My Story: Starting the Semester in Rome

My name is Jenna and I am a public relations major at The University of Alabama. Studying abroad in college is something that I have always looked forward to ever since I spent a summer studying Spanish in Madrid, Spain. My experience abroad in Madrid was unreal, and I’ve been eager for another opportunity like that since. When it came around to the time to start looking into programs, I was a little nervous of the idea, especially because it isn’t very popular to study abroad at The University of Alabama and I was scared to miss out on all of the fun times my friends would be having. I still decided to look into several programs because I knew I would regret not studying abroad and that’s when I came across CEA. I knew I wanted to go to Italy to experience a new culture and learn the language, so when I found out one of my best friends was also studying abroad in Italy, I had to find out which program she was going through. My friend's older brother had just finished his semester with CEA in Rome himself, and raved about how amazing his time there was -- especially with all of the travel opportunities CEA provides. That’s when I knew it was right for me. 

Now, I am currently in Rome and going on week three of the semester. I have already experienced so much, and I’ve never been so happy in my life. I’ve seen so many things that I’ve dreamed of seeing, tried new foods and traveled with new friends. Although it is only the beginning of the semester, I can really say that I have already grown as a person from this experience; whether it’s navigating my way around a new city, traveling, or trying to speak Italian, I see myself growing from these experiences. Reflecting back on these few weeks, I’ve realized how important it is to live in the moment and especially to take a moment each day to reflect and appreciate everything about your time abroad. 



Jenna Bush is a CEA MOJO Content Contributor studying abroad in Rome, Italy, during the Spring 2020 semester. She is currently a student at the University of Alabama.