Woo Pig (international)
Author: Samad Akhter | Major: Chemistry | Semester: Summer 2023
In the middle of a rigorous academic semester in the spring, I took a few days to reflect on where I was in my personal and professional development. A full courseload of STEM centered classes made it easy to lose sight of my own holistic growth, and I found myself spending several hours a day memorizing benzene synthesis reagents while neglecting the well-rounded person I sought out to be. As a pre-medical student, I strongly believe that it is as important of a metric for a physician to be cultured and empathetic as it is to know the 20 fundamental amino acids. Therefore, I decided that a summer at the UA Rome Center would be wholly beneficial, as it would allow me to immerse myself in an unfamiliar culture, as well as continue an interdisciplinary education.
The facilities and education at the UA Rome center were beyond satisfactory. The staff were very welcoming, and we got manageably healthy doses of Italian culture at all times. Weekend excursions allowed us to bond with students and staff, and I never felt uncomfortable or lost at any time during the 5-week session. I took the introductory fine arts course, satisfying an Honors College requirement, and a special course offered only at the Rome center called “To Rome with Love”. Both of these courses were incredibly educating and valuable experiences that I could not have had elsewhere.
My instructor for the art history course was a wonderful and very interesting teacher who had an esteemed repertoire in the city of Rome. We found this out after she was recognized at almost every museum that we visited. The class took us around the city of Rome, visiting historical sites as well as massive galleries. I’ve read about art history and early Christian art before, but seeing and living in the history and walking through generations of religious and artistic evolution provided me with a knowledge and perspective unlike anything I’ve had before.
To Rome with Love included an Italian language course and an Italian culture course. Both of these gave me sufficient knowledge to get by in day-to-day interactions, as well as appreciate a culture new to me. The culture course gave us several unique experiences, including a fresco painting class, a lecture from a sommelier, and a late-night cooking class. Through the Rome center and this course especially, I felt that I was able to see the beautiful city of Rome and the massive heart of Italian culture through the eyes of the locals. No amount of reading could have provided me with this perspective, and I am very appreciative of the center and its staff.
Outside of class, everyday life and weekly excursions had us submersed in the culture. One of my most surreal experiences was walking to the UA Rome center on the first day of class. I had my nose in my phone trying to navigate the GPS and was looking towards the ground to also avoid bumping into an abnormally large swarm of people all around me. After getting slightly frustrated by the massive foot traffic, I looked up and realized I was in the middle of the Vatican square and right in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. This was my first time seeing such a beautiful building, and I was frozen for about five minutes before realizing I was running late to class.
The weekends took us to other historical sites around Rome, the city of Florence and its plethora of art history and architecture, Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi coast, Milan, and Lake Como. Each of these places provided us with new experiences, and we saw firsthand the diversity in Italian culture between regions as well as the wonderful things each region had to offer, such as a 7-hour hike in the alps, walking through Pompeii, and an hour-long gawk at Michelangelo’s David. A particularly memorable interaction was with an older gentleman named Luigi at a small coffee shop near Lake Como. He enlightened us on his experience trying to find jobs as a kid after World War II, the fascist regime, and his gripes with the Swiss border patrol.
I could not recommend this program more to other students, especially students who are in the position I was and are looking to broaden their educational horizons. As repetitive as it may sound, the only advice I could offer is to come in with an open mind. This applies to any study abroad program, but in Italy an open mind provided me with many positive interactions and a newfound appreciation for art. While there were moments where I missed the United States, by the end of the program I found myself feeling sentimental that we had to leave. By embracing Italy, its people, and its culture, I had an amazing experience that will stay and resonate with me for the rest of my life.