Heyyyy there :)

Just a little note to let everyone know I am doing well and that I love you all!!!

Quite a few busy past weeks, and I am sure it will be the same for weeks to come. (One must get the most out of their last month in the beautiful city of Rome :)

In my thoughts in my prayers.

'I remind you of WHO?'

Greetings all, from the land where I strange encounters do, in fact, occur often. No, it does not stop at clowns.

Last Saturday night, two of my friends Rebeca, from Chicago, and Iliana, from Romania, and I were sitting around after dinner, thinking of something to do. One of the women who cleans the house for us, serves us our food, etc. came in to have a bite of dinner. I love to talk to her because she has such a kind, cheery disposition. So we begin talking about different fruit, tropical fruits mostly (You all know my love for fruit...) that come from our native countries (She is from Madagacar.) and then all of sudden she says to me, 'Hey! What's the name of Bill Clinton's ex-girlfriend??'

O.k., folks. Now, I know that sometimes I can really misunderstand what Italians have to say because they are either speaking in slang or wayyy to fast. BUT most of the time I understand everything perfectly. However, I really thought I had heard really incorrectly, like REALLY incorrectly, so I say, 'What?' and she repeats herself. 'You know, Bill Clinton's ex-girlfriend.'

At which point I realize I had in fact understood correctly and was like, 'Yea.' (What else can you say?) and she says to me, 'What's her name?'...'Uhhh...Monica Lewinsky...?', I say. And THEN she says 'YES! HER! You are exactly alike!!! No one has ever told you you are exactly alike??? Surely no one has ever told you you are alike as to not insult you, but you are EXACTLY alike!'

Of course I was really confused, but Rebeca, such a wonderful person and really strong Catholic, bless her soul, was completely appalled. ' Rocio doesn't resemble Monica Lewinsky at all!!!' And they both went on their 'Yes she does!' 'No she doesn't...' rant for quite a while.

And there you have it. Broken bed. Broken chair. Loss of keys. Use of a washing machine that I could have had to pay a lot of money for. Clowns. Monica Lewinsky. (haha)

Rome, anyone? :)

I love you all. Please pray that in the future I remind NO ONE of Monica Lewinsky. You are all in my prayers.

DON'T send in the the clowns...!

Last Sunday evening, after one of my friends returned from home from a day outing, we decided we would take a little stroll before curfew, which is at 10:30 p.m.

We took two Aranciata’s which had been bought for us from a friend, sat by the Pantheon for a bit to listen to a tenor who sings ‘everyone’s favorite opera selections’, every Sunday evening, as long as there is no rain, which might ruin his accompaniment: a boom-box (Two things: a. I love that the Italians are so not on the page technology wise as we are in the United States. This allows me to see people who still use boom-boxes, and even better, stores which still SELL boom-boxes. b. This tenor is actually really very good!! So it’s getting a really good concert for free ☺ ) Afterwards, we decided we would walk to the Trevi Fountain because it’s really beautiful at night.

Well, on our way to the Trevi Fountain, we passed a restaurant with outside seating. And because our luck is such, their entertainment couldn’t be something normal to Rome, like someone pretending to be a sphinx, a mime, or a guy who sings country western on guitar (Yes. There is a man who stands in front of ‘Basilica Maria sopra Minerva’ practically everyday and sings country. Don’t worry...Not in Italian.) Nope. Their dinner entertainment was a CLOWN. A clown. Not just any clown. Oh no! Not like the decent kind you would see at a child’s party. It was a very CREEPY clown, a man dressed in crazy clothes and make-up, who thought it was really funny to talk to all the people who were walking and play tricks on them. (‘Slowly I turn…Step by STEP!’ …I Love Lucy, anyone?) Immediately I think to myself, ‘Oh no.’ and I say to Adriana, ‘There is a clown.’ And I suggest we past by him as quickly as possible, the whole time thinking, ‘This clown is up to no good.’

Now, I know it sounds as if I am being exaggerated, afterall he was just a clown…Right? WRONG! My suspicions were quickly proven to be true. No sooner did we begin to pass him, than he decided to be finished his previous joke and yell, ‘Oh là là!’, which of course everyone who was eating outside thought was so funny! Me: Not so much. So in my mind I think, ‘I should just walk faster.’ And we do. But as usual I underestimated this clown and his desire to speak to me and my friend. As we were walking away, he GRABBED my leg! Which made me let out this giant scream!

O.k…Many people can say they have come to Italy and been accosted, especially women…o.k. MOSTLY women, by restaurant owners, taxi drivers, Carabinieri, or just any Italian male in general, but a CLOWN? No, folks. That only happens to me.

Why, HELLO there!

Wow! It’s been a while! ☺ Sending you so much love from Rome! (…And be-lated ‘Big Teresa’ Day blessings!)

All is quite a o.k. here on my part. In fact, if I haven’t been writing too much, it’s been mostly because I have been dedicating myself quite a bit to quiet. Discovering new, little places of Rome, that are in fact reminiscent of home. (It makes me so happy to know that there IS green here!)

BUT, there are many more updates to come, (I promise…)

I love you all. And as always, though I don’t have to tell you because I know that you know, you are all in my prayers. ☺ I leave you all a thought from St. John of the Cross…

“Don’t put your happiness and your delight in that which you can undersatnd or feel of God in prayer, but rahter in that which you can not understand, nor feel…God is always hidden in secret, difficult to find. Continue to serve Him, even if He is hidden in that secret, despite that you try to find Him, try to feel Him, try to understand Him. The less you understand, the closer you will be to Him.’

'Our Father who...who...who...?'

Hey there! (How is it possible for a city to be so sunny and also so cold???) I’m sure it is starting to be a lot colder back home, as I have quickly realized it gets really cold pretty quickly here as well…

Living here is such a mix because you have people coming and going from all different parts of the world (I’ve had to realize just how turistic Rome truly is.), because of which, I am able to speak English, Spanish, and Italian, and also listen to and understand French. My brain has never really functioned on three + languages before, so intensely! It is really common for you to engage in conversation with someone in English, two seconds later in Spanish, and then it always happens that someone who only speaks Italian is waiting for you to translate all that you have said in English and Spanish to them. It’s rather exhausting, but truthfully keeps your mind in check. Only, it has its downfalls for sure…

Because this month is the month of the rosary, the sisters and some of the girls living in the house get together at 9:15 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday to say the rosary. All the different nationalities together, the sisters have decided it is a good idea to take the rosary around the world, that is to say, recite it in different languages. Last night was the night we were to recite the rosary in Spanish, and Suor Palaga, the Superior, kindly asked me if I would lead. Well, never assume things will come back to you that automatically when your brain is calculating three + languages. I begin to recite the ‘Our Father’ in Spanish, something that I recite back at home EVERY day, and then I realize, ‘My gosh…I think I forgot how to say this!’ I only remembered how to say it in Italian and English! So everytime we began a mystery, every time, I said half of it in Italian, or every time I made something up. Needless to say the next time I won’t be so trustworthy as to think my brain can do such a mix of things. Next time, I will take my Spanish book of prayers with me to the chapel.

As for all the rest, I am doing quite well. I love you all and God bless you

La Bibbia: Giorno e Notte

As I am sure most of you have heard, this week has been declared by Pope Benedict XVI 'Bible Day and Night', a project (for lack of MUCH better words) where all different types of peoples, all spectrum of the work force, of different religions, different races, get together at the church 'Santa Croce di Gerusalemme', and for 139 hours NON-stop read the bible, beginning with Genesis, ending with Revelations. What's the coolest thing about this? It is broadcast live on Italy's main public television station, RAI-Uno. Even cooler? I got to go last night.

A bunch of girls from 'Casa Famiglia' and I, along with three quite spectacular sisters (If I do say so myself...) headed out at 23:00 (11:00p.m.) to visit Santa Croce and partake in this incredible event. I don't know what I had in mind when thinking about this project, truthfully no idea what it would be like, but when I got there, it just made so much sense to me! There was a short line to get into the Basilica, as there are people coming in and out of the church (So much youth...What a beautiful thing to see), and so we had our chance to go in and sit, listen. By the time we got there, they had already gotten to the book of Wisdom (Can you imagine? They only started on Sunday!) You could see people with their bibles, listening and taking in as much information as they could, and it was surely possible to take in quite a bit in an environment made to be quiet and contemplative. To be able to share that with all the other girls was really quite wonderful, even more wonderful to see all the different people partaking in the reading of the scriptures, together.

On our way home, I got to talking with one of the sisters, a gem, and a good friend I have made here in Rome named Claudia, who studies Theology and Philosophy at the Gregorian (A pontifical University here in Rome) about how incredible this event really is. It's purpose is not to meditate on every single thing read (That's impossible, considering the time constraints, especially that we can never pretend to fully know EVERYTHING about the word of God even when we have more time. ) but more than anything, it opens the hearts of the people who went to witness this event, those who pass by and see all that is happening on jumbo-trons, and the people at home watching RAI-Uno, to be much more open to living, witnessing, and loving God's word, especially as Catholics. What a spectacular thing! And in the words of that wonderful gem of a sister, 'At some point we have to realize that God inspired and wrote for us this incredible book. If it can be read from start to finish in one week, something I can't do because it exceeds my human limits, can't I do the same in a year, at least?'

Between the unity it brings, the desire to love and understand God at a much more profound level, and even if it just opens a door of curiosity, WHAT a miracle.

Much much love and infinite blessings.

Back from Firenze...

And so, I am officially back from my trip to Florence, where I was able to see some of the world’s most increible works of art. Boticelli, Lippi, Giotto. They were all in Florence for me to see. I travelled 3 km up (and I mean UP) a mountain to visit the tiny town of Loppiano, the first of Chiara Lubich’s ‘Focoloare’ Mariaopolii. Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce, Il Duomo. All of these incredible things were there or near for my eyes to witness.

