Exploring MAXXI Roma!
Author: Jennifer Sandoval | Major: Interior Architecture and Design | Semester: Fall 2023
Time is slipping away by the minute this semester. I am now well over halfway to completing my semester abroad in Rome, Italy. In such a lively city, with countless things to do, museums to visit, and food to eat, I found myself during the month of November trying to enjoy what the study abroad experience has to offer to the maximum. I found myself being everywhere and doing everything all at once. Study abroad has proven to be time and time again, to be an enriching experience that I will never have the opportunity to encounter again. The month of November was full of exploration around the city, weekend trips, and time to balance and focus on my academic responsibilities.
This month I was able to take a day trip to Pisa, a school trip to Florence, a weekend trip to Milan with my roommates, and I spent thanksgiving break in Amsterdam with friends who traveled abroad to visit! Each new destination has truly allowed me to appreciate the global connections fostered by the study abroad community. As a first-generation student who had no idea what to expect out of a study abroad experience, I couldn’t recommend more getting out of your comfort zone to wander and travel to places you only ever dreamed of. Not in a million years did I believe I would have the opportunity to visit the Anne Frank House, Botticelli’s Primavera, and the Milan Duomo all within a few days. As I reflect on these inexplicable experiences, I am now able to understand how each destination added its own unique flavor and diverse perspective to my overall cultural experience.
I chose the University of Arkansas Rome Center program because of the unique opportunities I believe it provided me as a student in Interior Architecture and Design. One of my favorite weekends of November I found myself indulged in inspiration at the MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Art here in Rome. Not only was the museum designed by Zaha Hadid, an incredible architect, artist, and designer, but the space itself was occupied with contemporary works of art that provided valuable insights to my current design project in studio. Every corner I turn in this city and every new place I discover goes beyond what I could possibly ever learn in the classroom. The study abroad experience has been all about blending academic pursuits with personal exploration.
As I move into my remaining weeks abroad, I hope to continue embracing the unique opportunities that Rome presents. I plan to continue indulging in the slow pace of life, the ability to get from point A to point B on foot, and will be cherishing some of the last conversations I have with the community around me. I am forever grateful for the opportunities, friendships, and self exploration that study abroad has provided me with. I anxiously await my return to Fayetteville and am eager to integrate the valuable insights and inspiration into my life back at home.