We awoke in Rome once again, traced our steps back through the same pathway we traversed the day before, and made it to the terminal with plenty of time to spare. The flight was uneventful except that a majority of us could not get to sleep on the plane. That really ruins everything, especially when we were so exhausted from the whirlwind that was the end of our trip. But before we knew it, we landed in Philly, went through customs, picked up our bags, and found our families and made our own ways home.
Here are some of our final thoughts on our Study Tour:
Melinda: “It’s hard to believe that less than two weeks before, I didn’t even know everyone’s names. Now, I miss the time we spent together abroad and friendships I made in Italy. Until next time Italia, buonanotte.”
Melinda: “It’s hard to believe that less than two weeks before, I didn’t even know everyone’s names. Now, I miss the time we spent together abroad and friendships I made in Italy. Until next time Italia, buonanotte.”
Taylor M.: “It was a great trip with infinite memories and I am truly grateful for the experience and opportunity I had with such an amazing group of women!”
Jennie: "My goal when we got there was to have wine and gelato in some capacity every day. My mission was accomplished except for the last two days I did not have gelato. Naturally all of us bought a leather bag…or two. Over all our SAI representatives were excellent. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and excited to have us in their country. This truly is the best way to learn the language. These are my most used phrases in descending order:"
Jennie: "My goal when we got there was to have wine and gelato in some capacity every day. My mission was accomplished except for the last two days I did not have gelato. Naturally all of us bought a leather bag…or two. Over all our SAI representatives were excellent. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and excited to have us in their country. This truly is the best way to learn the language. These are my most used phrases in descending order:"
Thank you > Grazie
Excuse me > Mi scusi
Greeting/Goodbye > Ciao
Sorry > Mi dispiace
I speak English > Parla inglese
I don’t understand > Non capisco
You’re welcome > Prego
Pass the wine, please > Passare il vino, per favore
Kelly: “This trip was amazing and I loved every second of it, Donna is amazing for doing this for us and for putting up with all 13 of us. I loved that I got to meet new people and get to know them on the trip and I will always hold this trip in a special light because I got to share it with some amazing people.”
Kristina: “This was the most unforgettable trip of my life. Not only did I get the opportunity to go with some of my really good friends, but I made friends with people on this trip that I probably never would have gotten the opportunity to meet. I got to experience being in one of the most incredible places in the world, learning a new culture and way of living. I also got to try unbelievable food and drinks. This trip opened my eyes to how different countries exemplify hospitality and the tourism industry. I was also given the opportunity to learn hands experiences through tours, workshops, and lectures. This trip was so well planned, organized, and fun, and it is all because of SAI but more importantly Donna Albano. She is an amazing teacher and just an all-around great person. She allowed me to feel comfortable being in a foreign country, and acted as a motherly figure while being away. She is easy to talk to and just fun to be around! None of this could have been done without her, and I would not have wanted to go with any other faculty member. I can never thank her enough for how much fun I had and how much this trip has impacted my life. This experience made me appreciate being a hospitality major even more, and I am excited for what my future holds! I will never forget this unbelievable journey, which was by far the greatest experience of my life.”
Magen: “Not only did I want to reflect on the highlights of my trip, but I also want to include the important things I learned during our adventure in Italy. The first thing I learned during our trip is the importance of planning. Our trip really went off without a hitch, minus the last day… but I’m sure someone else will go into depths about that dramatic scenario. Speaking of which, I also learned the importance of crisis management. After The Cow Incident of 2015, Donna handled our missed flight situation without a hitch. Even though we were all mad that we missed the flight, things could have gone way worse. Donna, along with SAI, managed to book us rooms at the Roma Airport Hilton Hotel and moved our flight to the next day. We were very lucky that things worked out for us. Donna was calm under pressure, handled this horrible situation with poise, and managed to wrangle a group of 13 agitated Wi-Fi-less girls into a hotel. I don’t know how she did it. Anyways, our flawless trip should really be accredited to our advisor/professor/Italy extraordinaire, Donna. Without Professor Albano, or Donna as we call her, our trip wouldn’t have happened. Donna worked so hard to make sure that we got the most out of our experience in Italy. She always pushed us to try different things and be adventurous. Donna always had so much enthusiasm and energy, and most of the time we had to keep up with her! Without her careful planning and her interaction with our study abroad company, SAI, our trip would not have been the same. I will be forever grateful that Donna took us on this trip, and that she had the courage to deal with 13 college girls for 11 days!
I also learned the importance of embracing new things as well as new people. Like I said earlier, going into this trip us girls only met a couple times before, so we did not really know each other. But when you’re exploring a foreign country with people that have the same interests and are in the same situation as you, you all bond together and enjoy each other’s company. We absorbed the culture around us and we felt like we were true Italians during the end of our trip. We loved every minute of the experience and none of us wanted to leave our newly beloved Italy. I am so happy to have made the friends that I did while on our study tour of Italy. I wouldn’t change a single thing about our crazy Italian adventure.”
Morgan: "As the only non-HTMS major on this trip, I was a little apprehensive in the beginning. I wasn’t sure how I would like learning about something so different than what I was used to. Now that our time in Italy has ended and that we are back in the States, I am so thankful that I was allowed this opportunity. Donna and the other girls made me feel completely welcome in the HTMS Program. I learned much more than I thought I would and it was so interesting to see how these hotels and wedding venues operate. It was also amazing to learn, witness, and take part in Italian culture. They really see hospitality as important. Not just for parties or large gatherings, but also for small meals and little get-togethers. Italians put a lot of value on togetherness. They want to be present for their company. They make sure to enjoy the time they are spending with friends and loved ones.
The success of this trip is entirely Donna’s. She tried to brief us as best as she could before we left and while we were in Italy, she made sure that we learned everything we could. Donna really brought diversity to the trip in terms of the museums, the hotels, the historical sights, and the wedding venues. There was something for everyone and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that Donna is an excellent professor. She put on an amazing Study Tour and I’m so happy that I got to take part in it."
