revised travel fellowship

I’ve always wanted to make the most of my college experience. No matter what I’m working on I put the best effort in, to get the best experience and results out. I would love to use the travel fellowship as an opportunity to document a personal quest. Furthermore, Italy would be the ideal location for my travel experience. More specifically, the city of Rome. It is a beautiful place full of rich culture and history. For my project, I would like to create documentary depicting my personal journey of discovery and self-growth in an unfamiliar place with new experiences. I’ve never left the country before, so this honor would be an extremely exciting thing for me.
I am unfamiliar with the customs and pace of Roman life, but through studying art and architecture of Rome I have become familiar with its rich history; and I want to take this as a chance to “do as the Romans do”. I could really benefit from seeing and living in a completely different world. My home has been in Memphis my entire life, and I believe that in order to see things differently and more openly one must put oneself in a place where they can see life from a completely different side. I have already done this is a way. Since starting school, I’ve grown more than I could have possibly imagined just by living alone and becoming self-sufficient (which was a big adjustment). I am sure that I can handle a trip like this with complete confidence.
During the course of my travel, I would like to address a few questions and topics in detail for my project. First, I will address the topic of my feelings toward this travel experience. What is a typical day like for the average Italian? Where are the best places for locals to congregate? What will be my initial reaction to the Roman life? What are the differences from home? What effect does will each visited attraction have on me? Will my way of thinking change?
The classes I’ve taken here at MCA pertaining to digital media are Digital Cinema, Dynamic Imaging, and Sound. The coursework for these classes have left me with very good skills in Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Logic, and After Effects. I’ve also been working on an internship in filming and editing for the past year. I’ve gained endurance and a real love for filmmaking over the past year. I was even inspired to change my major from sculpture to digital media with only three semesters left in school.
I’ve chosen Rome as my main city of interest mainly because of the architecture. I’ve studied most of the places that I want to visit in my art history classes. I’m interested in the history behind the city and how it has shaped the city into the major tourist attraction it is today. To find the answers I need, I would first make sure that I’m well read in anything that I’m diving into. Asking informed questions on my outings is the best way to get quick and directed information.
To find out more about everyday life, I’ll put my people skills to use- talking to locals and getting to know more about them. I’d use these times as opportunities to record conversations. Everything will be recorded in both writing and some digital format.
After arriving in Rome, the first thing is to check into Hotel Aphrodite. It is one of the best and most affordable four-star hotels in Rome. Also, it happens to be located just 15 minutes from the Colosseum and other famous attractions. Nearby, there is a place to rent scooters. I’ve read that seeing the city on scooter will be a nice advantage in navigating through many of the heavily populated pedestrian areas. The cost of renting is about fifty eruos per day.
After settling in, there’ll be a small walk to find a place to get a simple but great meal. According to travel guides, the Piazza Trillusa is a wonderful evening spot. There are beautiful lights overlooking a gorgeous fountain. This is a place where Roman locals and tourist hang out at night. There are small shops and bars in the plaza. Each night, I’ll give myself reflection time to organized everything collected that day. This means I will definitely need to bring a laptop with me.
My first full day in the city will be full of tours. I’ve never had that “tourist” experience, but I think it’s important to spend time as the student of a city if it’s unfamiliar. As far as food goes, my plan is to find a few good “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants. Those are usually the places with the best food for the best prices. To find those, I’ll have to ask around. Moreover, instead of eating big meals I want to try as much variety as possible.
The next day will be a bit different. It’ll consist of more relaxed experiences. I’ll start with a visit to the Pantheon. Next, I want to see an Italian movie at a theater. I don’t speak any Italian, but I’m really interested in cinema from other countries. Next, I can’t leave Italy without going shopping; however, those funds would be strictly my own. Then I’d take the evening and use it for exploring the Roman nightlife.
To sum up, for the summer of 2012, I believe that I would make a good candidate for the Travel Fellowship. This is an opportunity that I would take full advantage of and it could have a huge lasting impression on my life.


Budget and Timeframe
Timeframe (all costs are converted from the eruro)
Date Location Time Cost
7-9-12 Depart Memphis 4:15pm (15hr) $1514 (round trip)
7-10-12 Arrive in Rome 2:05pm
Check in Hotel Aphrodite 3:00pm $540 (4 nights)
Rent Scooter 4:00pm $272 (4 days)
Restaurant - Dinner 5:00pm $30
Piazza Trillusa 7:00pm $60
Return to Hotel 10:00pm
Organize & record any project data 10:00-11:30pm
7-11-12 Colosseum 10:00-11:00am $30
Lunch at Gusto 11:30-12:30 $40
St Peter’s Basillica 1:00-5:00
Wax Museum 5:30-6:30 $15
Dinner 6:45-7:45 $50
Trevi Fountain 8:15-9:30
Piazza Navona 9:45-10:30
Return to Hotel 11:00pm
Organize & record any project data 11:30-1:00am
7-12-12 Pantheon 10am-12 $40
Lunch 12-1:00
Movie 1:30-3:30 $15
Shopping 4:00-6:00 (personal funds)
Dinner 6:00-7:00
exploration 7:30-11:00 $100

7-13-12 Board plane for US

This table details the itinerary of my trip. I have chosen locations that will give me the most info into Italian life. Each restaurant chosen is within fifteen minutes walking distance from the prior location. A few of the location of interests have tours that I plan to take. The admission and concession prices are included in the costs.