Old as I get I will never forget it at all

Friends, there is so much goodness to share! These past few weeks were unbelievably amazing. I don’t think it is possible for me to relay to you how incredible they were, but I will try to anyway.

Rewind two weeks. That week included an absolutely ridiculous trip to the Laundromat, a pleasant God Squad where we learned about the church fathers, a gelato trip with our deacon and seminarian friends, a demonstration of Italian college students that blocked up the streets, an eight-page paper for Archaeology, a moral theology midterm, and piccolo amounts of sleep. All of these things were good (except for the lack of sleep), and when Thursday night rolled around, things became even more brilliant.

I have two words for you: Fleet. Foxes.

If you are not already in love with Fleet Foxes, you should introduce yourself to them and then fall in love. A good place to start is White Winter Hymnal. It is one of their well-known songs. (And it’s my favorite song to sing in the shower.) A few of my current favorites are Bedouin Dress, Ragged Wood, Battery Kinzie…the list goes on. Just check it out, yeah?

After I dominated my religion midterm, my friend Francesca and I hailed a cab and made our way across town for the concert. It was my first time ever riding in a cab, and let me tell you, the cab drivers in Rome don’t mess around. We arrived safely to our destination and waited in line for an hour for the doors to open. Frannie and I couldn’t stop smiling because we were so pumped.

The venue where they held the concert was a club that is usually used as a discothèque, so it was all floor space. Frannie and I made our way to the front; we were stuck behind the tallest person in the entire room (of course), but we were only about ten feet from the stage. Great success! The opener consisted of a chick singer and two men on guitar. I think they were called Alela Diane and the two Toms. They were quite enjoyable. If Florence and the Machine and Fleet Foxes had a baby together, it would sound kind of like this band. They played a nice set and at the end, Alela mentioned that one man was her husband and the other was her father. How cute is that?!

Then came the foxes. And foxes they were.

The concert was absolutely incredible, as were the beards. Fran and I formed a huge crush on one of the members who was a skinny little guy with a big beard and a round head and who could play about 5 million different instruments. The atmosphere and stage presence were just right, and they played all of our favorite songs. I may or may not have cried at one point…go ahead. Judge me. I am going to be so bold as to say that it was the best concert I have ever been too. Well, it’s tied with Avett Brothers.

Fran and I had an epic night and everything went smoothly until it was time to find our way home. When we left the venue, we couldn’t find a taxi anywhere. We waited patiently and finally one drove by. And didn’t stop. Alright, take two. A few minutes later, Fran hailed another taxi. This one did stop, and we hopped in along with three other girls. The driver said, “No, no, no. Only four to taxi. Only four.” The other girls were really nice and said they would just catch the next one. When they got out, the driver was livid. Apparently he only serves blonde females. So he made us get out of the taxi, and then he backed up on the busy street and picked up a couple blondes on the corner. Fran, who originates from Manhattan, was shocked. Never in her life has she been kicked out of a taxi. So, she was irritated. Well, irritated is putting it lightly…It didn’t help that we kept getting up-streamed after that. Finally, Fran hailed another taxi. This time, some girl started sprinting in order to steal it. So Fran sprinted after her. I want you to imagine an extremely angry redhead, who just happens to be wearing a foam crown, running down the middle of a busy street. That was Fran. She beat the girl to the cab, but the girl shoved Fran and made her lose her shoe, which gave the girl time to hop in. So if Fran was angry before, I can’t even describe what she was after that scenario. From my point of view, it was ridiculously funny. We had a good laugh about it afterwards. After that, we waited a few more minutes, but there was not a taxi in sight, so we decided to start walking home. We figured we would catch a cab eventually. About 15 minutes into our walk, Fran hailed a taxi and we were not denied or forced out. We laughed the entire ride back, just glad to be safe and a little warmer. When we got back to our street, the cab driver got out, opened the door for Frannie, and said, “Now I can say that I have opened the door for the queen.” We were confused for a moment, and then we realized that Fran was still wearing her crown that she got at the concert, and we laughed. As we crossed the street, about 30 taxis drove by in a large group. Oh, the irony.

It was quite a beautiful night and it was definitely a growing experience for me. Frannie and I are so different from each other, but we are such good friends, and I am so very thankful to have her in my life.

Hhhhhokay. So fast-forward a few hours to Friday morning. Gracie and I wake up before the sun so we can catch a four-hour train to Venice. We slept for the majority of the ride, and when we heard the stop for Venice, we hopped off. After the doors of train closed and it began to leave the station, we realized that we had gotten off at the wrong stop. Oops. Apparently, there are two stations in Venice and we got off just a tad early. We dubbed the section of town we were in “fake Venice” because there wasn’t a drop of water in sight, and we were expecting gondolas and everything. We grabbed a cappuccino and then caught the next train to “real Venice.” When we got off the train and walked outside, we finally saw water. And oh how glorious it was! The streets of ancient Venice were waterways, and so many of the buildings had doors that opened up to the water. There were bridges and boats and gondolas galore, and the sun sparkled on the water. We could tell it was going to be a great day.

We walked around the city, wandering in and out of shops that had walls lined with handmade masks. We stumbled upon a park with trees and a play area for kids. Of course we had a turn on the swings and I climbed all over the jungle gym. Oh, to be young again…

In the afternoon, we took a gondola ride. Yes, we had a dude with a striped shirt and a sweet hat. No, he didn’t serenade us. But that didn’t make it any less good. He actually told us all about the history of the city as he rowed us along. We were impressed at how well he navigated the narrow alleyways and managed not to crash into other gondolas and boats as we passed them in tight spaces. Seeing the city from the perspective of the boat was amazing and refreshing. Grace and I may have made a slight attempt to rock the boat, but it was an epic fail. We did get a lot of funny looks from passersby on land. People must have thought we were lovers. I’m sure our constant giggling and smiling at each other probably didn’t help. Sorry we’re not sorry…

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. We absolutely fell in love with Venice, and we were so sad to leave. Someday, we promised ourselves, we will go back. Sigh.