And so, on my way back to Rome, I sat there and I thought heavily about all that I have been blessed to see here in Italy. In less than two months, I have seen things I have longed to see my whole life. Things I was sure I would ‘just absolutely die’ after seeing. Seeing Cecilia Bartoli, especially. And then, as always, I surprise myself. I have to say, for the record, how hard it is for me to admit to this, because it will sound like ‘sacrilege’. Equally so, what I am about to say doesn’t mean I feel any less blessed by the beautiful events I have been able to live through. As a matter of fact, I feel as though they have been, and will continue to be turning points in my life, from which I continue to learn.

For a long time, a great big piece of my life, I had prepared for all the beautiful things I would one day see. All the countries, all the paintings and sculptures. I had prepared and thought about over and over again how I would feel when I finally had the chance to see Cecilia Bartoli. I had fawned over being able to see art such as Lippi’s in a way I can’t even begin to describe. To be cultured and finally have a ‘real’ sense of the meaning of life, because in my mind, once I saw all of these things, that were my everything, what else would matter? And then none of that happened. I went, I saw, and while there was so much beauty to see, all inspired by God, the difference was this: These things are no longer MY God.

It’s such a difficult feeling to describe. I don’t want to make it sound like any of it made sense to me at the time. In fact, I can recall sitting there watching Cecilia sing and thinking to myself, ‘Why am I not more excited? I have been waiting for this moment for so long!’ or seeing Lippi’s art and thinking, ‘Why is this painting not speaking to me???’. All of these feelings, in a way relieving, but in a way causing a great deal of artistic/emotional distress. ‘What’s wrong with me I am an artist!! I am supposed to love this so much more than I am loving it right now!’ And then I figured it out on that long train ride back home and all the time in between I had to think, to pray. ‘No. You are supposed to APPRECIATE art, not allow it to take over your life.’

And so it seems that this is one of the main things I have been given in Rome. The grace to begin to understand the place of different things in my life, and the patience to know that all the time I spent obsessing over music was not in vain, because it is from there that I have been able to slowly learn how to really appreciate God. That if you truly open your heart to God’s greatness, all other things seem so small in comparison. So so small, that you begin to be afraid and think, ‘What’s wrong with me?’. The answer is of course nothing. You are just beginning to really love what matters.

Much much love. Always in my prayers.

Firenze

Before anything, sorry for the lack of writing lately, guys! (I have been rather busy attending a mission this week called 'Gesu nel Centro', a SPECTACULAR evangelization mission, sponsored by the Diocese of Rome, by the youth, for the youth. It has been such a blessing to see so many young people take a part in this mission, which clearly brings so many back to the church every year. Perhaps this is a potential mission for the United States as well...?)

Tomorrow, I leave for Florence with two of my friends from 'Casa Famiglia' (the house where I live with the Benedictine Sisters) Maria José, from Mexico, and Elisabeth, from Belgium. This is our mini trip and our chance to see Florence, which is apparently very picturesque in the its changing of seasons. But of course, all has to have a reason in my book :)...SO, I will take the time to visit two orders while I am there. I will visit the Monastic Fraternity of Jerusalem (Fraternita Monastiche di Gerusalemme) in Florence and also Loppiano, the first citadella of the Focolare movement. Two VERY different orders, but with characteristics and charisms that I feel are very close to my heart. Methinks I will have a lot to say when I return.

Because I will be away for a few days, you will be hearing from me next this upcoming Monday. You are all in my prayers and I LOVE you all

In advance, happy feast day of our beloved Saint Therese.

On her death bed : 'I am not dying...I am merely entering into life.' -St. Therese of Lisieux

Rataplan!

What an incredible night!

This is one of my many pictures I took (quite liberally, might I add) of Cecilia Bartoli as she sang last night at the National Academy of Saint Cecilia in Rome.

What I find most incredible about her, even more so than her voice, her apparent love, and affection, for her audience. It was such a blessing to be able to see someone who wanted to SHARE her music.

And then to top it off, a night spent afterwards at adoration.

Last night was toppled with so much joy, that words can not describe the feelings. God is truly marvelous...

In my prayers.

Tonight: 'The Cheech', my friends

And so, tonight, I am off to visit with Cecilia Bartoli, as she does a concert at 'La Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia' the 'Cecilia Bartoli Auditorium' (Go figure the irony...). Tonights concert features all of the music from her most recent album 'Maria' which is a tribute to the 'first female opera star', Maria Malibran.

It should be pretty awesome.

Expect many pictures as I have the please of sitting orchestra, ninth row.

Love you and praying for you all.

Assisi!

One of the most incredible, holy, pacific, peace-filled places in the world...I can't wait to go back!

This is a picture of my friends and I in front of St. Claire's Basilica.
(From left to right: Anna, Carrie, Elisabetta, Carina, Adriana, and I)

What did you do now?

You know, thank goodness I have lots of personality because if not…who KNOWS what the Sisters would think of me. Saturday marked a month of my being here with the Benedictine Sisters, and if all the things I have managed to do in a month haven’t made them think I am crazy, than I figure I am in good shape. ☺

First, for all of you to understand the intensity of why they might think I am little abnormal, I will go down a checklist of things that have happened:

1. My first few nights here, I sat down on the bed, and ‘BOOM!’, it fell to the ground. Now, you can just imagine that one can’t you? And of course, the next morning when it was my job to tell the sisters, ‘Excuse me, but my bed broke.’ and then of course one of them coming to see and asking me with a very puzzled look, ‘What did you do???’ Truthfully, nothing! After observing the bed, I realized that it had been fixed more than one time.
2. I was sitting in the dining room, and went to sit back in my chair a little bit, and again, no surprise, I broke the back of the chair. How does one break the back of a chair, you ask? This one, I wish I could answer, and simply, I can not.
3. Last Sunday, I ‘lost’ my keys. Because I didn’t realize I had left them in my friend’s room, I was sure that I had locked them in my new closet. So, very reluctantly, but realizing there was no way around it, I go up to the front desk to ask one of the sisters at 8:30 a.m. for help. What’s the first thing she asks? ‘Well Rocio, what have you done now so early in the morning?’ She, telling me they lost the replacement key for the closet, manages a way to get the closet open a little bit ONLY to realize that the keys are NOT in the closet. Incredible. Again, they were in my friends room.
4. This morning, because I have been sick and because I usually cover myself with water when I wash clothes by hand, I decided I would use the washing machine. This is something I usually refrain from because each load is 3.50 euro. BUT I didn’t want to risk getting sick again, and because I hadn’t washed things in a while, the piles of clothes had really accumulated (towels, p.j.’s, etc.) SO, I walked upstairs to where there are two washing machines. One of the washing machines was occupied, so I decided I would use the other ones. All was going peachy until one of the sisters began to yell at me. ‘Why?’, you ask? Well because I was, as expected, using the sister’s PRIVATE washing machine which needs a lot of clothing in it or it will break due to its industrial size. I explained to them that the day I arrived and was shown everything I was really overwhelmed and perhaps didn’t understand correctly…Well, DEFINITELY didn’t understand correctly.

And I am sure I can add lots of other things to list, but ‘PHEW!’, so many times of having to explain myself. Trying to tell them I am a highly sensitive person, absent-minded type seven, ENTP, who gets overwhelmed when someone mentions the word ‘caffeine’. All just so in ends they look at me and think, ‘Child, where did you come from?’ And by the same token, I know they love me.

If there is one thing I find incredible about certain people is how, besides your absent mind, your inability to care about things of this world, your idea that ‘Everything that’s mine is yours and everything that’s yours is mine!’, they can still care about you enough to know that underneath all of those things, there are parts of you that are golden, and therefore mean so much more than any kind of ‘mistake’ you may commit, merely because, you can’t understand being any way else. (*How do you fix a problem like, Rocio…*) Likewise, while it is hard for me to accept failing, being disliked for even one second, having a ‘bad reputation’: These Sisters have a house to run!!!

And so, thanking God that at least He doesn’t take my clearly unworldly actions into consideration (Or, at least, I sure hope not!), I realize that I am in ways different from people, in ways not. But, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t say that I would want to give up anything about myself, especially now, to try and triumph in other things, for at that point, I would risk letting go of all the blessings I HAVE been given. And likewise, no one else should change their own personal blessings, because it is in the differences that we can learn to be Christians and appreciate each other, working as a unit.

I leave with a passage from a book I have been reading that has so served for my own personal reflections, in hopes that perhaps it may do the same for you:

‘Accept that even at your best time, as a human being, you instinctively tend
towards sin. With a clear light, realize that the bottom of your heart is ego-centric,
selfish, jealous, aggressive, avid, and that the devil, who accosts your brothers and
sisters and works in the darkness, works heavily through these things in order to
devour you.
To open yourself to love, you must continuously get tired of the power of
non-love. Without this newfound humility and conversion, you will never be able
to truly love.
How much more you learn to love your brothers and sisters, is how much more
you will learn to love and accept yourself.
If things are unified, they will be unifying; if calm; calming. Love yourself with
humility and pride, with the love that which God Himself loves you. In turn, with
this as your foundation, love your brothers and sisters as you love and accept
yourself. ‘

‘Monaci Nelle Città: Libro di Vita’ – Fraternità Monastiche di Gerusalemme

And as always, you are in my prayers. I love you all.

Whassup ma ciccia (chee-cha)????

In Roman slang, CICCIA (chee-cha), which I know, is a rather not nice word in the Spanish language, means 'sista'. You can imagine how that was for me the first time I heard THAT word. MUCH more exciting than 'Boh...'.

