International Corner: Don’t Let Your Comfort Zone Hold You Back

By Ariana dos Santos

Have I made a mistake? That was the first thought that came into my head as I walked to security in the Newark Liberty International Airport and finally realized the gravity of the choice I made.

I was going to Rome for four months, leaving home for the first time on my own, and to top it all off, I didn’t know a single person in the Temple Rome program.

Arriving in Rome was equal parts exciting and terrifying—I was finally in the city of my dreams, but I was completely alone.

Honestly, the first couple of weeks were a blur of activities that were clouded by the homesickness I was feeling. Unlike a lot of college students, this was the first time I wasn’t living at home with my parents. The constant rain that plagued the city during those weeks didn’t help lift my mood either, but the copious amounts of gelato I ate did.

I was lonely and a bit overwhelmed. I kept reminding myself that I was in Rome and to enjoy it. As I started to make friends and travel around Rome, I started to fall in love with the city, the people, the food, and the culture.

The real turning point of my experience was the weekend my younger brother came to visit. It was last-minute and the best thing for both of us. We spent his first day walking all over the city. We went on a tour of the Colosseum, climbed the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument to see the view of Piazza Venezia, and discovered the Aventine Keyhole that gives you a perfect view of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

We climbed the Aventine Hill, in search of the keyhole, and discovered a garden filled with orange trees that had a panoramic view over the Tiber River with all of Rome sprawled out in front of us. As we stood on that lookout, as a man played “Someone Like You” by Adele on his violin in the background, I couldn’t help but be happy to reconnect with my brother in a new place—a place I was falling in love with.

After my brother’s trip, I spent the next couple of months traveling and loving my experience. It got to the point that when I was on the plane or train coming back to Rome from weekend trips, I couldn’t wait to come home—and, without me fully realizing, home had become Rome in my tiny apartment with my two roommates.

My four months in Rome went by in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, I was getting ready to leave.

The week before I left Rome, I woke up early and went on a long walk around the city by myself. I climbed the Spanish Steps for the last time, threw in one final coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure my return to Rome, walked through several piazzas, and met up with my friends in the Villa Borghese for a picnic. The day was truly bellissima.

On the day I left Rome, I felt the same feelings I felt on that first night in Newark. The city I had irrationally been afraid to go to was now the city I didn’t want to leave.

In my last moments in Rome, as I waited for my flight to Lisbon, I bought one last gelato and really contemplated what Rome taught me in just four, short months. In the first few weeks, I never went out alone and explored because of an irrational fear of the unknown, but by April I learned to love going on spontaneous, long walks alone through the city in the warm, Italian sun. I loved going out with my friends, but I discovered that sometimes exploring and getting lost in a beautiful city can be just as enjoyable alone. As I boarded the plane, I looked out the window, and silently said good-bye to a city I love, promised myself I would come back one day, and looked forward to my next adventure.

People always ask me what my favorite part of studying abroad was and it’s taken me a while to realize it was learning to do the things that scared me and took me out of my comfort zone.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself in situations that scare you a little because you never know—you might just have the best experience of your life.