I'm already speechless!

Ciao!

The past 2 days that I have been in Rome have been amazing! I am speechless on how amazing this place is. Everything I have done has practically left me in tears of awe, joy and just feeling overwhelmingly blessed! I know that this next 4 months will be some of the most blessed months of my life! I am diving in head first!!
We started Orientation today. I will tell you about 3 of the things we did. 1 yesterday and 2 today:
The first thing we did as a group was take a tour of the city. We walked for 4 hours. We saw Piazza Navona, Roman Forum, and the The Colosseum (and many little places along the way). Here is a picture of me at the Colosseum.

Second thing was that we had a group scavenger hunts with 4 people in each group.  Our objective was to find as many places as we could on the list that they provided that were all over Rome. This was all to teach us how to navigate around the city and how to ask for things in Italian if you don't know something... And we only had 2 hours (we had to be back by 3:30 on the dot or else all our work wouldn't be accepted...so there was pressure for sure!)  My group found 6/10 which was pretty good but it was a difficult time! We got back with 10 seconds to spare!! The phrase they want us to memorize is that : "every difficulty is an adventure." This is so true, and has helped immensely throughout the day.
The last thing we did was go to Mass at St. Paul's Outside the Walls Basilica (I walked inside and I almost cried, it was that beautiful and breathtaking!). Cardinal Harvey celebrated Mass for us- Cardinal Harvey who has resided in Rome for 40 years, was the coordinator for all of the Papal Audiences that Pope Benedict had and Pope Saint John Paul II (I believe-he definitely worked/works closely with JP2 and now with Pope Francis...He now lives in the Vatican). He also was in the Papal Conclave for Pope Francis! This was a big honor and was a very beautiful private Mass in English for us students.  The night kept getting better and better. We not only had Mass with him, but he also came to dinner with us at a Pizzeria. Even better, I got to sit across from him at dinner, and this was one of the best conversations I have had in my life! There were 4 of us talking to him directly. We were encouraged to ask any questions we wanted so I took advantage of that in a heart beat! Some of the questions I asked that I have been wondering for a while were: What was it like participating in the Conclave for Pope Francis? (He can only say limited things about the events of the process, but what he did say was amazing!) There was a rumor going around that the Cardinals knew that it would be Pope Francis almost right off the bat, and that they really didn't need to go through the nuts and bolts of the check-list they have for voting as much because they knew who it was going to be-  He confirmed that this rumor is true, and he said that the Holy Spirit came down full force from the very beginning and made the process very clear and to the point. He said that the "requirements and personal qualities" of the voting process for what the future Pope should be a person not afraid to speak about the faith to all- to be very welcoming and open, have a peaceful presence among others, and a Spirit that shows Christ through his words and actions.  All the requirements he said became almost non-existent, because the Holy Spirit had shown them clearly who they need to vote on, so they need not do any of the research. And we can see that this was all true as we can see what Pope Francis has done for the Church in the just the last year of his Papacy! He went on to mention that it was a very holy and spiritual process for him, one that he will never forget, and one that he wouldn't be able to explain fully because he is at a loss for words when trying to say how beautiful it was. WOW. The last question I asked him was: Was there anything that Pope Saint JP2 said to you that you would want to share with others? And he replied: "Be bold. Do not be afraid to witness to your faith to others around you..there will always be diversity and difficulty but this must not be an excuse. Press forward in faith no matter the cost". 

This truly was a beautiful experience tonight that I will never forget. I just had dinner with a Cardinal that knew/knows very well and worked/works closely with the 3 Pope's of my lifetime! That does not happen every day. Wow, I feel extremely blessed! And this happened on my 2nd day of being in Rome! I can only imagine what other beautiful things are to come in the next 4 months!!!! :)

Here is a picture of me at St. Paul's Outside the Walls tonight.

Peace and Blessings!

Anne

And so it begins...

Ciao friends! 

I was hoping that this post would be full of fun stories of my travels and flights... And it looks like you're in luck!! It's worth the long read! 

