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Don’t turn back now that we’re here

Don’t turn back now that we’re here

Heart don’t fail me now, courage don’t desert me, don’t turn back now that we’re here…

Well, folks I made it to Roma! After a quick jaunt across the Atlantic Ocean, a connecting flight in Zurich, and a bus ride through Roma, I finally made it to the John Felice Rome Center. It’s odd to think that this campus and the Eternal City will be my home for the next four months, but I feel at home already!

                                                                                 room with a view

The first few days was Orientation, and it was a whirlwind of information, walking tours, and gelato. The SLAs worked tirelessly to help acquaint the Spring 2018 students with the JFRC, life in Rome, and traveling across Europe. On the first night, I went with a group led by SLA Ola to Old Bridge Gelato which was across the street from the Musei Vaticani. The first gelato of this trip was the best by far–I had un cono di limone e fragola and it was life changing! Afterwards, we walked around La Piazza San Pietro and saw La Basilica San Pietro lit up at night, it was a beautiful sight.

On Friday, the SLAs took us to their favorite Roman ristorante or trattoria. SLA Judy took the group to Il Ciocario for one of the best meals I have ever had in my life! The three course meal consisted of a charcuterie & cheese plate, rigatone all’amatriciana served out of a cheese wheel, and tiramisu. Yes, a cheese wheel. Again, it was life changing.

shadows of the forum

Saturday morning, Dr. Evers gave an abridged (and inspired) history of Il Foro Romano and Il Colosseo before we headed out to tour the historic sites. It was my second time at Il Colosseo and Il Foro Romano, so I played tour guide (shh, I am not licensed!) and led the group to all of the best spots. Seeing Il Colosseo right when the sun was starting to go down was a sight I will never forget. The way the light played off the ancient walls was magical, and you couldn’t help but wonder what it was like to go to Il Colosseo at its peak. I could do without the violent gladiator games, though.  Afterwards we walked across the street to visit Il Foro Romano during golden hour. Our group stopped constantly to take pictures of the sights and of each other because the lighting was unbelievable–I took maybe 200 pictures that day. Seeing the ancient ruins was a treat that afternoon, because the sun was going down and the air was starting to cool, it almost felt like we were in Ancient Roma strolling through the Forum. Again, what I would do to see Il Foro Romano in its full glory and all of the buildings intact!

Going to school on Monday was a reality check after spending days exploring la città eterna and eating gelato. It was nice to get a routine in place and have some structure to my days, but I was itching to get back into the city and walk around. On Tuesday, I walked down Monte Mario with two friends, and let’s just say that the Italians have a very different definition of sidewalk than Americans. We walked single file on a tiny strip of asphalt with cars and Vespas whizzing past us down the mountain, and it was a little precarious to say the least! We treated ourselves to gelato after the trek down the mountain, and I ordered for the group in Italian. I have found that in class I can speak Italian fairly well, but once I am speaking with a native speaker, my confidence in my ability to speak disappears!

This past weekend was the Orientation trip to Campania, Italy. We spent the weekend touring castles and monasteries, eating fresh mozzarella di bufalo and tasting olive oil + wine. It was a rough weekend.

           cheers! 

On the second day was our trip to the mozzarella di bufalo farm, where we toured the organic farm and watched how mozzarella is made! It was magical. After the tour of the farm, we went to a winery and sampled wine and olive oil. I am not kidding when I say it was the best olive oil I have ever had in my life! Later that evening, we stopped by the old city center of Agropoli at golden hour. Even though I stepped in a massive pile of dog poop (look down, look down!) it was an unforgettable experience! We spent an hour or so just taking in the sunset and reveling in the fact that we get to call this beautiful country home for the next few months. That night we had dinner at the hotel, which was followed by traditional Italian dancing. The band and dancers sure knew how to party, because they got everyone out of their seats and taught us two different types of traditional dances. Once everyone got the hang of the steps, the laughter was infectious as we swirled through the hotel ballroom. Hopefully I can remember the dance moves!

