Caffe Macchiato, Per Favore!

+JMJ+
Today was a nice, relaxing day of class at the villa.  I got to sleep in until 7:30!  Score!

After class this morning, one of the other girls from AMU and I went on a coffee date adventure!  Coffee bars are a big part of the culture in Italy.  Here's a quick Italian coffee lesson (that I am not at all qualified to give):

• To order a regular coffee, say "Un caffe, per favore"
• A "regular coffee" in a tiny little cup
• Italian coffee is SUPER STRONG (hence the tiny little cup)
• To order a cappuccino, say "Un cappuccino, per favore"
• To order a tiny coffee with a little bit of frothy milk (what I get), say "Un macchiato, per favore"
• If you order a latte, you will get a glass of milk
• Typically, you pay after you drink your coffee
• Typically, YOU HAVE TO PAY IF YOU SIT DOWN, two or three times as much as you paid for your little coffee.

(my macchiato is on the left, Kim's cappuccino is on the right)

Tonight, we had a special surprise.  Three American seminarians studying at the NAC (North American College, a college in Rome where American seminarians study) came and had dinner with us!!  One of them was a deacon, so after dinner, we got to have a holy hour!!!  YAY!  Deo gratias!! 

Out on the Town!

+JMJ+

Bonjourno!  I love Roma more and more everyday!  I was out and about in the city all day yesterday.  I got an early start and left the villa at about 5:50am to go to Mass at St. Peter's.  Monsignor Soseman celebrated the extraordinary form of the Mass at 7:00am on the altar of St. Venceslao (aka St. Wenceslas, you know, like the song "good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen"? Yes, he's real, and he's a saint!).  I can't believe I can go to Mass at St. Peter's REGULARLY.  What a beautiful gift!

Monsignor Soseman celebrating Mass on the altar of St. Venceslao in St. Peter's

From St. Peter's I (and three of my classmates who also came for Mass) figured out how to get to Piazza Garibaldi, where we were supposed to meet our professor at 9:30am for our "Art and Architecture" class.  Class was wonderful!!  It's kind of like being in a tour group, but it's different because what we learn about "on tour" we also study.  It's not just, "Oh, wow, how interesting, I hope I might remember that!"  No, we take notes and will study and retain much more than the average tourist.  I'll be keeping a detailed account of all that we see and learn in that class on another blog, so as not overload this one with information (and so I will have a nice study guide to refer to!).

However, I will still usually refer to the events of that class on here because, hey, IT'S EXCITING!  So, yesterday, we went to Piazza Garibaldi, Fontanone, and the Church of San Pietro in Montorio.  Piazza Garibaldi is a park.  There is a monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi and a lookout from which you can see the whole city of Rome!

View from Piazza Garibaldi

The Church of San Pietro in Montorio is in the Spanish area of Rome.  It's one of the only Renaissance style churches in all of Rome!  Funny story, the Church is dedicated to St. Peter (San Pietro) because it was built on the spot they believed to be the very place where St. Peter was crucified.  Turns out, after they built it, they found out that wasn't actually where Peter was crucified...awkward.  They already had the lovely Church though, so they decided just to let it be.

Relief of St. Francis in San Pietro in Montorio, sculpted by Bernini

After class, we sat on some probably very old, probably very important steps by a probably very old and important fountain and ate our packed lunches.  Next, it was time for my first gelato!!  I had two scoops, chocolate and Nutella flavors.  So good.

Yes, we were super touristy and took a gelato picture

On our way to get gelato, we passed the Pantheon.  Obviously, gelato was our first priority, but afterwards we backtracked to take a closer look.  The Pantheon used to be a temple dedicated to the gods; it has since been consecrated to be a Catholic basilica.  There's a giant hole in the dome because the ancients hadn't quite figured out how to build (complete) insanely massive domes that could support their own weight.  Still pretty impressive though.

Our group in front of the Pantheon

After a long day, we all finally made it back to the villa (which was quite an adventure in itself).  I was so exhausted that I fell asleep before I could get any homework done or type up this blog post (which has gotten pretty longwinded, I realize.  I will improve!).  Thanks for reading!

A Good Day for Divine Providence

+JMJ+
Today, we were supposed be at St. Peter's for Mass at 7:00.  We got to the bus stop around 6:15am, but the bus didn't come until about 6:40ish.  It usually takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to St. Peter's from our villa; hence, we didn't make it to St. Peter's in time for the Mass.  However, Divine Providence did not disappoint.  It just so happened that the main altar in the crypt of St. Peter's was NOT reserved today (crazy!) AND English speaking priests happened to walk in to say Mass just as we got there.  The priests got to celebrate Mass on the main altar in the crypt and they let us attend their Mass!! AHHH!!  And it's only day 3 of Roma!!!  No pictures from today, sorry.

