I cannot believe that we are finishing up week five. Everyone told me that the time would fly by, but I honestly did not believe them. We have done so much in just five weeks, but one of the highlights for me so far was the opera. Last night, we went to Giuseppe Verdi’s, La Traviata at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. It was directed by Sofia Coppola and the costumes were by Valentino.
This whole trip for me has been about stepping out of my comfort zone and being open-minded through experiencing different cultures. Going to an opera was something that I never thought I would enjoy, but I loved it. I have to admit that when I found we were going to an opera, I was almost positive I would not like it. I love Broadway musicals, but I thought an opera would be drastically different. I was surprised to learn that going to a Broadway show in New York is like going to an opera in Italy.
I was concerned I would not know what was going on or I would get bored because it was three hours long in a language I do not speak. All these problems were solved because earlier in the day, we performed our own hilarious version of the opera written by Linda Ruth. This helped everyone know the storyline. Not to mention, the opera has subtitles so we knew what was being said the whole time. I was also surprised to find out that the actors were not using microphones, yet I could hear every note perfectly, even at the top of the theater. Coming on this trip has been such a life-changing decision for me and I can’t wait for the next seven weeks to come.
-Emily Conn

Madison, Abi, and me at the opera