From the Big Apple to the Big... Tomato?

I’m writing this introductory blog post from the sofa in what my friends lovingly refer to as the Skybox. I’ve spent my last month in New York City here, cat-sitting for a Fordham pal, living in her beautiful apartment overlooking the Hudson River and savoring this city I’ve come to love so much over the last three years. It has been everything I imagined it would be and more. The constant stimulation and interaction excites me, but finding familiarity was no simple task. But after three years of school, improv classes, and collaboration, I’ve somehow made a home for myself in this metropolis, the most populated in the country. All my life, I’ve been excited to find my place in NYC and to call it home.

In a way, I’ve always felt the same about Rome. We’ve always had a romcom-esque “Will They, Won’t They” dynamic. My mom spent her junior year of college in Rome and, having never been far from her small town in Ohio, it was as if she had traveled to another planet. Reading the journals and scrapbooks from her trip, it is remarkable to witness her growing emotionally, culturally, and personally during her adventure. My mother's mother, my Nonna Tina, was born in Isernia, Italy, just a few hours south of Rome and came to America in 1955 as a young girl; the family’s immigration was prompted largely by the destruction that World War II had wrought on their small town. 

When my mother went to Rome, she connected with our family history in a very profound way. I’ve traveled to Italy before both as a tourist and to visit family in Isernia, but not for a while, never for this long, and never alone. My mother’s study abroad experience was life-changing and I always wanted to follow in her footsteps. At family reunions, I feel a glowing pride towards being Italian, if only half. The food, the music, the Bocce tournaments and pinched cheeks. On my short trips to the motherland, I have glimpsed at the culture, lifestyle, and language that I long to understand. The way history is scattered through the urban center enchants me. I feel enamored with the city, reflecting on its beauty like a dude in a romcom musing about the one who got away. 

Moving from a Pennsylvania suburb to attend college in Manhattan was a leap similar to moving abroad. New York feels separate from America, an endless variety of humans and experiences tossed in a magical salad. As I got to know the city and found my place in it, I became reluctant to leave; I was performing weekly on an improv team with some dear friends and had inclinations towards an entertainment career. I feared a loss of momentum and that my FOMO would be too much to bear. My improv friends graduated college years ago and, surrounded by them and their career ambitions, my academic experience wasn’t my top priority. Junior year came and went, many of my Fordham friends went abroad, and I stayed put. For a moment, it seemed that Rome and I would never have the ceremonious meeting, the satisfying ending that every good “Will They, Won’t They” needs. I was Rachel Green on a plane at Newark Airport, Rome was Ross at JFK. 

As I witnessed the experiences of my peers abroad, saw the post-grad world on the horizon closer than ever, and made progress in my Italian language classes, I realized that I was silly to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can worry about momentum after I graduate. For now, I’m in a position to pick up my life and study abroad. College is all about these experiences, ones that teach you so much about the world and yourself but with the safeguard of peers, parents, professors, and school staff. I’ve realized my mistake, I’m running through the airport to Rome’s apartment, praying it’s not too late to declare my devotion. The music swells, the studio audience cheers. 

Both the Fordham and IES Abroad staff have helped me tackle the overwhelming amount of preparation and planning that it takes to study abroad. The process was daunting. However, I’m now certain that the stress and clerical chaos of this summer will pay off tenfold when I spend the fall in Rome. Just typing that out is so exciting. It’s really happening! I can’t wait to dive into this experience and document it. Because I’ll be going abroad my senior year, IES Abroad allows me to take a fall semester of classes abroad that line up with the American academic calendar. I’m on track for graduation and I’m so grateful everything worked out. I’m participating in the Film and Media Studies program, so I’m sure I’ll be at no loss for creative inspiration. Perhaps I’ll examine the Roman comedy scene. I wonder if I could perform improv in Italian? Just the thought makes me nervous, but facing those fears is what will lead to the connections, discoveries, and lessons that studying abroad is about. I expect to be overwhelmed by change when I arrive in Rome. However, once I get my bearings, I’ll build up my language skills and confidence better than before. This summer, I’ve been capturing the metropolis of NYC on my Canon Rebel T7I and iPhoneto create a short film comparing it to the footage I'll get in Rome. I’ll also be using this footage to elevate the video blogs that will be embedded into my future posts here. I hope you’ll enjoy experiencing Rome through my eyes! 

A dopo,

Ellie