Saturday and Sunday were filled with lots of learning and growing and loving. You know, the usual. I spent some good quality time with my friend Libby, and I fell even more in love with her. (As if that is even possible.) We had some amazing conversations and ate good food and she was present when I bought a kick-ass pair of boots. It was quite the weekend.

On Sunday night, Grace came back from hanging out with her parents, and while we were talking, we discovered that a bird had defecated in her hair. After she had a minor freak out (nothing is minor with Grace), she stuck her head in the shower and I helped her wash the poo out of her hair. Talk about friendship! We take good care of each other for sure.

I realize that this post is already ridiculously long, and I’m not even close to being done. I am going to quit for the night, but we will pick up again soon. I promise. Oh, the tales I have to tell.  

So many foreign worlds, so ready for us.

Greetings, beautiful people! Long time, no see. I apologize for the lack of blog posts as of late. I know how devastated you all are… :)

But you know me; I am abastanza bene at filling my schedule to the brim and then having time management problems. But I’m getting better. (At least that is what I tell myself.)

There is so much to tell you all! And I know that I won’t be able to hit everything, so I will elaborate on the highlights of the past few weeks. Buckle up.

Ok, let’s rewind to Saturday, October 22, 2011.

Gracie and I woke up bright and early for our all day tour. Our first stop was to see the tomb paintings in Tarquinia. I was stoked because we have been learning so much about tombs and necropolises (personally, I think it should be necropoli) in Archaeology, and now we were actually going to see everything in person. The tombs were relatively big, and the paintings were impressive. Knowing the symbolism behind the art made it even more meaningful and interesting to experience. Also, there was an abundance of lizards in the fields surrounding the tombs. I spent a fair amount of time running around like a six-year-old trying to catch one and make it my pet. Maddie would be proud.

After spending the morning hanging out in underground tombs, we headed to the Mediterranean Sea to have our lunch break. The water was a gorgeous blue color and it glittered in the sunlight. I ate the best apple of my life while I was stretched out on the rocks, soaking up the sun and even getting a few freckles on my face. Who knew that was possible?! The beach was deserted because the summer season is over and it’s chilly now, so we had the seaside to ourselves. I stuck my toes in the water and walked along the shore, picking up bits of driftwood and sea glass to take home to my momma. I even did a few cartwheels. The sea always seems to make me revert back to being a kid. I think part of it has something to do with how tiny I feel next to the infinite abyss.  It’s a good feeling to have once in a while.

I was sad to say goodbye to the beach, but pumped for our next stop: the necropolis at Cerveteri. A necropolis is a city for the dead; they were usually built on the outskirts of actual cities. This particular necropolis was a series of cute house-like tombs that were carved out of tufa, a kind of volcanic rock. The tombs were covered with vines and plants, so it felt like I was walking into the secret garden. Some of the tombs were rather plain, but others had furniture and other objects carved into the rock. Some of them even had stone pillows! The Etruscans were good about paying respect to their dead.

I got to sit on one of the funeral beds. It’s only as creepy as you make it…

Tarquinia and Cerveteri were amazing and I was able to relate what I was seeing and touching in real life with the material I have been learning in my classes. Saint Mary’s critical thinking skills at work! Now that is what I call education.

Fast Forward to Friday, October 28.

We no longer have classes on Fridays, so we get three-day weekends to travel or to experience Rome to our heart’s content. On Friday morning, Grace and I joined a few other girls and we went with Deacon Cory to the Basilica of Saint Clement and St. John Lateran Cathedral. Oh. My. Goodness. Words cannot express how awesome our morning was. Cory had a plethora of knowledge about both churches and their art, and he shared that knowledge with us. It blew my mind twice. Actually, more like a million times to the infinite power. It made me want to learn more about the faith and the saints and history in general. Cory will be a great priest and teacher one day. And he has a ginger beard. Fifty points to Ravenclaw.

Not only were the churches amazing, but the people we went with were tops as well. I became better friends with Ashley and Libby, who are both part of the program, and they are fantastic, not to mention hilarious and adorable as well.

On Saturday, we had an all day tour to Palestrina and Tivoli. I could spend ages talking about everything we saw, but I will just tell you about my favorite part, Villa D’este. If you were to mix Alice in Wonderland with The Secret Garden and throw in the scene from the Lizzie McGuire movie, you will have Villa D’este. I could have spent weeks there. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is a giant garden that twists and turns its way down a giant hill. There are various fountains, hedges, statues, and trees. Everything looks so lush and green and the water makes it seem ten degrees cooler, which was lovely because it was such a hot day. We were only given 45 minutes to explore, but Grace and Libby and Ashley and I had a magical time. Hopefully I will be able to go back again and more thoroughly appreciate it.

Fast forward to Halloween. I rocked my two hardest midterms and I prepared my presentation for the next day. No fun. I was super bummed that they don’t celebrate Halloween here because it is one of my favorites. But we got to go out for gelato with some of the seminarians after God Squad so it turned out to be an awesome night.

