Today in the streets I found a certain life that wasn't there a few days ago, when winter still held its strong grip over the city. Vendors in the open air market were all smiling -- they are, after all, the first beneficiaries of the warm weather. More schoolchildren were liberal in their enjoyment of their afternoon break from studies, going to cafes and trattorias and enjoying a few hours in the sun. I, for my part, took off my winter coat, and strolled the city on foot in just a t-shirt. There was still a slight chill from the breeze for those like me without extra layers, but the feeling of freedom from the cotton and wool bonds of winter was well worth it.

Such a marked change from one day to the next, based on nothing but the ambient temperature, really shows the fickleness of travel, and the true benefit of studying abroad. No tourist or eager college student would think of going to Cancun, Mexico in the throes of Winter. Similarly, a tourist's experience in Seville, Spain or in Orlando, Florida will be completely different when the weather's cold than when it's warm. Come to Rome in February, and you'll see a quiet city, relaxed but lacking that particular cosmopolitan spark that one expects. But move your week's vacation just a few weeks forward and you'll find yourself in a teeming sea of humanity, buzzing and chirping all their business in the open air and filling the streets with vigor.

But if I were just the common tourist, I would only see that one snapshot of urban life; living in any city for many months gives you a certain perspective of the good and the bad, the high points and the low, that makes it all more worthwhile. Yes, there's studying, but that is timeless and can be done anywhere. Peering into how people in another country live, and watching how they and the calendar evolve in tandem is wisdom far beyond academic knowledge. Look around, be observant, watch how the natives act -- they're the real reason you took the plunge and went abroad. But don't keep them inside that hermetically sealed glass jar for careful study and examination: Whether it's cold or warm outside, and whether or not you're in Rome, do as they do.