September 20, 2024
Day 14: Departures and Exits
September 12, 2024
Shawn & Julianna
Shawn: First, I have to congratulate everyone for putting in so much effort to make our class a success. Our goal in the class is not so much to learn everything there is to learn about ancient Rome, as it is to learn how to be travelers (not tourists) and to write about our experiences living in Rome and writing creatively about our relationship to Rome, traveling, and to each other. On day one there is exhaustion from traveling, dealing with the somewhat chaotic arrival scene, and finding your way to the dorm. For many of you, it was the first time traveling on your own. I am most impressed by how all of you not only immersed yourselves into the history and culture of Rome, but also learned how to be confident travelers–so much so that you felt confident to travel on out-of-town day trips where you had to plan an itinerary and schedule on your own. In short, the person who you were when you arrived on day one, was a much different person than the person who departed from Rome on day fourteen. That love of learning is the key to success at the college level where you go beyond what the course assignments were or, in our case, our planned daily field trips. I’m so proud of everyone! You accomplished so much in such a short time and made the most of the opportunity presented to you.
Julianna: As I reflect back on the two weeks spent in Rome with this group, I can’t help but remark on the changes. When the students showed up in Rome on Day 1, they didn’t know each other and most had no knowledge of the Italian language. In a short time, I saw friendships form, heard language skills improve, and noticed students becoming more comfortable getting around in the Eternal City. This is the beauty of studying abroad: being thrown into a place you don’t know with people you don’t know and watching magic happen.
This was my second trip to Rome with an incoming Freshmen group and it was wonderful to see everyone experiencing the ancient sites and lively culture of the city, most for the first time. On each of our site visits, whether students were journaling, taking photos or simply admiring the beauty around them, I know that they were assimilating it all. I hope they bring their curiosity, sense of adventure and search for knowledge back to Seattle with them as they start their undergraduate journey. I’m excited to see how they grow and change throughout the rest of their time at UW!
Some group photos from throughout the program:
Welcome dinner:
Colosseum visit:
Capitoline Museum visit:
Goodbye dinner:
