It's Not "Goodbye", It's "See you Later"!

Ciao friends!

Sad to say, but this is the final post for my journey in Roma. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it for all of you!

By the way, I am safely back home in the US! It's good to be back. You will see why at the end of this post... :)

Let's travel back in time a little bit before parting ways...

Where to even begin!? I have been thinking of what to say for this final post, and I thought I would share a few things that I have learned in my time here. Some of them will be more deep, but most will be ones to create a laugh! Here we go! Let's see how much I have learned in 4 months! Enjoy!

1. "You never know, if you never try"- Countless number times, there would be once in a lifetime opportunities that would present themselves and every time, I would keep this phrase in my mind and didn't pass up any of them that came my way. I experienced things I never thought I could and would. All I had to do was say yes and try it out, and amazing experiences came out of them without fail! 
2. Italians dress for the season, not the weather- this is mostly true for winter time- they bundle up in really nice full winter coats even though it is still nice warm weather. To be like a true Italian, I have fallen into there dressing habits and needless to say, I have been hot as heck in my wool coat, with the sun beating down on my head...but hey, I am in Rome and I do as the Romans do. 
3. You DO NOT drink out of of coke can straight (bottles are more accepted because they have a cap). You ALWAYS put it into a cup before drinking it- you don't know where it has been, and to put your mouth on it... yuckie. If you do this, your cover has been blown and they know you are American. 
4. Pope Francis is worth waking up early and waiting 5 hours for. If you need to practice your patience, go to something where he will be there. But I promise you leave with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Enough said. 
5. This one is a hard thing to read (harder to hear in person from an Italian): Spagetti and Meatballs and Chicken Parmesan is not an Italian invented meal. It is Americanized, sad to say. Didn't find it once while in Italy. And I looked hard. Sad, I know. Broke my little heart on the very first day. 
6. Having ice cubes in your drink does not exist! What! Crazy! I actually didn't notice it for a while. One day I was like, "Oh, I haven't had ice in 3 weeks! Woah. I miss it!" There would be very few times that they would give ice (probably because they knew we were American), but I never counted on it! It was a nice little treat if I did get an ice cube or two. 
7. The concept of forming lines barely exist in Italy. Its a free- for-all. So you can just go to the front and shove your way through and they won't really get too mad...even if they do, you probably won't understand it... so oh well... :)

* I am currently sitting on my flight back to the US as I write this! I'm about 2,000 miles away from Philly, my connection spot. So excited! I'll be home soon! By the time you read this, I will be home safe and sound*

We went out to dinner out last "free" night to our favorite restaurant that we probably went to about 50 times in the span of 115 days- we told them it was out last night being there, in hopes that we would get really good service. Needless to say, the service got really good!! They asked if everything was good (Tutti bene!?) about 5 times during a span of 15 minutes. Then at the end, they asked us if we wanted Tirmasu, and he sold us on it, so we split one. It was amazing to say at the least. Two minutes later, they bring us 2 Lemonchellos. These things are dangerously good! They originate from Italy but have become popular in the US. I liked it but my friend didnt so much, so I had hers, and then they came back and asked if we wanted another! They said, "It's free!"....we passed. We had already split a bottle of wine... We checked the bill and sure enough the Tiramisu and the lemonchello's were free. After this, they said in Italian (which I understood completely), "You are the two most beautiful girls from the Universtiy that come to Spaccio". This melted our heart, and then we realized once again that it was our last time there. A great way to end, and a great memory made!



I am skipping ahead because there is too much I did in the last day and I don't want you to be reading forever (and I can't type that much, quite honestly!) Just know that I was busy and getting my last minute sights in before time was up! I got to most of them (at least the ones that meant the most to me).  We went to the Christmas tree lighting and unveiling of the Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square which was very pretty.

The Seminarians from the NAC invited us up for breakfast on Saturday morning, which consisted of pancakes and Frigidaruim gelato on top. DELICIOUS! It was a nice way to start off the last day, and a chance to spend some last few moments with these amazing spiritual fathers who have been with us all semester.

