View of Zurich

Author: Sarah Halldorson | Major: Architecture | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Sarah Halldorson and I’m a fourth-year architecture student in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design with a minor in architectural history and art history. I attended the Rome Center Architecture study abroad program during Spring semester 2023. While I made Rome my home base and learned so much during my semester-long program, I made it my mission to travel the rest of Europe during my free time as a mini “grand tour” and went to a total of 14 countries, each of which taught me something new about architecture and amazed me in its own unique way.

I believe every student of architecture deserves the chance to learn about how different countries and cultures view the concept of dwelling. The Rome Center architecture program stood out to me for that very reason: it offered a chance to learn about the architectural norm in a country so vastly different from our own. By living in apartments surrounded by local Italian businesses and families we were thrust into a modern Roman’s day-to-day life, which is vastly different than our own in the States. Most students may not see this as a part of their education, but for a student of architecture, it was invaluable. Throughout the program, I was given a highly hands-on approach to education, which was a refreshing change from how we typically learn here in the States. My professors were excellent and encouraged us to hand sketch, use advanced programs, discuss what we were learning, and delve into the culture of our assigned project site. Another major bonus to the program was that normal classes went Monday through Thursday, leaving every weekend as a long weekend for continued education, travel, and cultural immersion. Speaking of immersion, the university’s conferences and after-class activities were an excellent way to dive deeper into Italian culture and included everything from thrifting to food tours to rock climbing. When in Rome, the passion and deep understanding my professors had for their respective fields, especially the ones focused on Rome’s culture and history were incredibly informative and gave me a keen understanding of a place you can tell they take great pride in.

Classes aside I also enjoyed the ease with which I was able to travel from Rome. Trains, planes, and even boats became suddenly accessible to me in a way that would never be possible back in the US. It really opened my eyes to the potential of proper city and transportation planning. I traveled on over 30 hours worth of trains, countless planes, and even a handful of boats in places like Croatia, Malta, and Amalfi. I hiked through Plitvice nation park, nearly got swept away in the Porta Portese market, shared a Sabbath meal with a Jewish family in Isreal, wandered the seemingly endless Louvre until it closed, felt safe to walk late at night to admire a different side of the city, and grew accustomed to walking for miles every day and having everything I needed within reach. Many of the places I visited also shared a culture of rest and recovery which I think we sorely lack in America.

I would highly encourage every student, who is able to go abroad, to take the leap and go. It can open your eyes to the world in a way you didn’t know was possible, as well as enrich your education and future career options. One thing I had to learn the hard way throughout this amazing experience, however, is that it won’t magically heal you. I think I and a lot of others see travel as an escape, a break from day-to-day problems, and I learned that when you live your day-to-day abroad those problems will often resurface. Look out for yourself and be sure that you prioritize your mental health alongside having fun and experiencing an entirely different way of life. Luckily many countries you may travel to have excellent support systems in place and offer a slower-paced way of life that can be healing with time. That aside, my other piece of advice is to just book the guided tour. Yes, it will make you feel like a tourist, but at the end of the day, that’s what we are. I enjoyed a lot of adventures while abroad, a lot of close calls making it to my train, and a lot of rushing to catch a bus, and yet I have never once regretted booking a tour with a local who knows their stuff. For less than 50 euros I spent a twelve-hour day with an amazing local guide in Croatia exploring Plitvice national park. Her passion and love for the park were amazing and she took us to places we would have never otherwise been able to reach. This included an abandoned WW2 plane we could explore, an amazing local restaurant high in the mountains, and absolutely invaluable information about her home country and its history. Traveling and seeing the world with your own eyes is an amazing experience, just be sure to keep yourself healthy and try to delve below the surface level of the places you visit, many of them may just surprise you.