T-minus 5 days until Rome.

I am Maren McChesney, and I will be spending my May in Rome, Italy. Last week, I finished my third year as a Pitt student studying Neuroscience and Psychology. Next semester, I will be graduating, and then – hopefully – I will pursue a career in research that combines my interests of the brain and psyche. 

Most of my classes have me learning in the classroom without the opportunity to engage with people – the very subject I am studying. Thus, I seized the opportunity to study Food Studies in Rome. This will be my first time in Italy, and I am beyond excited. 

As a Chinese adoptee, a curious student, and a lover of food, I have always seen food as a central way to how I explore different cultures here in the United States. Every week of this semester, I have cooked a different type of pasta dish! I hope to immerse myself in Italian culture through food, in-class study, and historical sites in Rome. Through this program, I aspire to become a more culturally competent explorer and learner. I will be forced outside of my cultural comfort zone, facing challenges such as culture shock and a language barrier, but I require this challenge to develop into a more empathic and worldly adult and human researcher.

I look forward to sharing this learning experience with you this summer. Arrivederci!