Hello from Rome, Italy! Our group of students from San Diego State arrived here on New Years Eve, and though we were unbelievably jet lagged and exhausted, we stayed awake and celebrated the holiday in a different country. We were lucky enough to witness fireworks over the Coliseum – a once in a lifetime experience. There were thousands of people around the Coliseum, and you could feel the excitement in the air as the New Year approached. People cheered and more fireworks went off once the countdown ended. This was more than a great start to our two-week faculty-led study abroad program.
After about a week here in Italy, I have to say the city is quite unbelievable. The cobble-stoned streets do not run parallel to one another, and it is extremely easy to roam around in circles and get lost. Some of us did in fact get lost one day, but ended up unintentionally reaching a pretty incredible viewpoint overlooking the Roman Forum.
Normally getting lost would be frustrating, but Rome is such a beautiful city with something new to see every corner. My favorite thing to do here in between class is to explore the city, because I have to try to see everything I can in the short time that I have. In Rome, there are many famous attractions, like the Spanish Steps of Rome, the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum and countless others. Take a look at where I’ve been thus far!
Celebrating New Years in Italy is an experience I will never forget, and I can’t wait for the other adventures and encounters I will have in this upcoming week.
Ciao!
Hayley Rostenbach is a junior studying business. She is taking an entrepreneurship course in Rome over Winter Break.
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 