On Tuesday, we left for our long weekend in Naples. We spent the first day in Pompeii, which I absolutely loved. We got to see the ancient city, including the amphitheatre and many of the houses. I was particularly smitten with the Villa of Mysteries. The triclinium (dining room) of the house contains a fresco that is quite fun to look at. The painted figures are slightly under life-size and the warm colors make the room seem informal and inviting. Plus the different scenes are fascinating. 

In one section of Pompeii, they had plaster casts that contained the skeletons of people that had died in the eruption of Vesuvius. It was so sad to see the people who weren’t able to make it out alive, and it made the experience more real to me.

After our tour of Pompeii, we headed to Naples. They weren’t joking when they told that the city is dirrrtay. There is trash all over the place. But somehow, the city is also beautiful at the same time. Especially near the water. In Naples, I had the best pizza and coffee that I have ever consumed in my entire life. They sure do know how to make their pizzas, and there is something special about their water that makes the coffee extra delicious.

The streets were a bit rough, but we always travelled in packs and my friend Fran, who hails from New York, taught me the body language and face of a mean city girl. I am awful at it, but it’s a good trait to have so that the guys who are not gentlemen do not mistake you for a vulnerable piece of meat.

One day we drove along the Amalfi coast, and the scenery was breathtaking. Our big bus miraculously wound its way down a tiny road of mountainside and managed to get us safely to Amalfi. We spent part of the afternoon in the small town, and in that short time I fell in love with the place. The breeze from the sea was so refreshing after being cooped up on the bus.

On Friday, we went to two of Italy’s (if not the world’s) greatest museums, both located in Naples. The first museum contained tons of ancient statues and frescos. The second had gorgeous paintings from the Renaissance period. I am a sucker for art, so Ashley and I had a blast looking at all the paintings and sculptures and learning the stories behind them. I also could have spent weeks in the second museum, analyzing and overanalyzing each piece. I am excited to paint again when I come home at Christmas.

We were supposed to go to Capri today as our last part of the trip, but the threat of storms kept all the boats at bay, so we came back to Rome. I was bummed that we weren’t able to see Capri, but Dr. Prebys said she would try to work something out. There is still hope! And I am quite happy to be back home. And by home, I mean Rome. I do love it here. It was an overcast day, perfect weather for listening to Ryan Adams and relaxing before round two of midterms starts punching me in the face.

So there is the extremely condensed version (believe it or not) of the past few weeks. I will try to stay on top of this blogging nonsense so I can be more descriptive without writing a novel every time I make a post.

A little shout out to Grace, who is currently in the US for her brother’s wedding. Great job travelling by yourself, champ! The room is lonely without you. Hurry back.

We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say?

There’s nothing better than cuddlefest and Hercules to start off your week. And that is precisely what we did. Grace and I watched the much beloved Disney film with our friends Chelsea and Francesca on Sunday night. We all cuddled up in two small beds that were pushed together and sang along as we watched Herc go from zero to hero. I totally called dibs on being Meg for Halloween, and I think Franny said she would be Hercules because she is a ginger. Then Grace and Chelsea volunteered to get some cronies to be the five muses with them. We jokingly talked about using the hotel’s bed sheets for our Grecian get-ups. Epic plan? I think so. Fun fact number 37 about Allie: when I was in primary school, I had a sweet lavender-colored backpack with Meg on it that said “Meg-a cool!” I know what you’re thinking, and no, it doesn’t get any cooler than that.

Monday night was the kick-off of God Squad, and I am stoked! God Squad meets once a week and we learn about our faith and the Church and Rome and how they all go together. There are seven deacons and seminarians that are in charge of the program and they are fantastic. A few of them have excellent beards, and one of them remembered me from a weeklong program that I participated in four years ago at St. Meinrad Archabbey. I’m hard to remember, yet impossible to forget…

For breakfast this morning I had a cappuccino and a cornetto. The cornetto was fresh out of the oven, so it was still hot, and there was warm nutella in the middle. I knew as soon as I took a bite that today was going to be a good day. You just can’t have that for breakfast and not have a good day, you know?

After breakfast, I went to the library to study Italian for a few hours, and I got a lot of work done. Great success! I then met up with my one and only (Grace) for lunch. Then it was time for my two hour Italian class. Yikes. But today was good. I actually carried on a mostly intelligent conversation with my teacher and I was able to answer correctly every time she called on me. Ten points to Gryffindor! After Italian, I headed back to the library to get ahead on Western Civilization. Then it was back to the room to make our beds (Tuesday is clean sheets day!) and to do laundry. Look at productive Polly over here. I was feeling so good about all the work I had accomplished, and then Grace walked into the room and made my day even better. Her neighbors are in town for a few days, and they brought goodies with them from the states. Homemade cookies and wait for it, wait for it…

PEANUT BUTTER!

Fun fact number 22 about Allie Zahm: I am addicted to peanut butter. No joke. I have it at least once a day. But, here in Italy, they do not eat peanut butter. So I have gone through withdraw for about a month now. Until today. And let me tell you, peanut butter has never tasted so good. Thank you, Pat Coffey.

I always look forward to going to moral theology, and class was extra good today. We talked about the roles of and relationships between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then we discussed how humans relate to and carry out the work of each part of the Trinity. At one point, Fr. Mark made a comment about “living of love,” so I was singing the Avett Brothers song to myself for the rest of the night. When they ask you what you’re thinking of, say love, say for me looooove…

Grace and I topped off the evening by going out to dinner with her neighbors, the Schuberts. They took us to a nice place called Francesco’s (so Italian) and we had an amazing dinner and good conversation. We then went for a nice stroll, and Grace and I showed them our world. We introduced them to the best gelato place in Rome. We showed them to the less ghetto supermarket of the two that we frequent, the classroom building, the library, the office building, and Pascucci. It was a lovely night, and it was nice to meet a few of the many amazing people that Grace has been telling me all about.

