I spent 10 days in Italy while participating in one of DePaul’s First Year Study Abroad programs. We spent 5 days in Assisi and 2 days in Rome. It was truly life-changing. I had the best 10 days of my life, and I learned a lot along the way.
1. Italy is just as beautiful as you think it is.
Specifically Assisi – cobblestone streets, stone buildings with colorful, potted flowers and the best view I have ever seen.
2. Assisi is probably the most peaceful place on Earth.
The whole city is encased in a wall, placed right on top of a hill in the Umbria Valley. It is so quiet the only thing you can hear are birds chirping. There were plenty of times that my roommate, and I would head back to our hotel room to relax and would unintentionally fall asleep to the sound.
3. The pasta is bomb.
I mean, this isn’t really new information, I just thought I’d mention it. Italians really do know what they’re doing.
4. Gelato is the real deal.
Trust me on this, gelato in Italy is just about as good as you can get. We would get it just about every day, sometimes even twice a day. Again, Italians really know what they’re doing.
5. Italian is a beautiful language.
There is so much passion to the language – every conversation I heard sounded so exciting, whether it actually was or not. I plan to learn the language on the side.
6. A lot more people know English than you think.
Almost everyone I talked to knew at least enough English to communicate and some knew even more. That was really helpful considering I only knew a few phrases. However, it is important to know a few phrases because not everyone knows English.
7. Italians drive by their own rules – which means there aren’t any.
Road signs, pedestrians, sidewalks… they all mean nothing to Italian drivers, buzzing around in their little Fiats. I can not tell you how many times I threw myself against the side of the building so I wouldn’t get run over. And I almost did – by a nun no less! So watch out, they’re not messing around.
8. It is much more meaningful to go somewhere after studying it for 10 weeks.
It was so surreal to be able to walk around and see all the different sights that we had spent all of Winter Quarter talking about and looking at pictures of. When I saw St. Clare’s Basilica (shown below) for the first time, I literally yelled (really loudly) “That’s St. Clare’s Basilica! Wow! That’s it!” I had done so much research on the site that seeing it in person was such an incredible experience.
9. I NEED to travel more.
Leaving the country was scary, and I was anxious throughout the entire plane ride (and not just because the turbulence was strong) but it was so worth it! I am now looking into an actual semester abroad for next year because I have clearly been bit by the travel bug.
10. It is definitely possible to make life-long friends in only 10 days.
All of us on the trip had gotten to know each other a little during class throughout the quarter, but we certainly weren’t best friends. However, spending 24/7 with the same people for 10 days really creates a strong bond. We are all so different that we would have never met any other way. I’m forever grateful to this trip for bringing us together. I have never laughed so hard in my entire life. We have already made an effort to hang out now that we are back to normal life, and I’m so happy to see our friendship continue past the trip.
If any of you are looking into studying abroad or doing one of the week-long trips, please do. Even if you have never been out of the country or you’re scared or unsure, just do it! Trust me, it will be the best experience of your life.
I hope to see you again soon Italia. But for now, ciao!