I had my first classes today.  I'm really looking forward to them!  In one of them, I'll study approaches to Rome taken by different authors who lived in various time periods.  In another class, I'll be studying poetry.  In my theology class, I'll be studying the epistles of St. Paul in depth with Monsignor Soesman, who teaches at the North American College in Rome where American priests and seminarians study.  Tomorrow, I'll meet my professor at Piazza Garibaldi for a morning of class in the historic area of the city!  I hope I don't get lost!  I have an art and architecture class in the historic part of Rome every Tuesday and Thursday.  Such a blessing!

Tonight, all the students celebrated our resident director's birthday.  We also visited her friend (and now our friend) Leo, a young Italian man who works in a snack bar close to our villa.  He is one of the most joyful and jolly people I have ever met!  We sang him the American national anthem and he recorded it on his phone.  He was so happy to see us and our RD that he opened a bottle of wine and a bag of chips to celebrate her birthday.  I'm sure we'll be seeing more of Leo this semester.

I've got to start getting to bed earlier...

P.S.  Romans do not believe in central heating.  I could see my breath in my classroom today.  A small price to pay...so worth it.

But still, really???

A Blessing...Not in Disguise!

+JMJ+
Happy Sunday!  We did go to Mass at Chiesa Nuova today.  There were scouts there!  I've heard about these Italian scouts before, but I don't know much about them.  They're so cool!  They gave us homemade pastries for breakfast after Mass (which were really delicious!!).  St. Philip's body is buried in Chiesa Nuova, but we didn't get to see it because Mass was going on.  Next time though...

Chiesa Nuova

The scouts! (there were boys too)

Coolest thing about today (aside from Transubstantiation): I prayed the Angelus with Pope Benedict XVI!!!  And he gave the whole crowd a blessing!

My class for the semester

Bed time for me now (9:30pm here).  I'm leaving at 6am for Mass tomorrow and classes start tomorrow.  Ciao!

Please Allow Me to Introduce...

+JMJ+
While waiting in the airport in Chicago, I also had time to type this up for my blog.  I hope you aren't getting bored or annoyed with all of my posts unrelated to Rome.  If you are, well, just don't read this one.

January 25, 2013

Waiting in the O'Hare airport also provides me with the perfect opportunity to introduce you to “my man,” St. Josemaria Escriva.  St. Josemaria is one of my favorite saints.  I will probably refer to him and quote him in this blog often, so it’s important that you know a little bit about who he is.  St. Josemaria was born in Spain in 1902.  When he was only 15 or 16, he felt that God had a special mission for him.  He decided to become a priest in order to make himself more available for God.  He was ordained in 1925.  In 1928, God showed Josemaria that his special mission was to help *all* people see that they are called to be saints, not only priests and religious, but also everyone in the world, in every state of life.  He founded Opus Dei, “Work of God,” “to promote, among people of all social classes, the search for holiness and the practice of the apostolate, through the sanctification of ordinary work, in the midst of the world and without changing one’s state in life” (taken from a short biography of St. Josemaria in The Furrow).  He spent his life carrying out this mission.  St. Josemaria died in 1975 and was canonized by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 2002.  I love this saint because of how ardently he desires everyone to know that they are called to be saints, to holiness!  That’s something I feel like most people think, “oh, that’s not for me.”  No!

“I have never liked biographies of saints which naively—but also with a lack of sound doctrine—present their deeds as if they had been confirmed in grace from birth.  No.  The true live stories of Christian heroes resemble our own experience: they fought and won; they fought and lost.  And then, repentant, they returned to the fray.” ~St. Josemaria Escriva

So, if you’re reading this, know that you are called to be a saint AND you are totally capable of the task, with the help of God’s grace.  St. Josemaria Escriva, pray for us!!

(Click on the "EscrivaWorks" link at the top of my blog to check out some of St. Josemaria's writings!  It's not like reading a book; they are formatted as simple, short points that can be read in 10 seconds or less.)

Ciao Roma!!

+JMJ+
So... I'M IN ROMA!!!  I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!  Back up a little--this is how I got here:
1. Fly from O'Hare (Chicago) to Washington, D.C.
2. Flight from O'Hare is an hour and a half late, rush to make it to Gate C2 in time to catch my flight!
3. Brush teeth before the eight and a half hour (overnight) flight.

4. Fly from D.C. Rome!! (while sleeping on the plane--strategy to avoid jet lag)

My flight survival kit

5. Ciao Roma!!!

The resident director of the study abroad program met me and three of the other students at the airport and we rode back to the villa (where I live and have classes!  Pictures coming soon...).  Some things that surprised my on the drive to the villa:

1. There's a lot of graffiti along the side of the highway.

2. Where's all the old stuff?!?!?  I was ready to see things that were older than anything I'd ever seen in my entire life!  Well, I learned that the residential area of Rome (where I live) isn't so ancient...and you don't have to drive through the ancient part of the city to get to the residential area.  Who knew?!

The villa is in the city of Rome, not outside of it.  I know there was some confusion about that before I came, so this is verification that it is actually IN ROMA.  Yay!!

