La Dolce Vita
As I sit writing this last blog, I can hardly believe that these past five weeks are already finished. My time has been so jam packed with events, sight seeing, classes, and dinners out that I never had the time to register that it would ever end.
While it has been short, it has totally been worth the while. It was so easy to think when I was back home in the States that I had seen everything; however, there is something about another country that you just can’t find back at home. Whether it is the diverse group of people that you meet or the unique foods that you get to sample, each country is truly an eye opening and fantastic experience.
After five weeks, I have made friends from all over the world. Ranging in location from Melbourne to Munich, my classmates formed an incredibly international group. This diversity made for interesting dinner conversations for sure as we could spend hours comparing cultures and talking about the differences in each of our countries.
My Italian has improved significantly. Definitely the best way to learn a language is through full immersion. Most would say a month is not even enough to scratch the surface of a new language but through the intensive courses and constant practice that is required when going to restaurants or reading signs in the metro, it has become easy to increase my vocabulary and begin to understand grammar. Starting off at Ciao and ending with past participles and imperatives was a huge jump to make in five weeks and it has been really rewarding to be able to have conversations with real Italians and have them actually understand what I am saying!
The experience has been really great, and I hope that one day, I will find myself back in Rome. But just in case, I will be sure to throw one last coin into the Trevi Fountain to secure my future visit!
