Hiking and Biking Trip in Dolomites

Author: Jennifer Durham | Major: Nursing

Academics:

When I was choosing a college one of the major things that the University of Arkansas had to offer was studying abroad. During my Junior year of college the Nursing school had just created a new study abroad program in Rome, Italy. I have always wanted to experience different cultures and travel the world. I was very excited to experience a different healthcare system in Italy as well and get the opportunity to have my clinical experience in Italy.

Studying abroad advanced my academic and professional goals as I got to experience my nursing pediatrics and obstetrics clinicals in Italy. I was able to experience the major healthcare differences between Italy and the United States. I have the opportunity to share my experiences with other healthcare professionals on the differences in the way healthcare is given in both countries.

I loved my classes and instructors. The professors and staff at the University of Arkansas Rome Center made me feel as if I was a part of their family.

As a nursing student abroad there were a total of 13 nursing students attending the study abroad program at the Rome Center. Throughout the program we had two nursing professors. One of the professors taught us pediatrics and the other taught us obstetrics. This differed from being in Fayetteville as we had a small student to teacher ratio. I got really close with my professors and learned a lot better being in a smaller class.

Culture:

My experience outside of class was experiencing the culture in Italy. When you are eating out at a restaurant in Italy the experience is completely different than in the United States. A lunch or dinner meal can last hours and that is culturally normalized in Italy. The majority of the meals that I ate consisted of pasta and pizza. My favorite type of pasta is Cacio e pepe which is predominantly pecorino,salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.

The program also offers multiple organized trips within Italy to all of the students. I chose to do a trip to the Dolomites which is located in northern Italy. This trip consisted of hiking and mountain biking in the span of three days and we travelled by train to get to the Dolomites.

Advice:

I would recommend this program to any nursing student or student at the University of Arkansas. The faculty at this program really makes you feel comfortable in moving into another country for a short period of time.

I wish that I would have prepared more financially for studying abroad. If you are wanting to travel all across Europe it would be smart to prepare financially for the cost of traveling between countries and the cost of logging as well. When I return home to Texas the first thing I am going to do is to eat Tex-Mex cuisine. This is my favorite cuisine. I love chicken tacos and chips with guacamole.