I have been a little under the weather with the climate change (really pretty drastic... hot one day, really cool the next...) with a cold, but don't you worry, I have about four friends all in line to take care of me. Really incredible how maternal Italian women are! Sylvia, my old roommate (I had to switch rooms because her permanent roommate is coming back on Sunday ... We were both really sad! ) has been taking such good care of me...

'Rocio, cos' hai mangiato oggi?' (What did you eat today?) ... me- 'Ho mangiato un po' di cereale.' (I had some cereal.) ... 'Ma tu sei matta! Tu devi mangiare!!!' (You're nuts! You need to eat more!) ... me- ' Però ho mangiato...' (But I did eat)... ' Ma dai Rocio?!... Tu devi mangiare...' (REALLY, Rocio? ... You should eat...)

And this has been the way it has gone for two days, making me eat, giving me medication, making me wear a sweater, yelling at me because I am next to a window, telling me that I need to stay under my quilt the WHOLE day, etc. etc. Really interesting things. (P.S. Can I just tell you that the medication here is completely different? Maybe different in the sense that it wouldn't be FDA approved in the United States? Seriously, in the US we use saline nose drops. HERE, they use these 'protein drops', which don't get me wrong, work REALLY really well, but they are like black ink... Kid you not. ) AND due to all of this love I am feeling much better. :)

I hope I am feeling even better by tomorrow morning because we are taking a day trip to ASSISI! I am sooooo incredibly excited to go and see the home of one of the most inspirational saints of all time, St. Francis. If I do get to go, I will have so much to tell you.

SO until my later my dears. Please remember that I keep you always, always in my prayers and in my constant thoughts.

And to close:

Signore, fa' di me uno strumento della tua pace.

Dove c'è l'odio, io porti amore.
Dove c'è discordia, io porti l'unione.
Dove c'è errore, io porti la verità.
Dove c'è dubbio, io porti la fede.
Dove c'è disperazione, io porti la speranza.

O Divino Maestro,
che io non cerchi tanto di essere consolato quanto di consolare.
Non di essere compreso quanto di comprendere.
Non di essere amato quanto di amare.

Infatti: donando si riceve.
Dimenticandosi si trova comprensione.
Perdonando si è perdonati.
Morendo si riuscita alla vera VITA.

'Rosie, I think the Pope almost ran us over.'

Guess who went to a Papal audience this morning???? ME!

It just so happens that yesterday while Miriam, Carrie, and I were at the Vatican, we conveniently remembered that they were in the hours of giving out tickets for the Papal audience the next morning. Soooooo awesome :)

And then, conveniently on the way back, Carrie and I were talking, not paying attention, when we walked into the street, precisely at the moment three black cars were passing by. We had to get off the road, just in time to see little man in the back with white hair and long white clerics. :) Yes, folks. Only I would come to Rome only to almost get run over by the Papa.

Don't worry. He extended his Papal Blessing to all of my friends and family not present. I promise :)

If I had to leave tomorrow...

…I would leave o.k., understanding why it is I had to come here.

It’s hard to explain changes, especially those that seem so small. They shouldn’t make any difference, and yet the incredible thing is that they do. And even more so, they were that which you have been wanting find, wanting to experience for so long.

How could I explain my life here in Rome? To say that all the beautiful things that have happened and will happen just MAGICALLY appeared… eh, that’s really not the case. It could seem like I have been given many encounters from which I should take and learn a thing or two, and that is all. There is nothing else I need to do. That at the end of this experience, no matter what happens, ‘it will be a good experience in which I will have become a better person.’ The truth is, I don’t think it happens to be that easy for me. This trip is not based on my coming here to sing, to enjoy life, to eat gelato (while those things are all part of the process). There is so much more than that.

I like to use this analogy: I’ve been given a set of many little keys and have been shown a giant mansion, plantation. I have been told to go and test the doors, and try to open them because behind each one of those doors, something really revelatory, important, significant awaits for me. So I go and I try to open all of these doors with conviction. When I get nervous and impatient, I lose my track of thought and can’t remember which keys I already used. When I go through the process of trying all the keys, I waste time. It’s not until I take the time to slow down and, keyword, trust that I remember the most important thing: the keys are in my hands, and it doesn’t matter if it takes a lifetime, but I will eventually be able to open those doors, because I have faith that I have been given all the right keys. This is not just a time where ‘I am learning a little more about myself.’ No. I am doing something much more important. I am learning how to love and trust God.

As Carrie Lawless would explain it, ‘You know that feeling you get when just open yourself to God and all you can do is fall on your knees and cry because you truly don’t know what else to do?’ No. I didn’t know that before here. Maybe I experienced it a little bit, but I didn’t know what that was like to truly begin to give my entire self to something I can’t see and that sometimes, I can’t hear, because I didn’t trust enough, but mostly because I was so afraid of the pain it would bring. (Imagine constructing this entire temple, and then realizing you need to knock it down and build it again, knowing that your only consolation is that you have gained experience in how to build. It’s not easy, folks.) At the same time I thought I had reached some kind of optimum relationship with God. ‘Everything’s great ! I don’t need to do ANYTHING else!’ I had never let my guard down enough to have something that profound in my life. Never. Then I am given the chance to come here and meet amazing people, learn different things, and that begins to change for me, because I all of a sudden feel up to the challenge of being less afraid and understanding what true love really is. Then I read a line in Chiara Amirante’s book where she says, ‘The great saints felt spiritual aridity because they were going through purification of the soul. Most of us think we have that same problem, when in reality, most of the time, the truth is, we’re just not searching for Jesus.’ Wow. I can’t recall how many times I have sat back and thought. ‘Oh. I don’t feel like praying at the moment, and God would appreciate it if I prayed later. I will just do everything…later.’ So many times that ‘later’ never came, and I found myself to afraid to keep moving forward that I just made myself comfortable where I was and stopped asking questions. I have been able to witness so many incredible, real examples here and I realize, ‘No, Rosie. Not putting yourself into the relationship and thinking you will find God is not o.k., no matter what kind of excuses you are making for yourself.’ (The fruit of prayer is a clean heart which is free to love….) And so I began to be truly be truly honest, and my heart is on its way to a much better place.

I’ve thought that this has everything to do with coming here and feeling a ‘spiritual high’ because I was in Rome. Nope. This is me trying to let go of fear and continuously search my heart and soul, giving myself the chance to go deeper than the surface. Nothing seemingly ‘big’ has changed about me, except for my allowance of growth, which is everything. It has not been easy, and I won’t pretend it will ever be, but it is rewarding, because in learning to establish a real relationship with God and letting myself decrease, I stop worrying, ‘If God has given me a vocation to be a consecrated religious, WHO WILL SAVE THE WORLD?!?’ (Cynical, I know. But truthfully something I have thought of often.) No. First, I have to learn how to be His daughter. That’s all He wants.

I love you all. In my prayers, always.

Be a pencil in the hand of God, which has done nothing except be allowed to be used. – M. Teresa

Luck be a Rosie all day :)

Hey there everyone :) Greetings from a very sunny, cool Rome, listening to some Frank Sinatra. 

It's a quiet afternoon here, after a very long, but joyous, weekend. Tonight, I am going to go do some singing, thus I will have quite a bit to tell you all tomorrow! 

Until tomorrow, I love you all. :) 

Notte Bianca!

‘Notte Bianca’ = White Night

Rome has a specific day, more so a specific evening, called ‘Notte Bianca’ sponsored by the Roman Comune, which by what I can gather, is more or less a bazaar-type-deal of free entrances to museums and concerts, free food, horse racing (?... I know. I felt the same way when I heard.), etc. Every year people look forward to spending all night outside, visiting places and having a good time. This year, due to lack of funds, White Night was either postponed or just not offering much (We couldn’t figure out which it was.) But, of course, one must still celebrate, right? … even if no one else does!

Yesterday, a few other girls (Maria José and Adrianna, both from Mexico, Illiana from Romania, and Carrie) and I spent the day basically crusing the city. In the morning, visiting ‘Castel S. Angelo’(Yea St. Michael!!!) and in the afternoon visiting the Roman Forum. Two of the girls had prepared mini-tours to give us about each site. The one at ‘Castel S. Angelo’ went quite smoothly, as I am sure would have been the case for our mini tour of the Roman Forum (…if we could have figured out how to actually get IN to the Roman Forum…) More or less, we had the oppurtunity to take pictures with LOTS of monuments, ask others to take group pictures of us, which sometimes didn’t turn out so well... Us:‘Sir, could you take this picture?’ Sir:‘No.’ Us:’O.k..’What of course ended up being so awesome is the fact that later that night all of us, senza Illiana, went Salsa dancing in a nearby town, merely by a spur of the moment whim. A friend had invited us to visit this small town close to Rome just to check it out, and we mentioned how much we love to dance salsa, and pretty much that was that!

I always surprise myself when I go dancing because I always seem to forget how much I love to dance and how much joy it brings me. I think I had been focused on a few other things this week, which were and are of course important, but I need to remember how equally important it is to remember how close I feel to art, because it brings me such pure joy, and as Mother Teresa would say, joy, love, and compassion go hand in hand. You can’t be one without the other.

Amazing how we never stop learning things about ourselves. In my prayers.

Fuoco dal Cielo

I have been reading, and almost finished a book I found at the Pauline Book Store called ‘Fuoco dal Cielo’ (Fire of Heaven), written by a woman named Chiara Amirante, who is the founder of an organization/spirituality called ‘Nouvi Orizzonti’ (New Horizons). ( It was actually really funny how I came to have this book because I didn’t think I would find it, mostly because I didn’t know it’s name. BUT the sisters at the store were troopers and helped me, even though they practically moved around the whole store, merely because I asked politely…) This woman, who has suffered so greatly, but still manages to have this contagious joy and incredible love for Christ, is such an amazing inspiration, and in particular all that she does really feels close to my heart.

