Tag: Rome

Touchdown in Roma

Published on by miadervisevic1 Comment

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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Rome Getaway

Published on by showtimeherink2Leave a comment

I had been planning this trip since before I got to Maastricht. I had always wanted to go to Rome and it was on my bucket list. I had planned to take the trip at the end of October (since that was when the period ended). Everything worked out in the end and on top of that, I was able to go for three nights instead two. The trip was so much fun, and I am glad I went. Here is a recap.

Like the trip to Budapest, I had a 4:30 am bus ride to the Brussels airport for an 8:40 flight. I did not sleep the night before and it did not feel like I was asleep when I was. I slept on the bus and the flight to Rome as much as I could, but since we had an amazing view of the Alps on the flight out, I had to gaze at their beauty. The flight was uneventful, and I landed in Rome without trouble. I then took a bus to the city center and the first thing I did was eat some pizza and ice cream. After that I walked towards the Rome Colosseum and the Rome Forum. I did not have tickets to get inside on Friday (I had them for Saturday) so instead, I walked around the area for about 2-3 hours before heading to my hostel to check in. After checking in to the hostel and getting settled, I made my way over to the Trevi Fountain. Expecting to see the fountain in action, I was greeted with an empty fountain as they were doing restoration work to the fountain. Other than that, it was still very cool to look at and I even found a good ice cream place by the area (I would go there every night after dinner during the time I was in Rome).

Saturday I was able to actually enter the Rome Colosseum for my tour. I wanted to explore the entirety of the Colosseum, but all the exclusive tickets were sold out, so I had to get a ticket that allowed me access to only the first and second floors of the Colosseum. The Colosseum was amazing. I have always wanted to visit it and I am glad I got the opportunity to visit it. After the Colosseum I made my way to the Rome Forum, which is part of the last remnants of the Roman Empire. The place was massive, and I was there for about 5-6 hours exploring the area. After then Forum I found some dinner and went back to the Trevi Fountain to get some ice cream and to enjoy the sight of the Trevi Fountain.

Sunday, I explored the Vatican City and although I did not go into any of the buildings, it was a sight to behold. I walked around the area for some time before making my way back across the river to the Pantheon, my next stop in the Rome Getaway. I explored the inside of the Pantheon, where I saw sculptures and paintings from the times of Ancient Rome. I spent the rest of my day walking around the city and ended off the night with- you guessed it, more pizza and ice cream by the Trevi Fountain. I had an early flight out Monday morning, so I went to bed early. The flight home as quick and I was able to get on an earlier bus back to Maastricht so that was nice.