Looking back to the first day I arrived in Rome, I remember the fresh feeling of excitement and anticipation. I remember very vividly my first experience in St. Peter’s Basilica where I felt goose-bumps and tears filled my eyes as I saw before my eyes the most magnificent structure and monument of universal faith that I had ever seen. I can even recall the taste of my first Italian cappuccino.
As I was thinking about this the other day, I realized the novelty of beginning a journey does not always last, which is not entirely a bad thing. As exciting as it was to see things for the first time and be surrounded by overwhelming sights and sounds, I know that the point I am at now is a point where I can truly allow this study abroad experience to impress upon me in a deeper way. Already half-way through this three month long journey, I am constantly seeing new sights and sounds and am still edified when passing the rich art and architecture that I cannot help but be amazed. It is like finding treasure in a treasure chest that has an endless supply of riches.
The difference now, after two months, is that I am beginning to see things with different eyes than before. It can be compared to the process of maturation in a child. The mind, seeing things for the first time, has a sort of child-like outlook (in the sense that it sees things in a new and unfamiliar way). Yet overtime, the mind learns to see a thing for what a thing is and, at that point, allowed to see it in its entirety. For example, I have noticed this on my surmounting number of trips to the Vatican. Each time is a different experience; each time I am amazed, yet, at the same time, each time I am able to see things in a different light or angle than before. The key now is not to take my surroundings for granted and overlook the beauty I have the opportunity to see every day. I have found myself taking more time at each place and going back to the places I’ve been before to soak up, in a deeper sense, what I have already seen, allowing it to trans form my soul.
That is what this city and studying abroad has done for me: transformed me in a way I could never have imagined. I heard from those who had gone before me that the study abroad semester changes a person. I never fully understood what they meant until now. I cannot even express what traveling has taught me other than that traveling, especially in such a glorious city such as Rome, has the power to transform the mind, body, and spirit if one has an open heart and mind. The senses are heightened by the very structures that lift one’s spirit to something beyond itself. I came into this semester with just that: an open heart and mind. I wanted to immerse myself as much as possible in the culture. Doing so has changed me (in ways I might not even realize). I see the world in new light. It is not so much that I have changed as a person as it that I have grown as a person. I have grown in unexpected ways through my experiences. So many factors have played into this: the program (including the director, Mr. Assaf, who has allowed us so many opportunities), the community in which we live, the people I am with, and of course the city Rome!
I have and still am taking every experience as an opportunity to grow and learn. I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with Rome. My heart will always have a special place for this city. I am constantly, on a day to day basis, learning! I never want to stop. Rome has taught me that one must never stop learning. This experience is one that will always be a part of me. It has transformed me and will affect me for the rest of my life. I am thankful for this opportunity as it will form me and prepare me for the next step in life!
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