It’s the little things in life, you know?

You know you, yeah? (Said in British accent just for my Tash.)

Happy feast day of St. Luke!

I would like to throw a special shout-out to my big brudder Josh, who is home from Afghanistan. Welcome home, doc! I wish I could be there to celebrate your safe return with you.

I hope your few days in h-town will leave you well rested and feeling extra loved. Because you are.

A presto.

They say you gotta lose a couple fights to win...

Yvon Chouinard once made the comment, “The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong, that’s when the adventure starts.” I must say that both last Saturday and this Saturday turned out to be awfully big adventures.

Grace and I got about three hours worth of sleep last Friday. Strike one.

Grace, Caitlin, Lindsay, and I rose before the sun in order to catch a bus that took us to the train station. Destination: Venice. When we reached the train station, we got in line (behind some interesting-looking characters) to validate our eurail passes and to buy our tickets. The man behind the counter, who looked an awful lot like V from V for Vendetta, told us that the next three trains to Venice were already booked. He offered us tickets for a train that left close to noon, but that would mean sitting in the station for five-ish hours and then once we got there, we would have to turn around and come back. Strike two.

I was kind of excited about our failed plans, because it opened up a world of possibilities. Well, a country of possibilities, anyway. The girls and I conversed for a minute and then decided, what the heck, let’s go to Verona instead! We purchased tickets for the 8:05 train to Verona, thanked V, and went on our merry way. It took us a few minutes to figure out the platforms, but we finally realized that our train would be at Platform 9 ¾. Yeah right. I wish. It would actually be departing from Platform 21. We had some time to kill, so we walked around a bit and then went back to the platform just to be safe. At one point, a man came up to me and asked me for a cigarette in Italian. I told him I didn’t have one and he said, “Non fumo? Perche?!” He then realized that I was American and he started going on about college football. Zahhhm, baby, what’s up? Football! 

After some more time passed, I started getting antsy. I checked my watch. It was almost 8:10, and our train still hadn’t arrived. We checked the board to see what was up. Our platform number had changed. I remember Grace saying something about Platform 4, we started panicking, and then we all started running. *Cue intense yet hopeful music.* It was like a movie scene: the four of us sprinted across the station, and I was laughing hysterically because I didn’t know what else to do. We reached the platform just in time to see our train leave the station. Once again, this is movie material. *Cue Charlie Brown Christmas music.* Strike three.

But we would not allow ourselves to be benched.

Grace and I tend to be “glass half full” people. We recognized the fact that our plans didn’t exactly work out, but we also recognized that we still had the entire city of Rome to explore! And explore we did. We started out in Vatican City and worked our way towards the hotel. We walked our little feet off while we discovered different marketplaces and little shops off the beaten path. We window-shopped, enjoyed the beautiful fall weather, got lost, found ourselves, walked by the Tiber, and Grace and Lindsay even did a bit of bartering…

One of my favorite places that we stumbled upon was the market in Campo di Fuori. It was like a big farmer’s market with a ton of fresh fruits, veggies, wine, cheese, and spices. Everything was colorful and lively and it smelled amazing. Don't even get me started on all the cute little old ladies buying their weekly produce.

On Saturday night, Grace and I went out on our first date. We went to a restaurant with handsome waiters, one of which sang to us the entire night. We shared a lovely Italian meal together. When we finished, a waiter brought us each a glass of complimentary “sexy wine.” Those were his words, not mine. I promise. It was quite possibly the best wine I have ever tasted, regardless of the name.

The day turned out to be quite lovely, despite the failed travelling plans. What can we say? Grace and I are great at flying by the seat of our pants. It is also helpful that we are good at making the best of whatever situation we are in. But seriously, how could we possibly be unhappy? We are in Rome!

The week flew by quickly with lots of lectures, homework, afternoon study sessions in the library, and late night laugh sessions with Grace. Last night after a great class on moral theology and a delicious dinner, Grace and I decided to unwind by watching some good old YouTube clips of Whose Line Is It Anyway? We laughed soooo hard. Go team Colin. And to top the night off, we went to an Irish Pub (of all places!) called Abbey’s Theater and had a beer with our friends Jenni and Courtney. We just chilled out while we talked and listened to some wonderful live music. We headed back early to try and get a good night’s rest for today’s plans. Destination: Florence. Of course, we stayed up way too late talking and once again got three hours of sleep. Strike one.

We woke up early and got outside just in time to catch our bus to the train station. We purchased our tickets and even got on our train early. Pro status! We were so proud of ourselves, and we couldn’t wait to get to Florence. We switched back and forth between giggling and dozing off during our train ride, which went by quickly. An hour and a half later, we reached Florence. Besides the lack of sleep, everything was going smoothly. Who knew?!

Just in case you were wondering, Florence is beautiful. One of the first places we saw was a gorgeous church. We didn’t get to go inside, but the outside was decorated enough to keep my eyes busy for weeks. We wandered the chilly streets until we found a huge marketplace that was rich with the smell of leather. We walked around the market for quite some time, buying a few gifts and trying to stay away from the really pushy vendors. We walked around some more and had lunch in a cute café with pink tablecloths. We ended up meeting a woman from Ohio while we were eating, and she pointed us in the direction of Galleria dell’Accademia. Grace and I found the gallery and purchased tickets so we could see the Scultore del bello naturale.

