I started my journey three years ago. I packed my bags, said goodbye to all the comforts of home in Quito, Ecuador and started what was going to be my full year in Italy. I cannot pinpoint a specific event that made me choose Italy as my dream location to study, it simply was. For some reason Italy has always been present in my life.
At first it was a bit scary, moving to a small town in a foreign country all by myself. I was taking a year of Italian language studies at the Università Per Stranieri in Perugia. It was a really great year when I made new friends, experienced new things and, of course, had to get used to the fact that many Italian males have my same name.
After my year in Perugia I was in love with Italy, I couldn't imagine myself studying in any other country. After a bit of research I found John Cabot University. It was a perfect match; an American university in the most vibrant neighborhood of Rome, and after going to see it personally I ultimately decided to enroll!
I am now majoring in Political Science, something that I hadn’t imagined studying before but have come to love. I love understanding how things work or, most of the time, how things don’t work and the reason behind what happens and what does not.
JCU has given me the opportunity to meet great new people from so many different parts of the world. Every Friday a group of JCU students including myself walk around Rome to find cool locations to take pictures for our photo club. It is a lot of fun, you’re really walking through history all day and taking pictures of this beautiful scenery that you wouldn't find anywhere else in the world.
As for living in Italy sometimes it’s a bit challenging. Italians have a different pace of life, a somewhat more relaxed way of looking at life, except if you’re in a "bar" (the Italian version of a café, as you can read in this previous post) trying to order an espresso or the hundreds of variations of coffee they offer! Do bear in mind that Italians take their coffee very seriously so don't go around asking for a Pumpkim Spice Latte with two pumps of caramel! Other than that just be patient, enjoy the architecture, the history, and the people, and you'll fit right in. Just as I have.
Andrea Jaramillo
Hometown: Quito, Ecuador
Major: Political Science
JCU Class of 2018
