Buongiorno! My name is Isabel Torres, I’m currently studying abroad in Rome, Italy. I’m a Junior studying Journalism NGOs and Social Change and I’m originally from San Diego. I’ve been here for over a month now and I absolutely love it. I’m one of 30 people in this program and I’m the only one in my program doing home-stay which has been a wonderful experience, so far.
In my home-stay, I get breakfast Monday- Friday and my host mom leaves early for work, so she always lays out an assortment of options to choose from. My breakfast favorite is her home-baked chocolate cake. On most days, I’ll make myself a sandwich or salad for lunch to save some money! My host mom has a handy panini grill that she lets me use.
I usually take the tram at 8:00 AM for my first class with my friend Ellie! It’s about a 35-minute walk or 25-minute tram ride to school from my home-stay. We usually tend to walk by the Campo Dei Fiori on our way from the tram stop to class, which is one of Rome’s famous markets. Our classes usually take place in the Accent Rome Study Center, located at the heart of the city in Piazza dell’ Orologio which is marked by the impressive clock tower by Borromini.
My first class is Italian, taught by Mario who’s undoubtedly one of my favorite professors here in Rome, his excitement and energy is contagious. My next class is Reporting Rome, which is one of my favorite classes here, where we explore different unsolved crimes in Italy and come up with our own take on them. For example, recently, we discussed the case of Emanuela Orlandi’s disappearance and had a site visit to where she was last seen in 1983. Our professor Barbie Latza Nadeau is amazing and has been a crime reporter in Rome for the last 25 years. In the second half of our class, we usually split into different groups based on what we are studying (journalism, communications, and PR) and hold a mock press conference on the evidence available on each case we work on.
After finishing all my classes for the day, I usually tend to walk around the town center and find a good spot to enjoy the sunset. My favorite spot to see the sunset is from Scala Di Spagna, it is a hike up but it is worth the climb. The streets of Rome is so beautiful at this time of the day, as the city comes to life with restaurants opening up, people walking and bustling down the streets and many street shows echoing through the evening.
I usually make my way home after that, I take the bus back so I can pit stop at my favorite snack spot- Suppli. In simple words, Suppli’s are deep-fried risotto balls filled with rice and tomato sauce, it’s a popular Italian snack. The cacao e pepe flavor here is the best in all of Rome and you can’t convince me otherwise. Another part of my home-stay experience is getting a 3-course, home-cooked dinner Monday-Thursday. My host mom ensures to provide a variety of options and a wide spread of authentic Italian food. I am exposed to new dishes every day, which I typically don’t find in restaurants. Here’s a typical dinner spread at my home-stay:
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to study abroad in Rome in my junior year and I’m so glad I chose to do home-stay. I was lucky to get such a kind and warmhearted family; it’s made my experience here cozy and homely. Getting breakfast and dinner during the week is nice and I love getting to eat home-cooked food. It also forces me to speak Italian every day whether it’s when I get home and tell my host mom about my day or at dinner when we talk about anything and everything. It’s also been cool to be exposed to Italian television and get to watch things like Roma soccer games with my host brother. It immerses me into the Italian culture in a more authentic way and I’ve loved that.