The galleria was amazing. It was filled with religious icons and paintings, as well as gorgeous statues. We spent some time looking at a room full of large icons, which were painted with rich gold and red hues. When we turned the corner, our jaws dropped. There he was: the statue of David.

Let me tell you, the boy has some big hands.

The statue itself was massive and intimidating, but the first thing I noticed was the detail in his hands. The carved creases and veins made them seem so realistic, and for some reason they looked disproportionate to the rest of his body. The statue was so impressive. His body looked relaxed (and quite chiseled) while his face seemed tense and possibly a bit disturbed. Granted, he just got done killing a giant.  We couldn’t get over how beautiful the statue was. With the exception of his feet and shoulders looking a bit rough, the rest of the statue was silky smooth, and the lines in the marble seemed to match the contours and veins of his body. It was another one of those casess where pictures and words will never do it justice. During the short period of time that we were there, Grace and I may have formed a huge crush on David. It’s whatever.

After our museum experience, we found a pastry shop and Grace had her first ever cannoli. She even shared it with me. Italy sure knows how to make their pastries. 

After our treat, we headed back to the station so we wouldn’t miss our train. We kept getting excited because we had just spent the day in a city we had never been to and we found our way without complications. Look at us being all grown up and responsible in a foreign country and whatnot! The ride back went smoothly, and we both slept most of the way because we were tired birds. We reached the station in Roma and once again gave ourselves a pat on the back for having such a successful and stress free trip. We spoke too soon…

When we walked out of the station, there was a rally of sorts happening in the streets. The buses weren’t running in that part of town because the streets were blocked off, and we had no idea how to get back to the hotel. Strike two. Grace and I decided to find another bus stop. We walked around for a while, but we couldn’t find a stop that was part of our bus’s route. So we walked in what we thought was the general direction of our hotel.

Two hours later, we were completely and hopelessly lost. Grace asked about 10,000 different people for directions, but her endeavors were fruitless. So we walked some more. I honestly have no idea where we were for those few hours, but all I can say is that we did a good job of not completely freaking out. After lots of uneducated guessing and aimless wandering, we miraculously found a familiar street: Via del Corso. Oh, the joy of finding oneself again! No strike three this time. We happily made our way back and rewarded ourselves with the best gelato we have ever tasted (I know I say that every time, but it just keeps getting better.)

It’s just another chapter in the adventures of Grace and Allie. It was quite the experience, and I have the blisters to prove it. But there is something to be said about getting utterly lost and then finding your way home. I grew a lot today, and I learned how capable I was of pushing past my limits. I wouldn’t change a second of it.

But before I turn this into a novel, (too late?) I think I am going to get some shuteye. Sleep is a good friend that I haven’t spent nearly enough time with lately, and I think she is starting to feel neglected. Goodnight world. You just got a whole lot bigger.

P.S. What started out as a peaceful rally in the streets did not end so peacefully. Grace and I were lucky to get home safe before the destruction started. Here is an interesting link for the story:
http://www.13abc.com/story/15701412/rome-protest-against-corporate-greed-turns-violent

I fell in love again, all things go, all things go

I have found it to be true that I almost always fall in love in the fall. This is a good time to fall in love, in my opinion, because autumn is easily my favorite of all the seasons. Everything about it makes my little heart quite happy: the trees, flannel, fall playlists, tea, anything pumpkin, Halloween, cardigans…you get the point.

I fell in love today. With Rome. I mean, I have loved Rome ever since I stepped foot on its narrow, cobble-stoned streets. But today sealed the deal for sure.

I woke up to gray skies and cool air. And scattered rain. You know how there is that one day where you realize that fall has finally arrived, and it gives you the giddiest feeling in the world, and you feel (even if it’s just for a moment) that everything is right in the world? If you don’t know what I mean, then you’re missing out. If you do know what I mean, well, that is what I felt like today. And it was lovely.

The day started out wonderfully. Grace and I caught up on some sleep, since we got very little (well, Grace got very little) the night before, and last night, we had an epic late night chat with our friends Chelsea and Fran. We took our time getting ready and then we walked to Pascucci with our friend Leo for lunch. Then Leo introduced us to one of the best gelato places in town. (I feel like I say that about every gelato place…)

Instead of having Archaeology today, I had a tour at Villa Giulia, which is a museum filled with Etruscan artifacts and pottery. It is so cool to actually be able to see the things that I am learning about in my classes. I got really excited when I saw a particular sarcophagus that we learned about. I kid you not. Call me a nerd, but it was amazing. These pieces are thousands of years old and they are right in front of my eyes. And my mind is continually blown.

Speaking of awesome old stuff, Grace and I happened to find the Trevi fountain the other day. I must say that pictures don’t do it justice. The fountain is huge! It’s like the opposite reaction that one has after seeing the Mona Lisa (which is super tiny, or so I’ve heard.) We both threw coins in, but I only threw in five cents. And I threw it over my right shoulder instead of my left. Fail. Good thing it is only a fifteen-minute walk from where we are staying.

Speaking of the Mona Lisa, I am going to Paris for Thanksgiving break with my lovely friends Caitlin and Lindsay. I am so stoked.

Speaking of Caitlin and Lindsay, Grace and I are accompanying them to Venice tomorrow. Can you say gondola ride?

Speaking of tomorrow, I have to get up at 5:15 am and it is 1:00 am. So, technically I have to get up today. So I am off to bed. I hope you all have the sweetest of all the dreams.

Speaking of sweetness, Lindsay’s ridiculously sweet boyfriend, Joe, read us the book Goodnight Moon over skype this evening. Precious. And a teensy bit hilarious.

Goodnight, moon.

B-B-B-Benny and the...Angelus?