Here's a list (another list!  This is a very list-y post) of the things I've done since arriving at the villa (about 10:00am here, 4:00am back home):

1. Accidentally woke up my new roommates

2. Had a lovely breakfast

3. Received a mini tour of the grounds

4. Saw a kitty!

5. Started unpacking

6. Took a shower (yes, this is noteworthy)

7. Visited the market area of the neighborhood I live in

8. Bought some bus passes using my beautiful broken Italian

9. Learned about riding the bus

10. Witness a pick-pocket attempt on one of my classmates

11. Saw the ruins of the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar was murdered...wait, WHAT? Yeah, that's right, and it's only going to get crazier!

13. Went to the Church of the Gesu

Sorry about the bad quality of the picture, I forgot to bring my real camera

14. Prayed at the burial place of St. Ignatius of Loyola!!

St. Ignatius's body is in the little gold rectangle at the bottom

15. Saw the hand/forearm of St. Francis Xavier

16. Saw Jesus! 

17. Had a lovely dinner with 13 of my 14 other classmates.

Now that I actually have interesting things to write about, I'm going to have to work on choosing what to focus on in my blogs; otherwise, I would spend my whole time blogging and no time Rome-ing...haha get it? Roaming...Rome-ing...

Tomorrow, we are going to mass at Chiesa Nuova (I think), a church dedicated to St. Philip Neri (well, it's dedicated to God above all of course, just to God in through St. Philip Neri).  Then, we are going to the angelus with Pope Benedict XVI!!!  On Monday, we've been invited to go to a private Mass in the crypt of St. Peter!  Funny, a few minutes after I found that out I thought "I think I had a dream about being invited to a private Mass in the crypt of St. Peter..." then I realized: no.  THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.  It really is hard to believe this is happening.   I better get my act together and believe so I can be present and really live it!

Stage 2: Make the Flights!

+JMJ+
(I wrote this post while in the O'Hare airport, but didn't have wifi to post it.  A post from Roma is coming soon!!)

January 25, 2013

I’m at O’Hare airport in Chicago now!  The internet here isn’t free, so I’ll publish this blog the next time I have wifi.  If you’re wondering about how my packing turned out, take a look:

It all fit!!!!!  *fist pump*  All thanks to my professional expert packers (Dad and Mom!), packing was a success!  Somehow, everything fit…well, with the exception of just one pair of shoes.  Oh well, heels probably aren’t the best choice for traipsing around on cobblestone anyway...

I left for the airport with Mom and Dad at 5am this morning, arrived, checked in, had breakfast with my parents, made it through security (without being stopped!), and am now seated at my gate, all on 2 hours of sleep.  BAM, praise God!  In two hours, I will fly from here to Washington, D.C., and from Washington, D.C., to ROMA!!  It’s finally starting to feel real!  I’m going to Rome!

My plan for wasting away my hours sitting in the airport is to unite myself in prayer with those participating in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., today.  This is the first time in five years that I will not been able to participate in the March for Life.  I can’t believe I’ll actually be IN D.C. during the March, but won’t be able to join my brother, roommates, and friends from Ave Maria (see picture below), and thousands of others in giving a visual witness to the sanctity of life, from conception to natural death.  However, I am blessed to be able to pray for all those who are able to participate in the March and all the unborn and elderly whose lives are threatened by abortion and euthanasia.  Blessed Mother, intercede for our most worthy cause!

(AMU friends in DC for the March for Life)

Are my eyes bigger than my...suitcases?

+JMJ+
Will all of this

plus a sleeping bag and an undisclosed number of shoes...

fit in these?

(my very attractive luggage from, you guessed it, Goodwill! $6.99 score!)

Check back later to find out!

Stage 1: Packing

+JMJ+
To blog, or not to blog.  That's the question I've been inconsistently pondering over the past couple months.  The answer I've come to: to try!  I may never post on this blog again, but I'll do my best to somewhat consistently update it.  Enough about my qualms about blogging and onto the reason for the blog!  Basically, I'M LEAVING FOR ROME IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!!  I won't have a working phone over there, and I wanted more legitimate means than Facebook to document my adventure, so here it is, the blog!
In case you haven't heard, I will be spending the next three months studying abroad in Rome, the Eternal City, the Heart of the Church!  I still can't believe it!  It's so unbelievable to me that I just started packing yesterday afternoon (which is actually a pretty early start for me, as I tend to operate last minute).  Consequently, I still have quite a bit to accomplish and I should get back to packing soon.  Packing in itself has been an adventure.  Actually, that's a lie.  It's been pretty uneventful.  Packing is one of my least favorite things in the whole wide world.  I'm trying to pack "light," but as the packing progresses, I get the feeling that my idea of packing light may be a little generous...(see pictures).

I'm hoping that by reading this blog, you (whoever you are) will have some fun following me on my adventures in Rome, the Heart of the Church, the city that is the center of Christ's Body here on earth.  I've heard people say that Christ is present in a unique and special way in Rome.  If that's the case, then more than anything else on this trip, I want to be present to Him!

"Let me rise then and go about the city,
through the streets and squares;
Let me seek Him whom my soul loves."
Song of Songs 3:2

Read my blog, and (sort of) join me!!  Ha, that was cheesy.  Hopefully I will also get better at blogging.