After this, we only had about 4 hours until we had to get ready to go to Mass and dinner. Not a lot of time for what I was hoping to do. I really only had time for 2 of the 3 things I had in mind. So I said, "St. Peters or Villa Borguese Gardens?" St. Peter's means so much to me, so I went there and waited in line for almost an hour, and spent great time in prayer one last time before leaving. A dopo, San Pietro!


Final dinner time!! It was delicious! One of the Seminarians actually sat next to me which was nice! A nice 4 course meal we had. I will miss it! Then our director stood up and said, "Congratulations, you are done. It has been a great semester! We wish the very best for you". A cry fest broke out among almost everyone. Our group got really close and it was hard to leave each other. To this moment, it hasn't really hit me that I am in the middle of the North Atlantic ocean and not coming back to Italy.... It's been quite the blessed experience!

Best for last- I didn't finish packing until 2 am.... only slept for about an hour and woke up at 6am. Turned out our flight not only got delayed from 11:35 to 12, but worse- 11:35am to 1pm. We were already at the airport a 8am when we we informed of this lovely piece of information. So we sat there for 5 hours. Brutal. Good news is that one of the seminarians was actually at the airport too, so we met up and spent some of that time together before he had to board his flight. That was a really nice thing for him to do. It meant a lot to my friend and I. Even better, when I got to Philly, I only had 30 minutes to get through Customs, get my luggage, recheck it, go back thru security, and get on my flight. The phrase, "Keep calm and carry on" kept running through my mind, as I wondered how this was going to work out. I hear, "Final boarding for San Diego" (I just got to the rechecking bag line at this point..uh oh. This isn't good). I get through security, and I am looking for my gate, which was A6. I see A1, A2, A3, A4, A5,... A7, A8.... WAIT! WHERE THE HECK IS GATE A6!! Just when I realize that A6 is missing, and I need rush to find it, I hear, "This is the last call for flight to San Diego, doors close in 2 minutes" OH, NOW THIS REALLY ISNT GOOD! WHERE IS A6!!!!!!!! I finally see it ahead of me about 300 yards, thankfully, and I start running like Forest Gump with 2 bags on my shoulders! Out of breath at this point, I get up to the counter and they say, "Great, you made it! You are the last one, they are waiting for you". I stepped on the plane and all eyes looked up at me.... SORRY GUYS... BLAME THE AIRLINE... NOT ME! I sit down and try and catch my breath and calm down. I need a stiff drink at this point. The attendant comes over and says, "would you like a cocktail"? In which I respond, "Yes, Vodka and Sprite please and thank you". Down the hatch it quickly went and before I knew it, I was out for the count for most of the flight. Geeesh. GET ME HOME! I touched down in San Diego with joyful tears in my eyes and a very grateful heart. Seeing my parents was the best sight I'd seen the the last 24 hours. I've never been so happy to be home in my life.

La vita e bella! Ti amo Roma, a dopo! 

(Life is beautiful! I love you Roma, see you later)

Well, this is where I say goodbye. Thank you for taking the time to read this and journey with me. Wherever you are in the world, I too, wish you the very best and hope that you grab the bull by its horns and adventure about as much as you can in this big world. It truly is an amazing place, that has so much to offer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Peace and Blessings to all,

Anne 

Where's the wine at?!?

Caio friends!!!!! 

This girl is officially finished with this semester!! 

It was quite the 7 LONG days. Too much to do, too little time, too little of sleep and not enough chocolate. Despite this, I GOT THRU IT ALL!!! I can now leave it all behind, and remember that I did the best I could and there's nothing I can do at this point but hope I got good grades.

Last night, we had "Late Night Breakfast", CUA Rome style. For those who don't know, it is something really awesome that colleges and universities do during finals week. So they have a massive breakfast at midnight for us who are still studying and need food (and a break!)