Oh helloooo! (Exclaimed in Mrs. Doubtfire voice.)

I hope this post finds you well, wherever you are on God’s green earth.

Let’s be like old friends and just pick up where we left off, shall we? Good.

Going to the Vatican was quite the eye-opening experience, in more ways than one. Grace and I got all dolled up in our Sunday best, making sure that our knees and shoulders were fully covered. (Which wasn’t difficult to do at all, considering I wore pants.) Then we set off with the other girls on the twenty-minute walk that it takes to get to Vatican City. When we got there, we had another “Ohmygoshthisisnotreallife” moment. And then we got in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Yes, there was a line. It was similar to the lines you see on Black Friday at 6:00 AM in front of various department stores. We sure have our priorities straight in that there Amurica…

The line moved relatively quickly and we passed easily through security. Yes, security. Like at an airport, except maybe not so strict. I didn’t have to take my shoes off. After security, we were free and clear to head into the basilica.

I have two words for you. Swiss guards.

Just kidding. That’s not all I have to say.

The basilica was massive and beautiful, just as I suspected. But it still managed to blow my mind. There were multiple statues of large proportions that were situated in various alcoves in the walls. There were scenes painted on different parts of the ceiling, and I remember seeing the color gold a lot. We walked in right as the procession started. I have never seen so many priests in one place in my life. There was incense, and I looked through the crowd, hoping to see Jon serving. But he is in Nashville being a scholarly beast. Alas.

The mass was spoken entirely in Latin. I have never been to a Latin mass before, but I have always wanted to experience it, and I finally got to! It was very beautiful, and now I have even more of a thirst to learn Latin. I suppose I should conquer Italian first, though. Our program director told us that there was no guarantee that we would receive communion because of the number of people that attend mass every week, but we did get to receive it, and for that I am quite thankful. After mass, we joined the large crowd of people gathered outside that were waiting to see the pope. I have never been so violated in all my life. Don’t get me wrong, I like to be touched, but this was more of a smother. It was insane. No can of sardines will ever be as packed as that crowd. And once the pope came to his window, people actually tried to move through said crowd to get a better view of him. Grace and I miraculously made it to the edge, where there was the teensiest bit of elbow room. Good old Benny came and perched at his window and prayed the Angelus in Italian and I got a glimpse of his arm. It was nice.

After our crowd experience, Grace and I thought we deserved some gelato. So we stopped at a little shop in Vatican City and got the best gelato we have had so far, minus Assisi. We strolled back to the Tiziano (the hotel where we are staying) in order to get some homework done. Partway through our homework sesh, we decided that a twenty-minute power nap was in order. Three hours later (sorry I’m not sorry) we woke up to continue our homework. Later we ventured out to find some dinner, but most places were closed or had slim pickings so we ended up at the supermarcato and bought bananas, coffee yogurt, crackers, and jam. We took our delicious spread home (err, back to our room) and sat on the floor to enjoy our feast. Somewhere in this time frame we were almost trampled and killed by a horse-drawn carriage, but we managed to escape.

Classes are going wonderfully. I answered a ton of questions in Western Civ the other day and I was so proud of myself. Yay for not being completely ignorant! I am loving archaeology, as usual. My Italian prof has managed to make learning a foreign language fun. Who knew?! And Fr. Mark Attard can talk about the Paschal Mystery like it’s going out of style. I know the story quite well, but he just has a way of speaking that makes it so real and rich. He has many leather bound books. Not really, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he did.

The past few days have been great bonding time with Grace. I mean, ever since we got on the stinkin plane it has been good bonding time, but this week especially. We have had so many good conversations, lots of giggling, a few serious moments, and lots of dance parties. We made travel plans together and finalized them today. We are both starting to catch a cold. It’s like we’re the same person. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that our beds are literally two inches apart…it’s whatever. I would just like to throw a special shout out to her for being a fantastic roommate. I’m not sure there are very many people on earth who could put up with me as well as Grace Coffey can. Haha, coffey can. It’s punny, get it?! (That one’s for you, Maureen.) Grace puts up with my singing in the shower, my random movie quotes and song lyrics, my ridiculous laugh, and my need for hugs. And she is tops at keeping up with my sass. 50 points to Hufflepuff! (We both decided that if she attended Hogwarts, that is the house she would most likely be in.)

Happy Birthday, Joseph Paul Zahm. You are one beautiful man.

Happy Feast Day of St. Francis! He is also one beautiful man.

P.S. Skype can be a wonderful thing. I was able to talk to four of my favorite people so far this week. Wizard. 

And I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing

If you know me even a little bit, you know that I have a ridiculously loud and “unique” laugh. I find it to be obnoxious and slightly abrasive, but I’ve been told that it’s a good one. News flash. I have met my match in the laughing department. His name is Jolly. Fitting name, right?! Jolly is one of the three boys on this trip. He is a big guy, like a teddy bear, with ginger hair and the most wonderful and contagious giggle I have ever heard. I don’t even know how to describe it, but it is so good! And our laughs together are solid gold. The other night, Grace and I sat with the three boys (Jolly, Leo, and Mauro) at dinner. Pretty much anything Jolly says or does makes Grace and I laugh, which makes Jolly giggle, which makes us laugh even harder. So, needless to say, our table was insanely loud with laughter during the entire meal. Moral of the story: Jolly and I shouldn’t sit together at meals because we are laughing so hard we can’t eat. And everyone else at the table can’t eat because they are laughing at our laughs. But it was still a beautiful experience.

