This week marks the start of my new abroad experience, in Rome, Italy! I’m so excited to start this new adventure and have new experiences. This school year so far has been a wild ride! Fall quarter I studied abroad in London, which was an unforgettable experience and one I can’t even fully describe. I hope (and partially know) Rome will be the same.

It’s interesting, however, because people have been wanting to know by the end of this year abroad, how I compare the two places. I don’t believe you could though. Sure, in some respects they’re both big cities with new and exciting things to do and experience, yet they’re also so different. Rome has an entirely new language and culture with different history and ways of life, as well as it brings me new people and friends. So, in terms of comparison, I believe both places bring something new and I’m excited to see what Rome brings me this winter and spring!

I moved in on the 14th, and boy oh boy was that an exhausting day! With 12 hours of traveling total and 5 hours of check in at the University, I was ready to fall into bed to say the least. I admit, I was very nervous to see my new living arrangements and roommates because under privacy laws in Italy, I wasn’t allowed to meet or know who my roommates would be until I unlocked my apartment door. But once I walked through my old wooden Italian doors, I was happily greeted by my new roommates/flat mates (all 6 of them)! They’re all so nice and accommodating, we have already been on a few adventures together! While choosing to go random was daunting, it was the best decision I made in both London and here in Rome. However, after going out for pizza all together and learning that it was VERY cheap ($5 per pizza), I fell into bed and slept.

The next day, fighting the jet lag was an uphill battle. I overslept my alarm by 2 hours! And not to mention, I woke up at 3am, not being able to fall back asleep until 4. I had orientation as well and thankfully got up just in time to get ready for the events of that day! The jet lag had affected me more so than it did in London, and the next days after arriving, I was constantly adjusting and feeling tired during the day and awake at night. During the mornings I would rush around the apartment gathering my things and run out the door to my next orientation meetings (which I was never late for because I would oversleep my admittedly early alarms and wake up just in time)! It was difficult however, because there was no “free” day after moving in where I could sleep in and adjust to the new time change, as the whole week of arrival was about orientation and getting familiar with Rome and its winding streets.

While the weather hasn’t been that forgiving (cloudy and downpours of rain), we still made the most of our first week here in Rome! We explored the largest flea market in Italy, planned some trips, ate phenomenal Italian dinners, spent time together, explored the night life to some degree, and then of course, got ready for classes! All in all, this week was truly about bonding with my flat mates and exploring Rome before the busy schedule of classes.

Today, I had my first day of classes and saw the first glimpse of how this semester would progress. My courses all seem very interesting and I’m excited to dive into the new school semester! After classes, I came home, put assignments and readings into my calendar, and then sat around the dining room table with my flat mates and friends and talked about our days.

Honestly, while the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps were amazing to see, sitting around the dining room table or the living room with my roommates and talking has been the highlight of my week so far. One would be sitting in either place, and slowly but surely each of my roommates would join and we would just endlessly talk about everything and anything. It’s been so fun to just explore Rome, start new classes, and meet wonderful people- and I’ve only just finished the first week!

I’m excited to see where the rest of the semester takes me and what adventures lie in my future.

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