"While being partially funded by our department’s Classics Travel Award, I was fortunate enough to spend 5 weeks of this past summer participating in a Latin program in Rome. The program, Living Latin in Rome, was offered by the Paideia Institute and focused on an appreciation for Latin as the living language it was and how it still is today. It was incredible to spend my summer in a program particularly catered to appreciating and learning Latin, and with people who were as excited and invested in the language as I am. The program focused on visiting historical sites and reading relevant Latin texts to make the culture truly come alive. From listening to Latin mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to reciting Cicero in the forum to roaming the ruins of Pompeii only speaking in Latin, my trip changed the way I think about Latin. There is something truly unforgettable and amazing about reading a Latin text on the site where Vergil or Cicero themselves would have stood. It creates a tangible appreciation that makes you understand that this language was truly spoken and used by people, something that can be buried as you sit in an classroom. Overall, it was really rewarding to see my Latin grow and strengthen throughout my trip and to come home with a better grasp on both the grammar of Latin and its history."