On Thursday, Grace and I managed to get lost on the way back from our midday walk. (I know what you’re thinking, and yes, we are like a cute old couple.) This getting lost business would not have been that big of an issue, except I had fifteen minutes before I was expected in class. Instead of stopping and asking for directions, we walked through random streets in what we thought was the general direction of our hotel. After a few minutes of searching, we started getting into slightly sketchy-looking territory. So we decided to ask a nice man in a uniform where the Pantheon was. Grace asked him in Italian, but he answered in English. (We weren’t fooling anybody that day.) We made our way back to the Pantheon, and from there I got to class with a few minutes to spare. Go team!

That evening, Grace and I did our nightly workout together. We ended our workout sesh with a little interpretive dance to Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” Don’t you dare judge us. While we were dancing mid-song, we heard a knock on the door. Our neighbors, Chelsea and Bethany, had heard the music and came to join us. And let me just say that we had quite the finale.

Friday classes were amazing! I always look forward to Archaeology, and I am never disappointed. We learned tons of interesting things about the Etruscans, and it sounded even better with my prof’s British accent. She relates ancient history to our lives in a way that I never thought possible, and she is darn good at it. I actually get excited while learning about 9^th century BC urns and the different kinds of columns that exist in Roman architecture.

Grace, Caitlin, and I decided to have pizza and beer for dinner on Friday night. So, we went to a little restaurant across the street, bought our food and drink, and went back to our room to have our first Italian beer. Turns out that the beer was in fact from Denmark. It also turns out that I was the only one who liked it. Grace and Caitlin thought it was disgusting, so we had to make a run to the supermarket to pick up some fruity alcoholic beverage for them to share. Amateurs. (Just kidding.) Jenni ended up coming over and we chilled out in our room and had a great conversation. We disbanded around midnight, and then Grace and I talked and giggled until the wee hours of the morning. I love having friends that don’t have to get wasted to have a good time.

We had an all-day class tour today. We went to the Forum in the morning and saw the seven hills upon which Rome was founded. The ruins are quite beautiful, and it is interesting to see how much Rome has expanded since the beginning. We learned about Augustus, Nero, and the house of vestal virgins. In the afternoon, we made our way to the Colosseum. I still can’t believe that I actually got to see these incredibly old places and walked where the ancient Romans walked. It’s kind of exciting in a way. I learned so much today. We didn’t just look at how they did things, but we also thought about why. Why did they do it this way? What made them choose this instead of this? Etc.

We dug deeper than just the factual points of history. We measured history against ourselves in order to connect with it and understand it more fully. And boy, was it great.

I did my first load of laundry in the bathtub tonight. I’m a fairly decent washing machine! The trick is finding space to let everything hang so it can dry…

Tomorrow we are going to St. Peter’s basilica at the Vatican for mass. I am so stoked. I love me some Jesus! 

our hearts are beating and our feet they got a long, long way to go

Ok, I promised you more about Rome, so let’s start from the beginning.

Upon our arrival, Grace and I lugged our ridiculously heavy suitcases up four flights of stairs to our room instead of using the elevator. We were separating the boys from the men, as my papa would say. Or maybe we were just too impatient to wait for the elevator. Either way, we made it and finally got settled in. We are staying in a lovely room with a bathtub! I am so stoked for bath time. Our bathroom also has a queer looking contraption called a bidet, which I am not as stoked about.

After we unpacked our lives and put everything in its proper place, we were shown the SMC Library, our classroom building, and Pascucci’s, which are all conveniently located on the same street. We then walked further down the street and bam, there was the Pantheon. Right in our backyard. After our tour, some of the girls and I went to the creatively named Super Pizza and bought a delicious slice of REAL Italian pizza. We sat by a fountain in front of the Pantheon and ate while live music was being played nearby. Afterwards, Grace and I walked back to the room and had some good bonding time. We are quite the pair. The other day someone told us that we win the cutest couple award. Fact.

Grace and I have had good and bad experiences with the Romans. The other day while we were searching for school supplies, a lady stopped us on the street and asked us for directions in Italian. Even though we were no help whatsoever, we still felt special because someone actually thought we were Italian! Ten points to Gryffindor for not looking like dumb tourists. But later that evening, we were walking down the street with Sophia and Kaitlyn, (who both happen to be tall blondes with blue eyes and the same sassy personality) and two Italian men said some inappropriate things to us in English. So much for looking authentic.

I do get a chance to practice my Italian whenever I visit Pascucci’s, which is a restaurant and bar that we have a meal plan at. There is a cute boy that works behind the counter named Salvatore. He is always happy to see us and converse with us in Italian. He also makes a mean frulatti.

Ok, let’s talk about the reason I am here: school. I have now had the pleasure of experiencing each of my classes. As previously stated, I love love love my Archaeology prof. I can’t not pay attention in her class. She is intelligent and sassy and just has a way about her that demands your attention whenever she walks into the room. The workload for the class will be heavy, but totally worth it. My Western Civ. prof is an older gentleman who wears sweater vests with a polo that sticks out at least a good six inches at the bottom. He is slightly deaf and very Italian. He knows his stuff, and everything about him says “history.” I think he will be a great professor. My Italian professor is a petite woman with super short, super curly hair. She will only speak to us in Italian for the entire two hour class. This is intimidating, but she is very sweet and she uses a lot of hand gestures and has a wonderful smile. My Theology professor is a little Irish priest with ear hair and the amazing ability to remember people’s names. He is quite adorable and wicked smart. I am really pumped to be further studying theology here in Rome.