Since we weren't at CUA to join in, we made our own here in Rome. We had pancakes, one-eyed Egyptian pancakes, eggs, bacon, OJ and fruit. It was DELICIOUS!!! Then I studied until 1am and went to sleep fat and happy! :)

So... at this moment in time, I am starting to pack. I just bought another small suitcase (carry-on size, but I am checking it) because I know that I am going to have to pay regardless for the weight.... might as well have another bag and distribute the weight instead of forking over $100 and get noting out of it. 

For the next 3 days, I will be seeing and doing a few things I still haven't done yet in Rome. 1) see the CLOSED Trevi Fountain. Yes, it is closed and under construction, unfortunately. It has been since the week we got here and won't be open at least until late next year. So, I have been here 4 months and never have seen it-there was no point. So I have to do that before I leave, as I need to throw a few coins in the little pool they have off to the side for good luck, love or to come back to Rome! 

2) Scala Sancta- Holy Stairs. I thought I was going to do them at the beginning but that obviously didn't happen. I think it is a good way to end this time here in Rome! 

3) Villa Borgese Gardens- they are beautiful and a must see I hear and I love nature. So that is happening!

T-3 days left and then I embark on my 17 hour flight....I am soooo looking forward to that... But really. I can't wait to see my dear family and celebrate Christmas in a week, see my dog, see my adorable niece and eat Mexican food! 

TIME TO CELEBRATE! WHERE'S THE WINE AT!!??? :)

Peace and Blessings!  

Pope Francis always wins...

Ciao friends, 

Wowzers... a lot has been going on since the last time I posted about 10 days ago... 

This will be one one of the last posts I will write...sad it coming to an end, but this girl is going home in 1 1/2 weeks and I couldn't be more ready or excited (as much as I LOVE Rome, it's time to go home and be with family and of course celebrate CHRISTMAS!!)

BEFORE THEN, THOUGH... I still have a few great stories and pictures to share! 

Though time is very limited, and I have more things to do than I have time, I am still finding things/places to do and see that make my soul happy. This past weekend, we had a 4 day weekend! Who doesn't love those!!! A friend and I went up to the Cupola of St. Peter's because I promised her I would go up with her, which I was happy to do, as I love being up there- it was my third time going up, and this time kicked my butt. I think I consumed too many carbs last week. It was a struggle. But I made it....  

After that, we got Gelato (of course...) and went to Piazza Navona to see the Christmas market they have up. A lot of fun Christmas things going on around here....It's great! This is procrastination at it's finest......

THEN..... I found out that Pope Francis was going to be in Piazza di Spagna on Monday for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. So I went of course. Write a paper or go see Pope Francis???? Pope Francis won. And I am glad he won because I kinda got this close to him that day.....Ah. It was amazing, as always. I left there with a huge smile on my face and a bit more motivation to do work. He is a good person to see to start off the week. 

IT GETS BETTER...LIKE A LOT BETTER..AND IT HAS TO DO WITH POPE FRANCIS. YOU READY FOR IT??? YOU MIGHT WANT TO SIT DOWN FOR THIS....

I WENT INTO THE PAPAL RESIDENCE TODAY!

