Wrapping up...

Well, this looks like it’ll be my last blog (at least to cover this trip). Although it seems like I’ve been away from you all for almost a lifetime, I also can’t believe that my semester abroad is coming to a close. Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that I was stepping off of the plane hoping that my broken language skills would be enough to get me to where I was staying...

I’ve been keeping busy these two weeks of “vacation” by trekking around the city making sure I see all of the places on the list I’ve been adding to all semester, and at the top of that list was climbing the 551 steps to reach the top of St. Peter's Basilica - and let me tell you, it was worth it. Over these days, I’ve also been to countless churches, seen lots of art, and found all sorts of lesser-known tourist spots. I’ve also passed a good amount of time just watching people, which may sound odd, but in this hot and muggy weather it’s one of the best ways to stay entertained and keep cool! At this time of year, the city has also exploded with dusk-and-later street shopping, meaning that people just set up tents in rows along the river and they are either running restaurants or are just selling stuff. And by stuff, I mean everything from jewelry and shoes to scented soaps to ceramic trolls to chances to win a number of large prizes, such as iPods and MacBook computers. It’s such a cool environment, with music blasting in the muggy air in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. 

I also had my gospel choir concert a few weeks ago, which wasn’t the best that I’ve ever performed in, but was such a blast. I realized after I had been here awhile that I missed singing. Since around fourth grade, I have either been a member of a choir (or more), served as a cantor at church, along with annoying whoever I happen to be living with by singing almost 24/7. I enjoyed singing with this group of really great people, who became a group of friends that I would love to see again one day. I loved singing with them, but I also loved being their dictionary and occasional pronunciation guide – must be one of those things about loving languages. Anytime I can step in and help people by translating (which I do pretty often here), it’s almost like I re-remember why I decided to choose the major I did. I got to do this a bit more when the one and only Katie Seager came to visit me from Dublin, and in between showing her around the city and making her eat some of the best food on the planet I served as her translator as well. I gave her the great Roman tour (which by now, I think I’ve perfected), which was timed perfectly because it also meant that I got to go around and see everything at least one more time before I head back.

On the 28^th, I went with Katja, a German classmate, to Tivoli. This town is situated on a hill east of Rome, and was where the popes, emperors, and/or rich families built their vacation houses, or retreat houses out of the city. We went to Villa d’Este, which is a huge property that is now super-famous for its gardens and the fountains that you find there. After strolling through the town and picking up a picnic lunch, we entered the site and started our search for the perfect spot to eat. The biggest problem there was choosing a spot because the whole place is amazing. I am still astounded by how these people were able to make such art out of water. You know, that compound that is all over the place and at least half of the time we take for granted. We may have discussed the possibility of one day having enough money to create our own gardens like those... 

And for a final trip, Mom and Dad helped me get to Switzerland this weekend to see Maria, who was there with the Ohio Ambassadors of Music, a group that travels Europe and gives concerts (band and choir) and, coincidentally, I also travelled with four years ago. As much as I do love Rome, it was downright glorious to go up into the mountains and breathe clean air, walk around as a tall blonde and not stick out like a sore thumb, and to be able to look people in the eye and smile at them as you passed them on the street. The only problem? This was the part of Switzerland that speaks French...which I don’t actually know. I soon discovered that this wasn’t a problem, as everyone assumed that it was just going to be the next language I learned, so many worked with my other language skills and a few others gave me French lessons. The part that I found most interesting was that once I figured out what sound each letter makes, I was able to understand most of what people said as long as they spoke clearly because of similarities to Spanish and/or Italian. I spent most of my time wandering around and breathing. Not kidding. And I loved it! I also got to spend a lot of time with Maria 

(and Paul and their friend Bryan) when they had free time in town. Their concert on Saturday night was really great, and I felt like I was transported back in time as the choir sang some of the same songs that we did four years ago, and especially as they performed the finale of “America the Beautiful” together with the band. I have a secret theory that Mom knew that if she sent me to Switzerland to hear that song then I would be more ready to return to the land of cookouts, corn-on-the-cob, and apple pie. She was right. 

The last few days I had in Italy I spent with the people I’ve gotten to know over the semester – my friends at my residence, my university, and the different contacts I’ve made across the city. Those few days were bittersweet - full of tears and sadness to go, but I was so grateful to have met these amazing people and to have all of these experiences. When I made it to the airport on Wednesday, I found out that my flight (for some unknown reason) to New York was cancelled. yep, what luck. I spent the night in a little town called Ostia, which is a coast town of Rome relaxing in a free hotel, eating free food, and enjoying a little more time on the Italian beach. The next morning I took a shuttle to the airport (early) and got to New York on time, only to have my flight to Columbus delayed three hours. After all of these semi-minor technical errors, I was greeted with open arms by my family, who are all very glad to have me back.

 I can’t put into words how much this experience has meant to me (although when you see me in person, I may be able to supplement with my Italian hand motions) and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. However, I know now that it’s time for it to be over and time for me to move on. I hope that someday I can return, but until then...who knows?

Studying, Gaga, and...the Beach.

