Applying for the program was the easy part, but preparing to leave was when things got tricky, I didn’t know what to pack, and I hadn’t been on a plane in years, and I was absolutely terrified but more excited than I have ever been, luckily for me I had the guidance of the program leaders, Dr. Vennarucci and Dr. Reeber. Prior to leaving they hosted meetings to get to know each other and prepare us for what to expect from our month in Italy. Boarding the plane was the most terrifying thing I have ever done, but nine hours later we were landing, and as I looked out the window I saw the country I had been dreaming of seeing for years. There wasn’t a single day where I did not see something amazing, modern, ancient, it was all stunning. I took thousands of pictures, wanting to remember and share it all.
Of all the things I saw and the opportunities I had I will never forget any of it, but I certainly had my favorites, some that I was expecting, and others I wasn’t. The two I looked forward to the most were the Colosseum, and Vatican City. Our very first full day in the city we walked from the Rome Center, where we were going to have classes every day, through the city to the ancient Forum, and as we were walking we turned a corner and suddenly there it was, the Colosseum. That was the moment that it hit me, I was really standing in the middle of Rome finally seeing with my own eyes the building that has been the background of my computer for more years than I can count. There are no words to describe the overwhelming emotions I felt in that moment. At the time I thought nothing could top it, I couldn’t wait to go inside, to see the amphitheater where so many people have sat, stretching back to the Flavian dynasty of the Empire, it filled me with a kind of hope, like suddenly I could see and do more than I ever even imagined, and I got that feeling every single day as we walked around.
The ruins were spectacular, and while I expected the churches to also stand out, I never could have imagined the beauty of each and every church I had the opportunity to walk in to. The decorations were ornate, the walls usually covered in statues of saints, they were peaceful and awe inspiring. Of them all my favorite was St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, where I went to mass my first Sunday in the city, a mass presided over by Pope Francis. It was something I never thought I would get to experience, and something I may never get the chance to do again. It was everything I never knew I needed in my life. I expected the beauty, and sites, and the learning, and it all met and exceeded my expectations, but it was the things I didn’t expect, the things that snuck up on me that surprised me the most.
I didn’t expect to run around an archaeological site of Pompeii and Herculaneum like they were a playground, and I didn’t expect the emotional weight that came from seeing the bones of the dead in the shipyards, the people fleeing the volcano. I didn’t expect an impromptu photo shoot in the garden of a renaissance era villa. I didn’t expect to laugh after getting caught in a rain storm while out shopping with my roommates. I didn’t expect to lay on a beach on the Amalfi Coast, or to swim in the Mediterranean. I lived in Rome, I studied in Rome, I saw museums and ruins, I made friendships, I interacted with a new culture, and with all my expectations I never thought I would come home having learned more about myself than anything else. For the rest of my life I will remember this trip, I will talk about the students and professors I traveled with, I will show my thousands of pictures off, and I will tell others of my experiences. If you are on the fence about studying abroad just do it, I can guarantee that you will not regret it. If you know you want to study abroad but do not know what program to choose, look into Classics in Italy, I can not imagine a better group of faculty to see Rome with. I’ll never be able to adequately describe my experience on this program, but if you’re reading this I hope you have the opportunity to be shocked and inspired by the world as I was this summer and make the most of it.
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Classical Studies major Susan Cole spent the Summer 2018 term at our U of A Rome Center with our faculty-led program, Classics in Italy the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
