Samuel Tracy is a student at the University of California, San Diego and an ISA Featured Blogger. Samuel is currently studying abroad with ISA in Rome, Italy.
The Roman adventure began at 11 am on Thursday. My lease was taken care of, bags were packed, and all other personal belongings had been locked in a friends closet. I hadn’t been out of the country since I was, quite literally, a baby…but the time had come! Customs was a breeze, with three changeovers and a fresh passport I had been expecting at least a stop or two, but never had more than ten minutes between gates. Might I add that international in-flight service is fantastic? Much better than stale peanuts, or maybe I’m just a little bit excited. The only catch is the +30 hours without sleep. More than enough time to learn a few new words and read The Italians again.
Chicago, Zurich, Rome. Orientation was swift and it only took one night’s sleep to adjust to the time change, perhaps due to the fact that Romans tend to sleep in and stay out much later than the states. Travel tip: don’t nap after a long flight. Bear with it, go to bed at the local time, and you’ll make the switch much easier. Arriving on a Friday, my classmates and I have the entire weekend to explore the city before moving into local apartments and beginning classes. Below you can see us outside our hotel. Anyway, it’s time to go and grab my first Italian lunch. Ciao!
Wow, I was just realizing that you started from San Diego! Hopefully you aren’t like me and can actually sleep on a plane.. I couldn’t get to sleep. Then had a 4 hour delay in Germany; felt like a zombie when I finally got to Rome..