       Well, let's start with the best news - I have finished (and actually done quite well) on all of my exams! These past few weeks have been very full of books, papers, articles, and reviewing everything that I listened to all semester...and at this point I was mostly just hoping that I was remembering not only all of the information, but also all of the vocabulary words and terms correctly. For those of you who don't remember, none of my classes this semester were in English...which made taking oral exams that much harder. Many things are run differently between the American and Italian school systems - more than I can list here - but I'll try to give a brief explanation of what I've learned. Throughout the semester, I thought I was keeping up with my classes, but that they just gave less homework than I was used to, because other than going to lessons and then reading my books on the public transportation systems, I didn't feel like I was doing a whole lot of work. Hoewever, over the last few weeks of classes, my professors started adding readings. By the hundreds of pages. As an international student, my workload was a bit lighter, but not a lot. I somehow was able to get through most of those, but still was pretty unprepared for what I was about to face in my first exam (which was by far the most intimidating). I was called forward to the front of the classroom in front of all of my classmates and asked to explain the presidency of Ronald Reagan to my professor and his two colleagues. Pardon me, but 11 years of interviewing for 4H projects and random jobs never prepared me for that surprise. My other three actually followed a 4H interview format, where my professor asked me a question and I had to explain myself as best I could. The other best part of all of this is that after the exam, the professor gives you your mark, you sign your acknowledgment in their huge grade book, and then you are on your way. However, everyone who signs up for the exam comes in at the same assigned time (for example, at 10:00), sits for a roll call, and then waits their turn. I had to wait at the most 3 hours, but I've heard horror stories of students who have waited all day just to be told they had to return the next day to wait their turn. The best part of these last few

days is that although we are all studying, I am spending a lot more time with the other students here at Villa Nazareth. We feel busier, but we are all busier on the same schedule and take breaks to eat together (usually around 2 hours), have a coffee, or to celebrate a birthday - here we all are celebrating Rosanna's 25th! I also passed my 21st birthday here. I had to take two exams, so there wasn't much of a party, but we did take a break at midnight to have a glass of wine on the terrace in our pj's and slippers, and then thoughout the next day I was greeted with big smiles and hugs (and the occasional gelato or champagne) all day long. When you spend your 21st birthday in Italy, you may not spend all night at the bars and all next day nursing a hangover, but when you live here as I have, you can walk into a classroom or a restaurant where people who didn't know you 6 months prior are running to tell you 'auguri!' (which translates to 'wishes', which I absolutely love) and kiss you on both cheeks. It was definitely a day to remember.

       The other biggest event of June (at least thus far) was most definitely EuroPride Roma 2011. There is a week every year and across the continent, they have a kind of Gay Pride Week, but this year Rome was the host of the closing party - a parade, speeches, and (drumroll)...a free concert by Lady Gaga. I went to observe the festivities with a friend of mine from LUMSA, Katja, and we

caught the end of the parade before waiting with the masses for the concert to start at Circus Maximus (side note: you don't know how weird it was to have to spend a good 10 seconds thinking of how to translate that back into english). The parade went through parts of central Rome, including past the Forum and the Colosseum before finally ending at the Circus Maximus. Although we saw all sorts of interesting things, I'm still thinking about what exactly I feel like I should take away from the whole thing. On one hand, it was beautiful to see so many people coming together to peacefully show that they are united for a common cause - as the tagline said, the right to love. However, one of the biggest points made was that the LGBT community shouldn't be considered a group of people so different from the world that they are discriminated, which I do completely understand. For me, it was hard to see that point exercised as I was surrounded by people (of all genders) in flamboyant costumes and so much makeup that it seemed they were begging for a bit of attention. Would this be what we call the hippie movement of the 21st century? Again...still trying to figure all of that out.

But anyway, at the end of the parade, everyone headed to the concert - or at least to the place where we all were to wait for the next two hours. If you look at that picture, it's us all first filing in, and if you can imagine somewhere around 750,000 people there, it was pretty full (I've heard estimates all the way from 500K to one million, so I made an estimate halfway). As we waited for the modern queen of music to take the stage, we were included in the general dance party that broke out to the loud music that was playing (and we can't forget the 12-15 drag queens that took the stage). When Lady Gaga finally made it to the stage about 45 minutes after she was scheduled to appear, the crowd literally went crazy. She opened with a 20 minute speech before moving to the piano and singing her - wait for it - two songs. I wasn't really sure what to expect after knowing how much technology helps out some of our popular artists these days, but I learned that this performer is also a true musician. Anyone who is able to rock a crowd that large with only a microphone and a piano has talent. Just because we could, we left after her performance and headed to Hungry Bogart's (restaurant/pub) to meet up with friends and to see them all do some karaoke. What a change that one was...
       Other than those big events, I also spent two days at the beach (actually two different beaches, and apparently two of the least beautiful ones in Italy, but I loved them). The first with three other Italians, Raffaela, Alicia, and Ivan, and the second with two Americans, Marie and Patrick. If you can imagine my first time on an italian beach, I ended that day red as a lobster - although I still felt good about it because I actually studied at the beach and had a nice relaxing day. The second was Marie and I taking her brother to Ostia for the afternoon, and he turned red as a tomato but we (the ones who had already suffered and bought stronger sunscreen) just turned a deeper golden brown. Can't wait to compare skin tones when I return!

