Studying Abroad in ROMA

If I had to pick one of my favorite experiences thus far at Loyola, the first thing that comes to mind is the summer I spent in Rome. As a Biology student, going abroad for a full semester was out of the question due to the demand of classes and work load that I needed to do, but I was not going to let that stop me. Loyola offers summer study abroad sessions, and once I heard that was an option, I knew I had to convince my parents to make it happen. So, in the summer after my sophomore year, I filled out an application and I was off! Five blissful weeks in Roma!

I had never been out of the country before I went to Rome and while I was super excited, I was also slightly terrified. What if I got lost? What if my luggage did not get transferred over? What if I don’t make any friends while there? Millions of questions floated through my mind. As I waited for the plane though, a girl came up to me and asked if I was traveling to Rome from Loyola. I said yes and instantly all my fears dissolved. When arriving at the Rome campus, I fell in love. The campus was like any dorm back at Loyola and so it was like bringing a little bit of familiarity overseas with the added benefit of all the old historic charm Rome has to offer. While in Rome I took some classes, but they were not over demanding or taxing. The teachers understood that these were students who were only in Rome for a short amount of time and that they last thing they wanted to do was listen to a lecture. So the teachers incorporated the lessons outside the classroom. I learned about Greek mythology at the Pantheon and Coliseum, I studied religion at beautiful churches, and I dove into history on the beautiful Spanish Steps. I walked down ancient cobblestone streets, threw coins in the Trevi fountain, and just enjoyed life.

While I was there, Loyola’s Rome Center offered two weekend trips, one to Assisi and the other to Pompeii.  I went on both! Going through Pompeii and learning all about the volcano eruption and seeing actual people buried in ash was incredible. All that I had read about was coming to life as I walked down the same streets that past civilizations walked down hundreds of year ago. The trip to Assisi though was my favorite. It is a beautiful small step-up city on a hill, where as you climb up to another street, you can see the streets below you while looking down. Everyone was so friendly there and each and every little house had boxes of flowers spilling out from them onto the streets. It was truly a magical place and is somewhere I want to return to. I also visited Barcelona in Spain when I was there and it was so colorful and so artistic and so beautiful. All I have to say is TAPAS! Tapas all day every day. Oh, and fresh sangria with seafood paella on the beach in Barcelona in another serene experience.

Everything in Rome was like being in a fairytale. All the food tasted so fresh and I never went a meal without starting with a delicious caprese with fresh mozzarella! The pizza there is also super fresh and spoils you so much that when you eat pizza back in America, you are super disappointed. Also all ice cream can never live up to Italy’s gelato. I ate gelato every day and I am not ashamed to say that!

So to sum it all up, if you have a chance to go to Rome through Loyola’s study abroad program, just do it! It will be an experience that you will never forget, ever, ever, ever! Oh I would give anything right now to be back in Rome!