By Pasquale Gianni
The Colosseum is both the largest amphitheater ever built and one of Rome’s most popular tourist spots. Courtesy of Flickr
One down, one more to go — it isn’t a reference to a baseball double-header, but my enriching academic journey in a foreign land. I’m about to kick off my second, and final, academic term in Rome for the next few months. My decision to study abroad for a full academic year, as opposed to the more common track of just one semester, was an unusual one. However, I am now more certain than ever that it was the right choice. There is just too much to do, see and learn to be squeezed into a three-and-a-half month period. I came in with the goals of traveling to over twenty destinations throughout continental Europe, learning the Italian language with more than just a basic level of proficiency and becoming a social and cultural observer. Gaining a deeper understanding takes time and involves a bit of a step outside of one’s comfort zone, but it is always worth it.
In my previous semester in the beautiful Italian capital, I made significant progress towards reaching my goals. My Italian is steadily improving towards fluency, even though natives can always spot an American accent. I have taken excursions to London, Munich, Budapest, Barcelona, Cyprus, Milan, Bologna, Bari and Sicily. I have met great people, seen sights I could have only dreamt of and dabbled in cuisines that most can only read about in The New York Times dining section. And I now feel that I could write a book comparing, at least, Italian daily life to that of life in the states. I did forget to mention I have been taking courses as well, but the learning extends so far beyond the classroom in a subtle yet enlightening way. But still, the first semester felt like an adjustment, “getting the lay of the land” and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t settle in quite enough to feel like a local. Now, it’s a much different feel going in: it’s the “I’ve been here before,” more confident approach. I don’t need to stress about how I’ll get by with the language, worry about finding my way around or learning the public transportation system or finding the good places to eat and a gym to workout in, or stress about making friends. This time it’s all gravy. I can hit the ground running.
So my advice: if faced with an opportunity to go abroad and expand your horizons, do it and do it full-throttle. You won’t regret it. There is a great big world out there waiting to be explored. So here I am, back half-way around the world with an open mind and hungry for more. If you’ve been keeping up with my column, I hope it has been enjoyable. I have written about my travels, encounters with culture and people as well as my love of food. This time around I hope to dig deeper, go bigger, bolder and push the envelope. Stay tuned — my journey resumes.
