Greetings from Massachusetts! I leave Sunday for Rome, and I couldn’t be more excited, but I have a lot to do until then…
Unpacking school to repack for Maymester
To be honest, my room is a complete mess right now with all of my belongings from my dorm room having just been moved out while at the same time I am packing for Rome. I can transfer a lot of my belongings from moving boxes to a suitcase, but I also can add in some new summer clothes for Rome. I hope I won’t stick out too much as an American tourist, so I did some research and it turns out Italians wear pants and long skirts– even in the scorching heat. While I was not expecting that, it just means I’ll have to pack accordingly.
I’ve talked to lots of other people that have traveled and they all say the same thing: pack comfortable shoes. From what Professor Seider and Professor Martin mention with all the places we will be going, I have no doubt that most of the day we will be walking around. But exploring a new city on foot is half the fun, especially since we will have our professors as guides. We also have a nice 30 minute walk everyday (yes, I calculated it on Google Earth) from our apartments to the school building so I will be prepared with comfy shoes and a cup of good coffee.
Getting Some Work Done
As nice of a vacation this will be for a month in Rome, I do have to remind myself I am still taking a history/art course and have to prepare. We have some light work to do beforehand like reading Professor Martin’s Ancient Rome: From Romulus to Justinian, some excerpts, and study the map of Rome. We are all doing the majority of the work now so when we get to Rome we can learn and explore the sites without having to do book work.
Additionally I have been working my usual job at a local grocery store trying to save up some spending money after paying off this trip. I have my eyes set on an expensive Italian dinner and maybe a leather jacket, but we’ll see how much I can save up.
Excitement and Nerves
While I am definitely excited, I also have some nerves. This year has taught me how to live semi-independently, but living in a whole different country will be completely new. Since I will be gone for a month it’s a good amount of time to see how studying abroad for a semester would go, but I still get to enjoy traveling on my own for a couple of weeks.
Traveling alone can make anyone uneasy, but thankfully I have other students who are familiar with home on the Hill to help me through it all.
This week, I have said hello to my friends from home just to say addio again, but they’ve been so supportive as I talk through my nervous excitement about my trip. The next time I post I will be away in Rome so I cannot wait to update on my experiences thus far and post some pictures:)
