This past fall 2019, I had the exciting opportunity to study abroad through IES Abroad's Rome Language and Area Studies Program. With lectures in and outside of the classroom, several academic field trips, and the IES Rome faculty made my studies in Rome

extremely immersive. Though my home school does not offer programs related to conservation, I was introduced to conservational techniques and practices in the most fitting city I can think of! IES Rome's organized events and homestay housing also gave a great introduction to Roman and Italian culture and inspired me to discover more about my host city on my own. I could not have asked for a better experience!

This was such a great opportunity for self-growth, adventure, and a wider sense of the world. IES Rome gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in Italian culture and encouraged me to use my language skills. I became quite familiar with Rome and grew

to really love the city and its thousands of years of history. Having a home base in Rome additionally allowed me to travel to many different places in Italy including Cinque Terre, Venice, Amalfi, Florence, Milan, and San Gimignano. It was an incredible 4 months and I am so happy and grateful that I was able to have such a once-in-a-lifetime semester.

Going to Rome felt like a death sentence the first week. I knew nobody else from my school and didn't have any other friends from high school in Europe with me, so I was plagued by intense feelings of isolation and loneliness for about a week after I

arrived. It reminded me of freshman year all over again, except multiplied by a new language and culture that is completely foreign to anything I had ever experienced before. I came in thinking ‘I am going to find travel buddies right away and plan all sorts of amazing and wonderful adventures!,’ but when that didn't happen I was left confused and aimless. I knew I shouldn't waste this experience overseas but I felt homesick and longed for familiarity- something that would make me feel better. It wasn't until going to Malta my second week abroad that I leaned into myself and really felt convicted. I traveled there with one of my housemates and his friends, staying in an apartment with four guys I didn't know at all. Eventually, I decided to explore the island by myself and it was easily one of the best decisions I made while being in Rome! I knew right then and there that I don't need to depend on others for going on trips! Going solo allowed me to do things I wanted to do, and I got so much more out of it than if I had stayed with other people. As a result of that realization, I traveled to Florence, Venice, and Normandy solo. People might say that I'll be lonely while traveling alone, and having friends can make experiences better, but I also learned that it's okay to travel by myself and see the things I want to see and enjoy this beautiful continent on my own terms. I chose Rome for the History and Classics program, my two majors. I have studied Latin since middle school, so seeing the Roman Forum and thousands of ancient inscriptions across the city has opened my eyes and allowed me to learn the material unlike any other semester. In any given week, we learn about certain subjects in class and then go out into the city and see them in person later! Every day I was awestruck in wonder and amazement at the Roman ruins before me, a dream come true that I had been chasing since I was ten or eleven years old. That sense of utter disbelief is something I can’t really describe in writing or conversation; it’s something that must be experienced to fully appreciate. Overall, Rome was an absolute blessing. The food was kind to me, the views and scenic sights blew me away with their magnificence and elegance, and the abundance of Roman ruins was a daily reminder of why I came here. I discovered something new about this Eternal City on a daily basis, and a lifetime of living here wouldn’t be enough to uncover every secret Rome has to offer. For if we were made to stay in one place, then we would have been born with roots. Studying abroad was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I would absolutely make the same decision if I did the process all over again.