Gelato, Art, and Scavenger Hunts

       I apologize for keeping you all waiting so long for this update (because I know that you have all been checking my blog every single day for new stories) but I have been so busy living life in Rome that I haven’t spent a whole lot of time writing about it! I’m going to try and update you on the entire month of May without making this a three page letter…

       This past month I have gone to see a few things that I hadn’t before (for the most part, churches) but I spent a good amount of my time with the other students here at Villa or with friends from school. Or at this little restaurant/pub right around the corner from LUMSA (my university) called Hungry Bogart – you know, like a word play on Humphrey. There is probably only room for 25 people in the whole place (that is, if you are able to squeeze through the chairs), but I'm pretty sure that the owner's main interest is to make as many friends and hear as many stories as he can. I'm usually there two or three times a week, along with the few other ''regulars,'' all of which are students, to talk and pass a few lazy hours. I'm really starting to love the European meals which always last at least an hour, if not two or three. This is also the time of year when the summer trips start (at least at UD, where the winter semester has ended), so I've been able to catch up with some of my friends who have come to Rome - like the infamous Gretchen Berkemeier! I took her to one of the best gelato places in Rome, and right out front we found a red vespa - what a perfect afternoon.

       It's actually an interesting time of year for me, because I'm trying to study and prepare for exams (my first is tomorrow), but all of the American universities are done. Therefore, my American friends are heading back home and it's turning more and more into a semester where I'm the blonde American hanging out with the Italians. Since Gabriella and Marie (the other two American girls) left Villa, I am the only American in this building. However, I have also been able to witness how much fun it is to be at this residence in the summertime, as it's finally warm enough for everyone to be outside in the evenings. In the past week and a half, we have had two birthday parties, an ordination anniversary party for the Cardinal who runs the place, and a 'Community Day' where we spent four hours on a scavenger hunt (it had four different parts and included poetry recitals, costumes, decoding). Our team, ''What's for Dinner'' had a pretty slow start, but we were able to catch up in the end, and we later had a cookout and karaoke night. It's a lot of fun trying to keep up with all of this social planning...

And this would be our team trying to put it all together...and dressed up as the characters from Pinocchio. Yes, I am wearing blue trash bags over my dress, for those who are curious.

       And of course, the most exciting part of the whole month - Mom and Dad came to visit! We spent the week wandering Rome and also took a day trip to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. I think the most impressive part for me was realizing how much I've learned since I've arrived - not only about the history and significance of the sights in this city, but also how to use the public transportation systems and navigate us all from place to place without too many problems. I really enjoyed showing them 'my city,' but it was also a re-realization of how much I do love Rome. I had started becoming so used to walking past the Vatican on my way to class that I didn't even turn to admire it anymore...che peccato.

       I'm sure that they can share all sorts of stories with you from their point of view (ask Dad about how much he appreciated the wine, for example), but my favorite part of the

At the Uffizi Art Gallery

week was Florence. Firenze is a city that is on the must-see list of Italy, but that I hadn't seen yet, and if there's one word that I have to choose to describe that day, it would be art. We saw the David, went into probably the best art museum in the world (okay, so I may be a bit biased) and Mom and I even still had the energy to climb the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo (the main church in town). Although it was a tiring day, we were still able to catch a great meal before heading back to the big city. The next day (Sunday) we also wandered around, but to a few places that I hadn't seen before, including La Bocca della Verità and the Capuccin Crypt. The ''Mouth of Truth'' is a big face on the wall of a church with an open mouth, where people had to put their hand after being tried. If the hand 'bit' them, it meant that they had lied in court - what they didn't know was that one of the priests regularly checked to make sure that the scorpions he placed there hadn't vacated the premises. The Capuccin Crypt is a set of rooms in the basement of a church near the Trevi Fountain where the bones from hundreds of monks are affixed to the walls and ceilings in decorative patterns - slightly morbid, but a great reminder of mortality. I loved it! I'd add more pictures to these descriptions, but as I played tour guide all week, I let mom play photographer...so I don't really have very many pictures here with me. I'm sure if you let her know, she'd love to share all of those stories with you!

       For now, I'm going to go re-study the contemporary history of the world so that I can ace my exam tomorrow - until next time!

"Non abbiate paura...spalancate le porte a Cristo!"

       What a day it was. I don't do this often, but I feel like any time you go to bed at midnight and get up at 2:00 (AM), your day always turns out to be a big one...
       I met eight other people from our residence downstairs (Angelo, Giuseppe, Chiara, Camilla, Anna, Roberta, Marie, and Dan) at 2:40 so we could catch a bus into the city by 3:00 at the latest. Armed with snacks and bottles of water, we jumped on the bus slightly tired, but excited at the prospect of what we were about to experience. As we made our way the five or six blocks to where we were to wait for hours, there were what can best be described as "event staff" lining the streets. I knew that the Beatification was going to be a pretty big deal, but each new sight of the day made the experience more real. Getting free boxed breakfast was probably one of those...