All in all, the first week and a half of my Roman experience has been enjoyable. Though the homesickness is palpable, everyone here is feeling the same way. We all do our best to help cheer each other up and remind them that we are living in the most beautiful city in the world, so there’s no need for tears! I have also found that the FOMO is real. I want to go out and explore every night, but also I need my sleep. Even when in Rome, self care is important. Getting as much sleep as possible and staying hydrated has helped me immensely as I got accustomed to the time difference and culture shock. Even though settling in has been a little rough, I remind myself that I am in Rome and I am about to have the time of my life here. There is just so much to do!

A dopo, Megan

Follow me on Instagram @quando.a.roma to get hourly/daily/weekly updates on my travels! 

Veni!

Veni!

From endless fog to Etruscan fountains, the archaic rolling hills of the eternal city have entangled my highly abbreviated 21st-century attention span. The vistas and monumental lifestyles of the commonwealth are far beyond any expectation that I formed prior crossing the Rubicon. “I cannot go back”, I tell myself; even during those lonely moments of longing for the snow powdered streets of Chicago and Midwestern style breakfasts. Even then, amidst my hometown withdrawal, it seems all I need do is take a walk down the straggly brick-lined streets and shout “Ciao!” to the occasional passerby to feel the unconditional love and desire I so dearly miss. I am okay mom and dad, the people here (although sometimes they do give me the glare “silly American”) love me because I too love their culture. I came to a place that I am happy to be able to call home for some time, and you need not worry; my guardians here are not only the parental SLA’s but also my foreign neighbors and centuries-old monuments (more than twice my height and I’m pretty tall) all of whom look over me with caring eyes. I will be home sooner than perspective would suggest and when I am I will have stories to tell of the Farnese’s, Cesar’s, and many more statues of the past. Figaro! Arrivederci!

Culture Shocked: Transportation, Scammers, Making Friends

Culture Shocked: Transportation, Scammers, Making Friends

Thursday, January 18th, 2018.

What am I doing here.

 

Prior to arriving in Rome, I had this notion that I’d be living in the middle of a postcard. Everything beautiful all around me all of the time. That wasn’t the case. Here at the John Felice Rome Center, we’re on the hill. It’s sort of the outskirts of Rome called Balduina and is on top of a hill. If I take the 990 Bus, for example, I’m 45 minutes from Vatican City. That is if the bus ever comes, of course. This is the first culture shock: public transportation works how and when it wants to. There is no use in understanding it. This is just the way it is. Understanding that Rome has no logic is the hardest part of adapting for me, but now I’m two weeks in and I’m over it. Need more dependable transportation? Take the metro.

Culture shock two: Scammers. They’re everywhere. This is a huge obstacle to making local friends other than the language barrier. The second night in Rome, a group of friends from at the JFRC and I went out to Trastevere. All of the locals know this area for their American pubs and clubs so some often times locals will come to swoon the International Students. Its also known by JFRC staff as an area

for students to be more cautious in. While hanging out near a bar, a group of locals approached my friends and I. They seemed really friendly and we had a lot of fun trying to overcome our language barriers. They knew as much English as we do Italian. One of the guys offered us a drink out of his cup. Red Flag. Its important to remember, especially if one’s been drinking, to stay aware of possible harm. I don’t know whether he was being amicable or malicious in his offer; however, I did know I did not want to find out. This isn’t to say making friends here outside the JFRC is impossible

because there are so many warm and loving people in Rome. More-so, never forget to stay aware.  During the first two weeks of orientation, the JFRC staff takes all of the students on trips and diners. One trip we went on was to The Colosseum and to the Roman Forum. It is one of the most astonishingly beautiful areas I’ve ever been in. Around these tourist areas specifically I’ve noticed, people on the street will approach me with roses, selfie-sticks, bracelets, ect. and try to put them in my hand essentially to get me to buy. At first I found it shocking, but now I’ve learned to say, “Non, grazie,” and be on my way. One place I noticed scammers weren’t as prevalent are the Villas. As a group, JFRC visited Villa Farnese other known as Villa Caprarola where we were privileged enough to tour the mansion. Sometimes the coolest places in Italy are in the middle of nowhere and its amazing.

