DU Abroad

I’ve been on a number of trips since I arrived in Florence almost four months ago, but I want to dedicate this post to my adventures in Rome. Before I get into the details, I should pay homage to the train system in Italy. Every weekend is a perfect opportunity to take a cheap day trip and compare the intricate differences between Florence and other cities in Italy. Prices for roundtrip tickets usually range from 25 to 60 euros. Here’s a video of the train window view from Rome back to Florence. Isn’t Tuscany gorgeous?

https://www.facebook.com/100065620435757/videos/2704236949733885/

One of my favorite weekends I’ve had was when my friend Kayla (who graduated DU this past year) visited me. She had just come from two months of yoga school in India and she was astonished to be walking around Florence and Rome. It was so interesting to hear her comparisons to Varanasi, the holy city of India. It is a beautiful city and she’s grateful to have experienced the culture surrounding Hinduism, but she was excited for a change of pace. There, women are strongly advised not to show much skin and even go out at night, alcohol is banned, and each day she had to set out a considerable chunk of time to pass through herds of people on the streets. One funny little shock that got her on the streets of Italy was how cars wouldn’t stop for her. She almost got run over in the middle of the street once! Apparently you can count on the cars and motorcycles to stop once you’re a couple feet away in Varanasi. I told her Italian drivers couldn’t care less, or just don’t notice you because they’re busy shuffling around for their next cigarette. A definite downside for me and her both was how expensive Rome was, even compared to Florence. While the city was still incredible to take in, it was kind of like Florence on steroids for me. For Kayla, the architecture and people’s behavior were a complete culture shock and she was freaking out.

She made me remember the initial wanderlust I had when I first arrived, and renewed my sense of gratitude to be in Europe in general. On a quick sidenote, I’ve found that the mindsets of the people I surround myself with have probably had the biggest influence on my study abroad experiences – both negative and positive.

The first spot Kayla and I wandered to was completely unexpected and beautiful; a giant park in the shape of a heart named Villa Borghese. We ventured through flower gardens and grasslands to end up canoeing ourselves around a little duck pond. Complimenting the occasional little cafes and museums stood ancient Roman temples and statues. We accidentally spent hours roaming around the park and it wasn’t even on our itinerary! We even returned on Sunday and got to enter an art gallery for free. It was the coolest museum I think I’ve ever been too, and it had nothing to do with Roman history, but the only way I can describe it is possibly the meaning of life. The exhibit held different paintings and immersive techno art that posed questions about the universe that Kayla and I tried to answer for at least an hour. Anyways, we enjoyed our last moments in the park, which I really soaked up because it’s tough to access such abundant nature in Florence. That’s one thing I’ve struggled with over these past few months… the good parks in Florence are about a 25 minute walk from where I live, so sometimes the city can feel a little suffocating. Seeing a forest of trees turning red and orange in Villa Borghese reminded me how much I missed the changing of seasons.

Now a review of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, nothing too special. The tickets were free because it was a Sunday, and the line for the Colosseum was only 20 minutes — a sweet surprise, but made enough sense for late November. Making our way through the Colosseum was surreal, especially after reading some of the information panels in the exhibit. Did you know they pitted lions against bears and gathered the city to watch them fight each other to death? They also held one-on-one gladiator duels and executions for everyone to cheer to. In fact, almost all of the activities in the Colosseum were pure violence. I took it upon my shoulders and dared myself to perform the riff-off from Pitch Perfect in an effort to heal this historical truth. I would show you the video, but it’s actually pretty embarrassing because I got shy at the end. It was hard to secure a spot without people behind me but don’t worry, I managed to weasel my way through the moving crowd to the railing overlooking the stage. I even stopped a small group of fans/observers amidst the unbothered swarmers. I don’t know guys, I just really wanted to be able to say I performed at the Colosseum. When in Rome! Right next to the Colosseum was the Roman Forum, the most mind blowing experience of the trip. It’s described as an ancient site for religious and secular spectacles and ceremonies, housing ruins of important temples and monuments. It took an hour to walk all the way through, and it felt like I had entered a portal and been frozen in time. I highly, highly recommend. Sorry I couldn’t get the most accurate pictures, I got a little lost in the moment.