To explain how this came to be...I was chatting away with one of my priest friends when he looks up and sees two of his Capuchin friends. We get up and say hi, and I thought that would be the end of it. Not even close. Boy, were we in for a suprise! We took a picture with the Cardinal and then asked what he was headed to. He said, "I have a meeting with the Holy Father in 20 minutes". I am thinking to myself, "No big deal or anything...casual meeting with the Pope". Now, this Cardinal is a special Cardinal for many reasons, but I will just say the 2 main ones: If Pope Francis was not chosen as Pope, this Cardinal most likely would have become Pope. Again, "No big deal or anything....I am just standing with a very holy man that the Church recognizes as someone who is qualified to be Pope." Then my priest friend asks one of the best questions that was like music to my ears, "Umm... so.... could we maybe come with you to see the Papal Residence and the chapel inside...? There was silence for a second. He responded, "I mean, sure, why not? Do you have the time?" In my mind: Ha! Do I have time time? Who are we kidding here? No, I have 2 papers to write and 3 finals to study for. BUT, will I make time? Absolutely, positively YES. I responded to him, "Yes, I have nothing to do right now, lets go"! We get there and he says, "Welcome to the Papal Residence". In my mind: "Wait, so you're telling me that the Pope lives here, and is here right now, and I am about to go inside? So.....AM I GOING TO MEET THE POPE!!!???" We went into the chapel that Pope Francis celebrates Mass every day. And to the the room where he eats his meals.  We asked where His Holiness was and he responded, "he is right above us, one floor up". Again in my mind: "Um... So... could I maybe go upstairs???" Unfortunately, we did not meet Pope Francis. I know... it's a bummer. BUT, I GOT TO GO INTO WHERE HE LIVES, WHICH IS AWESOME! And then we went in the back door of St. Peter's Basilica and everyone looked at me in a funny way as if they were saying, "Who are you to be with 3 priests, and coming through a blocked off area with guards that we all desperately want to know where it leads??" I felt pretty dang important at that moment!  IT IS GREAT KNOWING PEOPLE IN HIGH PLACES.....A blessing I sure as heck was not expecting when I woke up this morning. Thanks God! 

Then I came home and did that HOMEWORK I have... I kinda hoped it would get itself done and wouldn't be there when I got home.... HAPPY FINALS TIME! LESS THAN A WEEK AND I WILL BE FINISHED WITH THE SEMESTER! Then time to pack and get ready for my long journey home. I'll post again in a week from now. Until then, have a great week/weekend.  

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME. 

PACE E BENE! :)

Anne

Espana gobble gobble!

Ciao friends! 

A few days late, but a very Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I hope everyone had a blessed day, full of delicious food and quality time spent with family and friends! It was hard being away from home, but we made the most of it in Spain! If anything, we have some funny stories to share!

When we got to Avila, it was bitterly cold, raining and really windy. It got down to 39 degrees. I wasn't prepared. So I bought a beanie, gloves and a scarf. Its been so warm in Rome that I didn't think twice about packing too many cold clothes....That was a harsh lesson learned- my San Diego body was not having this bitter cold! (and to know it was 90 degrees in San Diego on Thanksgiving. Wow.) It got so cold that we purposely spent an hour in a museum looking at art just to get out of the cold...Brr!! (oh and we got back to Rome and it was 70 degrees and humid...beanie, scarf and gloves, already back in the closet)

There wasn't much to do in Avila besides St. Theresa's museum and convent and the Cathedral. As were were trying to figure out what to have for dinner, we ducked into a small bar and had a quick snack and a beer. Now, what I ate in that 20 minutes was far from what I had imagined having on Thanksgiving day... It was Pigs ear and a beer. I thought it was something else, so I was all excited, and my friend got it too. When I tasted it, I said, "this is not what I was expecting, I wonder what this is" and she was like, " Yeah, this is Pigs ear". Me: Oh my. Umm. Interesting. I'm not a fan.  Her: Well I am happy, I love Pigs ear!" Thanksgiving lunch: Pigs ear and beer. Okey dokie. We are off to a great start on the whole "trying to have a Thanksgiving feast".... Oh boy. 

We went back to the apartment because we were frozen and had some time to kill before dinner. So we decided to do our hosts dishes for her because we knew she wouldn't be home until late and she was really busy, and the fact that we didn't have anything else to do.  Then we had a nice cup of hot tea and hung out with her little fluffy dog, named Chewy. Amazing!

Off to try the "feasting" again. This time, we got it right. We had a nice 3 course meal, consisting of hot lentil soup (which tasted like my dads, so I felt like I was at home which was really nice), veil and potatoes, flan and a bottle of wine all for 20 Euros. This meal was DELICIOUS! Our attempt at the feasting was successful! We went home and ate our eclairs and went to sleep. Happy Thanksgiving, indeed! 

The View from our room in Avila

 

             Off to Madrid now- we spent the rest of the weekend there. It was much warmer than Avila, which we were very happy with! Still rainy and cloudy, but you can't have everything... 

