Ciao Hawk Hill!
We have arrived. After an anxious summer we chopped our hair off, said our goodbyes, and hopped on a plane for the adventure of a lifetime.
My roommate, bff, and fellow Her Campus exec member, Kate Gentile, and I are nearing our month anniversary in the eternal city of Roma. In the near month that we’ve spent here, we’ve started our classes at the American University of Rome, traveled to Italy’s Almafi Coast and hit all major tourist attractions. However, I wouldn’t say we have “Veni, vidi, vici-ed” the city just yet. Rome is a force to be reckoned with, in more ways than one. Together, we bring you the top 10 survival tips for Rome. Hell, it’s the top ten tips (and we are still learning ourselves) on how to be completely on your own, live in a foreign country, and enjoy every moment of it. Even in Roma, we realized we can apply our tips and tricks for you Hawks on the Hill as well.
1. Eat
Eat it all. And in Rome’s particular case, eat the gelato. We know what you are thinking- every travel book says it, it can’t be that good. Like, no. It is that good. Gelato is not like froyo or ice cream in the States. Gelato is a way of life. Roman’s eat gelato as they walk, as they talk, and as they sit. Enjoying gelato is their culture, not just a tourist phenomenon. Men in suits, children, teenagers and elderly women all enjoy gelato on a daily basis. Essentially, where ever you go, Italy, Africa, or even California, eat what the locals eat. And enjoy it! Yes we have our “OMG I AM SO FAT” moments, but when are we ever going to be able to do this again?
2. Get Lost
Well… don’t hop on a bus and see where you end up. Yes, we did that, and it did not end well. However, we encourage you to get up and go somewhere. Especially abroad, we have been experiencing emotions of pure joy, and pure sadness. We are learning to live in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, which at times, looks more like a foreign monster than picture perfect. We’ve been overwhelmed, confused and downright frustrated. Sometimes when we feel we have been sitting in our apartment for far too long, we walk out the door and just walk somewhere. We’ve found hidden fruit stands, cafes, and beautiful parks just blocks away. You don’t have to go on a journey, but you should explore. Don’t have anything to do until night class? Walk on the Merion side of campus and follow the roads in the beautiful neighborhood. You will enjoy it more than you think.
3. Stay Put
So your best friends are abroad and you see they are in Florence one day, and Budapest the next. What the hell? is definitely a normal thing to think. Being abroad, we have made many friends at school, but too often many of them are jetting to a different place every weekend. Nothing is wrong with that, you only study abroad once. But, we have also found the key to really immersing yourself in the culture you are living amongst is staying put. We have enjoyed staying in Rome for the past two weekends (yes, two) and literally doing what Romans do. Obviously we still don’t know the city like a local, but we don’t feel like tourists either. This can be applied at SJU as well. Everyone loves Penn’s parties and the bars in Manayunk but it is important to stay and enjoy SJU. Go to the basketball games and sit in the student section because you can. Eat at Larry’s and go to the PLC for hours and talk to everyone. You don’t need to run to your long distance boyfriend’s campus every weekend or pretend you are a Penn student at the football games. Be the SJU collegiette you are meant to be. The longer you stay, the better you’ll like it.
4. Wear (and wear and wear again)
Both of us like to think we have some type of fashion sense, even if we wear the totally wrong shade of lipstick or maybe overdo it on the “it’s so European” black outfit. However, we have learned in Roma that it isn’t about how many different articles of clothing you have, but what the actually clothing is. Italians do not care what you wear, as long as you don’t look like a complete slob (which is universal) and you own it. So if you chose to study abroad, or your on Hawk Hill, if you love a piece of clothing, rock it! Who actually cares if you wear it more than once a month? No one. Italians love to re-wear a great piece. It is respectable (and expected) to wear it all the time. Don’t think because you have worn that Free People top twice that it’s socially unacceptable to wear it again. Take a page out of European style and put it on Hawk Hill, and wear that sweater two weeks in a row.
