A brief recap of the past week is in order, I think, since I’ve posted almost nothing on Facebook, clearly neglected this blog, and have barely even had time to journal for myself. The readers of this Honors Abroad blog are clamoring for news, I’m sure (they don’t give me access to the viewer stats for the LUC Honors blog, but I assume it’s somewhere in the thousands? Hundreds? Mid-twenties? Someone tell me, stat).
Getting Here
My trip to Rome started in Kansas City on August 22nd, when I packed up my 50lb suitcase and a 46 liter backpack, and climbed into the family minivan for a road trip to Dallas. This is because in addition to me leaving for a year abroad in Rome and China, my sister Genevieve is also beginning her freshman year at the University of Dallas. I’m the oldest of six, so that’s two birds out of the nest for my parents, and a pretty big change for them and my siblings.
We dropped Genevieve off at college, and spent two nights with family in Irving, Texas. I got some quality Italian restaurant and day trip recommendations from my aunt, uncle, and cousins who lived in Rome for several years. I took an early morning plane from Dallas to Chicago, spent a day at Loyola catching up with friends, and then, on August 25, My fellow Ricci Scholars and I (plus about 140 other Loyola students) made our way from Chicago to Amsterdam and finally, to Rome. Observation: Rome is currently very hot.
The past week has been a whirlwind of orientation activities, survival Italian lessons, and significant espresso consumption. We’ve been to the beach and to the Colosseum. We’ve seen the Roman Forum. We’ve explored public transportation (everyone was right about the Roman bus system— it’s insane) and gotten lost several times, but we’ve always found our way back home.
In many ways during this first week, I’ve felt like a freshman again. Chicago was new, but at least it was still America— Rome is a completely different feeling for me. I’m trying to allow myself to fully take in the disorientation of being in this foreign place where I am a stranger, clearly an outsider, with little knowledge of the language or the culture.
Fall semester is shaping up to be busy but transformative in all the best ways. My first week in Rome has already challenged and changed me, and I’m excited to start classes and begin to engage with this city* with an intentional and wonder-filled attitude.
— M
*It has become abundantly clear to me that in order to begin said engagement with Rome, I have to intentionally engage with bug spray. I am covered in mosquito bites. American mosquitoes love me; apparently the same goes for Italian mosquitoes. It remains to be seen whether I am as well-liked by the Italian people, but my fingers are crossed.