Two weeks of being in Florence and all around Italy felt like it could have been the entire study abroad trip. I felt like I had learned and seen so much that it was hard to believe I was just now arriving in the city where I was studying abroad.

Finally, the day came. We packed and were out of our hotel room early and walked over to school to take our final test.

It was a struggle, but I got through it.

After the test, it felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders, and it was amazing to be done with Italian (for a couple days at least). We celebrated by smoking cigars on the streets of Florence.

But while we were through with our work in Florence, I knew I had one more thing to see.

Our program took a trip to the Academia Gallery while I was sick.

The Academia is home to one of the most famous sculptures in the world, Michelangelo’s David. While I did not have a lot of time, I knew it was something I had to see. I split from the rest of the group and ventured off into the city one more time.

When you walk into the museum and down the hallway, the first thing you see is the amazing work of art. I got the chance to see the David by myself and take the time to marvel at the majestic marble. I spent a little time walking around the rest of the museum, but the majority of my time was spent with David.

My time at the museum was up and I rushed out, grabbed a really awful sandwich that had something that resembled bacon on it and caught the bus.

We were off, and I closed my eyes knowing the next time they open, we would be in the Rome, or so I thought.

When I had woken up from my relatively comfortable bus nap, I was ready to see the city. Unfortunately, our bus had broken down about 20 minutes outside of the city. We had to wait a while, but another bus came.

Finally, we were there.

It was dark, but we were still marveling out the bus window to our new home. Truthfully, it was very overwhelming for many reasons. This was going to be the first time in two weeks the entire group was not going to be living together.

We got dropped off and we all went our separate ways. We took a taxi through what seemed like a gigantic city. Everything seemed foreign again, yet exciting.

When we pulled up next to our apartment, another panic took hold. I had not seen what the inside of our place was going to be like. We walked in to see a quaint yet comfortable apartment that was fully furnished, complete with a  kitchen, a stereo, and even a nice selection of Italian art and movie posters that decorated the walls.

I knew I was excited that this is where we would spend the rest of our trip. It was not all roses though. One roommate was getting the bedroom with one bed; the other two were going to be sleeping in the same room together.

My friend Zach and I agreed to share the room together, which resulted in an epic rock-paper-scissor competition for the most comfy futon with the best view of the TV. I went up one game to nothing, but then my roommate stormed back to win the next two games, and consequently, the other bed.

Aside from my crushing defeat, I knew that this was going to be an even better experience.

The next day, we triple checked the map, and we were off to orientation. It was our first time walking the streets of Rome, and we looked like the biggest tourists out there.

Walking by sites like the Trevi Fountain and the Altare della Patria (which the locals call the Wedding Cake) was absolutely mind blowing to see in real life.

That was the moment where it felt like we had finally made it.

Alex Stadnick is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].