Studying abroad: Into the heart of the action!
September 12, 2022
When Year 3 Life Sciences student, Noorul Dharajath ABDUL RAHIM, joined the American University of Rome (AUR) Summer Program under the NUS Study Abroad Programme (SAP), she discovered not only the beauty of Rome, but a city filled to the brim with life, history, diversity, and a culture that is both fascinating and complex.
Noorul, who has not had much exposure to the arts, decided to take up a module on art in Rome as an enrichment class, as well as to explore beyond her major. In spite of her initial reservations (“I had practically no prior knowledge of it”), she had no regrets choosing it. The classes were held almost entirely on-site in different parts of Rome and there were field trips every day with physical hands-on experiential learning which is less common in the Singapore curriculum. By visiting ancient Roman ruins, architecture, and paintings, she gained a deeper appreciation of Rome, including “the timelines, the emperors, the different cultures transitioning through the ages, the different prominent artists, their painting styles, and the stories the paintings were telling”, which she would not have understood just by merely looking at them.
She also forged meaningful new friendships with classmates from the United States and Italy and learnt more about their hometowns and cultures. In the weekends, she travelled to other parts of Italy and visited famous sites such as Pisa, Pompeii, Capri Island and the Amalfi Coast. She went on several tours and found the beauty of the landscapes “breathtaking”.
However, she also bumped into some trouble during the trip when she was fined the first time she took the tram as she did not know that she had to stamp the bus ticket.
To say she was impacted by her SAP to Rome would have been an understatement. The experience changed her way of thinking and perspective.
She says, “I grew as a person. For instance, I have learnt how to be more careful of my spending, finances, and budgeting, and I feel that it is an essential skill to have. This was also my first time alone overseas, and this experience compelled me to be less of an introvert as I had to reach out to strangers.”
Head over to the Study Abroad Programmes website to find out more!