I’m Alexa Leviten, a rising Junior at Temple University! I studied abroad in Rome in Spring of 2024 and made some of the most life changing experiences while here! In just four months, I was able to immerse myself into Italian culture and their lifestyle. From eating dinner no earlier than 7:30pm, drinking a glass of wine or beer with different meals, getting an espresso or cappuccino in the morning, and eating a cornetto for breakfast.
I remember first walking into the apartment that I would be calling my home for the next four months noticing the bidet in each bathroom, the grocery store that was less than five minutes away from my place, plenty of food options nearby on every street, and just getting settled in to the slight changes I would be making in my daily life.
On top of my own adjustment to living in Rome, I was able to get an even more immersive experience being a part of the Culture & Identity Envoy program that allowed me to get a new perspective of Rome beyond the tourist attractions. I was able to see firsthand Rome in a more real and raw light.
As a Social Work major, I wasn’t able to take any direct classes for that abroad, so instead I fulfilled more general education credits along with picking up a minor in International Communications that I was able to take classes for. I also used this time abroad to focus on other passions I have, such as photography and film which was really amazing. There are definitely a lot of solutions that can be worked out with an advisor to help make the dreams of studying abroad possible, even if it doesn’t fully align with your major! If studying abroad in Rome sounds interesting to you, you can learn more about Temple Rome here!