5. Eat Fresh
Sorry, but we love food. Sue us. But seriously…we love fresh food. Over in Roma, the fresh food is cheaper than any other food and so good. If you study abroad, even when you are really craving pretzels, try to immerse yourself into the fresh food lifestyle abroad and eat fruit and veggies. In Italy, people do their grocery shopping everyday because “stocking up” degrades the fresh-ness of the food. We’re trying to be as Italian as possible, in every sense, and have incorporated this into our routine. Back in the States, try to see how much better you feel with two apples a day instead of one. Although Americans shop a little differently, the benefits of fresh food are universal. Here’s a hint- there is a super close and super cheap fresh food place called Produce Junction right near campus. Hit it up on the weekends for seasonal food at a great price!
6. Walk
This really won’t be a problem because unless you want to pay a pretty penny to European taxis who love to rip off American students. Walking is also the culture in Roma and many parts of Europe. In the States, walking is looked at like a workout, like an extracurricular activity. We thought the same thing at Hawk Hill. Both our jaws would drop when a friend would tell us they actually walked from Lanc Courts to Hagan. Since living in Roma, that walk literally seems like the easiest thing in the world. Now, we have no choice but to walk 25 minutes to school, uphill. But we have learned to embrace it because every Roman does it. Walking has become a medicine to us; it clears our minds, gets us to see tons more than we ever would in a car, and we like to think it’s making our butts look good…then again, that gelato…Especially without phones, these walks have allowed us to exchanged smiles with shop owners on our walks to school, notice sales at some of the local boutiques, and spot new pastries to try just about every day. Even if your walk is from LaFarge to the Science Center, you have the potential to give someone a smile that’ll brighten their day or give yourself a few minutes to think before you sit down before a quiz. Before Rome, we forgot what just walking felt like.
7. Put your phone away
We don’t know about you, but back in the States, we’re pretty sure we look at Instagram as much as we blink in a day. We know what you think, “It would actually be impossible to not be connected 24/7” But when you study abroad, you have the option to be disconnected. Take it! Many of our friends over here have bought data plans, and access to the “essential” Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all the time. We on the other hand, have opted for the wifi plan: We can’t text, tweet, or anything unless we have a wifi connection. It has been the biggest blessing in disguise. As we like to say, “no data is the best data”. Not being connected 24/7 has allowed us to see so many things around us and engage in our friendship. Just last week, we looked at our four guy friends who were scrolling through their TL’s while we watched the sights of a foreign city whiz by on the tram. Even in Philadelphia, there are people, sights, and an entire city to take in.
8. Use your resources.
No matter what class year you are, you haven’t seen the entire city of Philadelphia. Don’t let yourself get into the mundane routine so commonly accepted on Hawk Hill. Pick up an issue of PhillyMag or check out http://www.uwishunu.com/ and see what is going on around the city. Cheesesteaks and Phillies games are iconic of the city we call home, but there is so much more. We’ve been using every book and recommendation we can to get to know Roma inside and out. We’ve done the Colosseum, Vatican City and all other major points of tourism interest, but did you know that Roma is also home to a cat sanctuary, an ice bar, and one of the biggest public running clubs in the world? Chances are, you don’t know Philly as well you think.
9. Go to mass.
It doesn’t have to be mass, but experience a daily task the way locals do. We attended mass last week at Santa Maria, which happens to be the oldest church in Rome. We couldn’t understand a word, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that we were engaging with the locals. We’re not tourists, we’re living here. Don’t be complacent with your title as student, make Philly your home. Easy way to engage: head to the Italian market in South Philly on a Sunday morning instead of settling for campion.
10. Be respectful.
Roma might be one of the biggest centers of tourism in the world, but the area we live in, is not. Locals do not speak English, give back exact change, or hold the door for you on your way in. These aren’t signs of disrespect – they are just simply rules of their culture, like their affinity for luxury clothes. We quickly learned that an entire culture is not going to turn on its head for two American girls, and rightfully so. What is the point of going somewhere if you are going to make it exactly like where you came from? College is not high school and the Italy isn’t America, neither should be treated as such.
These ten life lessons, some chosen, some not, have forced us to live fuller lives in the last month. We’re happier, and calmer, and honestly, not missing a thing. We promise a fresh apple for a muffin won’t deprive you, an unexpected art show on a Friday night could be more fun than a possible bar raid, and five minutes off of Facebook won’t ruin your friendship. Gaze up at Barbelin like you’re gazing at the Pantheon; it’s not the location, but the appreciation that makes the difference.
Ciao ragazzi,
Kate and Taylor