Tonight after dinner, Grace, Sophia, and I walked to the Piazza Navona in order to explore another part of the city. The piazza has a beautiful fountain in the center and there were tons of art vendors selling paintings while different street musicians were playing their instruments. We checked out the window displays of a few shops on our walk back to the piazza of Minerva. We decided to check out the inside of the Pantheon, which is in fact a church. A few Roman kings’ coffins are located inside, as well as the famous painter Raphael.  There are so many cool dead people in Italy! Who knew?!

Grace and I also had an impromptu dance party in our room when we got back.

Tomorrow, I don’t have class until 2:20, so we have the whole morning to explore. Oh, the possibilities.

God is good. I am the luckiest of all the allie birds. And at this moment, I am the sleepiest of all the birds as well.  

The wineskin and my eyes are dry,

though the spirit and the truth abide,

when you stir throughout the wakeless night,

stir and sigh.

buonanotte. 

Pace e bene

Salve, amici! Greetings from Roma. Grace and I made it safely to Rome on Wednesday and then immediately departed by bus for orientation in Assisi. And let me tell you, Assisi is the bee’s knees. It is a tiny city that is built on a gargantuan hill. After spending five days there, I must say that my calf muscles are looking fine. The city is extremely religious, and it has every right to be, being the birthplace of dear Brother Francis and all.

When we arrived, we began the trip by climbing up the intimidating hill to reach our hotel. Kaitlyn and I were put in a simple room with an amazing view that was on the top floor of the building. I looked down at the city, and all I could say was, “This is not real life!” over and over. Everything about Assisi was appealing to me: the tiny streets, the giant pigeons, the churches, the many gelato shops, and the bearded faces that were everywhere.

During my stay in Assisi, I was able to see The Basilica of St. Francis, which is filled with beautifully painted frescos that depict events in Francis’s life. Francis’s tomb is located in the lower part of the basilica. I also visited SanChiara, the church of St. Clare. I saw her incorrupt body in the crypt of the building. My favorite building in Assisi was the church of SanDamiano. SanDamiano deserves a teensy bit of a background story. Ok, so one day, Francis was praying. (Crazy, right?) He had a vision in which the Lord told him to go rebuild His church. So, what does Francis do? He literally goes and rebuilds the church of SanDamiano, only to realize afterwards that God meant His church made up of people. So then Francis wastes no time in being awesome and going off to love people and proclaim the gospel. The story behind the church and its connection to Francis made it even more significant to me, not to mention, the view on the way down the hill to the church was absolutely amazing. I will never forget the peace I felt while I was there. If you are not familiar with the story of St. Francis, I highly encourage you to do check it out. He was one fantastic dude.

I experienced my first gelato in Assisi; it was everything I dreamed of and more. If you have not yet had the taste of gelato in Italy on a warm fall day, you have not lived. I’m just saying…

My absolute favorite Assisi memory occurred on the second to last day that we were there. I was having sort of a rough day; I was really tired, a bit overwhelmed, and already starting to get a bit sad that we had to leave Assisi so soon. It was the middle of the afternoon, and I was about to fall asleep in Grace’s room. The sound of multiple drums floated through the window. Grace and I reluctantly got up and went outside to see what the noise was, and I am so glad we did. We walked down the street, and low and behold, a group of men and women dressed in all red were playing drums and dancing to the beat. They were so happy, and the joy was contagious. Everyone in the shops and on the street stopped what they were doing to listen and watch as the band made their way towards the main piazza. We followed them up the hill, and we could not stop smiling. It has been a very very long time since I have seen one person (let alone twenty) seem so joyful about what they were doing. We hung around until they stopped playing. As we were walking back down the hill, another band made its way up the street. This time, it was all men and they were playing saxophones and trombones and trumpets and drums. (One guy even pulled out a guitar and mini amp at one point.) And they were just as joyful, if not more so, than the band before. They danced around while they played, and Grace and I couldn’t stop laughing. We followed the crowd back up the hill to the piazza. They played for quite some time before the drummers showed up again. Then the two bands had an impromptu concert together, and it was amazing. It blew my mind how they could sound so good together without knowing what exactly the other group was playing. It was a perfect end to the day.

On Sunday afternoon we made our way back to Rome via bus. Rome is the exact opposite of Assisi. It is huge, busy, not as hilly, and is a bit more accepting of ignorant tourists. The pantheon is literally a three minute walk (if that) from where we are staying. I went to it last night and had my mind blown. Twice. I get to room with Grace Coffey all semester, which is awesome, because she is the sweetest and most wonderful of all the roommates. We started classes today, and I already have a huge girl crush on my Archeology professor. She is so passionate about what she does, and she makes my desire to learn even greater. She also has a sweet British Italian accent. There is so much more swirling around in my mind that I want to share, but not right now, Todd, I’m so tired…

A more detailed account of my adventures can be expected soon. Until then, you stay classy, San Diego! 

Darling I'm tired, and I should be leaving.

The suitcase laying by the door and my dad's frequent "I miss you already" comments have finally gotten through. I am leaving for Rome. Tomorrow. This reality hits me in waves, and it is followed by simultaneous feelings of excitement and borderline panic. I get nervous about the plethora of things that could possibly go wrong, but then I am overcome with joy at the thought of all the history and beauty that I will encounter, as well as the promise of growth. My head is swimming with advice given to my by the ones who care about me most: Use the buddy system! Don't smile at the Italian boys. In fact, don't even look them in the eye. Drink lots of espresso and eat lots of dark chocolate gelato. Discover a nook of the city that has yet to be explored. Travel. Hang out with the pope. The list goes on. So, with a head full of doubt and a road full of promise, I set out for the Eternal City. In the words of Andrew Largeman: "Good luck exploring the infinite abyss."