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| MyKayla at Villa d'Este |
Three months
post My Roman Holiday, I’ve returned to my mundane life in the United States.
Between football games and rather annoying pop quizzes in my Italian class, I’m
occasionally hit with a wave of nostalgia for Italy. Rome was an experience
unlike any other. The people, the food, and the city itself seemed to come
alive when I stepped off the plane at Fiumicino Airport.
Or perhaps it was motion sickness from the flight over. The world may never know.
Or perhaps it was motion sickness from the flight over. The world may never know.
While in
Rome, I was able to have many heart-racing and memorable experiences, such as
climbing the St. Peter’s Basilica and Florence Cathedral domes. I’m sort of a big deal, if I do say so
myself. However, my favorite experience hands down was the trip to Villa d’Este. Villa d’Este is a 16th-century villa located
in Tivoli, near Rome. It’s famous for its terraced hillside Italian
Renaissance gardens and endless bounty of fountains and ponds.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
Villa d’Este must obviously be my favorite memory because of the beautiful scenery,
with its extravagant fountains, large statues, and pretty flowers.
But, that is not the case.
My favorite memory came when myself and
the students with the Rome Center and other faculty-led programs were leaving
Tivoli. We had stopped to look out over the horizon while eating gelato
because, let’s be real - every landscape
in Italy is to die for - when we heard laughter down below. We were
overlooking the recess of a local elementary school. The children were laughing
and playing, which naturally made me start laughing because happiness is
contagious.
Suddenly, the children look up at us and
start waving, saying hello in Italian. They were so excited, jumping around and
twirling their basketballs as they laughed at our genuine surprise. We had only
been in Italy three days, and I had yet to have any interaction with the locals
because I was too busy catnapping from the jetlag and stuffing my face with
delicious food when I wasn’t sleeping.
When we regained our composure, we
mumbled back Ciao! in our thick,
American accents with smiles reaching from ear to ear. In that five minutes, I
believe I became more embedded in the culture than I ever had the remainder of
the trip.
I felt welcomed, which is
all any traveler craves when going abroad. Overall, my international experience
was the most rewarding experience I have yet
to have, and I cannot wait to do it again. What can I say? I’m a study abroad
junky!
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Check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecenter for more
information on the U of A Rome Center.
Or use our search to find your program in Italy or over
40 other countries: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
And, if you need help getting started with study abroad, take a
look at this: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/index.php
