Over the summer of 2024, I went abroad with CEA CAPA to Rome, Italy. This program would take place directly after my freshman year at the University of Michigan, and I was both eager for and nervous about the experience. Originally, I was not sure what to expect; I was enrolled in two classes, but aside from those classes, I knew almost nothing about the neighborhood I would be living in, the other girls I would be living with, and no Italian! 

Fort Lovrijenac Lookout — Dubrovnik, Croatia 

The walk to the top of the fort was tiring, but the view overlooking Lokrum Island on my last day of the trip made it all worth it.

Lagoon — Dubrovnik, Croatia 

After a hot day, sitting by the bluest water I’ve ever seen helped cool me down. There, we planned the rest of our journey with recommended stops from locals. 

Nevertheless, I soon learned that the program was absolutely stunning. During my time abroad, I was lucky enough to meet amazing friends who later became close travel partners. Our weekends were filled with adventures to different cities and countries, but these trips did not come without some difficulty.  

City Walls — Dubrovnik, Croatia 

We had spoken to some people and found out you could stay a little past the walls’ official closing to watch the sun slowly set. This sight was a perfect end to the long day exploring Dubrovnik. 

Capri Sign — Island of Capri, Italy 

Eager to save money (and strengthen our calves), we traversed up 921 stone steps, determined to prove to ourselves all the pasta we had eaten would not be weighing us down. 

For a lot of us, it was our first time traveling to these countries, and not one of us could speak the language. It was through navigating the planning of these trips that the CEA CAPA staff really shone through for me. 

Flower Stand — Rome, Italy 

During a group walk, we stumbled upon a small flower shop. It was incredibly hot outside, but seeing the colorful flowers made me feel refreshed. 

I remember one morning stopping by the staff office to ask a question. At orientation, we had been briefly introduced to the staff and had been told we could ask them anything we wanted, so that day I was going to test my luck. I had been trying to plan a quick weekend trip to Sorrento, Italy the night before, but just getting there seemed virtually impossible; the train schedule website looked ancient, and it had almost no intuitive structure. Oh, and it was entirely in Italian in a format I could not copy-paste into Google Translate. 

Fort Cannon — Dubrovnik, Croatia 

This cannon is the largest cannon in Dubrovnik, created over four centuries ago and weighing over three tons. It was used to intimidate the enemy approaching from sea, and standing next to it definitely put its size into perspective. 

Old Town — Dubrovnik, Croatia 

From atop the city walls of Dubrovnik, we could hear Croatians cheering for the ongoing soccer game whenever Croatia scored a goal. It was a surreal experience to hear it all from above. 

I nervously knocked on the door of the Student Services Manager Cecilia’s office. She warmly welcomed me and immediately assessed my problem with what seemed like the utmost priority. Together, we were able to navigate the website and find out the train schedule, where to buy the tickets, and how to get back to Rome after our trip.  

Golden Bay — Mellieħa, Malta 

There is no guess as to why it is called the Golden Bay beach. The water was clear, and without a cloud in the sky, the sunset cast a beautiful golden sheen over the water. 

Pantheon — Rome, Italy 

On a group tour of Rome, the Pantheon is more impressive than we had ever imagined. Our guide provided by CEA CAPA explained the historical significance of the landmark before taking us to her favorite local pizza place. 

This interaction was short, but what may have been a small deviation from work for her meant so much to me; the fact that she was willing to put down everything to help out for something insignificant like train tickets showed me how much the CEA CAPA staff truly cared about even the little experiences we all had while abroad. I appreciate the opportunity to have been able to experience moments like these.