Tag: Italy

The Journey to Roma

The Journey to Roma

This trip has certainly been a long time coming.  I’ve been dreaming of the day I would have the opportunity to study abroad in college for what seems like forever. And Loyola’s John Felice Rome Center was a huge factor in my choice to come here. But now my dreams are a reality and I get to post this…from Rome.

Loyola could not make it any easier for us to come abroad—especially to Rome. I’m quite literally attending Loyola University Chicago, just in Italy. The University has helped us with each step of the study abroad process. They provided an option to apply for our study visas on campus, a group flight rate—which included a shuttle to campus upon arrival, and even scholarship opportunities.

The physical journey here was not quite as pleasant as enrollment. Mine started with a missing passport scare—thankfully recovered with help from my roommates and uncle, then a quick flight from Moline (the airport closest to my hometown) to O’Hare, followed by a 2 hour layover, then the hop, skip, and jump over the pond to Frankfurt, Germany. Unfortunately, my flight was not as delightful as hopping, skipping, or jumping is normally. I was definitely lacking on the sleeping, but had the chance to catch up on some movies and reading.

When our crowd of “JFoRCers” landed in Frankfurt we all drowsily made our way to the gate and tried to stay awake for the next few hours until our next flight would leave for Rome. After a slight delay we boarded our short flight headed for Italy. I foolishly missed out on that napping opportunity and opted to read. And of course catch my first glimpses of the Eternal City from above.

Upon arrival to Rome, a friend and I had to take a cab to campus because we did not book the shuttle with the group. Which really wasn’t so bad after all, it turned into a bit of an adventure. Two other Loyola students ended up splitting the van-style cab with us. Driving in Rome for the first time was pretty intimidating. But I’m sure the crowded streets and aggressive drivers would make anyone uneasy. I was a little more worried when our cab driver parked in front of the “Hotel Massimissi”, not the JFRC campus. Apparently she had written down the wrong address. We weren’t too far from where we were supposed to be, so after another zip around the neighborhood we officially arrived to the JFRC.

We didn’t have a chance to rest easy though, our evening was packed with meetings, a walking tour of the neighborhood, speakers, dinner in Mensa—our dining hall, and plenty of important information that would’ve been much easier to grasp if we hadn’t been so jetlagged. Let me tell you, going to bed at 8:30 that night was perfecto. And I hope the rest of my semester is perfecto, too.

Mini Care Package From Home to Rome

Mini Care Package From Home to Rome

I’ve been obsessively checking my mailbox for the past few weeks, since I knew a little package was coming for me from home.  Before I left for Italy, I ordered a few necessities online, and of course with my luck, they got to the States the day after I leave! So my lovely mother sent them to Italy with a few extra things.

My mom sent me trashy tabloids (my guilty pleasure), a nice card with notes from my siblings and parents and a few newspaper articles.  Both of them were from my local newspaper at home.  One of them was about the insane amount of snow Rome received the past month, and the other was about how Krakow, Poland is a great place to vacation. (where I’m going for spring break- its where my grandmother’s family is from)

It was a great care package and it’s always nice to hear from my family back home.  I’m lucky they sent me things, because it is nearly impossible to get things to Rome without paying a heavy tax.  My friend received some food and she had to pay 300 euro!  My package, luckily, got here quickly and easily. And I’m definitely going to enjoy having my new clothes to wear and soaking in all the American gossip from the tabloids.

Tivoli

Tivoli

Loyola planned another great orientation activity last Sunday.  It was a day trip to a small town in the mountains of Italy called Tivoli.  While in Tivoli, we visited a pope’s summer home and had time to explore the city.

The pope’s summer home was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve seen so far.  The house was full of beautiful murals, many antiques and furniture.  The outside land spread across many acres, and there were fountains everywhere.  Luckily, it was a beautiful day, (about 60 degrees…I know you’re jealous) so the experience was even more enjoyable.

Afterwards, we had time to explore Tivoli.  There were gelato shops everywhere, so clearly I had to stop and get some.  If you ever get gelato, get the “stracciatella” flavor. Delicious.  The one bad thing about exploring Tivoli on a Sunday afternoon was that everything was shut down.  Almost everything closes on Sundays and even sometimes during the week.  It’s a very laid back lifestyle.

Tivoli was amazing.  Next week I am hoping to go to Florence and visit Tuscany and Pisa; I hear it’s absolutely beautiful, and I can’t wait to explore another part of Italy!