       Below is a picture of what the neighborhood looked like at the beginning of the service - notice how many people there are! I'm going to use this as a reference for our progress over the course of the morning...hopefully it helps you figure it all out! (side note: see the section of white up front and on the left? those are the priests who later distributed communion. let that sink in for a minute...)

Okay, so this big long street in the middle is Via della Conciliazione - created by Mussolini who basically liked to show off Rome and what he could do to it as much as possible - and all of those little white lines are columns that line the street. We made it to the east (bottom) end of the street at 3:30, and were pretty close to the front of the line...as long as you count out all of the people who were literally sleeping on the street and

in the piazza in anticipation for the big day. Over the next two hours (before they opened the gates to the street), we were joined by tons and tons of other people, who filled up the street in all directions - even onto the bridges that cross the river. We filled this time with all sorts of conversation and jokes, but mostly the type that are only funny when you are super sleep-deprived. Throughout the crowd there was some singing, but as time wore on, mostly there were just shouts of "aprite, aprite!" (open up, open up!), because the street was getting so full that when ambulances needed to pass by to get to a nearby hospital, it was literally impossible for them to get through. As the gates finally opened, we all grabbed on to one another and pushed along with everyone else through the teeny tiny opening to try and get as far down the street as possible.

       As we were rushing down the street, we paused only to grab the complementary newspaper and bottled water that was being handed out by volunteers, then joined the rest of the crowd. We were all moving as fast as we could without actually running or stampeding over the people still sleeping on the street and laying all over the sidewalks and doorsteps or tripping over all of the trash that covered the street. (I'm pretty sure that if I had slept on the street, I'd be up to be at the front of all of that excitement, and would have tried a little harder to pick up all of my refuse, but I guess my opinion differs from all of theirs...) We were somehow able to move pretty far up the street before we had to stop again - and the next two hours were a mix of pushing ahead with everyone else and standing and waiting...and waiting. Packed in so tightly that we couldn't move, much less munch on our snacks or read our papers, so we passed time mostly by zoning out - again, the tiredness factor was sinking in. Around 7:30 we found ourselves at the gate of Piazza Pio XII (which is the big open space in front of Piazza San Pietro. Wait a minute...are we going to be able to get into the Piazza?!

6:30am - looking back

6:30am - looking forward

maybe this was worth all of the effort!

       When the gates to Piazza Pio XII opened, we again pushed forward and then walked around to join everyone else waiting (again) to go through security. By this point, we had split up and our group of 9 had become 7, but we kept pushing forward (literally and figuratively). Once we got into the Piazza, we started searching for a spot to stand (but preferably sit), but I was able to snap 

a few photos of the people who were just waking up to start the day - and were annoyingly staying still and sprawled out across the whole area. I think I only stepped on four or five people as I made my way through, but I can't really know for sure. The realization of how far we had come started sinking in once I wasn't quite as worried about being trampled or losing the rest of the group in the crowd, and I began to let my surroundings sink in. Yes, there were plenty of crazy, 

sleep-deprived people who were doing all they could to get as close to the action as possible, but there were also plenty of people enjoying breakfast together, joining prayer circles, shouting across to others from their home nation (mostly in Polish, but that was just to be expected...), and greeting the day in whatever way they found appropriate. We were able to secure a semi-open spot where we could see a good half of the altar and stage (which was what it most resembled), but more importantly (at that time) a place to finally sit that was right next to a screen where we could see everything by around 8:45. Soon after, the prelude music began and helped calm us down, which was very necessary after the crowds that we had just pushed through. The screen also kept flashing the faces of the VIPs who got priority seating, and among those I recognized were the Prime Minister and President of the Republic of Italy and the King of Spain along with the rest of the Royal Family - who knew they were coming?

      They then moved into The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, which (like everything else) was multi-lingual. We all knew that the Mass was about to start when the procession started and the Pope came out (somehow, that's always a sign). He rode through the crowd on the Popemobile and

made his way (along with the countless amounts of cardinals) up to the altar. After the penitential rite, we moved into the Beatification Rite - and here is where I make a confession to you all. I didn't really have a huge personal interest in JPII before the Beatification, especially because I didn't remember him and didn't know much about him, but went because I knew it would be a good experience and that I had to go on behalf of my Aunt Pam, who may have shunned me had I not gone. But as the biography was read and I connected historical events, his papacy, and the waves of emotion running through the crowd that I was a part of, it all became real to me. After he was named Blessed John Paul II, the entire mass of a million people erupted into cheers and applause, which lasted for a solid five minutes, and began waving their flags. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and one of the most emotional things I have ever experienced - I don't know that I will ever be able to fully express those emotions...so I hope that this picture helps.

And although you can see that there are A LOT of people here, I didn't fully understand how lucky we were to be so close to the front until I saw news coverage when we got back - incredible. On top of that, there were piazze full of people all across the city watching live coverage (not to mention worldwide) - the crowds weren't just in this neighborhood.

