Home Sweet Rome

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Melena Appling

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Melena Appling

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hello! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> University of North Georgia <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2024 <i>Destination city & country:</i> London, England & Rome, Italy <i>Program provider:</i> CIEE Open Campus <i>Major/minor:</i> AA Communications transitioning into BA Communications with concentration in Public Relations <i>Demographics:</i> Asian/Asian American <i>Future career aspirations:</i> First, I will graduate college obtaining a AA in Communication along with a BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. In the next 5 years, I plan to be a brand manager who is running social media management accounts (social media marketer) for local businesses. I hope that this will pave the way for me to run my own public relations department for a large corporate business in the future. I look forward to working with people and helping them resolve their problems. I enjoy speaking and communicating with others, and I am quite excited for my future! <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> 1Study more about the place that I am studying abroad. Learn about myself and find comfort in independence. I hope to take awesome courses, and learn from a new university!

This week started bittersweet because I know my study abroad experience is quickly coming to a close. My roommates whom I have gotten so close with decided to do a stay in Rome week. We decided to relax in preparation for finals and soak in the last few moments we have to share together before we all go our separate ways. This week we ate lots of pasta and pizza to celebrate our stay in Italy. We might’ve ubered a few burritos and quesadillas but that’s a secret I can’t tell.

We ate at a burger place close to our apartment called Teds, which was delicious. We stocked up on snacks from our favorite stores while being in Rome (Puwex and Pam Local). My friends and I enjoyed cooking meals together to have a family-like dinner and eating Halloween/Christmas Candy to celebrate holidays we couldn’t while being abroad. We watched “Halloween Town” on Halloween and ate candy we shouldn’t have.

One day this week, we decided to have a full-on day full of Rome stuff. We got up extra early at like 6 am get ready for pictures. I put on my makeup to take pictures that will last a lifetime. I downloaded my ticket to ride the metro to the Trevi Fountain, we got there so early to ensure people were not there in our photos. We saw the sunrise on the way to the landmark. It was gorgeous to see. We made our way to the Spanish steps and climbed them. There were so many luxury stores surrounding the square where the steps are. We ate brunch and had coffee to keep us warm that early in the morning. Then, we walked towards the Pantheon to see the historical landmark. It was really cool to see everyone lined up to see bits and pieces that are left of our history.

Finally, that week I went on an adventure in Rome on my own. I decided I wanted to explore the city in my own way. I navigated myself to the famous pasta restaurant called Osteria Da Fortunata (Roma Pellegrino) and ordered cacio e pepe. They have pasta makers in the restaurant that hand cut and shape the unique pasta in front of you while you eat. It was so cool and yummy as always. I walked through the market next to the restaurant at the Campo De’ Fiori and shopped around. They had everything from authentic Italian olive oil and truffle to clothes! Later, I walked through souvenir shops and bought some Rome t-shirts for my family. I was proud because I did it all on my own. Studying abroad taught me lots of independence and freedom. I am glad to have experienced that somewhere like Europe since there are constantly things happening in busy places like Rome.