A group of students with three teacher chaperones left the United States to explore the rich culture and history of Italy this past June. They visited multiple different regions of Italy including the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany.
Throughout their trip, the girls visited many local sights from famous physical landmarks to man made monuments. Most of these sights were unique and unlike anything the students, or staff, had seen before.
“That’s just one thing that really stood out in my mind,” sophomore Catherine O’Donoghue said when referencing Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, also known as the bone chapel, in Rome. “Cause like I’ve been to other cathedrals before, I’ve been to those kind of things, but like it’s a room of bones, and I don’t know, that just really stuck in my mind.”
Learning the history behind cities and monuments, like the bone chapel, while physically being there was one of many people’s favorite parts. It elevated the experience for the girls and their chaperones, and made it much more immersive.
“I know we always like read about, or hear about, or whatever, and like you just kinda know about it, but it’s so much different to like experience that in person,” sophomore Addison Ruszkowski remarked. “Just really put like feelings to these places you’ve heard about.”
However, both students and teachers quickly learned that travel can be unpredictable, as one of their experiences was canceled on their first stop.
“There were several different things that, in the original plans of our itinerary, we would have seen the different things so I was kind of used to having to pivot or shift as the plans changed,” campus ministry teacher Linda Ruszkowski said as she took the reins to re-adjust for the day.
Since the students found themselves unable to enter the Blue Grotto of Capri as planned, O’Donoghue presented the idea of a boat ride without the grotto, a plan Linda Ruszkowski was glad she suggested.
“Honestly that was like my favorite day, even though it was one of our first days,” O’Donoghue expressed as she recalled her favorite band ABBA playing and the spontaneity on the water.
Battles with the heat also hindered the group’s ability to explore Rome in the depth which they were planning, causing their stop at the Roman Forum to be compressed into just fifteen minutes.
“That’s been like a bucket list for me for like my whole life,” Addison Ruszkowski said, as she admitted to wishing they had more time in Rome. “It’s like such a complex city and there is so much history.”
Nonetheless, changes in plans did not surprise the girls as much as the level in which they bonded with their fellow peers. What had been an object of anxiety at the beginning of the trip quickly turned into one of O’Donoghue’s most unexpected experiences.
“So going into the trip I was very worried about my roommate situation cause I did not know them very well,” O’Donoghue admitted. “So honestly, I got some friends out of it also, and like honestly kinda taught me that I can like make new friends along the way instead of just like sticking to people that I know.”
