Studying abroad in Rome has been an amazing journey for me. Being born and raised in Miami, Florida I have always been used to the city life with the ambulance driving by every 5 minutes, having homeless people living on the sidewalk in front of your apartment, and a consistent stream of tourists. However, having this opportunity to live in Rome for the 5 past months has given me new life experiences, new interests, and allowed me to make potentially life-time friends. I came to Rome because I have always had the lingering desire to embrace the cultures outside of the ones I am used to. Living in Miami, I am overly saturated with Hispanic culture and traditions. Being in Rome I have had to adjust to the new foods, new language and a new way of life in general.

One of the things I have particularly enjoyed most about living in this city has been the ability to try out new types of foods that I do not have access to back at home. Here the pizza is completely different, which, although it took some time for me to grow accustomed to, I have come to really take a fond liking to. In addition, I have discovered a little snack that I know for a fact I will miss once I get back home; Suppli. Being Cuban, I have a strong love for croquettas. My inability to get any sort of my cultural food has been very difficult for me. With suppli, I have found something that is somewhat similar to croquettas, and that satisfies my craving.

Although some may say the Spanish language is vaguely similar to Italian, I have had no luck in grasping an understanding of this new language. I will admit, it has been hard standing on the bus and not understanding the general conversation that is going on around you. At first, it really caused me to miss home. But as time passed, I grew to appreciate the sound of the language and have even been able to pick up a few words myself.

As mentioned earlier, living in Miami, I have been around Hispanic culture all my life. Living in Rome these past few months has given me the opportunity to experience the traditions and culture of others. Especially living in a building with residential Italian families, I hear them playing Italian music, had to learn to do laundry like Italians, and occasionally, even caught a brief smell of Italian food being made. It has been extremely interesting living here in Rome, and now that I have some form of education of Italian culture, I am excited to start planning my trip back one day.

2019. In collaboration with the American University of Rome.