       As the relic of his blood was brought forward and placed before the altar, the sun came out. Pope Benedict XVI said a few words, but had to take many pauses to let the crowd get all of their cheering, chanting, and applause-ing out. After some more time passed, announcements rang out (at least five or six, each in a new language) asking everyone to be quiet so that we could prayerfully proceed with the Eucharistic Celebration. As the crowd quieted in sections, Mass then 

progressed as usual (or as usual as it can with one million people when it is in Latin) and I somehow made it through all readings, the Gospel, and the homily without falling asleep and without an umbrella to give me shade (note that everyone else thought to bring one...what beautiful colors!) For the Eucharist, all of those priests who had reserved seating came forward so that they could distribute, then dispersed through the crowd. I'm still not exactly sure how far away from the Basilica they went, but there were

definitely a couple hundred priests ready to go. We took Eucharist and then left early, missing the closing rite and hymn - first time I had done that in my life, but also the first time that I had been to a 10:00 mass and already been up for eight hours...and was too tired to want to wait and then try to beat a million other people (literally) to the same modes of transportation. Our main goal was to hit the public transportation before everyone else, which we were somehow able to do. Even as we were leaving, I kept getting new views that gave me a little more of an appreciation for what we had witnessed and how fortunate we were to get to where we were - more people, more crowd control, more smiles, and more tears.

       After getting back to Villa (around 1:15), I showered, ate a sandwich, and skillfully avoided too much conversation so that I was back in bed by 2:00, oh-so-ready for a nap. Although I planned to only sleep for four hours, I somehow woke up right before 8:00, and that is still a mystery. Even after a full night's sleep, I am still tired, very sore from pushing through the crowds and being pushed, but still so glad that I went. That was an unforgettable experience, and one that I can't wait to better share with you all once I see you face to face again.

Anna, me, Dan, and Marie

       Next adventure? Mom and Dad's are coming to visit for a week...in only 8 days! Check back later for details on that experience...

Buona Pasqua a tutti!

       It's kind of interesting how being in Rome and at the Vatican this weekend has given me a completely new spin on and appreciation for Easter. Yes, I did partake in a chocolate egg and my mom did send me Reese's (both of which are significantly important), but there was so much more to these last few days that I don't know if I can explain well, but for all of you, I'm going to try.

       My first big event of the weekend was on Good Friday - the famed Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) at the Colosseum, with Pope Benedict presiding. I went with four other friends (three from UD and one from Germany) and we walked down Via dei Fori Romani together, which is the street that leads to the Colosseum and goes through the Forums. The whole street was blocked off to mechanical traffic in order to make more room for the pedestrian traffic - aka there were a whole lot of people there. We finally got through and were somehow able to find a place to stand in the open area between the Colosseum and the Forum, right in front of where the Pope was supposed to be. The whole area was filled with people - standing, sitting, kneeling, and packed in as tightly as we could stand. There were Italian boy scouts walking around handing out candles and programs, and nuns using their habits to their advantage to push their way closer to the front. The thing that struck me the most though (and continued to impress me throughout the weekend) was the global presence of the Church that I kept seeing - I don't know how many languages I heard or how many people I saw representing nations that I've never been to, but all of us came together for the events that we considered to be very important.

       As Pope Benedict came into view and got into position under his little red tent, the crowd let out a huge roar - Viva la Papa! With the cameras flashing and people shouting across the way, he gave everyone a few moments as he waved with a smile and addressed the crowd. As he fell silent and kneeled, a hush fell over the crowd, cameras were put down, and the prayers begun. It was like a secret code that everyone knew - celebrate, take pictures, and live in the moment, but don't forget what this whole thing is really about. We progressed through the fourteen stations (all in Italian...so glad I study it!) and were going through the Via Crucis for about an hour and a half, complete with songs sung by an amazing choir and rotating readers so that we could at least tell the difference between the readings and the reflections. At the end of the prayer, the crowd once again cheered and waved as the Pope rose and waved, before heading back to his vehicle. The whole process was filled with a prayerful awe, especially when I looked around and realized that this was still only a fraction of the Body of Christ present - there are not enough words to describe this sensation.

       The other most impressive part of my weekend was Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican. I had made plans to go with Marie and Amanda, two girls from UD that I hang out with a lot here, and we all had tickets to get in to St. Peter's Square. Mass started at 10:15, and the doors opened at 8:30, so we planned to get there and meet at 6:30. Early, I know, but we thought that it would be the best option - we knew that we did not want to stand the whole time, and were prepared to show up early to get a seat!

       I was the first one there (and, as it turns out, the only one of us three to wake up to her alarm) and got there at 6:15 - yes, before they turned the lights off at St. Peter's, before dawn. As I walked down Via Conciliazione, I saw about 20 other people. total. The really nice part about that was that I got a few moments of the morning pretty much to myself at the Vatican - what a cool experience! Sometime around 7:00, the other two arrived and joined me in line. We killed the time telling stories, complaining about how early it was, and talking to the other people around us. After waiting for just under two hours, they opened the gates. How did I know this? Certainly not because I saw it, but because EVERYONE started moving. I wasn't actually moving of my own volition, but there was no way I was going to even be able to stop if I had wanted to - those Germans, Filipinos, and nuns are downright pushy.

