IES Abroad Rome

I spent my fall semester of the year 2016 with IES Abroad Rome, and it was incredible.

There were many obstacles that I encountered immediately upon arrival. I had never travelled outside of the United States of America before, so the sense of disorientation and cultural shock was jarring and frightening. Sometimes I felt so overwhelmed that I didn't want to leave my homestay or go to school. IES had a support system for me already set in place; I could talk to professors, administrative officers, and the ever-lovable ISCs (Italian-Speaking Student Companions). They were more than faculty; they were friends and peers willing to help, whether that meant fetching some tissues or just listening and sharing stories.

The IES Abroad Rome's Program also took us on a few field trips, both around Rome and out to other Italian cities like Siena and Pompeii. While there is strengths in numbers, sometimes I wished I had gone by myself to these places. (Later on, during Fall Break, I did just that, and I did a mini tour of Central/Northern Italy). That being said, IES worked really hard to organize trips with guides able to provide a unique perspective and remarkable insights. Did you know, for example, that there's a saying among the people in Siena that says the curly-haired woman is capricious? With each curl, our tour guide explained, she changes her mind. As someone with a headful of curls, I was at first offended. Then I changed my mind.

My favorite memories from my time in Rome were made when I was either on my own or with one or two close friends. IES gave me the perfect balance of space and guidance. Students could travel anywhere, as were encouraged to do so, on the weekends and over Fall Break as long as we left our travel details with the school's administrative office. No section of the city of Rome itself was off limits though we were advised to avoid certain areas at night. These safety protocols were essential for me particularly when several earthquakes hit central Italy around the time of my stay. A few of the stronger quakes could be felt in Rome, and since I'd never experienced that before I was terrified. IES has a quick emergency response protocol, and no sooner had I felt the earthquake and found out what had happened then IES texted and emailed me to verify my location and safety. The faculty also held a program meeting to discuss earthquakes and answer any questions the students had. This made me feel safer and more confident that I was in good hands.

Cultural immersion is not, I've decided, something that any school or program can enforce. IES gave me all of the tools - Italian language courses, social time with the ISCs, and my homestay option. I chose to take advantage of those, even though I could have only spoken to or hung out with other American students. I had only taken two Italian language classes at my home university, and that was a year before I decided to go abroad to Rome - I basically knew nothing. Upon returning, I have since tested into a junior/senior standing translation course. That improvement is something IES and I accomplished together.

I studied abroad in Rome with IES Language and Area Studies during the Fall of 2016, and it was by far the best experience of my life. I lived in an apartment, just a fifteen minute walk to school, with five other abroad students and one Italian Student Companion. I absolutely loved my classes and really valued the opportunity to take classes in art, history, politics, religion, and language. We would go on field trips to amazing places, such as the Vatican Museums and the Roman Forum. Rome truly became my living and outdoor classroom as I learned so much more than I ever thought I would. I had the opportunity to travel to Tuscany with IES, where we got to wine taste, site see, and learn how to make pasta from scratch. I loved every single moment of my time in Rome, from meeting the locals, experiencing the culture, trying new and delicious foods, and to developing such strong bonds with my fellow IES classmates. I remember one day in particular where my roommate and I decided to be spontaneous and spend the day doing everything touristy in Rome. We had chocolate espressos at the coffee shop just next door to our apartment, we went to the Trevi Fountain, shopped at local stores, sampled limoncello, and had the best gelato ever near the Pantheon. It was one of the best days I have ever had, and I am so beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to see Rome from this lens. My experience with IES in Rome was unforgettable, and I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to have a phenomenal abroad experience.

I was nervous, like many other students, before I went abroad. When selecting a college, a big thing to me was choosing a university where many students studied abroad. I was so enthusiastic about all of it until about a week before I left. I started to panic about what I would miss at school, if I had made a mistake going abroad, what if I had no friends abroad, what if I actually hadn't been learning Italian, what if I actually hated pasta? I won't say that all of my fears immediately vanished, but over the course of the semester, I had an absurdly overwhelming positive experience that I wouldn't trade for any frat party, any experience in America, any semester. I saw things I never knew existed, things that everyone knows exist; I met people who were kind, people who were mean, people who taught me things about myself, people who taught me things about the world, people I forgot in a second, people I will never forget. The only way to get this feeling and to get these experiences is to take the plunge yourself. Trust yourself, trust your desires, get away from the things you know and out of your comfort zone. You'll thank me and yourself later.

