Andiamo!

In two days I will be heading to Rome for the semester. This whole endeavor has always felt so distant and far away. The closer it gets to departure the more I find myself trying to comprehend the reality of it all. The past few weeks I have found myself subconsciously looking a little closer at the things I drive by every single day in Hillsborough, New Jersey. This will be the longest and furthest I've been away from home. I could read about other people's experiences studying abroad in Rome, watch Roman Holiday for the third time and stare at pictures online, but there's no way for me to really know what to expect. It's this uncertainty that makes it so exciting. 

Italy has always been number one on my list of places to go. My grandmother came from a big Italian family and I was named after her mother, "Grandma Emma". I never met her but based on the stories that I've heard and the pictures I've seen, she was the glue of the family and in general just a sweet old lady that could do no harm. I'm not sure if it's because we have the same name or because I strive to be the kind of person that'll be remembered in the same way that she is, but I feel connected to her in some way. Her family was from Lenola: a small village in the province of Latina, Italy at the midpoint between Rome and Naples on a map. Going to Italy feels like a chance to get to know her better, however distant or removed it might seem.  

I'm taking photography and filmmaking classes along with a language course. I've never had any formal instruction in filmmaking and I'm looking forward to learning about documentary production. I am so excited to just be in a new place and to observe the difference in culture, lifestyle, and architecture. I think that being foreign to a place gives you a fresh perspective that is advantageous for documentary work.

It's hard to say exactly what will come about from my time in Rome, but I know I'll be all the better for it.