 

This week I met someone named Ben. He’s an International Student studying medicine at a neighboring university. One night, we walked all around Rome hitting all of the tourist spots that just have to be seen and he explained the history of each spot. It was fascinating. We saw the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain), Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti (The Spanish Steps), and Villa Borghese gardens. Days like this where the weather is beautiful, tourism is down because its later in the evening, and great friends surround you are days where Rome is absolutely lovely and the fact that buses may or may not ever come doesn’t matter to much. Making new friends, in my opinion, is my favorite part of being in Rome. I generally trust new people, but taking precautions such as telling my roommate or SLA where I’ll be, who I’m with, ect. to stay safe is vital. We drove back to the JFRC to drop me off at the end of the night on a scooter and in that moment I actually felt like Lizzie McGuire.

 

 

 

So, what am I doing here?
Living my best life.

 

Bienvenuto a Roma!

Bienvenuto a Roma!

Week one has officially come and gone! I have to say, it feels like I’ve been here a lot longer. From the 24 hours of constant travel to full days of orientation to my first few days of classes, the reality of studying abroad still hasn’t sunk in. As I wait for the feeling of being at summer camp to wear off, I’ve managed to become open to as many weekend trips and late night gelato runs as possible.

Before arriving in Italy, the only expectations I had of the country were based off the movies I’d seen (Lizzie McGuire, anyone?) and posts I’d saved on Pinterest. Italian culture has always drawn me in and a dream of mine is to live in Italy once I graduate college. The beginning of junior year I had come to terms that I was stuck in a rut that felt impossible to climb out, so I took my study abroad plans off the back burner, did my research, and signed up. The process was stressful so if you’re a procrastinator like me, get everything in order ASAP, it’ll save you a headache later.

As a commuter, I’ve never had a true “college experience” in the sense that I’ve never had a roommate that wasn’t my sister, I haven’t had to deal with dorm drama and eating cafeteria food was never even a passing thought. So far, I’ve gotten lucky. My roommate is the sweetest, my dorm has the best view, and as for the cafeteria…well, I guess that’ll still take some getting used to.

Seeing the beauty of Rome firsthand is something that no picture can ever fully capture. I still have a long way to go on my list of things to see, but the mindblowing reality of the historical significance is almost too much to handle. Walking the streets and taking in the monuments I’ve only read about in textbooks is an experience unlike any other.

If you’re on the fence about studying abroad, or if you’ve never left home before (like me), just go for it. Don’t be one of those people that gets caught up in the 9-5 and comfort of home! Go out and explore! See the world! Wear whatever you want! Talk to people you wouldn’t usually talk to! Eat weird food! …just make sure to pack some snacks from home. I wish I did.

Ciao,

Andrea

 

From Home to Rome

From Home to Rome

It’s been a crazy couple of days already. Well it’s actually only been 5 days. Throughout my time here, I have learned a lot. I’ve learned that snacks in airports are crazy expensive. I’ve learned that having a 9-hour flight can suck. I’ve learned that it is possible to get the stomach flu within the first two days abroad ANDD…I’ve technically learned a lot of things. Fun right?

There’s a lot you can expect when studying abroad but you are never truly prepared for it until you make it to your destination. So for those who are curious or want to know what one may go through when studying abroad, let me give you a recap of what I’ve gone through so far.

The first day was hectic and emotional because not only did I not know what to expect, but I was also not ready to say goodbye to my family, friends, and loved ones. It didn’t hit me that I was going to leave all of them for such a long until my final week at home. It was harder because I have never been away from home. Ever. So to study abroad in Rome, somewhere far far away, was a huge step. I started counting down the days and hours until I left and I was honestly dreading the little amount of time I had left. It wasn’t something I was used to.

