Most of you reading this probably already know me (hi, Mom!), but in case some of you don’t, I’ll introduce myself and give you the basic facts. My name is Lisamarie, I’m a junior in Lynch, and I’m studying abroad in Rome, Italy this semester! I will be writing travel-related articles this semester for HC BC!
This week was my first week in Rome. I left Boston Sunday afternoon around 2:30, flew to Philadelphia for my layover, and left Philly around 6:15 for Roma! I landed in Rome at about 8:30am on Monday, where I was enthusiastically greeted by people from AUR (my school in Rome, American University of Rome). They took us to our apartments in vans, and I was genuinely surprised by how nice my apartment is. It’s a lot bigger than I expected; we’ve got a kitchen, a living room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room, and a foyer. It’s really nice! There are five other girls living in my apartment with me, two from BC and three from American University in DC. They’re all super nice and we’ve been getting along great!
The first two nights consisted of walking tours of our neighborhood and then of the city of Rome. It was great to have people who go to AUR full-time fill us in on where and what everything is and give us tips about where to go for things. We saw the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, and all kinds of other cool sites. The best part is that everything is only about 15 minutes away from my apartment on the tram, which is basically the T. We’ve spent the other few days exploring the area around us, which has been great!
AUR is so different from BC. It’s literally only two buildings. That’s it. There are only 500 kids in the school, including around 200 study abroad kids. The nice thing is that I won’t get lost, and I’ll probably get to know everyone! But, it’ll certainly be an adjustment from BC. AUR also doesn’t hold classes on Fridays, so I’ll get to travel and see a lot of Italy and Europe, which I’m very excited about.
My tiny (but beautiful) campus!
Thankfully for me, I won’t miss BC too much, because my walk from my apartment to AUR includes a set of stairs that rival the Million Dollar Stairs.
I’ve been able to FaceTime my parents and talk to my friends thanks to wifi, but it is really tough being away from home. I’m only slightly ashamed to admit that I’ve cried once or twice already, and I’m sure I’ll cry a few more times. People think abroad is just a 4-month vacation (which it sort of is sometimes), but it’s also a lot tougher than that. Plus, the jetlag hits you hard the first few days. My primary emotions this week have been tired, sad, and in awe. I know this experience will be completely worth it in the end, though, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I am so fortunate to have.
My classes start on Monday, and I’m very excited to see what this semester has in store for me! Keep reading my articles to stay updated, and follow me on Instagram (@lisadiorio8) if you want to see more photos!