Many people were surprised this year when I told them I was living at home for the fall semester. The shock would often subside when I explained I was doing it so I could live in Rome for the Spring. But many of these people followed with the same question: "why don't you just do a Summer or Winter abroad?" I'd always respond to this saying "I don't want to travel in Italy, I want to live in Italy".
I'm relieved to say I feel the same way I thought I would about this distinction. I love being able to see all the different sites in Rome and I love the experience of seeing such a wonderful city. But the things that I really love about studying abroad are the subtle experiences of living in a beautifully foreign place.
Like how I love when I get a coffee at the bar near my apartment. The people there are really nice and always help correct my Italian. Or how the deli near my school makes the best sandwiches and taste really fresh. Or how some Italians will go completely out of their way to help you find somewhere you are going. Or how I can sit on the roof of my school reading a book or listening to a song with all of Rome sprawled out before me.
I love riding the bus. I can get on at anytime and get anywhere in the city. When it isn't crowded, I feel like I could stay on forever and it would be a good day. Its the best feeling when you casually roll by something as epic as the colliseum as if it was just another part of a day's routine.
I could be a tourist and stand in front of Castel Sant'Angelo with my backpack and camera planning all the things I can see in the time I have here. But the actual building seems much more real when it's just another landmark on my way to a more casual destination. It becomes a very personal thing. Like your crazy neighbor's christmas light display. Or the echoes from the local concert venue.
These are things one can only really experience when they feel at home at a place. Now, it's tough for me to call this city a home because it is such a foreign place and isn't exactly made to cater to my life. But it's a place I'm living in and because of that, it feels like my own.
Ciao!
Matt
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