Look, a building!
Author: Mason Keener | Major: Architecture | Semester: Fall 2023
After a jammed packed 134 days, my Rome study abroad experience has bitterly, yet sweetly, come to an end. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to live abroad. The balance of getting to continue to learn architectural design and to travel to previously seeming impossible destinations was wonderful. Being taught by professors from Italy was challenging and exciting because they had such different perspectives from us on many subjects, but we were always able to communicate our differences meaningfully. Certain things took time to adjust to, like the late nights and late mornings routinely practiced by most Italians, and other things were easy transitions, like having a similar class structure as I would have in Fayetteville. I really enjoyed the helpfulness and supportiveness of the professors and the staff of the Rome Center, which was very crucial when you are in a new city, new country, and new culture. Traveling abroad and especially living abroad really taught me independence on a whole new level because, while you are always in reach of someone that can help you, most of the time you must figure out how things work in each new place you visit. Transit, currency, language, and restaurant etiquette can change from place to place, and you start to know what to look for and what to ask if you are confused. Traveling with some of my friends from my classes was also very convenient because we were able to help each other out and feel safe in numbers.
Because we were travelling as a group of architecture students, most of the trips I went on had a heavy focus on seeing buildings but always had a bit of a nature motive as well. This worked out perfectly for me because I am fascinated by both. Also, trips that focus on looking at buildings and nature are usually the most affordable so you can go on even more trips. The destinations that are at the top of my list of places I would like to go back to someday are Norway, Denmark, and Austria. In Norway, we rented a car so that we could drive across the country with the two main cities of country as our starting and stopping points, Oslo and Bergen. Both cities were filled with a mix of great contemporary architecture and old, traditional style architecture. In between the two cities we stayed in a cabin on the edge of a fjord where we got to totally disconnect from the world and soak up the most sublime nature in Europe.
I would highly recommend to every student that has an interest in seeing a new part of the world to apply for scholarships as soon as possible and make the leap. It was extremely worth it in my opinion, and I believe the benefits of seeing new lifestyles are worth the commitment. If you can find a group of classmates or friends to embark with you on your journey then make it happen, but even if you must go solo, there will be ample opportunities to make friends abroad that will make the experience wonderful.