Rome, Italy: The Eternal City.  I live there and have been living there for 3 weeks now.  That thought still blows my mind.  I am starting to feel at home here, but for some reason it still does not seem real.  It’s not some vacation that I am here for, but for school and for a good 3 ½ months.  I just cannot believe that I get to live here in a city rich with culture and history. It’s amazing.

I will admit that the first two weeks were a lot harder than I thought.  I expected to have some homesickness here and there, but was not prepared for such a drastic change.  Rome and everything here is obviously very different than what I am used to and it was very uncomfortable for the first couple of weeks.  However, I am so glad that I chose Rome.  I needed to be uncomfortable and put out of my comfort zone.  I have already learned so much and I have not even been here for a full month! I cannot imagine how much I will learn over the next few months.

Of course, it has been so fun too and I have seen the most amazing things.  It is so incredible that I live in the city where such iconic and world known monuments are. I love that I can walk to the Coliseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and everything in between.  I love taking pictures of everything, especially on a beautiful day here in Roma.  Rome is amazing and I cannot wait to see what the next few months hold for me.

– Katherine, University of Tennessee at Knoxville