Stories from the 2024 Rome class
From traveling to different countries to trying different European foods, spending a semester studying abroad in Rome is a life-changing experience for many UD students.
“I loved Prague,” Gregory King, a sophomore politics major said. “It was just really old medieval suites, really pretty churches. We saw the statue of the Infant of Prague. That was a lot of fun.”
For sophomore theology major Katherine Gonzalez, one of the best experiences was being able to travel with her family. “My family came after the semester was over, and we went back to Assisi. It’s so peaceful, it’s so quiet and it’s just so nice. Prague and Belgium were just beautiful. I think Prague was probably more beautiful than Belgium, but [if] you’re going to Belgium, you have to go to Bruges, which is this tiny, little quaint town. It’s so cute.”
Sophomore Italian major Noah Driesbach recounted a time he and his friends were in Norway. “We got this house on top of a mountain, and it overlooked a little lake. We were feeling very Viking and Gothic, [and] we’re like, we gotta do some Viking stuff. So my buddy and I decide to go jump in the lake.” According to Driesbach, he and his friends ran two miles in the snow to get there. “We decided to go shirtless, and we convinced all the other guys. [And it’s] probably in the 40s. We convinced seven of the dudes to go shirtless and go jump in the lake, and we stay in the lake for about four minutes. My buddy forgot to set the timer, so we’re gonna stand there for three, and then we stayed in there for four because he forgot.”
For Elyse Scheller, a sophomore economics major, one of the best experiences was being able to interact with the locals. “I realized just throughout the entire semester that people are good and people want to engage with you in a very real human way. And just like a lot of experiences like people looking out for you, people wanting to help, people wanting to get to know you.”
Her favorite time was Ten-Day. “Some girlfriends and I went to Budapest in Prague. We were coming out of a church, and [we didn’t] really know if it’s like Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic. There was this group of Hungarians, like our age [outside]. They came up to us [and] they’re like, ‘Hi. What are your names? We’re just some Catholic youth out here, just spreading joy, talking to people [and] engaging in community.’ And one of the friends who I was with really loves to sing and play guitar. They invited her to go sing with us, and so just like we spent maybe, like an hour, just talking, hanging out with them. It was just a really sweet experience.”
These students had a variety of advice for those going to Rome. King advises incoming sophomores to budget wisely before heading to Europe and go where they feel called to go. “Buy your flights beforehand, and then budget for every weekend. Don’t do what anyone says. Go wherever you want.”
“I had the most fun just trying new places. I went to the bone crypts of Rome on a whim, which was really cool. You got to see the pieces of the Holy Cross, and we got to see the holy stairs, just all in a whim, me and a friend, [because] we [were] bored,” King said.
Gonzalez said, “Don’t be afraid to ask the RCs for help. They are very kind. If you’re struggling for some reason, talk to your teachers, talk to our RCS, talk to Dr. Rombs, they’re all very kind and very happy to help you.”
She also emphasized the importance of sleep. “Going that long on such little sleep is hard, especially with the amount that you’re handling. So push yourself when you are traveling. Don’t push yourself when you’re on campus.”
“Don’t fly Ryanair. The cheap airlines let you get on with whatever bags you want to, but Ryanair is the only one that checks, and they’ll charge you 70 bucks for a bag. They charge you more for a bag than they do for the flight,” Driesbach added.