My name is Becca Duncan, and I am going into my fourth and final year at Ohio State. Growing up, I spent way too much of my free time reading mythology and learning about ancient empires. When I was in seventh grade, my history teacher began teaching us about ancient and medieval Rome since she had traveled to Europe over the summer. Between the photos she brought and the stories she shared, I knew that I wanted to travel one day and see it for myself.
As a journalism major, much of my education focuses on telling the stories of other people. I spend a lot of time reading about and speaking to people from worlds far different from mine, and this added to my desire to study abroad and experience a world far from my own and to experience life as it is for other people. While I had dreamed of traveling the world from a very young age, nothing had prepared me for the real thing; it is better than anything I could have ever imagined.
As soon as we landed in Italy, it felt like we were in a whole new world. With the hustle and bustle of the city and the cobbled roads, our first hike through the streets with our suitcases was a very warm welcome to the country indeed.
Since this was my first time leaving the United States, there was a lot to take in, but something I was not prepared for was how big everything was. When we walked into the Colosseum, I couldn’t believe such a large structure was built without modern machinery. Imagining the stands filled with people watching gladiators fight for their lives is so fantastical; it’s still so hard to wrap my head around the fact it actually happened and that I’ve been in the same structure almost two thousand years later. I remember walking into Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City and being completely overwhelmed by the opulence covering each wall. The way that the basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore seemed to glow with golden light is an image I won’t be forgetting any time soon. That is something I definitely came to appreciate on my trip: art was a BIG deal in the medieval period. Learning about how the Italians valued and invested in art taught me to appreciate it in a whole new way; each of the pieces mean something special to everyone seeking them out, and it is this love that has kept them preserved and alive for centuries.
While the sights and the art I got to see during my time abroad are memories I will cherish for the rest of my life, I also learned so much on my trip through experiencing a different culture with new friends. Looking back on every memory from my time in Italy, I know I would not change a thing, and I am grateful I had this opportunity to broaden my horizons and learn more about the world and myself.
Becca Duncan
Undergraduate student in journalism
