Kendra Dascano
To be able to see the world and have experiences that change everything from your view of the world to who you are as a person, is an experience I’ve been longing for since seventh grade. I always knew I wanted to go abroad during my time at Pace, but I didn’t know it would happen so soon. In November of my freshman year, I found out that I was accepted to Dr. Hundersmarck’s study abroad course – “Rome the Eternal City.” The course had nothing to do with my area of study and wasn’t part of my freshman year plan, but how could I turn down the opportunity to go to Rome with my two best friends?
For six months, I was full of excitement, worry, and anticipation. From renewing my passport to obsessing over what to pack, my mind was occupied with pre-travel preparations. Aside from staying at a resort in the Bahamas, this was the first experience I’ve had abroad, and I had no idea what to expect.
When I arrived in Rome, I was extremely excited and extremely jet-lagged. After taking a long nap, my first night in Rome was spent getting acquainted with the area nearby. I had my first piece of pizza and gelato from Italy. I went to bed that night knowing that I was going to love the next three weeks of my life.
One thing that I loved about this study abroad experience was that I didn’t spend the three weeks in a lecture hall. As said best by Dr. Hundersmarck, the city of Rome was our classroom. For three weeks, I explored every inch of Rome and even spent some time in Florence. I learned about the architecture and history of Rome through seeing and being in the presence of churches, statues, and amazing places such as the Colosseum. This made the experience so much more tangible and I feel like I walked away knowing so much more than what would have stuck in my head after a lecture.
There was so much to see and take in. At times, it was hard to process everything that was being said. You hear about the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Vatican, but when you are there you almost need a minute to fully realize that these places you’ve been learning about since your sixth-grade history class actually exist and you’re standing right in the middle them. Throughout the history of Rome, Emperors and members of the Papacy didn’t just order for statues, fountains, buildings, and churches to be built for no reason. They were all created for a purpose and when you see something with so much purpose it is hard not to be in the moment with it, admiring all of its beauty.
Flash forward four months after returning from my trip and I am still talking about the experiences I had in Rome. It was everything I imagined and more. I spent so much time in churches that I am definitely going to heaven! I had gelato at least once a day and ate more carbs in three weeks than I’ve had in my entire life. I did so much walking that my Fitbit had reached an all-time high, and I will never routinely have dinner at 10:00 at night.
As I reflect on this trip, I know that I am so lucky to be able to have spent three weeks in a city filled with so much beauty, history, character, and religion. I purchased many souvenirs and the bookshelf in my room may be decorated with all things Rome, but it is the transformation that my mind underwent that will never let me forget this trip.
There is a myth that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain someday you will return to Rome. I threw two coins into the foundation to double my chances of having another opportunity to return to the “Eternal City,” where a piece of my heart will always remain.