       After somehow getting through security, I saw that Marie and Amanda had gotten through ahead of me and were saving our seats. So I stopped to take a picture of everyone running as fast as they could manage to get the best seat possible - obviously paying no head to the advice of the Swiss Guards, who were trying to tell people to go slowly and take it easy. Because of their hard work, we were able to land seats in the ninth row of the first section! Maybe it was giddiness, maybe it was a bit of early morning exhaustion, but I was extremely pleased with how close to the front we were able to get - and I know that they were, too. Before we had started this whole part of the adventure, I didn't know if I would be able to get there at all, and now I found myself right up front.

       We passed the next two hours chatting, napping, watching people, and taking pictures. We saw all of the last minute preparations, including the uncovering of the ambo, the positioning of the VIPs (whoever they were) on either side of the altar, the cameramen setting up their cameras, the security people (as well as the Cardinals) taking their stations, and heard the sound tests. We even snuck past the guard up front who kept waving people back to their seats in order to take a pretty fabulous picture together (with another girl from UD, Kate, who we sat next to).

       Around 10:00, the marching bands started. No, I didn't know that there was a pre-mass parade, either. But after these bands (and the Swiss Guards) marched through the Piazza, the procession for mass began. Just like the other night, people were constantly taking pictures and working to be taller than (or at least get better views than) everyone else who happened to be in their way - meaning that before Papa B. made his way in the popemobile up to the altar, everyone was on their chairs. Once the entire procession made its way up to the altar and the popemobile made its exit, everyone settled down (and sat down) to participate in the mass - and to watch it all unfold. For any of you who have been to a Catholic mass before, that's pretty much what happened. But it was in Latin...with Italian translations in the program. And over 1,000,000 people in attendance. And of course, the shock-and-awe factor of being at the Vatican for Easter. We were sitting amongst people from all over the world, and it was pretty obvious that we were all loving every minute of it. I especially liked the petitions (7 of them) that were all in different languages - including Chinese and Swahili. My other favorite was all of the chanting - a good number of the different parts of mass were chanted (including the creed), so thanks to all of the time I spent at St. Meinrad I was able to follow (and sing) along!

       Passing into the Eucharistic rite, we saw somewhere around 40-50 priests come out to distribute Communion. As they were splitting up and heading toward the crowd, we started to wonder how in the world this feat was going to be accomplished...and then we saw the umbrellas.

At first, I thought that they were just to give the priests some shade (it didn't get sunny until mass started - coincidence?), but then I realized it was so that people could find the closest distributor. If you look at those pictures, can you understand why? After receiving ourselves, I spent some time watching ''our'' distributor - he looked slightly stressed. In order to distribute, he had to just keep turning in circles (360 degrees) because people were pressing to him from all directions. And then, I took a look back towards the rest of the crowd - I'm not actually sure when all of those people showed up, but it was obviously sometime when I wasn't looking...

       After everyone returned to their seats, Pope Benedict said the closing prayer, and then processed into the Basilica so that he could read his address - and of course, wish the entire world a Happy Easter (in about 40 different languages, of course). Each language was announced, then the respective Happy Easter was said, and then came the cheers from those who were present and represented that nation or language. Although I completely missed English, I did enjoy (of course) Italian and Spanish, as well as Swahili, Chinese, Ukrainian, Slovakian, and Yiddish - not that I could repeat any of them for you... In between all of the cheers and the message that he was sharing with the people there (and all around the world, thanks to internet and television), I had a sensation of pure joy - Easter day, at the Vatican, with people from all over the place. What an unbelievable experience.

       After we found our way out of the Vatican, we ate some pizza, and Amanda and I went to Tiber Island to rest and catch some rays. That evening, I went to Amanda's apartment, where we cooked together with Kate and were joined by Amanda's roommate Melissa for an Easter dinner - college-student-studying-abroad style. We made pork, baked potatoes, haluski (Slovakian pasta, onion, cabbage, and butter dish), applesauce, and shared a chocolate egg - and of course, some wine and conversation. What a lovely end to a lovely day.

       I hope I haven't lost too many of you (yes, I know it's long, but I couldn't leave anything out) and that at the very least, you enjoyed the pictures! Stay posted as I try to survive JPII's Beatification next week - and hopefully make it into the Vatican. The city has been crawling with people this week with [only] one million extra tourists - how will we ever make it through with three million more?

Playing Catchup....

       Buona Pasquetta! (aka, Happy Easter Monday!) So I know that this is totally unlike how I've been writing these blogs lately, but I'm going to write two today! This one to catch you all up on what I've been doing and the other one, well, you'll see!
       I've been noticing over the last few weeks how much more comfortable I'm feeling in Rome. I know my way around so much better now, and from any point in the city, I can figure out more than one way to get home. For those of you who understand how Roman public transportation works (or doesn't, depending on how you look at it), this is a pretty useful skill. I'm also doing things like walking by Vatican City or the Colosseum without a second thought. I have also stopped taking so many pictures of the really big and famous things, and now take pictures of the random smaller things that just catch my attention - the one below is a bench that is in the park right beside Castel Sant'Angelo.