Since Santa Cecilia’s ‘No.’ earlier this week, I have really been praying about what to do next, pretty heavily….(Let’s just say that between your prayers and mine, God is probably like ‘Alright already! Geez!’) But also in the mean time, I have really been thinking, what COULD I do? I could finish my degree in music, but five years seems like it is definitely for me. I could get my degree in something else (Languages, Social work, etc.), but I also don’t feel like I am supposed to be doing that either. It’s not because I don’t love to learn. Knowledge, as my mom says, is something I have thirsted for all my life. But I can’t conceive just doing something, studying something, because everyone else is studying, because you have to have something to ‘back you up’. Not unless I felt it was directly routed to what I am supposed to do.

I was sitting one day, reading this book, when I came upon a line that says, ‘Il cuore di pietra che diventa un cuore di carne resta il miracolo dei miracoli.’ (In other words, a heart which was once of stone, and has converted, rests as being the miracle of miracles.) And I don’t know why, but I just started to cry and cry, like a baby! (My roommate was in the next bad reading about Vampires, and here I am being completely losing it!) ‘How TRUE is that?’, I thought. There is nothing more beautiful than a person whose heart has been truly changed, and even more so, what a blessing it is that you could possibly be a part of someone elses conversion. So I began to think, what if that’s just it? Maybe some are supposed to study become lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc. Maybe some are supposed to work in stores, fix your roads, and unclog your drains. Equally so, maybe some of us just feel so strongly that calling to help people change, that nothing else resounds in our hearts?

In any case, I feel as though I am on the RIGHT track.

I love you all. I.m.p.

A friend from home to Rome

As mentioned in my last post, Carrie is here! …which means the last two days have been really, really special, knowing that I can share all that has happened with her, especially since we now both live in ‘Casa Benedettine’ ☺ SOOO…the past few days have been quite good, roaming around the city, figuring some things out both for Carrie and I. But, I think that the best thing, the biggest blessing, is actually having her here with me.

I find it so interesting that you can meet new people everywhere you go, and establish relationships with them. You can compare things with them, love them deeply, and always engage in conversation. However, nothing is like that feeling you feel when you see someone you care about, that you haven’t seen in a while, walking up the street, down the hallway, in the airport, towards you, especially when you are so far away from home. ‘Ts wonderful :)

And so, thank you all again for your continuous prayers. And remember, now that Carrie is here, you have a NEW person to keep in your prayers.

Carrie is here!!!

Hello there everyone...

Sorry I didn't update yesterday... (I was actually quite sick, but feel better, I am sure due to all of your prayers...) 

But in better news, my friend Carrie is here from the United States is HERE...and even better news: she will be staying in the same house I am staying! What a blessed day...

I will have to update you all tomorrow. Hope all is good back home. All in my prayers, always.

Boh...

In lieu of all the stuff that has been going on, I don't know how, but in this country I am somehow capable of just relaxing. (Probably because that's all everyone does here so I am going with the flow...) Mostly, with friends I have met and girls I continue to meet that live in the house, literally from different parts of the world. I have met a girl from Iran, two from Mexico, another from Colombia, one from Argentina, etc. So it's a pretty cool cultural mix!

Last night, after saying the rosary together, a few of us sat out on the 'veranda' (O.k. so it's not REALLY a veranda...Veranda just sounds a lot better than porch...) and talked about different stories referring to two totally different cultures meeting up and how hysterical it can be. For example, one girl was talking about the time she spent in England studying English, and how she was only capable of speaking perfect English after two and a half glasses + of wine, which is probably how she helped her friend's dad who came to visit while they were in England, and he didn't know how to ask for change, follow directions, etc. but everytime they entered a bar was capable of saying 'A beer, please.' (Hysterical.) In particular, this story is what got me.

In Italy, they have a word they say quite often, which isn't even a word as much as it is a sound: Boh. Kind of like the word 'bow' meets the word 'bah' like in 'Bah-Humbug!' (Really strange..) Well my roommate is from the south of Italy and she says this word all the time, mostly when I ask her a question and she doesn't have an answer. But I would think to myself 'What the heck does 'BOH' mean? ' Like, picture the scenario: You are inquiring a question, for example 'Where is the pencil?' and the person, instead of saying 'I don't know.' says 'Boh.' (You totally get it now. right?) I finally figured out after a little bit that it means 'I dunno.' In our little group yesterday this girl who had studied in England talked about how she took Italy to England with her, and used the expression 'Boh.' all the time...And so one day, her English friend asked her ( And this is the way she recounts it...) 'What's mean 'Boh'?' ...Well, at least I'm not the only one who didn't know...

There has been a lot of praying going on together, lots of meditation, at the house, which has totally helped me so much focus on what's important and continue to put faith in God. Thus, I can say that all is o.k. here from my point. Just awaiting Carrie's arrival and visiting St. Paul once again this evening.

All with me here, in my prayers.

And finally...

As you may know, by having read my blog lately, it was today that I went to Santa Cecilia to speak to the director, and also a teacher I have been in contact with for months now (Incredibly, kind this teacher, Paola Pisa. I am actually really glad I got the chance to meet her. )

This morning, after breakfast, I headed out to Santa Cecilia by myself the whole time saying 'God. I know I am supposed to tell you that I am not afraid, and that I am really strong! But then I know I wouldn't be telling you the truth....SO ... I want to tell you that I am a scared and not to surprised when the moment comes to talk to the director, even though I know you know the future and all that I will do. But still, I figure I would be truthful now, and then later I wouldn't feel so badly because I was, in fact, being realistic. But I do realize you know everything, so please don't be annoyed by the fact that I am telling you, again...' etc. etc. (This went on for the twenty minutes I took to walk there, contemplating...) But then I finally got there, and like two seconds later, I realized Miriam had driven her moped to the school, even though she was rather occupied, because she felt like I needed someone there with me. (Totally right!) That was a major relief.

To make a long story short, we talked to the teacher I had been in contact with first, and then we talked to the assistant director, who explained to us why nothing could be done. In past years, students have been allowed to attend Santa Cecilia without a deep knowledge of the language, some of which ended up failing their courses. Also in the past year, they have cleaned up their courses, made them more challenging. Thus, students who do not have a very deep knowledge of the language (reading, writing, and speaking) can no longer attend, even if they are the world's next Maria Callas or Yo-Yo Ma. I can honestly say that if I need to be able to read, write, and speak almost perfectly to attend Santa Cecilia, than in fact, being realistic, I wouldn't say I am a great candidate, due to the fact that I am very new to the language, and it wouldn't be the truth to say I know the language as well as I know English or Spanish. I understand their policy, because I can understand their motives, even if I couldn't be an exception. This just wasn't for me.

Also important to know, the course that I would have started was called 'Institutional' and is five years long. In the past few days I have been thinking to myself, praying about this situation. Five years seems is such a long time. Besides what I have felt personally, my tendency to race, to not be patient, I feel like five years is just too a long a time. I don't know why, (I can't pretend to know where God will place me in the next five years. ) but through prayer, I don't feel like it is throwing myself into the musical world for FIVE years. I don't feel like it is the right thing to spend five years in a school studying music, where to me, that's just not the goal. Knowing everything there is to know about music, (music history, music theory, etc.) is not the goal. So while this may seem like a loss, and in a way it is because I had prepared for this trip for so long, God has helped me learn a lot through this situation, because more than anything, I have learned to examine its different aspects, and take from it so many things I have learned about myself and about precisely what God calls me to be. For now, I trust that this was, without a doubt, not the path for me, and therefore, how could I even be remotely angry?

Now, I shall see where I am to be next, all the while knowing that just when I think I have found my click, I have won the game, God has things prepared for me, and equally for us all, that we can't even begin to imagine. The biggest challenge has been letting go, taking on a continuous challenge of trust, and realizing that, in fact, even if I think the situation is awful and I hate it, and I can't comprehend what is happening, or why I have been brought there, even, this is all absolutely a product of God's love for me, as is it for us all. And, if we listen and continue to see how weak we are by ourselves, I feel like maybe we could have such a different view of God's will and workings in our lives.

As always, you are in my prayers, and I know I am also in yours because all of you are pretty amazing :)

p.s. Please pray for my friend, Carrie, who heads out to Rome tomorrow evening (U.S. time). This is a very special time for us all.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
For He has looked with favour on His lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
The Almighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His Name.
He has mercy on those who fear Him
In every generation.
He has shown the strength of His arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
And has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of His servant Israel
For He has remembered His promise of mercy,
The promise He made to our fathers,
To Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning.
is now, and will be forever.
Amen.

Happy Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Trinità dei Monti

Last week, Miriam had told me she went to a chanted mass, in French, given by 'La Fraternità monastica di Gerusalemme.' which she found very inspiring. This week, for a change of scenery, and because I was very much looking forward to hearing this chanted mass.(This particular church 'Chiesa Trinità dei Monti' is at the top of the Spanish Steps. So after climbing 534,875.45 steps...) I entered this really quaint church at the top of the steps, which I am very glad I went through the challenge of getting to it.

That had to be one of the most contemplative and beautiful masses I have ever attended. There was no rushing. All the readings were slow and meditated. Everytime one of the brothers or sisters spoke, they didn't even have to try to be emphatic because you can tell they were so happy to be there. It was so incredible to watch! (I thinkI probably had a ridiculously large smile the entire time on my face...)

