What inspired you to travel abroad?
I’m at my happiest self when I step outside my comfort zone and live more adventurously. I also felt like it would be a total mistake to not study abroad during my four years in college. I was very confident that I wouldn’t regret living in Europe. Also, my father studied in Italy for a year when he was in college and he loved it too.
Why did you choose John Cabot University?
During my freshman year, I bought multiple posters to decorate my dorm. One of them was this gorgeous photo of a vast sea of marble ruins with a pink sky backdrop. The Roman Forum at sunset. Not that I knew that, to me, it was just “a vibe”.
A semester later, I was sitting at my desk, tasking myself with the challenge of picking which country to study abroad in. I was scrolling through the choices that my school offered; Spain, England, Australia, and the list went on. Suddenly my eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar image, the thumbnail photo for the Rome, Italy program. My head whipped around to the poster that I still had. It was the same exact picture as the one in the thumbnail, which gave me chills.
My mind fluttered to all the things that made Italy perfect: the food, the architecture, the cobblestone roads, the fact that I was obsessed with the story of Pompeii when I was a little boy, the fact that my father studied abroad in Italy, and again the food. It felt so right. Just like that, the decision was made. Two semesters of Italian and lots of other life events later, I was stepping off the plane at the Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport near Rome.
Noah Spergel on a boat to Sicily, Italy! So excited for the next adventure.
What was your favorite part about Rome?
It’s hard to choose one single favorite thing about living in Rome. But if I have too, I’d say the way Rome is its own little world. The aesthetic of cobblestone roads, marble ruins, beautiful ochre painted apartment buildings, and the Umbrella pine trees. Walking through this beautiful place, on my 4th trip to a pizza shop, with the friendliest and happiest locals to talk to was a blessing.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
I was very lucky to be roommates with a great person that I knew from back in my home country. He and I formed a close bond while in Rome and were able to travel and enjoy the fruits of studying abroad together. I also made tons of friends along the way, friends who I continue to talk to and have made plans to visit. I feel like I never really got homesick because the environment was so great and I had a very strong sense of community and “home away from home” vibe.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
My professors were amazing! I took a bunch of art classes, and to be passionately taught how to think more creatively is always a blessing for me. I was able to practice and learn fine art skills from very bright and interesting minds. Some of my professors came closer to being a mentor than any other in my past.
Also, I befriended the marketing team and they let me help them host some of their social media content which was a super fun thing to do in my downtime around campus. Also I went on a few hikes organized by the athletic department at JCU and they were the nicest and most fun people to hike with!
Towards the end, I decided that I loved studying in Rome so much that I would try to find a way to do it for an extra semester and the staff helped me realize that dream. Originally it was just going to be spring ’23 in Rome, but now it is also Fall ’23!!
Snapped a couple of pictures of the picturesque gondolas while exploring Venice.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I wished I spent less time on my phone. Not that I was totally on it all the time but you know how it is to have an iPhone. It can be distracting and scrolling can take up a lot of time. It’s not a regret of mine, but next semester I’m going to really try to crack down on my scrolling time so that I can maximize more of my time taking in the experience.
I will say that I’m glad I took my phone with me on a lot of my adventures because I got some great videos and pictures that I can cherish. I guess it’s about finding a healthy balance. That’s where using my film camera instead of my phone for the day comes into handy.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
I’m going to do our Thursday. I say us because my roommate and I would be on the same exact schedule for at least the beginning of the day.
1. Wake up at 7:45 am, usually very tired. Wednesday is a night that we would go out with our friends. Not that you have to go out to have fun, but me and my friends would. What can I say, we’re young and in Rome. I have no regrets about our Wednesday nights out on the town.
2. Me and my roommate would probably laugh off the festivities of the previous night and the fact that we slept so little. But it wasn’t a drag that we had to go to class, it was a pleasure. After all, it was photography class and the last class of the week. We looked forward to it. We’d get ready and then head out.
