Roma-once in a lifetime Past Review
By Meret S (History, University of Georgia) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Rome, Italy
My Italian skills improved. I met wonderful people who I still talk to. I fell in love with the city of Rome-it only increased my wander lust. It is always wonderful to experience a new culture and meet new people.
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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. |
I believe that the workload was less than what I typically have during the semester. That being said, I was only enrolled in a month long course so there was not time to assign a great deal of work. The grading system though was on par with American universities. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The size of the program was perfect. CEA was staffed almost entirely by Italians so they really knew the ins and outs of Rome. Their support services were really good but sometimes I think they were a bit disorganized. All in all though I really loved the administrative staff and thought they did a great job. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my apartment! We were in a great neighborhood on a busy street. The apartment was well equipped, but I thought the kitchen could have had a few more utensils. We were lucky enough to have the penthouse apartment with a terrace. Our doorman Luigi was great. Our neighbors were all friendly. It was great to experience Roman life for a month. |
| * Food: |
Italian food is wonderful but be prepared for lots of bread and pasta. Go to the Trastevere neighborhood for food! So many wonderful, off the beaten path options. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had a day trip to Assisi which was so beautiful and they had a nice 3 course lunch for us. We went to Caserta Palace and the Amalfi coast. They had a welcome lunch for us and a departure dinner. They also had a cooking class for us taught by a Sicilian woman. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Rome was amazing! I think it was a safe place to be. That being said, don't walk around alone at night but I think that applies anywhere. You can drink the water with no trouble. In fact, the water is very tasty! You don't have to have any vaccinations to visit. Our program included health insurance. I never ran into any health trouble except a little bit of a cold but CEA seemed prepared should anything have happened. Also, watch your purse. The only "safety" trouble you'd probably encounter is pickpocketing but that did not happen luckily to anyone on our program. |
| 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) |
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Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't just consider it-go! Rome is incredible. Touristy yes but get off the beaten path and you'll find a wonderful city that exposes true Italian life. |
