Erin in Rome - A journey of linguistic and cultural discovery

As the child of two parents in the military, I’ve always had the unique opportunity to travel around the world from an early age. This exposure ignited my love for language and culture, and it has long been a dream of mine to learn multiple languages. And because of this dream I was soon inspired to start learning Italian.

It all started in 2023, with me studying Italian on my own to prepare myself for my very first trip to Italy. I had planned to visit Venice and the Amalfi Coast and wanted to be able to communicate with the people. So I started using language exchange apps and following Italian language content creators on Instagram. Fast forward a few months I finally landed in Italy and fell in love with the country, its food, its history. Wanting to explore even more of the “Bel Paese”, I decided to continue learning Italian and eventually hired a private tutor. 

While going on with my personal Italian learning journey, I ended up stumbling upon Italianforawhile. I was immediately  intrigued by their Italian language study abroad program. Full with excitement, I delved further into their website to understand the program better and emailed them to set up a consultation call. I ended up speaking with Annetta, one of their advisors, who explained the details of the program and after a few weeks of consideration and questions, I decided on my destination: Rome for a full month. 

After my decision, Annetta assisted me in all the necessary bureaucracy, from finding housing to getting my documents, and provided all the necessary information about the language school I would be attending. And so, I arrived in Rome. The city was spectacular in itself and the warm weather of May only enhanced my experience. Of course, being there for a whole month I wanted to experience everything it had to offer, from the most popular tourist spots to the lesser-known areas. And that’s what I did, at least for the first days.

I would wake up, go to a café nearby, and start my days with a cappuccino and a ciambella just before heading to incredible places like the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican Museum, and the Pantheon. It all felt like a movie, and I was the main character. And when I wasn't visiting the more crowded spots, I was either enjoying well-known food spots like Trapizzino or Roscioli or exploring beautiful neighborhoods like Garbatella and Pigneto.

Another thing that marked my experience, other than the beautiful city, was remote working. Ever since I left New York, I knew I had to be working during my study abroad experience. Since language classes were in the morning, I managed to balance my schedule. I would wake up and go to school in the morning and work in the evening, aligning with New York City time. With this arrangement, managing both work and my language classes was easier than ever. And after class (and before work) I had all the time I needed to explore different areas and try the most delicious foods, returning to my Airbnb only in the late afternoon or early evening. What’s more, on weekends I managed to also take day trips to other famous cities like Florence and Naples.

All in all, I must say that the entire experience was smoother than I anticipated. And despite some late nights working, waking up to a hot cappuccino and a maritozzo con panna in Rome every morning made it all worthwhile!