So if you plan to study abroad, but you have never been away from home, expect to feel like this. Don’t worry though. That feeling will go away with all the great adventures and long walks you go on (literally). I only knew one person in my program, but with all of the outings I’ve had I’ve been able to make a good group of friends. Don’t be shy and, especially, don’t be sad to be away from home. Go head first and embark yourself in this incredible journey you are in!

Another thing…packing is hard. I literally wear a different set of clothes everyday, so to limit myself to only a suitcase and carry-on for my study abroad trip was a struggle. Right now, I still miss my clothes at home. Packing was hard because you literally want to bring everything, but also because you feel like you are leaving a part of you behind (not to be cheesy). Don’t panic! You will have tons of opportunities to buy stuff over there for a cheaper price and better quality. Also, you will have the opportunity to discover a new you through all the experiences you go through, which may include a new fashion style!

Don’t overpack, but also don’t underpack. Currently, I’ve been wearing the same yoga pants for 4 days because I only brought two pairs (sad times). Also, start packing ahead of time because you’re going to need all the time to weight your suitcases and triple check the clothes you bring. I know somebody here who actually forgot to bring their pajamas. Oh! Leave the heels at home. There is way too many hills and rocks for you to be able to efficiently walk in those.

Once I got through the struggle of packing and dealing with my feeling, I was able to start enjoying my journey. The very first day I got here I went to eat gelato and visit the Trevi Fountain. It was amazing! It didn’t feel like I was in Rome until that moment. It was great and I was low-key having a Lizzie McGuire moment when I threw my coin in the Trevi Fountain.

In that moment, I knew I’d enjoy my three to four months here. I was obviously going to miss home and everybody that was there. I was going to miss my mom’s food, my dog, the Chicago skyline, and everything about home. However, I knew that great experiences would be formed here. After going through so many orientation sessions and making some new friends, I am ready to start off school. I am ready to take on new challenges in a new country, surround myself in a different culture, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

For those of you who are reading this and are thinking about studying abroad…DO IT. Even if it is just a winter or summer term. It will be worth it. For those of you who are reading this for funsies or because you were curious…well now you know what I’ve gone through so far. It’s been a rollercoaster full of emotions, but in between all of that, memories have been made already.

I hope to make even more memories so I can continue updating you, but for now CIAO!

P.S: Here’s a picture of me finally visiting the Colosseum 🙂

My Internship in Rome (Final Week)

My Internship in Rome (Final Week)

This semester in Rome, I was fortunate enough to get hired as a marketing intern for a company called The Roman Guy. The Roman Guy specializes in various VIP tours of different tourist attractions all around Rome, as well as several local food tours in different areas. As an assignment for my class ROST 370, I am required to reflect on my experience of working as an intern for this company.

This week at the Roman Guy, my boss assigned me several tasks that I had to complete by the end of the week. Some of these tasks were my usual assignments, like finding TripAdvisor reviews and posting them to our website, editing blogs using the blog life cycle rules, and posting three instagram pictures and two stories. However, since this was my last week working as an intern for the Roman Guy, I was also assigned some tasks that were very different. Instead of writing a Rome Key Attraction paper, I was assigned to write my own blog while following all of the rules that I learned this semester. There is so much more than what meets the eye about blog writing. When you write one, you have to follow about 15 different rules of the Blog Life Cycle. These rules range from what kind of title you chose, to the pictures you have, all the way down to how the grammar is composed. This was one of my challenges for this week, because although I learned all of the rules and worked with them throughout the semester, I found it hard to make your blog post still apply to them. For example, my blog could be about whatever I wanted it to be, so I chose to write about three different places in Italy that I went to while studying abroad and what my favorite memories were there. My coworkers loved this blog idea but it was hard to write since everything was in the past tense, which is a rule that the blog life cycle wants you to avoid. In order to make my blog pass all of the rules, I had to figure out how to edit my post and keep it in the past tense, but change some sentence structures in order for the blog to be completely green and good to post. Before starting my internship, I created three learning objectives that I wanted to achieve by the end of my internship. One of the learning objectives that I set for myself was to improve my writing. I believe that I definitely achieved this goal while working as an intern for the Roman Guy, because the majority of the tasks that I had to complete involved writing. This at first was another challenge of mine, because I was not that confident in myself and I thought that all of the tasks that I had to do that involved writing would not turn out well. I overcame this by becoming more confident in myself and my writing, and overall others have told me that I have improved significantly. So far, one of the most impressive things about my internship to date is my co workers and how well good they are at their job. They are some of the most creative people I know and they are always coming up with ideas that are outside of the box. Another thing that impresses me is how well my co workers work as a team together. They are all good friends, and yet they don’t let that get in the way of their work and they can all compose work with one another that is very professional. Overall, I am extremely happy that I decided to do this internship because it has helped me improve in many significant ways and it helped open my eyes up to what my future career could potentially look like. I am extremely blessed to have been able to work at The Roman Guy, and to have such amazing co workers that were constantly pushing me to do better and were so supportive of my decisions. I will forever remember and cherish the memories that I has working as an intern for this company. Thank you for reading about my journey working as an intern for the Roman Guy and ciao for now!

