Lucas Esparza ’19 — One of my favorite days while being in Rome was visiting Ostia Antica. The day was full of adventure from the start when we left the hotel at our usual time; we took a bus to the train station. As we tried to enter the train station, the train station workers guided us out like cattle. Little did we know there was a transportation strike that day, although it staggered our plans at the moment it was exciting to see the people at the train station get in heated discussions with frequent train users about the strike. We prevailed and found a couple of cabs for us to smash ourselves into, and we finally made it to Ostia. The city is entirely in ruins, so there is a lot of imagination that has to be used while walking around, and that was by far my favorite part. We walked around as a group visualizing what the city would have looked like when it was in action. Seeing the people walking down the cobble stone road with their donkeys carrying wheat to get ground up and made into bread on the other side of the city. As a class, we sat down and discussed what the city might have smelled, looked, and sounded like it was awesome when we all pieced together these elements of the city. We all concluded that it would have been a pretty cool place to be at the time. Later that night I went out to eat with some of the guys, and at dinner, we couldn’t stop talking about Ostia and how beautiful and amazing it was, we all wished we could have seen that style of life while is was happening. The conversation ended up drifting to the topic of Wabash, we all sat there at dinner and really took a moment to say out loud how awesome it was that our school is willing to fund experiences like this for students. I think about how I cannot wait to take this knowledge and experience that has been given to me by Wabash and continue to pass it on to the next generation of Wabash men. It is something that I believe truly changes lives, for not only the student but for his family and friends as well. I believe this because I am currently living it, Wabash has changed my life for the better. I can see it in my friends and family’s eyes when I come home for breaks how they almost can’t believe the things I’ve done. I like to think it gives them hope in believing that if someone like me who is just like them can do these things then so can they. Not only that, but they can ask me for advice on how to do and they know I’ll be happy to help. Thank you for everything, Wabash. I will never forget this experience.