There were a few things in particular that REALLY spoke to me.
Music - Everything was beautifully chanted, perfectly in tune, and not overbearing. It was like paying to hear professional musicians, only five worlds better because the presence of the holy spirit was so evident in that church.
Offering of the gifts- When it was time to offer the gifts, the sisters came around to all the children in the church and asked them to come with them. When I looked back to see what was going on, the sisters had these children hold a little red candle, which after the presentation of the gifts, was offered to the Blessed Mother. (Can you imagine??? So special...)
Communion - Communion took a very long time. Here's why: When the priest was about to give someone communion, he would look at them and say, 'Le corps du Christ', in a very slow fashion, with this light in his eyes, this happiness that I can only translate into 'Look! You are about to recieve Jesus! Isn't that AMAZING??' I was blown away at how every time someone went to receive it was such a personal, intimate meeting and an explanation of its importance all in one.

For me, that culmination of togetherness, that desire to bring every parishoner in on the celebration of the mass, that joy and dedication, crossed language boundaries. An incredible mass given by, quite evidently, incredibly holy, devoted people, which I can't wait to part of again.

You see? Even though God gives us things that are trying (which can maybe be the understatement of the year) and we get so angry and so confused, I just think to myself how important it is to also take time and be so appreciative of those moments of beauty, when you really feel special, because you have been given the chance to really be a part of such sacrifice, which is the mass.

Tomorrow, I am off to Santa Cecilia to talk to one of the professors I have been in contact with. I will keep you updated. Until then, I love you all and you are in my constant prayers. God bless you.

World of Talent

Last night, after having walked all of Rome on foot to find a pair of Birkenstocks (Which I did finally buy a pair, very comfortable. Those babies are NOT cheap...) I went to a church very close to where I am staying, Basilica Maria sopra Minerva, where St. Catherine of Siena's remains are (Very good!) to see a Great Britain's National Children's Orchestra concert. (It's actually kind of funny the way it happened because I had been wanting to go see a performance, and while I had been in the church earlier in the day, I saw a sign that advertised this children's orchestra free of charge. So I was like, 'Hey! That's awesome!' and went of course. )Now, I don't ever expect things of that nature to be that great, considering can never really be too sure how good things will be anymore, especially in the music world, especially with programs, ESPECIALLY when they are free. Boy did I eat my words...

I went into the church, which was pretty much full, and waited for the concert to start. It started late (In other words, it started in Italian time...) and began with a few speaches given by the director, etc. etc. When it began, I was literally BLOWN away. Those kids were so good, I couldn't even believe it. And it wasn't as if they were playing easy repertoire, either. So out of curiousity, I looked in the program to see what this program was all about. Guess how old these children were? Just guess...7-14 years old. 7-14 YEARS OLD! That did it for me. Kudos to those children who played last night, who should have been paid, ESP the soloists. Incredible talent. I felt so good afterwards that I had gelato for dinner, just because :)

And thus I continue to learn: Rule 45 (I figure I must be nearing 45 by now)- Don't make pre-judgements. Sometimes you will be SO surprised. Rule 46- Do NOT wave your arms frantically like a crazy person from the audience, in a church, to your child because a. ...they know you are there. A simple wave is sufficient if you would like to second that notion. b...it's totally embaressing.

Very positive night for me which was much, much needed. More than anything because that music was full of such JOY, and joy is such an addicting feeling when it is real and it is pure, which was definitely evident last night.

God is good.

I Parrochini

Not too much new from this end, especially on the Santa Cecilia front, since it is the weekend, and I won't be able to do much until Monday. SO, I am taking my time to check some e-mails, and also go searching for a new pair of sandals, considering the only pair I brought with me broke while I was walking(Figures). I think I shall buy a pair of Birkenstocks, which, btw, are ridiculously popular here. I was really apalled actually. EVERYONE has a pair. It's actually pretty weird...But, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?...Sometimes...:) More than anything, I just need to take it easy today, and so, time for a story.

As you all know, this week Miriam accompanied me to my Italian exams, which was great, because talking to her really helped the 6 hour waiting periods pass by quickly(As much as that is even possible). On the frist day, the day which I had to wait the longest amount of time, we were telling stories of things that we have experienced, particular stories, that have really impacted our lives. Conversion stories, specific events, etc. So of course, I started to tell a story I once heard, told by a priest, who is a missionary, that has always stuck with me. While this particular priest was living in a very very poor town in the Dominican Republic, someone came into the church, where he said mass, and stole a great deal of things. So in the middle of my explaining this story, I wanted to say that the parishoners were so sad, that they began to cry. So imagine me (Most of you know how dramatic I can be, folks, especially when I am speaking of something that I felt has really impacted me.) The phrase in Italian is, ' I parrochiani(pa'-rroe-key-Aun-knee) erano triste, triste, e hanno cominciato a piangere.' Instead, with my very serious, emphatic face say 'I parrochini (pa'-rroe-KEY-knee) erano triste, triste, e hanno cominciato a piangere.' Which means 'The tupées were so, so sad, and they all started to cry.' Well, you can imagine me, thinking I am telling something so moving and Miriam bursted out in laughter. I, of course, at first, was like 'What the crap? That's not funny.' Then she apologized for laughing, which was her instinctive reaction, but then told me what I had said. And of course, I then began a series of laughter, which has stayed ever since. It is now the running joke between Miriam and I and also everyone else I have met, because I have let everyone know. Rule 1: Never take yourself too seriously. Rule 2: Amazing how just one letter makes all the difference...

All in my prayers!, as always, as I am office to purchase some Birkenstocks...Ouch. :)

Official Results and other things...

O.k... SO ... The official results are in fact in and it is, as of now :), a 'No.' But as I have said, I am in the process of getting together with a teacher/administrator at Santa Cecilia, whom I have been in contact with for almost a year now. She has expressed wanting to have an appointment with me. I shall call her and see what happens and also try to speak to the director. And then if after that NOTHING happens, than I will know I have done all that I can. Certainly, in any situation, God's will be done because I am certainly open to listening.

This day and yesterday has been real emotional ride, because, as mentioned before, this is always a very difficult thing to deal with and just saddening in general. Però(but)...I can safely say this is nothing new to me, considering situations like this have definitely happened before and in the end, it has turned out to be, not necessarily, THE best, but FOR the best, the RIGHT thing, helping me learn more about myself and persevere. As far as I am concerned, I have had so many good things happen here in Rome and still very much believe I am supposed to be here for a while. These are just trying things that happen that teach meabout myself, as a person, my weaknesses, as difficult as they are to handle.This is certainly not, however, the worst thing that has happened, will happen, or the end of the world.

As a matter of fact, something pretty interesting happened to me on my way back from Santa Cecilia, after going to see the official results of the Italian exams. I went to mass at a church nearby Santa Cecilia, and then decided I would take a route I haven't taken before, just to see and explore, and LOW AND BEHOLD, guess what I found? I was walking, look up, and on the corner of the street I see a engraved plaque, on the side of a building which in 1591 was a Jesuit hospital (That was the year the plague struck Rome and the Jesuits opened a hopsital.), that stated that in 1591 Santo Luigi Gonzaga (St. Aloysius Gonzaga) died on the octave of Corpus Christi in this building, after having suffered with being sick himself for three months. Now, that might not seem significant to the average Joe, BUT for me St. Aloysius Gonzaga is extremely meaningful, considering that it was on his feast day (June 21) of 2007 that I had a profound experience at Old St. Joseph's, Philadelphia, PA (Also ironically Jesuit), which I feel has ultimately led me here to Rome. I don't believe in coincidences. :) and remembered this, which is something St. Aloysius Gonzaga lived by, 'He who loves God does not truly love Him if he is not in a constant and ardent desire to suffer for his sake.' Did I mention he is also the Patron Saint of the Youth? And that I have recently been informed about a group named 'Nouvi Orrizonti' who works specifically with battered youth, and was formed by a woman named Chiara Amirante, who was a student of Chiara Lubich, founder of the 'Focolare'?

Things are happening and who knows what will come from them. Maybe not what I am thinking might happen. But at the same time, nothing happens that coincidentally, and God works in VERY mysterious ways.

I love you all...and am praying, ESP to St. Aloysius Gonzaga... ;)

And so...

...I regret to say that I didn't pass my Italian Exam for Santa Cecilia, or those are at least the tentitive results. (They haven't been made official yet.)

I will explain the situation. This year there were 120 foreign candidates up for auditioning, of which the top 7 seven, and only the top 7, are invited back for an audition. This situation was made up due to the fact that in the past years so many people were allowed to audition after having a very easy/leniant Italian exam. Then it would happen that the people chosen for the school after the audition were, in fact, wonderful, very talented, but when it came to studying and going profoundly into different subjects, they couldn't understand what was going on, and would basically, as I understood, fail. This year is the first year they've adapted a system to change this situation. However, at all ends, the director of the school is the one who makes the final choices and decides who can audition. SOO, tomorrow I will return with Miriam, who took down the director's telephone number, so that we can make an appointment to talk to her about the situation. And also, I will talk with another professor I have been in contact with for the past few months.

In other words, I do in fact feel like I am supposed to fight for an audition at least and see what happens. THAT is very important for me to do. (And in fact reading today's reading's really 'concreted' that notion.) For one, I feel like it is what I have been brought here to do, and perhaps this is just something I have to work really hard for. And also, if I don't, I will always remember, 'Hmmm...I really felt like I should have worked for that, and I didn't because I was afraid to.' So I will try. And if I try and have no success, well than it will be saddening, as it always is when you audition and aren't accepted, especially after you have worked really hard, but at the same time, I will know that it wasn't God's will, as HARD as that is to accept, it's just the truth. And it always happens, at least in my life and I know that it must also in the lives of many others, that we are so dissapointed by these things and think how unjust it is that God took 'something away' that we worked so hard for, only to find out that the next thing we do ended up to be far more meaningful, and far more important in our lives, and most of all in the lives of those we can help, even though we are incapable of seeing how that works at first. Quindi(therefore), we shall what happens. Whichever way this situation goes, not that it will at all be easy to handle, it will be what's best. That just means God has something much bigger in store (Oh man...I can't even imagine what THAT would be like...) But this, I have rock solid faith in.