3. It’s about a 30-minute walk to this particular class. The location of our apartment and the art building was pretty much one end of JCU territory to the opposite end. We could take the bus but that can be unreliable and the walk is very enjoyable (it’s literally Rome.) About 5 minutes into the walk we would duck into one of our favorite cafes. A very adorable couple would greet us and we would practice our Italian. We’d usually each get an espresso and a treccia alla noci, which is a delicious croissant-like pastry filled with some sort of delicious sweet orange cream and topped with crispy toasted pecans. This cost about 2 euros (probably at least 7 dollars in the states.)
4. From 9-12 we would have photography class, often going around to different places in Rome to do photography. The students in this class were very cool and I felt that I really progressed my photography skills.
5. After class it would officially be the weekend! The rest of the day was free to do whatever I wanted to do. Go to a park, read a book, go to a cafe, or restaurant, hang out with friends, go to the Colosseum, art museum, so many things to do!
6. At night I’d either go out with friends or stay in, especially if I had a weekend trip starting in the morning which lots of times I did. One Friday morning, we woke up at 3 am to go to the airport. Before noon, my friends and I were in Paris, looking at the Mona Lisa. No joke.
The locals loved to dance in Taormina! It was fun to see their moves first hand.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
I really enjoyed walking around Trastevere with my backpack filled with stuff to entertain me. I could walk to one of the school buildings and do some work, or go to a park and read a book, or go to a piazza and sketch in my sketchbook.
Something that is awesome about Italy is that you can just hang out at a restaurant or a cafe for hours, it’s just part of the culture. When I had the time and energy I’d also use a museum card that I had for class and try to check off the list of great museums in Rome to visit.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I was living in a 9-person apartment in Trastevere. The entire apartment building was filled with JCU students which was really great and helpful for making friends. Many of my closest friends lived on different floors in the building. There was a security guard which made everyone feel safer. The best part about it was that the apartment actually had a very nice interior and an amazing balcony that overlooked a scenic view of the houses and trees across the street.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
Now that I’m home I feel like I’m trying to figure out my life in order for me to have more of these experiences in the future. I’m working hard this summer to save up adventure money for next semester and am making future plans to do film school in Europe. I feel like my time abroad changed the course of my future for the better and for the more fun.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
I feel like people should know that Italy as a whole has an insane amount of diverse places to travel to on the weekends. Most of my travels were to different parts of Italy whereas many people I knew predominantly traveled to other European countries. Perhaps it all depends on how much time and money you have to travel.
Me, especially since I will be back next semester, I was very happy that I spent the first semester seeing Italy. I went to something like 20-25 different cities or villages in Italy and I feel that this helped me have a much greater appreciation for Italy as a whole.
These are pigeons in flight in Rome, Italy! The roman pigeons were everywhere.
Would you recommend John Cabot University to others? Why?
I absolutely would recommend studying at JCU in Rome. Not only will you be living in Rome, but JCU has such a great community to offer. People are very nice there, and students come from all around the world. Studying at JCU, especially for someone like me from the states, gave me such a global experience and education.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
I feel that the experience of acclimating to a different culture and actually enjoying and thriving in it, which I feel I did, is a tremendous badge of honor and gratitude. I’d definitely put it on my resume because I feel that my experience defines who I am at my best self: stepping outside my comfort zone and embracing change for the better.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
I feel like meaningful travel is going to new places, experiencing new things, meeting new people, and letting it affect you. Traveling is a break from the mundane day-to-day routine. Any kind of travel that leads to personal growth, happy memories, good stories, or new friends is what I would consider to be meaningful.
Did your program provide specific pre-departure covid support? If yes, tell us what kind of support you received.
Covid was not much of a concern for this program, we may have had to upload our vaccinations but I really don’t remember. Thankfully during this experience, I was not plagued by the limitations of the coronavirus pandemic. We were told to bring masks just in case which we did but I don’t remember a time I had to use them.
How did your program help you stay (and feel) safe abroad amidst the ongoing pandemic?
The program had a 24/7 international SOS service that we could use anywhere and at any time to help get in touch with the people that we need to ensure our safety. Also, the school had doctors and counselors to deal with any health and/or mental health issues that you might experience during study abroad.
