Here's a few pictures of Roma during my stay for a University of Washington study abroad program, which was sponsored by the Office of Minority Affairs (OMA) and the UW Classics Department. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.

The goal of the program was to help minority students learn the importance of how ancient Roman culture affects modern American culture.  I learned a lot about how ancient Roman politics, architecture, religion, art, and monumentalizing have carried onto our American culture.  For the first time, I felt really American.  I'm bi-racial and always felt a bit out of place, because I looked different from all of the natives on the reservation. Even though all of the participants came from different backgrounds, we could all relate to each other as Americans and not just see our differences.  I realized that we all have more in common than what we think.  And part of that commonality is from ancient Roman influences on our American culture. 

The great thing about traveling abroad is learning about other cultures and also learning about yourself. 

It's like the saying, "No matter where you go, there you are."