       I spend a lot of time in that park (near Piazza Adriana) because it is only 2 blocks away from my university, and is such a great place to pass the time - especially since the weather has been warming up so much! I also spend a good amount of time with the other 3 Americans at my residence, and we do things like have after dark picnics on Janiculum Hill (which overlooks Rome), go to bars that play live music (rockabilly night was my favorite) and make American food (casseroles and BLTs) just to surprise the Italians. It's really nice to occasionally give my mind a break from all of the Italian and Spanish and just have fun every now and then!

lookout over the center of Rome

       This month, we also had a "Culture Week" in Rome (which I'm pretty sure was also recognized across Italy in general) where a good number of the museums and historical sights were free! It was such a great week - I finally made it into Castel Sant'Angelo (which has a really great up-close-and-personal view of the city), the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. All of these are pretty important and famous sights in Rome, but I guess I had just been waiting for the right time to check them all out - and that week was it!

visiting friends - Bridget and Mo - at the Colosseum!

       On April 9th, I took a day trip to Pisa with a friend from school. It is a very cute little town, and walking around it was a relaxing break from all of the noise and busyness of Rome. We started off by wandering around the city for a little while, and actually found a really cool farmer's market (Italian style, of course) where they sold just about everything between all of the different vendors. Obviously, we made a stop at the Tower (it's the main attraction of the entire city) and Kevin even convinced me that we should go up...since we were there. Although it was only about a half-hour visit inside, it was really pretty cool. If you can imagine trying to climb all the way up that tower with its centuries-old stairs at a slant, you can understand how confused my brain was - and how lopsided I felt when I looked out over the city. It was definitely a lot of fun, and we took the obligatory pictures with the Tower (and also of the other people taking these pictures) before wandering around a bit more and heading back to Rome.

The other big event that happened was Il Seminario delle Palme at the residence, and it was basically a weekend conference for all of the students that I live with, and took place over Palm Sunday weekend. I wasn't able to make it to all of the presentations and speeches, but it was really cool seeing all of the students come together to host guests from outside the city, put on a spectacular play, and serve each other at the lunches and dinners - not to mention the dance party they threw together on Saturday night. The interesting part (for us Americans) was seeing the end of the conference approach on Sunday. After mass and lunch, the guests all started to leave, but as we watched, so did a good number of the people we actually knew. We came to learn that because a good number of them had very few classes (if any at all) that week, they were headed home so that they could have a week-and-a-half or even two week Easter vacation. Just one more thing that the States could learn from Italy...

Dan's fingers got in the way...

       Other than all of that, I spend a good amount of time hanging out with people from school, people from the residence, or commuting between the two. Some of the more interesting friendships I've made actually are with people who don't fit into either of these groups, but are people that I know from the neighborhood in which LUMSA (my university) is located. One block to the north of my classes is a street called Borgo Pio, which is a pedestrian-only zone and is full of all sorts of interesting little shops and restaurants. If you go to the end closer to the Vatican, it gets pretty touristy...so I stay at the other end. I've discovered a neat little restaurant named Hungry Bogart (cute, right?) and the owner of the place is interested in hearing all sorts of stories and talking to basically everyone, so I go there to grab lunch pretty often. Between our conversations and the rest of the people in the place (and the fact that the rest of them are all Italian) a quick lunch usually turns into a two or three hour ordeal. There's also a 75-year-old man who lives across the street named Franco who stops by pretty often. I spend a lot of time on Borgo Pio talking to all of these people and I really enjoy it - what better ways are there to practice a language than to speak it with the natives?
       To close this blog, I'm going to add a picture we took at Giuseppe's birthday party back at the beginning of the month. Living in a community definitely has its perks - where else would I be invited to join in on a dinner on the terrace that just turns into a birthday party? These are some of the people I live with - all of whom are really great. Coming to stay at Villa Nazareth was such a great decision!

Doralisa, Camilla, Mattia, Giuseppe, Andrea, Valentina, and I

Ireland...and my first Italian museum

Ciao a tutti! Yes, I have returned to Rome from Ireland and am back to speaking Italian on a daily basis until my brain can no longer form intelligent English sentences. It's funny how your grammar can just get away from you when you are completely immersed in another language...

