You know those moments in life when you look around and are
just so content with everything that is happening around you; those moments of
pure bliss when you seriously cannot complain about a single thing and you’re
just plain happy. I found that this week, but I didn’t find it in just a
moment; I found it in an entire two weeks. For those of you who do not know, I
had the extreme blessing to spend the last two weeks in Rome with an
International Business Program at Marquette. I came into the trip expecting to
learn a little in our lectures, see some pretty sights, and meet some new
people. Little did I know that I would find so much more; a new insight into
other cultures, a better understanding of myself, and a better understanding of
what I want with my future.
Saying Rome was beautiful would be the understatement of the year. The views that I saw are the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life, whether that is in person, on TV, or in a picture. They are spectacular and indescribable. I took pictures everywhere I went, but they don’t even come close to doing these views justice. I don’t know how to put into words how absolutely perfect this country is, but it was. I fell in complete and total love with the people, the scenery, the different cities, and the way of life. But more than that I fell in love with the person that this city made me. I didn’t realize how close minded I was, how much I was scared of change. That is until I was thrown into the middle of a big city and pretty much told to figure it out. It overwhelmed me at first, and made me feel very vulnerable. I wasn’t there long enough to completely get over those two overarching feelings, but I was there long enough to embrace that vulnerability. To open up my walls just a little bit and open my mind to an entirely different way of life. We had the opportunity through the program to hear from different business professionals and different professors. They were all so passionate, so driven, so excited to share their country and their culture with us. It inspired me, it woke me up, it made me think for the first time in my life that maybe I could do something different with my future. Maybe I could deviate from the plan, walk down a different path.
In
the end it was only two weeks, which is such a short amount of time to let a
place change you, but it definitely woke something up inside me. I don’t quite
know what I am going to do with it yet, and I am not sure if it is even going
to matter once I get home, but I had an unforgettable two weeks and I could not
be more thankful to everyone who helped me get there.
