Rome is Home Past Review
By Caylie G (Psychology, University of Washington) - abroad from 01/13/2015 to 05/09/2015 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Rome, Italy
I never would have imagined before coming here how big of an impact this experience would have on me. Rome has become my second home and my roommates have become my second family. Rome has such a unique culture, and I was immediately welcomed into their way of life. From all of the places I've traveled to, Rome is the one place that does not have countless chain stores from America. It embraces its culture and makes you feel at home the second you step off the plane. This program also had great weekend excursions, and are some of my best memories! This experience has pushed me to learn more about myself, become independent, learn how to navigate foreign places, and become more open minded towards people, places, and cultures. Studying abroad has forced me outside of my comfort zone and I am so thankful for my experiences abroad and making this the best four months of my life!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Some of the courses gave tons of homework. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Always very helpful and willing to go above and beyond to provide us with information, help, or resources. They are so friendly and made me feel very welcomed! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Loved my roommates and my apartment was nicer than the one I live at back at school. The location, being in the Prati neighborhood, was amazing because it gave us the chance to explore a different, more calm part of Rome. Loved it! |
| * Food: |
Amazing food, and CEA sponsored meals were always my favorite! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It is all what you make it- I chose to immerse myself and am so grateful I did! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I have always heard of Rome being a center for pickpocketing to occur and dangerous situations to occur because it is a big city. However, I found that I felt very safe walking the streets at night and it is always smart to keep your purse in front of you at all times and never keep your phone inyour back pocket just in case. I never took my phone out with me when we went out at night, just to be safe and not have to worry about it though! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Groceries are relatively cheap, so you can stay on budget by making your meals in your apartment and not eating out everyday. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Around 40 euro |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I truly knew how fast this program would go by. I also wish I understood the importance of trying new things and to be open mined because YORO (you only Rome once). |