The last site I will give a shout out to is the Trevi Fountain. If you’re a Roman/Greek mythology fan, I hope you get to visit Rome at least once in your life — especially this grandiose fountain. It’s dedicated to one of the aqueducts that supplied the city with water, portraying Oceanus (or Poseidon, the god of the ocean) and other supporting characters. His horses are guiding him through the sea, one horse going buckwild and the other poised and steady. The horses represent the contrasting moods of the waters, and philosophers might say the opposing forces of life too. It was refreshing to enjoy a celebrated work of sculpture and architecture that had nothing to do with Christianity — just mythology, water and a little Roman history. Not that I have anything against Christianity, but I have probably seen a hundred different portrayals of Jesus on the cross at this point and it was interesting to see something completely unrelated.

After two nights, my friend came to a conclusion about both Varanasi and Rome: the locals are genuinely interested in the American life, and surprisingly not in a way that is making fun. I would definitely attach that sentiment to Florence as well. The people are quite friendly and I’ve noticed myself to be way more judgmental of where I come from than they ever could be. Sometimes the men are a little too friendly, so you have to be weary. More so than in America… but it’s almost better that their intentions are exposed right off the bat, if you get what I mean. After a few months in Florence, I thought I had gotten used to the average Italian man’s straight-forward nature, but Rome was a whole other level. I think it’s because they’re not used to seeing American tourists out at night; in Florence I would argue I see more Americans than Italians out because of the overwhelming study abroad population. It was pretty enlivening to be apart of Italian nightlife and not recognize a single American soul; I’ve been yearning for that level of cultural authenticity. I did however, miss the walkability of Florence. Rome is much larger and Ubers in Italy are more often than not unreliable, so I adventured a little farther than I enjoyed but it’s fine because I ran into the Colosseum again. Rome is crazy like that. Alright, that’s all I wanted to share. Thanks for reading this far!

My final week in Dunedin was a rollercoaster of emotions. At some point every day, my friends and I sat around the kitchen table or on the couch in our flat and someone had to say, “Guys I’m sad how are we leaving each other soon.” We would all go silent and just think about it, you could feel the whole mood of the room shift as no one knew what to say or do. Honestly, who am I kidding most of the time it was me because I’m a nostalgic person who always is reflecting and processing my reality. Eventually, we would get up and go to the beach and do something fun and things would return to normal for the time being. It was a slow week- mostly everyone was done with finals, and we were all just trying to figure out what was next.

I had my 21^st birthday on the 8^th which was really fun to celebrate while away. It was crazy turning 21 in New Zealand and being able to come home legal. It was kind of perfect timing because most people were leaving around the 13th and it was the last time we were able to get everyone together. The night before my birthday we drove down to the Catlins which is a beautiful area a couple hours south of Dunedin with green rolling hills, beaches, and gorgeous views. My friends Hana, Caty, Emma, and I hiked to a hut and stayed the night outdoors. This was great to be all together and have a last outdoor adventure with them. I woke up in the Catlins on my birthday and my friend Caty managed to chef up some crepes and we had a nice breakfast. We headed back to Dunedin and I got my nails done and did some shopping for my birthday dinner. We went to a nice Thai place on the water at St. Clair and then headed home where my other friends were at the flat and surprised me with a cake. Others started to show up and it turned out to be a great, wholesome night. One of my favorite parts was the card they made me. I get really excited about cards because they are meaningful, and I always make the effort to make my friends one for their birthday. Everyone signed it and wrote the sweetest notes that made me feel so special, it was cute.