As always, from the city where everyone yells at you for no reason and you are told you can only practice at midnight, very lowly, so that no one can hear you, in my prayers, folks.

p.s. PLEASE continue to pray that I receive the virtue of patience and understanding, as I tend to want to say, to quote Minnie Driver in Return to Me, 'WHAT WAS GOD THINKING????' :)

Love you all...

Yesterday,The day before,Today and Tomorrow, and BEYOND!

So I am anxiously awaiting for tomorrow to find out, if in fact, I passed that Italian Exam. (Please pray for me that I did!)

Some interesting things on today's front: I have a new roommate! (I was saying in a double room, but when I came, no one was there so I had a room to myself.) She is a 19 year old girl from Sicily who has SO much energy that it's hard to keep up with her...My goodness. But other than that, she is a very kind person who probably needs someone calm in her life. I HOPE that's where I come in.

These past few days have been very trying for me, as you have read, because they have truly been chaotic. I feel very blessed that I have friends here to help me through, and also all of you back home who are keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. (You're all the best!) I truly feel like I am fitting in here, BUT that doesn't take away from how much I miss you all. Oh man. No one here is as AWESOME as any one of you, that's just the bottom line. But, I shall make due as best I can. (Keep in mind that if I win the lottery, all of you will have magic plane tickets that can fly you here at any time, ALL the time.)

I love you all, and I will keep you up to date on Santa Cecilia. In my prayers, always.

ciao ciao

Santa Cecilia 'Italian Exam':Second and Final Round

Well everyone, I have officially finished my Italian exam and the verdict should be in within the next few days (Or so they say...) I am just so glad it's over because this has been a lot of chaos taken off of my back, consistent over the past two days.

Miriam and I, left this morning, but stopped on our way for a coffee break. (Yea right...Like after yesterday's events I was really going to believe they were going to start precisely at 9a.m.) After having a cappucino with a heart drawn into the foam, we headed over to the school, which was SPLITTING with students...Again. Though, this morning, most of them were there for a Solfeggio test (Uh-oh...) Yet anyway, we waited in the lobby for about an hour and a few girls walked by, only to result in Miriam informing me that they forgot to put on pants this morning. (They are called SHIRTS and are NOT to be worn as DRESSES...Mamma mia...) We waited for about an hour downstairs and since nothing was really being said, decided we would walk around looking for something to do in the mean time. We went across the street to this 'Pop Art' store which had the most offensive merchandise with pictures of the Blessed Mother. Miriam informed the owner that her merchandise was in awful taste, and that it was her perogative to sell what she thought was art, but that this 'art' she was selling was pretty terrible. (Good for her!) At that point, we get back to Santa Cecilia only to realize we misunderstood the instructions that morning and that the interviews were UPSTAIRS today! So we of course race up the stairs. Were told that they are held in room 12. Are they in room 12 though? Of COURSE not. They are in room 5, which is apparently on the other side of the building, running of course. When we get there, they haven't even begun and we had to wait about another hour before my test, which in the mean time, we met a few really interesting people from all parts of the world, not going to lie, mostly Korea. And we joked about the chaos. BUT then magically, my name was called, and well, I was made to read about St. Michael the Archangel. Can you imagine? What are the odds, because the readings are different for everyone, that I would have to read about St. Michael, especially since we had been talking about him that morning? Pretty awesome. I suppose I did well, because contrary to yesterday, I went in and went out in less than 5 minutes. Miriam says piece of cake, piece of pie and so did some of the teachers I met in the hallways, who couldn't believe I was an American. And then I told them my parents are from Colombia and Puerto Rico and they went, 'Ohhh... That's why.' God willing, I should know the results in two days.

Until then, you're in my hearts and in my prayers always.

Much love from the land of chaos and art.

Santa Cecilia: Round One

Today was the 'first half' (or one-tenth, who can say for sure?) of my Italian Entrance Exam for Santa Cecilia. As expected:Chaos.Miriam has offered to accompany me (Bless her soul...) to all of my Italian Exams (You will understand why I say 'all' in just a second.), and thank goodness because what would I do between the five hour wait periods without someone to talk to???

We arrived this morning at Santa Cecilia at 8:45 for a test that began at 9. After being there for ten minutes, we were witnesses of a room full of 120 foreign students waiting to take their Italian exam (You can imagine how that proceeded for role call, huh?) . Because we are in Italy, things became situated at aruond 10:30 at which time they passed out the Italian Written test, which was SOOO confusing, but doesn't count nearly as much as the oral, again, thank goodness. We had forty minutes to complete this test. I finished number 19. Afterwards, they tell us we will go in order of having finished our exam, and they will take 60 people today. So I think to myself 'YAY!' and then took it back in like three seconds.

One of the people in charge says to us, 'It will be an hour before we will begin. Please feel free to go shopping, eat gelato, drink a coffee. BUT be back in an hour! That's when we will begin.' This is at 11:30. We figure we have until 12:30-40.So Miriam and I return home. We eat lunch. We run a few errands and even think we will be late, which we in fact were. Question: Were WE late afterall? Response: NO!! The teachers were late. ONE HOUR late. Uh-oh...Here we go.

Let me just say that I might as well have been number 756,687 because well, they didn't quite keep with the whole number things. Somehow, I am still unsure how, they made up this system of lists where they choose a few students per list. I looked at the table. Like twenty lists. Uh oh. The interviews begin. There is ONE person giving interviews(There are two other teachers there, basically talking to the students about how much they like chocolate gelato more than teaching...I swear!)Twenty minutes with each student, give or take. Depends on whether she likes you and wants to have a longer conversation with you. (Remember: There are 60 people in this room. You do the math.) This person decides she wants to get a coffee. Comes back a little later. Around three, my friend has to leave. I wait. Look around at the different students. Drink a soda. Walk around. Look at the ceiling. Talk with another girl about how the people giving the test have lost their mind. (At which point, I notice how intricate their list system is and try to follow, but I think my mind is incable of working that way...) At 6p.m, one of the teachers there, NOT the one who is giving the interviews announces there will only be time for a few more students. So I take the time to go and ask if I will be next. I mean I have to to be next! I was number 19!...'No. You have to return tomorrow.' At that point, a girl who has clearly lived in Rome for a long time got in a screaming match with the lady who was giving the interviews. QUITE intense.

And yes, folks. This, without exaggeration, was my first day, of which I expect many, Italian Language Exam.

Please keep me in your prayers and pray that Rosie receive the virtue of PATIENCE! Mamma mia...

Mentorella

Yesterday, virtually all day, after mass, I went with a few new friends to a sanctuary on a mountain called 'Santuario Madre delle Grazie Mentorella', which is of course way on the outskirts of Rome and you have to drive to get there (Did I mention how scarily the Italians drives?...O.k...VERY scarily...Thankfully not my driver...Most of the time :) Basically, it is this beautiful little church in this mountain town called Prenestina. We went because it was the anniversary of JP2's last visit there, and they were having a special feast, with very good desserts, of which my friend, Ana, ate 10. 'I had two yellow...three white...one red...etc.'

That mountain had the most SPECTACULAR view of Rome. Unfortunately for me, I didn't bring a coat and it was cold, so I probably didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, BUT it was still really incredible. At night, you can see Rome from a distance and it is illuminated just like New York from North Jersey, only much cooler because you know it is Rome, and really you're just thinking about center Rome.

Afterwards we went to eat at this Italian Churrascheria...I call it that because 'tis what we could call it in Spanish!... where I witnessed first hand how much they all love food. (You know what I find most interesting? That back home when we order something like steak, it comes with with two sides (Rice, Mashed Potatoes, Macarroni and Cheese, Jello, etc.), but in this country, when you order 'steak', I mean, it's literally just the biggest steak you have ever seen, without anything else, except maybe bread. I, the vegetable lover,say this will take some getting used to...) Of course, quite the scandal on the way home getting lost because we were letting ourselves be guided by a GPS system (I swear those things are more trouble than what they are worth...), which resulted in my arriving late for the second time this week, adding to my weirdness with my sisters after having 'broken' my bed a few nights before and pretending I was in charge of the vending machines. And so my new friends say, 'We can just say we were stopped by a cop and they asked for Rocio's 'Permesso di Sogiorno' and she didn't have it.' SUREEeee...Blame the American. What a day...haha

'She'sa O.K.!'

I am in fact o.k. It's just been a few hectic days, both good and bad.

But I just wanted to say that this time here, as short as it has been, has been VERY strong spiritually, which I know comes off in my blog, or at least I hope it does. That doesn't mean that everything is perfect, I don't expect it to be, and neither should anyone else. But in the same form, we all go through so much daily that I just don't want to waste what little time I have talking to you all via-blog complaining about a country, to which I came fully aware of its chaos.

As the Italians themselves would say, 'STAI TRANQUILO(A)!'

St. Catherine, St. Francis, and St. Paul

I was expecting to meet friends in Rome, BUT I wasn't expecting all that happened yesterday. Due to how MUCH happened, I will make a short a sweet list, which will allow you to get the idea.

Yesterday Miriam invited me for some coffee in the dining room and asked me if I would like to go say the rosary with her at 'Chiesa di Santa Maria sopra Minerva'. I, of course, said yes.

I find out when we get there that this is the church where the remains of St. Catherine of Siena are burried.

We say the rosary and I meet the first in the series of some pretty wonderful people, Monica.

Miriam and I go to eat gelato and I invite her to go see 'Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia' .

We walk all around the city looking inside windows of stores that have products that are wayyy to expensive and talk about how we could feed Ghana with the price we would pray for one dress in the window.

