Ciao! I’m glad to be able to write to you all again about my experiences here in Rome! Since I last wrote, I have been able to settle in further, start my classes, and get into a nice routine as I become a local in Italy. After almost three weeks here, I have been able to reflect and revisit my thoughts from before I departed on this adventure and think about the questions and concerns that I had, and maybe questions that potential future study abroad students may have.
First of all, Rome is a big city and there is a lot to do and see in and around the city. This poses the issue of how to get around on a daily basis and transportation on further day trips. I am blessed to be located in a very central neighborhood of Rome, called Trastevere, which is surrounded by most of the things I need in walking distance. It is also a ten minute walk to John Cabot University for classes. Therefore, I mostly just walk around on a daily basis. Even for traveling further than classes and everyday places I typically will just walk as well – I personally enjoy walking through Rome, as every street has its own specific charm and history.
Ride sharing apps such as Uber work quite well and I have also used rentable scooters as a mode of transportation. Additionally, the bus service is very convenient, but I have not found myself needing to use it yet. One of my roommates and I took a day trip to Castel Gandolfo, a small lake town about thirteen miles southeast of Rome which required us to purchase a two euro train ticket through the TrenItalia service, but it was very simple to figure out and was another convenient mode of transportation.
Another thing that I had questions about was what I would spend my money on. I have found myself to be spending around 300 euros per week combined between groceries, eating out, transportation, and shopping. This is without me planning any trips outside of the Rome area which could be a little pricey. There have also been some one time payments I have made such as a gym membership and an athletic physical to use the John Cabot facilities, but my spending has usually been consistent every week. I would say that I go out to restaurants for meals about three or four times a week, just because the Italian cuisine has been so incredible, but for most of my meals, I have been cooking in my apartment kitchen.
One final aspect that I had questions about were items to pack, and if there would be anything that I forgot to pack that I would need. One important thing that can be easy to forget to pack is a European wall convertor for items that must be plugged into a wall such as your phone or laptop. In Europe, they use different outlets than we do in the United States and you will not be able to charge your devices without this. I was able to find one on Amazon that works perfectly.
I came to the John Cabot University program with the help of a third party company called SAI, who did an incredible job during the pre-departure process of making sure I was prepared for this semester. Specifically, they provided an informative packing list which had everything I needed to bring. One more packing piece of advice that I would also add would be to bring more toiletries than you may think, because the places I shop in Italy do not have the toiletries I am used to using in the United States.
Ultimately, it has been such a valuable experience to look back and think about some of the questions and concerns from before coming to study abroad. I hope I may have been able to help anyone out with questions they may have before going abroad, or at least helped paint a clearer picture of what it looks like to study abroad in Europe. I look forward to writing again soon!