I had never ridden a subway before arriving in Rome, so figuring out how to reach my internship was a real challenge. Living near Vatican City and needing to get to Tor Vergata University, on the southeastern edge of the city, meant mastering a complex transport system. Tor Vergata is about fifteen miles from downtown Rome. While a fifteen-mile drive in the U.S. might take around 20 minutes, public transport in Rome turned it into an hour and a half commute each way. At first, I walked and took the metro to the last stop, Anagnina, where I either caught a bus or hitched a ride with my professor to the lab. Then I discovered that a Lime scooter could cut the initial walk to the metro down to just ten minutes. This worked well until fellow students tipped me off about taking a train to Termini and then switching to the metro, which was even faster. Since the San Pietro train station was just a short walk from where I lived, this became my regular route. Eventually, I found an even quicker option: getting off the train one stop earlier and walking to another metro line further down. My daily commute then became a journey from San Pietro to Tuscolana, Ponte Lungo, Anagnina and finally Tor Vergata.

This process, though initially daunting, was a valuable learning experience. It not only taught me the ins and outs of Rome’s public transportation, but also how to navigate the city for various activities, from Sunday markets in Trastevere to class field trips at the FAO building. I shared what I learned with other students, which made it easier for all of us to explore the city and travel to Florence, Milan, the beach and the airport for weekend getaways. This whole experience really highlights what studying abroad is all about: the continuous opportunity for learning and personal growth. Every day in a new city offers immersion into a culture that’s different from your own, exposing you to new languages, foods, and customs. This constant exposure deepens your perspective and appreciation for the diversity of our global community — a lesson and a memory I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Global Internships