To begin, I woke up at 5:30am even though I didn't have to wake up until 6:30am...I was pumped from the moment I opened my eyes and I couldn't wait to begin the journey. At the airport I proceeded to check in, and with my luck with baggage fees from the past, It turns out my bag was just 5 pounds over the limit, therefore I had to fork over a whopping $100 as a fee! It's only 5 pounds, not 20!!! I think it's absurd I had to pay so much but oh well! I didn't have time to try and bargin with the lady so I went on my way to security. At security, I ran into my orthodontist while going through the line! That was funny and somewhat strange encounter! 

Now it's time to get on the flight and we are all ready to go, everyone is on and seated and we are just sitting. 10 minutes, then 20, then 45 minutes go by and we still haven't left the gate! They said that there was a problem with one of the seats, and they needed to fix it before we could take-off. Meanwhile I am wondering why this "fixing" hadn't taken place BEFORE we all got on the plane?! The saying "Patience is a virtue" kept going through my mind!

Finally we take off, and the guy next to me, who is 40, starts talking and he is from Scotland, and has a very think accent, so I have to really pay attention to understand him. He took out the Menu and asked me if I wanted a drink, and that he would pay. Free drink? Why not!? So he ordered a vodka and orange juice for me (Screwdriver) and a beer for himself. The flight attendant looked at him and was like "you want vodka and a beer?"... Not realizing the vodka was for me! The rest of the flight was good. First leg of the flight down. 

Because of the delay, I got to Philly with only 20 mintutes to spare, counting time to get from one terminal to the next, which took a while. I didn't have time to sit or get dinner- just walked right back onto a plane and took off! That flight went fast for me, although it was very uncomfortable and I didn't sleep a wink both flights!! ( I am feeling the jet lag already! Where's the coffee!!?)  

Got to Rome and everything has been simple getting around, thankfully. Made a few friends so we shared a taxi to the school so I only payed 20 Euros instead of 45! Whohoo!

I am all unpacked, and about to go explore the city- and grab some lunch! 

Thank you for all the prayers for safe travels- keep them coming! I have made it and I am safe. Mission: accomplished! 

Peace and Blessings! 

The suspense is killing me!

Hi Friends!! 

T-24 hours until my adventure of a lifetime begins!! I just checked into my flight! Whohoo! 

Yesterday, I went to Disneyland with my good friend and we left at 6:30am, stayed until closing, and arrived back home at 12am! What a great and fun-filled day. And for some reason, I woke up this morning at 7am on the dot.... Call me crazy, because that is what I am doing at the moment. WHY AM I UP RIGHT NOW? This only portrays how messed up my time clock will be with all of the traveling that is to come in the next 48 hours.  I simply will not have any sense for what time it is! Hopefully the jet lag will subside quickly after I arrive in Rome!

So, as for packing... ha! Lets just say it will be a long day...I have been checking and double checking that I have everything. I hate that feeling you get when think that you are missing something... but I think that is inevitable for obvious reasons.

I have been seeing photos from my friends that are already in Rome, and let's just say it is making me so much more excited to get there! I can't wait to see my friends who I will be living and traveling Europe with. We will have a great time I am sure of it. 

Please keep me in prayer as I finish packing/preparing for my time abroad and for safe travels. 

Stay tuned.. Hopefully it will all go smoothly and I get there with no huge problems. Until tomorrow, my friends... :)

Peace and blessings,

Anne

The countdown continues!

Hi Friends! 

Well, the truth of the matter is that time has gone by faster than I was anticipating, which is amazing! I am now at a countdown of 21 days until I leave for Roma! I am getting more and more excited as the seconds, minutes, hours and days pass by. 

I will be starting to pack this weekend, and when that happens, I have a feeling that reality is going to set in all the more that I am actually going to Rome and living there for 4 months! Whohoo!! 

My friends and I have come up with a list of places and countries we want to travel to- Here are just a few: Switzerland, Ireland, Poland, France, Greece and so much more!! I will keep you informed as the places and trips are set in stone.

The number one comment I have been hearing when I say I am studying in Rome is: "Do as much as you can, enjoy every second, and don't pass up any opportunities to see the beauty of the places around you!" So, this is my motto- I will be sure to "live it up and have no regrets!" :)

Well, next time you hear from me will be the day before I leave, and by then, I know I will be like a child on Christmas day, full of joy, happiness and excitement at the adventures to come! :)

Peace and Blessings!