By the end of the week, my family got there, and it felt so surreal to be seeing them in this place that I had spent so much of my time on my own. Their coming crept up on me I really couldn’t believe I was already getting to see them and leaving Dunedin so soon. I went to their hotel and got into the elevator and pushed the button for their floor. I had a moment almost like not knowing what to even say to them, wondering if I’d changed and if they would notice. I got to their floor and the elevator door opened. My sister was standing right there, and we both screamed and ran to each other. It immediately felt right and normal as I felt that touch of home I’d started to long for each day. We went to a yummy Italian place right on the water and caught up about everything going on. I was so happy that I got to be with them after saying my goodbyes and that I could ease into the process of going home. I was in shock that they were even there, and excited to show them my favorite spots so they could see what my life had been like for these 5 months away.

The next day, I showed them my flat and we walked around my campus. They were in awe that this was the school I had been attending and spending my time in. I will say the campus is quite beautiful with flowers blooming everywhere and a stream that goes right through the middle of campus. That night, I introduced them to 3 of the 6 of my flatmates that were left in Dunedin. We shared stories and laughed, and I was so happy that all these people who mean a lot to me were finally meeting. Vasco, my flatmate from Portugal, always made fun of me because he says I talk with my hands and use “like” a lot. He said my mom was exactly the same as me and I said, “So now you finally understand where I come from.” I spent the night in the flat rather than the hotel to have one last night with my friends. A lot of people were gone at this point, but I said bye to those who were still there. There was a heaviness over the group as no one wanted to say bye, but we knew it had to be done. I truly never thought I would get this close to so many people from all over the world. They became my family and it felt like I was being forced into closing that chapter of my life. This was different than saying bye to college friends knowing we would all be back. I never knew when I would see these people again and that thought was on constant repeat in my mind. The next morning, I gave final hugs and headed off with my family. Our first stop was Queenstown, which had been a staple location during my time abroad. I’d gone there a few times now and felt good about showing them around.

Walking Around Campus and Botanical Gardens

Now that my family was here, it was a different kind of travel. Being with my friends we were on an extreme budget and usually would stay in hostels and try to eat the cheapest possible food. With my family, we stayed at nice places, going on tours, and eating nice food. I felt like I deserved this after the roughing it I’d done- most of the time in nature which is fun in its own way. We did a day trip from Queenstown to the Doubtful Sounds. This is where Lord of the Rings is filmed, which is the main thing that it is known for. It is one of the places on the South Island that gets the most rain so it is pure rainforest. We got to go on a boat through the sounds and the views were breathtaking. Everywhere you look there’s a waterfall. Since it rains a lot, it has a cool mystical feel, eerie like you’re in a dreamland. While this was fun, the tour was very long and all of us just wanted to get off the boat by the end of it. Because it is so secluded, we took a total of 8 modes of transportation throughout the day ranging between boats and busses. We were so excited to get back after our 2-hour bus ride to have some food and get a good night’s rest.

After that, we headed to Lake Tekapo for the night and stopped at Mt. Cook on the way to do the Hooker Valley track. This was a super easy walking trail with beautiful views of the mountains. It was very nice to get outside after so much sitting in the car and traveling. Driving into Mt. Cook was one of the most beautiful drives I’d ever done. That is the nice thing about New Zealand is that even if you have a long drive, it is a beautiful one, so it is easy to stay entertained. Anyways, there was the most vibrant turquoise blue lake to the right of us while driving in and we were all in awe of the sight. The mix of milky blue waters with snowcapped mountains was just stunning, and like nothing I’d seen before. We got into Lake Tekapo that evening and slept for a little before our stargazing tour at 12 am. Lake Tekapo is known for stargazing, so we knew we had to go see for ourselves. We got to look through telescopes and even see the rings around Saturn and various other planets and constellations up close. After that, we went into hot springs and got to float around while looking up at the vibrant stars. This was nice but slightly disappointing because we thought the hot springs would be natural and it was more of a pool with chlorine and everything. Despite that, it was a cool experience and I enjoyed it. In the morning, we stopped to see the famous lupin flowers around the lake that are beautiful and vibrant with color. They were not all blooming, but we got to see some.