I knew for years, even before college, that I wanted to study abroad for a semester in college. As just a freshman in college, at The College of Wooster, I decided to apply to IES Abroad's Rome program for the Spring semester of my Sophomore year. I knew Rome would be an amazing opportunity for me since I am a Classical Studies and Archaeology double major--but my experience abroad exceeded even my expectations. Through IES, I was able to live with an incredible host family who made me instantly feel at home and provided me with an unparalleled cultural immersion experience. I also was able to participate in an archaeology internship with the American Academy in Rome, which proved to be incredibly valuable to my career goals and educational experience. Additionally, through IES's classes, I learned an unbelievable amount about the city I was living in--its people, its political and cultural past, its archaeology, and more. I also was able to learn Italian at a faster pace than I could ever have done in the U.S. (something my host family also played a major role in as well). Overall, I had the most memorable experiences, learned many valuable life skills and lessons, met so many incredible people, and I would do it all over again in heartbeat. I'm mid-semester at my home institution and still I think of Rome and Italy often, but I know I'll return to the city I called home for months--it's just a matter of when and not if!

The four months that I spent studying at IES in Rome were the most unforgettable of my life. Every day I woke up in my apartment down the street from Vatican, walked across Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, and stopped along the lungotevere at my favorite coffee spot next to school for a caffè before going to class. IES students live in two of the most beautiful quarters of Rome, Prati and Trastevere, both within walking distance of the center. The professors who teach there are all Italians who also teach at local universities; they are experts in their fields and help us make the most out of the classes with our almost weekly lessons outside the classroom. The field studies were by far my favorite part of IES. With them I got to see some of the most unique and beautiful places in Rome. Depending on your class schedules you go to government buildings, museums, charity centers, and more. Between exploring the city on my own and with the help of suggestions of places to go from IES’s weekly emails, I quickly felt that Rome was another place I can call home.

Going into my semester abroad, I didn’t know what to expect. By the time I returned to the U.S., I had learned how to make pasta by hand in Tuscany, held ancient Roman artifacts in my hands, and visited 6 other countries outside of Italy, not including the Vatican, which I walked by every day on my way to class. My first week in Rome was spent getting all of the famous monuments out of the way, as by my third month Piazza Navona became just another study spot and I attended a gala in the ruins under it. Through IES, got the chance to make the extraordinary ordinary, and experience one unique adventure after another.

This program had it all: the freedom to travel around Europe, the ability to live with an Italian family, an inclusive and planned trip to Tuscany or Amalfi, amazing academics, but most importantly, the ability to make a difference while having a blast in la Bella Roma. I feel we became parts of the community rather than long-term tourists - we left our mark here! IES's internship program really shaped my time in Rome and helped me make an impact. I was able to get a first-hand look at the refugee crisis in Rome, through my public policy class (that had many great speakers and field trips) and my social action internship. I taught refugees English through IES, and it added such a meaningful dimension to my semester. My different IES professors were phenomenal teachers, who brought the city to us in the classroom and us out into the city on various field studies. I saw St. Peter's tomb and the underground necropolis there, I did a bike tour of Villa Borghese with my Italian class, and I visited an ethnic market in Rome's multicultural neighborhood. I never felt like I was stuck in the classroom. I also choose to live in a homestay rather than an apartment, and it was a great decision for me. I learned a lot about the Italian culture while living in the very-hopping area of Trastevere, along with other homestay students. All in all, it was a fantastic program in a breath-taking city.

My semester in Rome was incredible. Getting the opportunity to live and intern in Rome, a city I had always dreamed of visiting, was absolutely amazing. There was always something to do and another hidden treasure to find. The classes I took were interesting and actually helped to enhance my experience. There were a lot of field studies built into each class which really helped to make the class more fun and interesting. Being in Italy also made it really easy to travel to other countries. I was able to visit five other European countries while still traveling around Italy. I wish I could go back to eating incredible food and drinking fantastic wine every day. Don't ever worry about where to eat in Rome - everywhere you go has great food!