiful art and fantastic architecture. We attempted to visit the statue of David. However, we didn’t stick it out because the line was over three hours, since we did not plan ahead. I highly suggest that when going on weekend trips, you plan everything in advance, so you don’t have the experience I had trying to visit the main attractions. This was my first weekend, so it was a learning experience. We shopped, went to wine windows, and ate at amazing places. We visited an old catholic cathedral with stunning architecture. The art and creativity that went into the structure were incredible to view. I found myself looking at the same art and noticing new things every time. The most memorable place I ate at was this sandwich shop. They had fresh focaccia bread right out of the oven. I had a salami, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil sandwich. I loved how thinly cut the meat was on the sandwich. This was the best sandwich place I have eaten at so far.
During my second weekend abroad, I visited Barcelona, Spain. One of my best friends from home is studying there, so I was eager to visit there. We bought Primavera Sound Festival tickets and planned to meet before leaving the US. I invited two study-abroad friends to join us on the trip. When we arrived, we visited the Sagrada Familia. It is wild to me how much insane architecture was constructed before America was even discovered.
After spending our day at the main attractions of Barcelona, we attended the Primavera Sound Festival. Primavera Sound felt like a peak in my life, and I know I will never forget those moments. It succeeded in meeting every expectation I had prior to going. The venue was right by the sea. I got a beautiful view and saw a few of my favorite artists. The first artist I saw was Lana Del Rey. Seeing her in real life was incredible. Her set played my top three favorite Lana songs. She headlined Coachella, one of the biggest festivals in the US. So, seeing what she performed at Coachella in Barcelona was surreal.
After Lana, I saw a group called Disclosure. I have listened to Disclosure since I was little. They finally released their most anticipated song, “She’s Gone Dance On,” the day before their performance. Their set was one of the best I have ever heard. It will be hard to top. The vibes of the crowd made it even better. Everyone was dancing, having fun, and looking out for each other. It was truly euphoric. They played a few of their songs I had never heard before, but now they are some of my favorite songs. After their set ended, we went to the Boiler Room. The boiler room is set where the DJ is in the middle of the room, and the audience is surrounded instead of directly in front. This is more interactive. It was a European DJ I had never heard of before. The DJ scene is much different than in America. My friends and I were dancing and having so much fun that the production crew of the boiler room asked us if we wanted to come onto the DJ stage. Of course, we said yes! We stayed until 6AM. This was something I dreamed about happening but never thought it would happen. The vibes were immaculate, and we never wanted to leave. Every person in Barcelona was so friendly. I was not used to this because It seems that Italians dislike Americans a lot. The next day, we went back to the festival and saw SZA. SZA is my favorite singer. She means the world to me. Seeing her live and how beautiful and happy she is in person was incredible. I was moved to tears many times while at that concert.
The following weekend in Europe was a timeless experience as well! A large group of my friends who studied abroad visited Split, Croatia. On our first day, we rode a boat to three different islands. We went to the blue lagoon, visited a shipwreck, and Solta. It was relaxing and beautiful. For the rest of the days, we enjoyed the beaches. My favorite meal I had while there was this kebab place. There, I had the best gyro I have ever had in my life. I went back three times because it was that incredible. I am at the end of my trip and I am so sad to leave.
