I really enjoyed my Art and Archaeology class because I felt like I got to really learn about the history of Rome and know the meaning of the city on a deeper level. Seeing the past come to life made me appreciate my stay in the Eternal City more and made me feel more profoundly about my experience living there.

I spent a lot of time involving myself in local Roman culture by exploring sites like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Imperial Forum, Trajan Forum, and Circus Maximus. I also spent a lot of time going to local restaurants, and gelaterias around the Prati neighborhood where I lived for the two months of the program, and got involved in the watch parties along the Tiber River for the World Cup. My roommates and I found local joints in Trastevere to visit every week, and we learned the metro system very thoroughly over our two-month stay. I did try very hard to speak Italian to some of the shop owners I came into contact with, specifically at the cafes I frequently visited. They were incredibly helpful and very kind as I butchered word after word; however, I do feel as if I learned a lot about my pronunciation and definitely did improve over my stay.