Author: Hannah Carrisalez | Major: Biology | Semester: Summer 2024

Wine Vineyard on a Hill in Frascati Overlooking Rome

“So what made you decide to go on this specific trip?” is a question I got quite often going into this trip as the only J. William Fulbright biology major in the group. Overwhelmed was a major feeling I felt going into this trip with little to no prior knowledge about humannutrition and hospitality, but the experiences and friendships I left with are almost indescribable.
The decision to study abroad started from a lazy day sitting in my apartment during the Fall 2023 semester when I half-jokingly brought up the idea to my roommate. Being curious, we both decided to go onto Hogsabroad and begin looking at the possibility of this idea. After
looking through the website full of options multiple times, The Food & Culture of the Italian Mediterranean program continued to spark our interest, and I knew that this is the trip I was meant to go on.
This program was during the Summer 2024 intersession traveling to Rome, Italy and Florence, Italy. It was a total of 12 days with the majority of them being in Rome. Originally I loved the course because it covered just about everything one could dream of learning about Italy, but what I did not know is how much I would fall in love with their culture and the way they live life. Throughout my 12 short days there, I participated in multiple activities from museum and city tours, to cooking classes, to wine tastings, and so much more. One particular moment from the trip that stood out to me was the importance of good quality olive oil to the Italians. This was brought to my attention during a lecture we attended on the third day of the trips. We got to do a blind tasting of three different kinds of olive oil and learn what exactly to look for when trying them. This was interesting to me because I have not ever thought about the type of olive oil that in depth. What surprised me, though, is throughout the rest of our Rome tours and even into Florence, our guides would bring up olive oil and the qualities their specific one had. I had no clue olive oil was this important in their culture! It was also so helpful I had the knowledge from the lecture that I could keep relaying their information back to. I was even lucky enough to get to bring one of their high ends of olive oil back with me to share with family at home!

The advice I would have for any students even considering studying abroad is to do it and do not look back! I would say to enjoy all the nervousness of the trip preparation as you await going, because that is an indescribable feeling you will never get back. I would add to not take a day for granted in this new country. Every single day you get to spend there is so precious, and it will go by faster than you know. Soak up every single moment and opportunity that may come your way. The main particular experience I think anyone should be prepared for is the fact that regardless of where you are going, it is most likely going to be completely different from what we know and are comfortable with here in America, and that is okay! The beautiful thing about this world is that people on the other side of the globe may be living life completely different than we are, and there is something to learn from that. Keep an open mind going into the trip and be observant. It is amazing to get the opportunity to get to see different perspectives to how people take on this life we are given. This was without a doubt the best experience I could have come across academically. What started off as a silly idea while sitting on the couch one day ended up being a life changing experience I will always hold close to my heart.