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."