My Internship in Rome (Week 9)

My Internship in Rome (Week 9)

This semester in Rome, I was fortunate enough to get hired as a marketing intern for a company called The Roman Guy. The Roman Guy specializes in various VIP tours of different tourist attractions all around Rome, as well as several local food tours in different areas. As an assignment for my class ROST 370, I am required to reflect on my experience of working as an intern for this company.

This week at the Roman Guy, my boss assigned me several tasks that I had to complete by the end of the week. Some of these tasks were my usual assignments, like finding TripAdvisor reviews and posting them to our website, editing several blogs using the Blog Life Cycle rules, writing a small article about Palatine Hill for our Rome Key Attraction page, and posting three instagram pictures and two stories. Some tasks that I had to do this week that were brand new to me was that my boss, Sian, assigned me two challenges that I had to complete in a specific amount of time. The two challenges that Sian assigned me was that I had to come up with 10 different poll ideas for our Facebook page and try to find pictures for each idea, and the other challenge was that I had to think of two video ideas involving the Vatican and The Colosseum and try to find pictures and create quotes that I could include. Previous classroom knowledge has been helping me so far with my internship because in my previous marketing class that I took last semester, we learned how to create content that will attract followers and other tactics for marketing that I learned are also being used during this internship as well. Before starting my internship, I created three learning objectives that I wanted to achieve by the end of my internship. One of the learning objectives that I set for myself was to learn how to monitor my followers activity involving my content and overall learn how to market more successfully. I have been working towards achieving this learning objective because a lot of my work lately has been focused on instagram and creating content that helps attract more followers. This past week, I learned how to find other bloggers pictures on instagram and reblog them to our page. That way I am giving more attention to the blogger by using their picture on The Roman Foodie’s page and I am also building a relationship with the blogger. Some challenges that I have been facing recently regarding this internship is transportation and schoolwork. I usually have quite difficulty with transportation, because I always just miss the train by a minute and I have to wait another 15 minutes for a new one to come and sometimes that can almost cause me to be late. I am going to fix this for next week by researching the times that the train is coming and make sure that I am at the train station at that time. Another challenge that I have been facing is trying to balance my schoolwork with my internship. This has been kind of difficult for me recently because the end of the semester is coming which means that there are a ton of due dates coming up. I can admit that it can be really hard to balance school and my internship together, but I have been resolving this by working on projects ahead of time and also staying up a little later at night than usual to complete school work after my internship. So far, one of the most impressive things about my internship to date is how much it has been pushing me to be better in marketing and in writing. Before starting my internship, I was nervous that I would not be able to complete the tasks that were giving to me because I didn’t really believe in myself and it all seemed so overwhelming. I am really proud of myself because I have been pushing myself out of my comfort zone and I have been completing all of the tasks that are assigned to me. I am also impressed with how this internship has been helping me with my writing skills, because a lot of my professors have said that they have noticed a difference in my writing compared to the beginning of the semester and I owe it all to this internship. Sadly, next week is my last week working as an intern for The Roman Guy. My expectation for next week is that after learning how to edit other creator’s blogs, I am expected to write my own blog about my experience in Rome and all of the places that have I traveled to. I am also expected to use my own pictures from my experiences here in Italy for this blog. Some other work that I will be expected to do is to keep posting on the Roman Foodie’s instagram page, create more Facebook video ideas, and edit more blogs. So far I have been loving my internship and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me. Ciao for now!

