When going abroad, everyone sets their sights high on all the cities they want to see during their time away. I was totally one of those people. I had a huge list of about 15 countries and cities I wanted to visit! As I planned trips out with my roommates, we ran into a little problem…we had no weekends in Rome. Yikes. So with some thoughtful planning, we were able to narrow it down. However, this meant that we would be splitting two cities in one weekend. While this tended to make for some crazy and exhausting weekends, it was so worth it.
Spending time in your host city can slip your mind from time to time. Not just because of the weekends you spend away, but even your time during the week. While traveling, it is easy to forget that school is actually apart of this experience. (Sorry for the spoiler alert!) And when you’re in your host city, you forget to explore during the week! My roommates and I have made a promise to explore Rome as much as we can. So after class and on weekends, we explore our city as much as we can.
In the first few weeks we spent a lot of time at the Colosseum. In our first adventure, we took cabs all around the city to get to our destinations. But as we explored a little more, we started exploring the city by foot! This is by far the best thing you can do. When walking around from destination to destination, make sure you take the time to look up at your surroundings. You tend to get lost looking at your map or absolutely mesmerized by the cobblestone that you will miss the amazing architecture.
We also have spent many afternoons at the Trevi fountain people watching, eating gelato and having dinner.
Not to mention that on our walks home, we always pass the Vatican!
The best part about our adventures is the time we spend together walking from our apartments to our favorite locations. During this time, we reminisce on our travels, talk about our lives back home and how in awe we are of our current surroundings. These are the memories that will stand out to me the most when looking back on my time abroad. The time you spend in your host city will always be the closest to your heart. I am so lucky to be able to call home, Rome sweet Rome.
Shayna Kerry is the spring CEA MOJO in Rome, Italy. She is a junior at the University of Colorado at Boulder.