We then go to a gallery, which is kind of like a mall, where I proceeded to drink the most amazing cappucino I have ever had in my life ( I wasn't aware REAL cappuccino was supposed to taste THAT good...), and we talked about our lives and compared our pasts and how we got to the point in which we are now.

We visited 'Chiesa dellla Madonna del Pozzo', which that, my friends, is a whole other miracle that happened in and of itself.

Miriam invited me to go see the monks of the Basilica of St. Paul chant the 'compieta', which, do you really think I was going to say, 'No.'?

She mentions we have to go on her moped because it is far away.

I get to see all of Rome on the back of a moped, which let me just say, was INCREDIBLE....but only because she is a good driver...

First, we go to mass with some Franciscan priests and brothers and I get to meet a few of her friends.

At the end of mass, we talked to a priest, with whom I sang some of 'Un Bel Di Vedremo' (He said that if he had been a woman, his calling would have been to be an opera singer and sing that aria...)

Then, this is the most incredible part, we went to visit, 'Le Tre Fontane' (The Three Fountains)which is right next to the Basilica of St. Paul and where St. Paul was executed. I can not explain what it was like to be there. Maybe it is the fact that I love St. Paul's writings. BUT without even really knowing what it was at first, you could just feel it in the air. I have never been to such a holy place. I can't even explain it.

We went inside the church which is truly ancient in all senses of the words to pray and to hear the monks chant the compieta. Hearing chant on disc is NOTHING like hearing it done by incredibly holy people, in an incredibly holy place, who are also beautiful musicians.

Four of us went to a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of Rome, where we sat and joked and laughed at Sabrina (one of the girls I met) remarks, because everything you said, she was somehow related to it...'I studied at such and such a school.....AHHH MY BANK IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR!.....I like this restaurant...IT'S OWNED BY MY FRIEND!!' We had such a good time.

Miriam and I stopped on the way back to the house at a church where there is perpetual adoration. Perfect way to finish the day.

We realized once we got into the church that it was already past curfew, and so we practically said 'Hi!' and 'Goodbye!' to Jesus at the same time.

We got to the house and were reprimanded by one of the sisters who sternly reminded us that on Fridays the curfew is still 10:30 and that it only changes to 11:30 on Saturday.

She forgave us...a little bit...when we explained we were just doing lots of Catholic things, which was the Truth!

So I went back to my room and really pondered all that had happened that day. That I got to Rome a week before, without anyone, only a friend of a friend. And that little by little I have begun to notice all that has been put around me. That I am surrounded by incredible things. That I have met some of the most incredible people, and it just seemed like we have known each other for ever and were just waiting to meet . And that I, together with these people, have been able to experience some of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced in my life. These are no coincidences. This is the calm after the storm, my friends, and I now know that it is in Rome where I am going to learn much more than I ever thought possible.

I love you, and as always, you are constantly in my prayers.

Do you have water?

A few days ago, I had mentioned I was a little sick, and while at mass that same night, I began to feel pain in my throat. So I knew it was time to get some sleep and relax.

After mass, I went to the grocery store (Which I do mostly everyday in order for my food to be fresh, and well...It seems like everyone else does to!) Bought lots of tea, a very ugly mug of Roman that I needed FOR the tea, and then went to do something nice for myself and bought a cone of Fig gelato (I am definitely on a Fig-kick lately...I think my mom has rubbed off on me even though we are so far away from each other...) In any case, I went to bed very early that night, after drinking lots of fluids, etc. I woke up in the morning, and still not feeling one hundred percent, I took another nap. Needless to say, I woke up a few hours later, still feeling a little groggy, but headed to the kitchen for some juice. (This is where the story gets good, folks :)

So I am walking to the kitchen, and I see an older gentleman walking in front of me (Men are allowed to stay here too, but on a different floor) Mind you, I am still out of it, minding my own business. When he turns to me and says, 'You know, you have no water left in your vending machines. ' So because I was out of it, with my hair probably sticking up all over the place, in pajamas, I was like, ' Oh, no?' (Why I went along with it, I have no idea. ) And he said ' No. You know, it was very good water and a very good thing to have in the vending machines. If you have some more, and would like to put it in the vending machine, that would be a really good thing.' And so I said, 'Yea.'

First of all, there are a few questions I have pondered after this encounter;
A. Why did I allow this man to think I was somehow in charge of the vending machines, and able to fill them regularly? I don't know. But...
B. ...the better question is, how did he come to the conclusion that I, clearly looking like a 'sick and out-of-it' person was in charge of anything anyway? I certainly don't think he could have confused me with a sister, due to the fact that I was wearing a 'Hallmark Project Red' t-shirt and slippers. Or confused me with ANYONE that would be working there, for that matter.

So now when I see this gentleman, I hide. That is all.

Who cares if the Pantheon is your neighbor...

...when St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Catherine of Siena are? I am just so cheesed, I can't believe it. :)

I am around the corner from a church called 'Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minverva' where the remains of St. Catherina of Siena are buried and down the street from 'Chiesa del Gesù' where the remains of St. Ignatius of Loyola are buried.

And thus, this is not a holy spot just because there are some churches, because it is Rome, and because I am in the center of the city. This is a holy place because I am surrounded by some of the GREATEST saints of ALL time...

Again...The Pantheon is magnificent, but these churches are epic.. :)

So much to say... so little time...

Hello there :)

I have so much to say! Unfortunately, I have very little time because I have been given an 'impromptu' invite to go see some Gregorian Chant with some pretty awesome monks!!! (How could I POSSIBLY say no?) SO I will have to inform you all about that, plus more, tomorrow. In the mean time, I am 'a o.k.' here in Rome, thinking and praying about and for all of you.

God bless you all.

Rocules!! (You know...Like HERCules..?)

Solo a me...
Well, I had come to terms with the fact, and was actually quite anticipatory of the fact, that if I continue to walk everyday as much as I have been, I am going to have 'Christy Linn Strength' legs... or at least, this I hope. BUT, I didn't realize that I have, apparently, begun to have Herculian strength!
So I was sitting in my bad last night (I feel like I begin bad stories with this entrance title a little too often...That's not good...) and had gotten up to grab a my little book of evening prayers, when I sat back down, and BROKE my bed. Yes. You heard correctly. I didn't break the actual frame, but I DID break the part that holds up the mattress. So I was so mind boggled, that I started to yell at the bed in Italian... Like it was the bed's fault that I have been eating too much cheese and my bones are all calcium ridden, and I broke the bed! Truthfully, the bed should have yelled at me... But seriously, my friends from next door heard me yelling at the bed and came into help. The prognosis: Apparently this happens all the time. These beds are really old and they start to break after a while. You can fix them at first, but apparently, this wasn't the first time this bed has broken because after Miriam inspected it, she said it has definitely broken before. I was rather disappointed. I desperately wanted to believe I had super human strength...Sigh. So I slept on the other bed. And yes, this morning, I had to explain to one of the sisters that I broke my bed. And she was equally bewildered as I was, but then she inspected it and came up with the same idea as Miriam, not before saying, 'Cosa hai fatto?' (What did you do?) and my respnse having to be, ' Mi sono seduta??' (I sat down?) Yea. We shall see what happens.

But on a better note, I did find a solution the itching and swelling of my mosquito bites. Last night, after mass, I went to a pharmacy and after the Pharmacist inspected my bites and realized that, yes, they were quite bad told me what to buy. Basically, she sold me a prescription lotion that I didn't have a prescription for. I mean, it totally works. But on the back it says:
'Avviso: DA VENDERSI DIETRO PRESENTAZIONE DI RICETTA MEDICA' (To be sold in the presence of a prescription.) BUT I realized it doesn't say 'ONLY in the presense'. That makes it totally o.k. I used some last night and it definitely relieved a great deal of all that itching.

I don't know what it is, but I think I am getting a little sick. I have been sneezing quite a bit and my throat hurts. Well, nothing I didn't expect...I just have to take it easy AND promise not to break my bed due to my excitement of evening prayers. :)

Love you all.

I am A-blood, alas, in Rome, as well...

Last night I was sitting on my bed, reading, when I noticed it was getting increasingly difficult to open my left eye. At first, I kind of ignored it and kept reading, but then I became so annoyed at it that I looked in the mirror. Lo' and behold, not one, but TWO mosquito bites on my left eye, which caused my eye to become almost completely shut, it was so swollen. Then I counted all the mosquito bites on my face, and face alone... Eight. On my face! I had never had that happen to me before! My fingers were also quite swollen after a while because of these bites. What is so baffling is that I didn't even have to TOUCH any of them and they just puffed up . (Thank goodness I brought repellent with me, because if not they would have completely attacked me!...Only, you never think of putting that stuff on your face because it is so strong and the face is such a delicate area...Besides, this has never happened to me before...Sigh.) But seriously, yell at me if I ever complain about an American mosquito ever again. Italian mosquitos are 'Scarface's' protogé... This morning, my eye is looking better...Thank goodness.

But in other news, I had the urge to surround myself with people last night and eat a meal. So after mass, I decided I would walk around, looking perhaps for something that looked appetizing. But it just didn't feel right to me, to sit down and eat by myself like that. I don't even think people do that here. So I bit the bullet, went to the supermarket, bought a few things, and decided I would eat them at the house, while continuing to read. So there I was eating and reading, when all of sudden everyone was apparently hungry and started to coming in to eat dinner! So I did get to eat with people afterall. :) The best part is that one of the girls that lives there sat with me, and we ate fresh figs (which are DELICIOUS, by the way), and all the meanwhile, she had gone to McDonald's and ordered a 'Happy! Meal'. Guess what is the theme?? 'Kung Fu Panda'! So not only did I get to eat with people, but my friend, Miriam, let me have her toy that came with her meal, which had Jack Black programmed making 'panda noises'. Only it doesn't speak Italian, and I let everyone know I was sad that it didn't.