Ireland, if you haven't heard, is a very quaint country. The entire week I was there was filled with Irish brogues, almost-Americanisms (such as TkMaxx and Eddie Rockett's) and (sometimes green) beer. I flew into Dublin on Wednesday the 16th with the rest of the Americans and Australians who were studying abroad in Europe and were ready for an epic St. Patty's Day. Along the way, I met and held conversations with many people. In and of itself, this wasn't really out of the ordinary, but it took me a little while to figure out why it felt so odd...the reality was that I hadn't really had an introductory conversation with anyone in English for almost two months. Ah, how the time passes! After walking around and exploring Dublin for awhile (and witnessing everyone starting to hit the streets decked out head to toe in green), I met a friend from UD, Katie, and her family, as they were also visiting for the week. We wandered back to her apartment so that I could leave my bag, but then we went out to eat and explored the Temple Bar area, which is one of the larger tourist neighborhoods of Dublin. The morning of the 17th, we all dressed in green and headed to Trinity College to catch the infamous parade. All of the stores up and down the street were closed, with storefronts dressed in green, and people were filling the streets - meaning that although a good number of the streets were completely closed, it was still hard to push through the people. After the parade (and most of us didn't even last that long), we stopped into a bar for a pint - green, of course.

We spent the rest of the day walking around and watching (but not fully partaking) in the shenanigans that have made St. Patrick's Day in Ireland such a tourist trap. After spending the afternoon altogether, Katie and Courtney and I split off to join the rest of the tourists and college students at Temple Bar before heading home.

The next day (Friday) I got up early to catch a bus to Galway so that I could see the Cliffs of Moher. There's really only one phrase I can use to sum up how standing on the edge of that cliff felt: breathtaking. As my new friends Bryan and Elliot decided, God did a pretty great job on that one. Travelling for about 8 hours on a bus that day (to Galway, on the bus tour, and then on to Cork) was completely forgotten once I got up that hill and was able to see the overlook. I'm adding a picture, but I can't accurately convey how awesome they truly are - hope that my crutch of a photo helps! (take a moment to appreciate that I can't even fit their entire length in one picture. think over 600 feet high)

After this amazingness, I jumped on a bus to visit Maureen, another friend from UD. She spent her weekend showing me around her new city, Cork, and it was so much fun learning about a new place from someone who is obviously so in love with her entire experience. We ate fish and chips, scones, the best hot chocolate I've ever had (yes, I was sorry to finish it), watched some rugby, and went to a pub to hear some trag (traditional Irish) music with her friend Carrie. After a few beautiful days in Cork, I headed back to Dublin Sunday evening for one more day of tourism without the madness of St. Patty's. While Katie was at work, I made a second round to some of the tourist spots, but also a first trip to the Guinness factory - who knew that they would include a complementary pint with that entrance fee? That evening, we went out to eat together and then I jumped on yet another bus to the airport, where I hit the climax of every cheap-student-studying-abroad's trip - spending the night at an airport while waiting for an early morning red-eye flight. Although it was a bit uncomfortable, I again, met a lot of interesting people. Travelling from place to place on cheap airlines makes for experiences that are never wanting for people who just want to travel, have fun, and learn about others. I love it!

Overall, Ireland was so much fun - I got to see a whole new part of the world, some more friends from UD, and even got a little bit of family time (not the same as my own family, of course, but it was nice to semi be a part of that dynamic for a while). For the first few hours back in Italy, I almost missed that Irish brogue. However, upon landing at Ciampino (the airport) and having to navigate my way back home in Italian and recognizing sights around me, I realized that there is definitely a reason that I chose to study in Italy - I love it!

Over this last week and a half, life has continued semi-normally. I've gone to classes, wrote my first paper (in Spanish, for my History of Spanish Culture class), went to the Immigration Office to file for a permesso di soggiorno, which is basically permission from the government to live here, and been going on all sorts of little trips around the city with friends from school to discover all sorts of new things. Oh yeah, and my friend Elyse was here this weekend! Elyse is from Boston, but we met in Spain when I was studying Spanish in Salamanca, and she came to Rome this past weekend for a visit. I didn't realize until she came and I became her tour guide how much I know about the city now - not only the sights, monuments, and gelato shops, but also how to get around a city that is twice as big as Columbus (square area) and has around five times the population. One of the most memorable spots (at least for me) was finally making it to the Vatican Museums. Technically not in Rome but in the Vatican City, these museums were the first that I have visited in Italy (and after living here for a month and a half in Rome, I find that somewhat impressive) and they were amazing. The last Sunday of the month is free day in the Museums and they open at 8:30 (and just to make things even more complicated, the spring time change happened this past weekend here), so Elyse and I decided to go along with Marie (Foy, friend from UD). We got there around 7:30 and got inside within the first 20 minutes they were open, unlike those at the end of the line that had to stretch for at least a mile (literally). I think that by spending four hours inside, we were able to see over half of the whole place, but once we got through the Map Room, Raphael's Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel, we were fairly exhausted. But if you ever make it to Rome, this is one stop that shouldn't be missed. I was so impressed by everything that I saw. We finished out the day (after a nap, pizza, and gelato) with Vespers and Mass at San Pietro...and a little shopping. Overall, it was a great weekend, and I'm glad I got to spend it with Elyse.

Well, I'm headed to bed. Tomorrow I'm going to play catchup on homework, and maybe start even working ahead. There's another transportation strike tomorrow, and it's just not worth the headache trying to fight my way into the city along with the rest of the population in order to get to a class that probably won't even happen (because no one else in the class is going to try to go). 

Until next time, or a dopo,

Heidi