My Internship in Rome (Week 8)

My Internship in Rome (Week 8)

This semester in Rome, I was fortunate enough to get hired as a marketing intern for a company called The Roman Guy. The Roman Guy specializes in various VIP tours of different tourist attractions all around Rome, as well as several local food tours in different areas. As an assignment for my class ROST 370, I am required to reflect on my experience of working as an intern for this company.

This week at the Roman Guy, I was assigned multiple tasks that I had to complete by a specific time. Some of these tasks were similar to what I have completed in the past, and some others were brand new. Some of the tasks that I accomplished this week we’re finding TripAdvisor reviews and posting them to our website, editing several blog posts using the Blog Life Cycle, writing about The Vatican Museums for our Vatican Tours, posting three instagram pictures and two stories, inviting people on Facebook to like our page, and finding 10 different photos that I will use to help create a video for our Facebook page. Previous classroom knowledge has helped me because a lot of what I learned, such as tactics for gaining followers, in my previous marketing class is being used during this internship as well. Before starting my internship, I created a learning objectives that I wanted to achieve by the end of my internship. One of my learning objectives that I have been working towards completing is to improve my writing skills for blog posts, various social media apps, and articles. I am working towards achieving this objective, because every week I am assigned a different tourism site in Rome and I have to research it extensively and write a small article about it. After I am done writing it, I send it for my boss to be looked over which will then be posted to The Roman Guy’s website when it is complete. I have also been working on improving my writing, because I have to edit several blogs using rules from the Blog Life Cycle. This challenges me because I have to know how to not use a passive voice, use better transitions, and reword sentences to make them shorter because ultimately that is what helps make a blog post good. A challenge that I have been recently facing regarding my internship is transportation. This past week, getting to work was rough because I missed my train and it was delayed a couple of times, and I also had to deal with a crazy Italian lady that was on the train one day that was giving me a hard time for being an American. Although I can’t control other people’s actions, I am going to fix the other problem by leaving an extra 10 minutes early so that I can hopefully avoid missing the train and dealing with delays. So far, one of the most impressive things about my internship to date is how creative my coworkers are. They can come up with really neat ideas involving photography, video, and content posting, and they push me to think more outside of the box in order to make our content be different and catch peoples attention. For the following weeks, I am expected to take full control of our company’s Instagram, The Roman Foodie, and incorporate creative pictures onto the profile and post more frequently. I will also be working on more creative projects that involve creating and editing videos for our Facebook and Instagram page. Besides that as of now, I am expected to keep interacting with followers, writing and editing blog posts, and marketing our social media to followers. So far I have been loving my internship and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me. Ciao for now!

My Internship in Rome (Week 7)

My Internship in Rome (Week 7)

This semester in Rome, I was fortunate enough to get hired as a marketing intern for a company called The Roman Guy. The Roman Guy specializes in various VIP tours of different tourist attractions all around Rome, as well as several local food tours in different areas. As an assignment for my class ROST 370, I am required to reflect on my experience of working as an intern for this company.

 

