Calling the Hogs from Italy
Author: Emily Wilcox | Major: Architecture
…and neither was my study abroad experience. To address this blog, I decided to keep a weekly blog of my experiences. I would like to share some excerpts to sum up my time in Rome.
Week One
Everything here is different. Every time I step foot outside, I am confronted with the glaring truth that yes, I am American, and no, I do not know what you are trying to say to me. I do not know where to go to pay for a coffee, and I am now too embarrassed to ask for it to go. It is beyond overwhelming—there is no time to clear my head because I must stay alert to see what is going on around me: where I am, what other people are doing, what I should do. Even looking around at my beautiful surroundings is a dead giveaway that I do not belong here. But how can I stay inside, hiding away from this opportunity I have been given? How can I stay inside curled up with my laptop when the other side of the world is right outside my door?
Week Two
All my classes sound so interesting to me, and are heavily sketching focused, so I am very excited to be able to create work that I am so excited about. For studio, the first project of the semester is an urban planning project to be completed in groups. In one of my other classes, I volunteered to work for the first annual International Women in the Arts Conference, hosted at the school, and am eager for the exposure to the topics and presenters.
Outside of classes, I am participating in student life activities put on by the school, the first of which was an ultimate frisbee tournament at Villa Borghese. This past Friday, we were taken to the Colosseum and Roman Forum for sightseeing for class. Getting out into the world here in so many different ways has been a good way to try to ease the culture shock.
Week Three
The weeks are already starting to feel so much faster—my attempt to say yes to everything has sped things up immensely. The only hard part is finding alone time. Spending so much time with the same people for work and play is never a great thing, and now it’s my only option. I try to go to breakfast alone, shop alone, and even just walk around to keep my head on straight.
Week Four
This past weekend I spent in the Dolomites in Northern Italy. It was by far some of the most fun I have had. We biked over 40 miles and hiked a few miles as well.
We immediately started biking around the town and in the valley we were in. The rolling green hills peppered with the quaint buildings felt far removed from Italy. The next day is when we ventured into the mountains, our ultimate destination a plateau across from the famous three peaks of the mountain range. Sunday, we rode a gondola to the top of Kronplatz where we visited the MMM and Lumen museums. The MMM was designed by Zaha Hadid and it my favorite work of hers that I have seen; most of her work is too unemotional for me, but the experience in this space was poetic.
Week Five
I spent this past weekend in Cinque Terre hiking and swimming. We got there Friday afternoon after stopping in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and the church and cemetery there.
It was a little too intense for me doing two super athletic trips back to back like that. Juggling school, these trips, and my social life is quite a load, and all of them are essential while I’m here; I don’t feel like I’m in a position to sacrifice any of those components.
Weeks Six and Seven
I had two required trips the past two Fridays. The first was to Ostia, a city of ruins. It was interesting, but relatively boring. The second trip was to Orvieto, which is a city on a hill. We went to see the Duomo of the town. It was incredible; it is unique in that it has both a chapel of the Anti-Christ and an anti-Semitic chapel, which are both highly unprecedented in churches. It was interesting to see and learn about why these themes are kept around despite how controversial they are.
Week Eight
This past weekend I spent in Nice, France. It was so great to take the weekend to relax and recharge here around the halfway point of the semester. I got to eat at literally my favorite place to eat in the world. I felt so much joy sitting alone eating cheese and looking out onto the beautiful horizon of mountains and sea. One month felt like it went by quite slowly, but this second month absolutely flew by.
Week Twelve
Obviously, it has been a little while since my last post. I have been focusing on school as well as have had many trips these past few weeks, including to Pompeii, Paestum, and the Amalfi Coast, Milan, Tivoli, and Florence. I have been to see the interior of the Pantheon for the first time, have been cooking a lot, and celebrated Halloween in Rome.
Week Fifteen
My classes finished out well and my final review went well, so I am pleased. I am so tired—I feel obligated to enjoy the rest of my time here as much as possible, but these last few weeks have been crazy, and I would just like to rest.
Overall, I would say that I had a great time here. I look back at my previous posts and remember how miserable I was sometimes, but looking back, I already am only remembering the positives. I hate to be so cliché, but this really was a very formative experience for me, and I do think it was essential to my education and upcoming Capstone project. I cannot wait to return next summer on my own and see how nostalgic I will be.
My full blog is available at https://www.emilyawilcox.com/study-abroad-blog