I officially sent my payments to Santa Cecilia this morning, which was a lot easier, surprisingly, then I thought. So now it is even MORE official, and I have been studying for my Italian exam all day. Next Monday is the day, folks!

And so I am o.k. in Rome today, despite the 843 mosquito bites, just taking lots of time to rest, study, sing, and especially pray.

A few more side notes about Rome:
1. Apparently the buses sometimes just stop at a handy dandy rest stop, which is really just the middle of a piazza, and ask you to get off and wait for the next bus. I don't ask questions. I just do as I am told.
2. Don't put Nutella in the refrigerator. It gets hard because it is, afterall, chocolate, and then you can't convince yourself it's a nutricious spread with lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants you put on bread in the morning to start off your day 'right'.
3. Outside of my window, there are birds that wake me up every morning. I didn't know they were birds, at first, because they sound like children screaming at the top of their lungs. Scary birds...

And so I continue to repeat the words of St. Patrick, which have kindly been with me since I first arrived in Rome...'Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me: Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Christ. May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.'

Ma DAI????

Salutations from the land where you don't realize until the next day how tiring it was to walk through all the Vatican museums (Btw: I told some of the girls I live with that I visited all of them in one day, and they were basically like, 'Are you nuts?')

So tired, I am very tired, Friends. Though, this is not a problem because this country allows you to sleep at any moment, no questions asked. It's a beautiful thing. Well, at least this is the case where I live.

Today, more than anything, and because I am so tired, I have spent my day mostly studying Italian verbs, reading, etc. Nothing too extensive. But was able to have a very nice breakfast with some of the ladies that I live with, which ended up being really, really warming ('Tis great to have good company!) We talked all about the differences between American and Italian culture, which are of course so strikingly different, pros and cons to both of them. But see? I am able to carry off an intellectual conversation :)

So I am off to pay my bills (haha ... Bills follow you to Rome!!!), mostly just my dues for auditioning and rent and then I shall go to mass.

Really quickly before I go: Funny story. Yesterday afternoon I was sitting on the balcony right off of the third floor, reading, which is also where everyone does their laundry, (I find that so amusing that the washing machines are outside with lots and lots of plants, flowers, where you can see all the colorful shutters on the windows with no screens. Very picturesque. And so I have come to the conclusion that that's why they have their washing machines there. They want to work with a pretty view.Back to my story...) and I was also drinking a 1.5 liter bottle of 'Pepsi Light', which for those of you who know me, is not unusual. I had almost finished the bottle when one of the sisters came up with one of the ladies living in the house to fold laundry, and saw me sitting down, with that giant bottle of soda almost gone. (Keep in mind that there really isn't any such thing as boundries in that house. People often stop you, no matter what you are doing, just to say 'Hi.' and ask you DIRECTLY what you are doing, what it means, and why.)And so the lady, Chiara is her name, sees me and pretty much shouts, 'Non mi dica che lei si ha bevuto quella bottiglia completa di Pepsi!!' (Don't tell me she drank that ENTIRE bottle of Pepsi!!!) Just like that. No kidding. Out there. To which the sister says, 'MA DAI??' (Really?) Thus, I realized that my American custom of drinking giant bottles of diet soda is rather foreign to them...Can't imagine why... :)

All of you are in my prayers.

"If you can wait in line in Disney World for an hour...

...than you can certainly wait two hours to see the Sistine Chapel.' Amen sister.

Those were the words spoken by a very chatty American who stood behind me, in line, to enter the Vatican Museum. Even though she bumped into me a few times and spilled water on me (at least it was only water), clearly, she has judgement. Let's just say that the Sistine Chapel is the most incredible thing I have EVER seen. Once you sit down along the side of the room, and concentrate not on the people, but on the art itself, and all the beauty that is there, you really have no words to say because it leaves you absolutely speechless. I literally gave myself about an hour just in that room, observing every little aspect. I mean, the rest of the museum is clearly very artistic, beautiful, etc., but there is just NO comparison. Plus, it comes with a free comic show of the Italian Security Guards in the room yelling at people who take pictures and video, even though there are quite a few(and by quite a few I mean a whole lot of) signs that have pictures to explain what not to do, and also of course, not to mention the intercom that shouts out what not to do in different languages... 'NON CAPISCI???!!!' ... Take my word. Absolutely incredible.

Coming out of my shell in Rome has been made really is at 'Casa Benedettine' (Not that being timid has ever been one of my main virtues...). Everyone is so friendly!!! Especially compared to being in America, my goodness. (Now I understand when Cristiana says, 'The Americans are not a gregarious people'...or gregorious...JUST kidding...) Not that we are unfriendly, but let's just say we're not nearly AS friendly. Yesterday, I had the privilege to meet a very kind young lady, who I first saw at mass yesterday morning, and didn't even realize we lived in the same house until I saw her at lunch shortly after. (This should be the time to say that we not only live in the same house, BUT our rooms are next to each other...This clearly shows my personality...) But we have been able to chat a few times since then, and she's just the most interesting person. After working for four years in what she felt was the mundane, she left everything behind to go live with Franciscans in Assisi and 'better her life' as she says. Incredible!! What an inspiration. Thus between meeting her, and meeting a few other people, this situation is becoming a lot easier. Thank God for such open, good people...

Lesson learned of the day: When an Italian woman tells you NOT to step on the wet floor she is cleaning, even if it means she is blocking your way, even if you can't leave for another twenty minutes... Just don't do it :)

One week until my Italian exam. Thinking about you and praying for you all.

A presto...

Tanti Auguri, Mama!!

Oggi, e il compleanno della mia mama! E per questa raggione, canto...

Tanti Auguri a te!
Tanti Auguri a te!
Tanti Auguri, Cara Aurea!!!!!
TANTI AUGURI A TE!!!

Buon Compleanno, Mama! Ci vediamo subito subito!

Pescador de Hombres

Last night, I was sitting on my bed, reading when all of a sudden, I heard people outside singing 'Pescador de Hombres'. I wanted to sing with them! But then I thought that would be kind of weird, shouting music out of my window at 23:30...right?

Anywho, after taking some time to rest yesterday, going to mass, I took my time around the city again, visiting the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. I wanted to take the time to really analyze them, being that, believe it or not, I'd not had the chance to do yet. The Trevi Fountain is really so brilliant, especially at night when all the lights come on around it. All the people sitting around it, just talking, laughing. It's pretty great (I love this country's extraversion...) And then I ate gelato for dinner...(I've been known to do that in the United States, did you really think I was going to be able to resist doing the same thing in Italy?)

I think the biggest change for me has come in taking that time to analyze things, observe and rest, because I think that through that, I am becoming more grounded, being here. It's really difficult to be in a foreign place, but even more difficult, for me, to be in a place where there is so much going on around you, when you are so used to quiet, and to see all the people around you together, vacationing and such. I know that this is all going to take QUITE some time to get used to, but I am up for the challenge, being that I already feel so awe-struck by a great deal of the things God has placed for me here. But different from being home, I have my own personal responsibilities, that perhaps I would have set aside if I were back home, and I know that now is the time to bring them to life, and change what needs to be changed. I can already sense that this is one main reason I am here.

In short news,

-I found toilet paper AND liquid hand soap (Thank GOD!) and also lots of nutella and cherry jelly.
- I met a few girls from the UK who are staying with the Bendectines as well.
- Thank God for good organists in giant cathedrals...
-There ARE honest people in Rome. I dropped a five, and a really kind man pointed it out to me.
- There is a classical pianist who lives across the street from my room...imagine that.. :)

Parliamo domani...

And btw...

...I have the oppurtunity of going to mass every day at 'Chiesa del Gesu', which is where the remains of St. Ignatius of Loyola lie, because it is litterally down the street. It's just so incredible, the feeling that you have being inside there.

You're all with me, I'm tellin' ya'. :)

Gelato...Fruta...Aranciata...Pepsi Light

Greetings folks from the land where my diet consists of prosciuto, cheese, bread, fruit, Giant bottles of Pepsi Light and Aranciata, and, of course, Gelato. :)

I quickly realized on the first day I got here that the 'converters' for EU sockets they sell you in the United States, don't work everywhere in Europe. Isn't it just my luck that this is in fact my case? So today I went on a quest on Via del Corso to find a hairdryer, an alarm clock, and an electric brush.

Well, I had already begun my day wrong this morning, waking up at 10:30, which is apparently not so good if you want to go shopping on a Saturday. Originally, I just wanted to go to a pharmacy, BUT I didn't give myself the chance, being that they all close at 12:00 on a Saturday. (It wasn't my fault. I stayed up late watching an Italian 'Beatles' Tribute concert on TV. Which, btw, I suggest that you all listen to 'The Beatles' sung by people with strong accents at some point...And then the ladies in the room next door decided they were going to slam doors at 2:00?? I don't know. But it took me a while to fall asleep after that.)SO, I HAD to go to Via del Corso... pretty much Fashion Avenue, that is open for tourists, with stores that no one can really afford. But I tried my luck, and tried to find the most reasonable of things, DESPITE the heat (Think heat in the USA is bad? Yea RIGHT.) But for all you art lovers, I did make a curious find.
There is a store called 'C'Arts', which is basically kind of like a 'Pylones' (look it up! It's awesome!) where they sell all sorts of interesting things. For example:I bought an alarm clock there. It is basically a Barbie stove. More than anything, it made me happy because it reminded me of home. :) And that's all I gots to say about that.

Yes. Rome is hot. The bathrooms are pretty terrible. You can't really find toilet paper, not even at the supermarket. People yell at you and at all hours in general, just because, no good reason. But despite all of that, its art is unlike anything else in this world, and I am more than grateful to be here.