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<\/p>\nI\u2019d decided I was going to study abroad during my senior year of high school when the decision was, arguably, easy. I was leaving for college the following year, so I didn\u2019t have any ties to life at Loyola\u2019s Chicago campus yet. Even as I applied for the John Felice Rome Center my sophomore year, my nerves were at a low in anticipation of all the new experiences to come. When it came time to actually board my flight to Rome, however, my faith in the decision began to fumble. I was worried that I wouldn\u2019t love Rome the same way I loved Chicago or that I wouldn\u2019t make any new friends to travel with. My relief was palpable when, in just the first few weeks of my JFRC experience, both of my doubts were set aside.
\nOrientation was pleasantly exhausting. We spent most of the\u00a0first week venturing around Rome, seeing everything from the Colosseum to a whole in the wall restaurant that served authentic pasta for four euro. The near constant immersion in the city made me fall in love with Rome and its contradictions; I\u2019ve always loved Chicago, but even when I moved there for university, I never felt quite as at home as I did dodging puddles in the cobblestone streets near the Forum.<\/p>\n
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While I was discovering that Rome was the place I\u2019d been looking for, I was surrounded by people who felt the same, the majority of whom had not come to the JFRC with a pre-established group of friends. I expected making friends to be the most difficult part of the journey, but everyone at the JFRC is there to meet people who share this same desire to see the world. During a scavenger hunt wherein we ran around the city taking pictures of all of the quintessential Roman sites, I made friends with a wonderfully positive group that shared my traveling desires and a few of my classes.
\nThere have been nights where I miss my family and friends back home immensely, but the experiences that I\u2019m having during the day make it much easier to cope with. As the days go on, I find myself reflecting on the cappuccino that blew my mind or the breathtaking view from the top of the Spanish Steps instead of how badly I miss Chicago. There are so many things to love about Rome; the hills are nothing like I\u2019ve seen in the suburbs, pasta here is never overdone, and historic churches and ruins are always a few steps away, offering an insight into the city\u2019s history, present, and future. When I do connect with my family and friends, they\u2019re always anticipating stories about my life here and encouraging me to continue chasing personal growth in the eternal city. Connecting with a time change is easier than I\u2019d thought, and the distance has made hearing about life back home is even more entertaining than before I left. I will never not miss my life in Chicago, but I\u2019ll be back within four months. I\u2019ll only have a life here in Rome once, and I can\u2019t wait to live it to the fullest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019d decided I was going to study abroad during my senior year of high school when the decision was, arguably, easy. I was leaving for college the following year, so I didn\u2019t have any ties to life at Loyola\u2019s Chicago campus yet. Even as I applied for the John Felice Rome Center my sophomore year, … <\/p>\n