Our next road trip location was to Christchurch for a night before catching a flight to the north island. Sadly, when we arrived, the weather was terrible, so we just kept it mellow. Me and my mom went for a drink and got delicious espresso martinis and enjoyed every second of it. That is my favorite drink to order on the right occasion because it feels sophisticated and tastes good as well. My friend Vasco who I had mentioned was staying in a hostel near the airport in Christchurch for the night, so I decided to Uber over to see him and get one last goodbye. We were very happy to see each other again and we talked outside about our favorite memories and what our plans were after this. There was a pool table in the hostel, so we decided to play a couple games (I beat him on the first one). I love being with my family, but it felt really nice to see him and be able to be around friends again. We gave hugs and I got into an Uber and headed back to the hotel.

The next morning, we got on a plane to Rotorua in the North Island. The plane ride was short only a couple hours and we landed and got a rental car. We were on the way to Raglan, which is a small beach town known for its long left point. My brother was very excited to surf this wave and be back by the beach. On the way to Raglan, we had an excursion planned to see glow worms in underground caves by boat. This was a really cool one because we learned how the caves were formed thousands of years ago when that part of the island was underwater. It was pitch black as we got on the boat and headed into the caves. I could smell that freshwater smell- similar to when you go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. When we got to a certain spot in the caves, it lit up. It was honestly such a cool thing to see and extremely rare as well as there are only glow worms in New Zealand and Australia. It was as if I was looking at the clearest night of stars you could possibly comprehend. When we got to the end of the tour, we could see some light as we were approaching the exit to the caves. Upon exiting, we went into a beautiful rainforest landscape, large canopies of green trees that protected mostly from the rain. From the caves, we made the trek to Raglan- a secluded part of the North Island a couple hours from Auckland.

Cool Restaurant Our First Night in Raglan

Raglan was everything we expected it to be. This is something I was particularly excited about because it was the only recommendation for New Zealand I got from a friend at home. I loved living in the South Island in terms of the grand mountains and unique landscapes, but I definitely missed warmer weather and the ability to be at the beach in a bikini. When I think about it, I missed summer in 2 different hemispheres which was really starting to affect me. In Raglan, we got to put on bathing suits and hang out at the beach finally. My brother is a big surfer, so he enjoyed the nice long left that this spot is famous for. I always love watching my brother surf because it reminds me of my childhood and being his proud sister watching him in competitions. To this day, I always think he’s the best in the lineup which is probably why I enjoy it so much. I was watching him and saw a full rainbow appear over him as he surfer- truly the coolest sight. Life in Raglan is simple- people live to surf and be in a tight community with each other. There was nothing fancy about this town, but we understood why people loved it so much. If I could live there for months with my family and do nothing but go to the beach every day I would say yes in a heartbeat.

After a few days in Raglan, it was finally time to go home. We woke up and did one last coffee run before having to hit the road. We were flying out of Auckland which was about a 3-hour drive from where we were. My family’s flight was a bit earlier than mine, so we got to the airport and I took the rental car for a couple hours around the city because I hadn’t seen it yet. It was a weird feeling, my last few hours in a country where I had spent so much time and made endless memories. It was hard to process that I was leaving, and I was unsure about how to feel. I was honestly excited to go home but knew I would miss it. Being abroad is something that is hyped up in your head for so long and it was a harsh reality that it was over, but life goes on. Despite how I was feeling, I went to the airport and got on the plane. I continued to think about my friends and how grateful I was to have experienced everything I did. My main goal moving forward was to take in everything I learned while away and look forward to my next phase of being home and going back to DU to catch up with friends. Thank you, New Zealand, you will be missed!

When in Rome…

Final Goodbyes and Exploring with my Family