This week at The Roman Guy I finished writing an article about St. Peter’s Basilica Dome for our Vatican Tours. After I finish writing, I send it to my boss Francesca and she reviews it before it is finally published to the company’s website. Other tasks that I did this week including finding and posting TripAdvisor reviews to our website, editing a previous Rome Key Attraction article about the Colosseum, researching tactics on how to gain followers for the company’s Instagram account “The Roman Foodie”, and also editing blog posts on WordPress using the blog life cycle as my guideline. Lastly, I was in charge with coming up with six different creative video topics that my co workers can produce for our website, and I had to present them to my coworkers and get their advice and approval for which ones they would decide to use. Previous classroom knowledge has helped me because a lot of what I learned,  like concepts such as tactics for gaining followers and marketing content, in my previous marketing class is being used during this internship as well. Before starting my internship, I created a learning objective that I wanted to achieve by the end of my internship. One of my learning objectives that I have been working towards completing is to learn how to monitor my followers activity involving my content and overall learn how to market my work successfully. I have been working towards achieving this learning objective, because this past week was primarily focused on instagram and how to gain and interact with followers. I have been researching and reading articles on different techniques on how to do this, and for next week I was even given a creative Instagram challenge from my boss in order to gain more followers and post more creative content. A problem that I have encountered involving my internship was that last week, my professor accidently broke my phone. I resolved this by purchasing a new Italian phone, and although my new phone has bad photo quality, I have thought of different ways to not let this affect my internship. I made a file that has good quality pictures in Google Docs so that for the future, I am able to use my other phone to access the photos and still be able to post. So far, the most impressive thing about my internship to date is getting to experience the teamwork that all of my coworkers have with one another. They all communicate very well and although they are all good friends, they don’t let that get in the way of their work and they complete all of their given tasks above and beyond. For the following weeks, I am expected to take full control of our company’s Instagram, The Roman Foodie, and incorporate more creative posts, videos, and stories, onto the profile. My boss is also in charge of creating different videos, and in the future I am expected to help out with that and get some video footage of different sites so that she can use it for the final copy. So far I have been loving my internship and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me. Thanks for reading and ciao for now!

My Internship in Rome (Week 6)

My Internship in Rome (Week 6)

This semester in Rome, I was fortunate enough to get hired as a marketing intern for a company called The Roman Guy. The Roman Guy specializes in various VIP tours of different tourist attractions all around Rome, as well as several local food tours in different areas. As an assignment for my class ROST 370, I am required to reflect on my experience of working as an intern for this company.

This week at The Roman Guy, I finished writing and researching a post about Michelangelo’s the Pietà for our Vatican Tours. After my work is read and reviewed by my boss, it is later posted to our website in order to inform customers who are interested in taking a tour of the Vatican. I also found Tripadvisor reviews about our tours online and posted them to our website, so that customers are able to see other positive reviews about our service. Lastly, I interacted with followers and posted on my company’s instagram, The Roman Foodie, in order to increase followers and market the company. Previous classroom knowledge has been helping me because since the majority of my internship involves writing, some English courses that I took last semester are really coming in handy. Also specifics that I learned in my previous marketing classes has been helping me too, because a lot of the things that I do at my internship relate to what I learned about marketing in school. Before starting my internship, I created a learning objective that I wanted to achieve by the end of my internship. One of my learning objectives that I have been working towards completing is improving my writing skills regarding blog posts, various social media apps, and articles as well as having my boss critique my work when I am finished. I am reaching this objective because every week I am in charge of researching and writing an article on a famous tourist site in Rome, and afterwards my boss reviews and critiques my work in order to help me improve. Regarding challenges, I had something terrible happen to me that will affect my internship. In class, my iPhone was sitting on the edge of the table and when my professor walked past and bumped the table, my iPhone fell on the ground. At first it appeared fine because it did not have any cracks, but then I realized that the whole touch screen was broke and the screen wouldn’t stop flashing. This is crucial because I am in charge of running my company’s instagram, which I use my iPhone to do. Luckily my friends are amazing, as they are letting me use their phone to post for the company whenever I need to and continue to interact with followers in the mean time, so hopefully this accident won’t be too much of an inconvenience. So far, one of the most impressive things about my internship to date is my coworkers. They are really supportive of me being a leader and the decisions that I make, and whenever there is a problem they always completely understand and help me with whatever I need. They are the best and I always look forward to working with them. My expectations for the following weeks is that I am going to be researching and writing more about Rome key attractions, running The Roman Foodie instagram account, and I will also be taking over my companies Pinterest page and learning how to monitor our followers. So far I have been loving my internship and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me. Ciao for now and thanks for reading!