It’s crazy to think that today was my last class in Rome and the end of my time studying abroad. Next week is finals week, and my final week at John Cabot. Next Friday will be the last day with the friends I have made here, and Saturday will be the last time I’ll be at this school and in Rome as an abroad student. It’s insane to think how much time has passed, and how much I’ve grown as a person and a student. This time abroad in both London and Rome has equipped me with so many new skills, experiences, outlooks on life, and new ambitions.

Thinking of this time in Rome, it was significantly longer than my time in London, and although it’s been amazing, I do have to say that I’m ready to go back to the comfort of home and family. Rome has been an amazing experience, and after I was talking to my friends here, we all have the same feeling that it’s gone by so quickly, and yet, we feel like we’ve been here for years. It’s weird to know it’s all coming to an end, because as I was moving out of my London apartment, I knew I had Rome coming up, and now it’s all over.

While my time in Rome was filled with more adventures than London; both provided different outlooks on life, and different cultures that have shaped me in many ways. I’ve learned so much that will carry on with me for the rest of my life and have gained perspectives on different culture and made me richer in life.

People, during this time abroad, have always asked me which city/abroad I like more, Rome or London. I always say it’s such a different experience in both; with different languages, cultures, and ways of life, that I can’t compare the two. However, sometimes I do catch myself comparing.

England was always my dream. England, and by extension London, was a place I knew I was going to study/live/go abroad too. It was my dream and still is. It was everything I hoped for, and a thousand times more. I had met the most amazing people and had amazing experiences that introduced me to a new part of myself, and the world. It made me become more independent and pushed me to do things solo, without the company of others, which I had struggled with for so long. London had inspired me and fulfilled my dreams. I truly felt like I was living in England.

I think thats where the comparison comes in.

After London, it’s hard going to another city, finding new friends and adventures, and exploring a new language and culture. While I’ve met amazing people here and been on phenomenal adventures and traveled to new cities and countries, I can’t help but miss London. While I took 2 years of Italian, I find it difficult to understand the language and respond. While I can read, write, and speak, it’s difficult for me to understand the words when someone is speaking to me. The words seem to blend together, in a way I can’t decipher. No matter, I’ve met some equally amazing people here in Rome that have filled my time here with laughter and memories and taught me some other lessons that were different than London, such as, more patience, and the joy of the slow life, along with understanding language and cultural differences.

I do have to acknowledge that I liked different parts of myself in different places. London is a very individualistic society, and I loved how independent I felt. I was so comfortable being alone because so many people were also doing things alone. Going to museums, cafes, walking around; I did it all alone, just as so many others were doing, and I felt empowered with being able to go through life without people at every-step. However, Rome was a very community-based society, where you hardly see anyone out and about alone. I felt more self-conscious if I was doing things alone and wouldn’t seek things out If I wasn’t with my friends, which I felt was a step back for me.

However, Rome taught me to be more adventurous and spontaneous. My friends and I would often take day trips, and sometimes “yolo” it, without making plans (which at first was difficult, because I love to plan the entire day out), but eventually it made me excited to just see where the day would take us and what adventures we would see ourselves on. In London I was very planned out, with events marked on every day of the calendar, and thus, Rome taught be that it’s exciting to go without a plan, and sometimes that’s what makes the best memories.

Reflecting on this time abroad, I’ve seen new sides of myself I had never seen before or cared to acknowledge. I grew as a person in more ways than one and will take each trait I liked from a city and collage it into the person I continue to grow into.

Reflecting on my time solely in Rome, it’s been more than an adventure. I was able to do so much and visit so many new and old places. I traveled around Italy, and Rome, and experienced amazing memories in every place. Each trip I did in Italy was filled with laughter, memories, and adventure. My favorite trip was either Orvieto or the Amalfi Coast. The most I’ve ever laughed was on these trips and it was filled with such phenomenal people.

As I get to my final last 10 days, I reflect on the people I’ve met here, and the adventures I’ve been on. Its been such a phenomenal experience that’ll I’ll never forget, and Im very sad its coming to an end. I’ve spent a year abroad, and its gonna be an adjustment coming back to America and DU, along with a different way of life and adjusting to my old life.

I hope though, that the experiences and the person I have grown into will stay with me, and while I’ll be moving back home, I hope I will continue to be the person I am and continue to grow with the experience of multiple cultures behind me.

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