We walked around everywhere! Through many parks, which I loved because of the Fall leaves and how they all were pressed against the floor due to the rain. It was quiet and peaceful. Just what I needed. The food we had was absolutely delicious! 

Funny and slightly creepy story: On Saturday, we were waiting for our friends at 9:30am, and this drunk guy comes up to us and says, "you look like them, who are waiting for?" I ignored him and stared at the ground as my friend proceeded to get this guy to leave. He said, "Be careful, you look like one of them" One of who, we asked ourselves. Then we realized. He was calling us prostitutes. He then asked, "do you want to come with me? I will pay for you two." NOOOOO! EWW. With our disgusted faces, he finally left. We turned to each other and said, " Did we just get called prostitutes? We are fully clothed and look nothing like one! Ok then. Good morning Spain!" Quite interesting start to the day... Then later, a guy walked passed us and called us movie stars... definately on the other side of the spectrum... But we took the movie stars one as a compliment! Oh Spain...  

It was a long few days, but still grateful I had the opportunity to go to Spain! 

Off to writing 3 research papers, studying for and taking finals and enjoying my last 3 weeks in Roma!! Please keep me in prayer. 

Count down until home: 20 days! 

Peace and Blessings! 

"Oh Italy...."

Hey friends!

Happy Tuesday! (Almost Wednesday for me, as well as my bedtime!!) 

So, this past Sunday, I was in Florence with a few friends and the director of our program. My ticket was free because I won the Scavenger hunt at the beginning of the semester. This is the trip I chose to be paid for by CUA. Sometimes small groups are the best groups. Only 5 of us. 

I traveled with one friend, and we met the rest there. This is a story that will make you laugh... at least I am laughing...It's the only way not to go crazy... 

I will start by saying, "Oh, Italy!" It's our catch phrase when something happens that is foreign to us, or something that would happen in a foreign country..a moment you are glad you are from the US...etc..

We woke up at 6am to leave at 6:25am for our train at 7:05am to arrive in Firenze (Florence) at 8:30am to get to Mass at the Duomo at 9am. At least this was supposed to happen. Oh, Italy... you just had to make this trip difficult for us, didn't you!? This is far from what actually happened.

We get there to find out our train has been delayed 15 minutes. That's not too bad, so we waited by our train for a few minutes and saw the lady turning on the lights for our train. So we got on and left a little bit later. 30 minutes into the ride, the conductor come to check our tickets and says what everyone would dread to hear. She said, "This is going to Florence, but you will be there in 4 hours". In my mind: EXCUSE ME, WHAT!!!??? "This is the regional train, not the fast train, your train was moved to another track" Again, EXCUSE ME, WHAT!!?? We sat there and stared at each other for a good minute before either one of us said a word. Finally I said, "Am I losing my mind, or did she just say this is going to be a 4 hour train ride?" Yep. Get comfortable. Oh Italy... 

We FINALLY get to Florence and meet up with our group. We walked around for a little while, saw a few churches, and museums, and then headed to a wonderful lunch. A lunch lets just say that we were not expecting, but it is one of the perks of being in a small group. Without saying the cost, we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine, a glass of Prosecco champagne ( I believe it was on the house), really good appetizers, and one heck of a steak (Florence is known for it's steak). We all haven't had meat in a while, as we have been on a pizza and pasta diet in Rome, so we were salivating over the thought of having meat, let alone a nice tender and juicy steak! It was delicious!!! All I will say is that we left there very happy and satisfied, and the bank may or may not have a dent in it... Thanks CUA for paying for some of it! :)

Here are some photos from Galleria dell' Accademia. This includes the famous sculpture of "David" by Michelangelo. It was massive! His hand was close to the size of my head! Very impressive. 

Then we went to the Duomo, a "must" when in Florence. It was beautiful! Here is what the Cupola (dome) and inside/outside looks like! 

Personally, I liked the outside of the Duomo more than the inside. We were there as the sun was setting, so it was even prettier!

Then we bought a leather jacket, which also put quite a dent in my bank account, but I love it. Hopefully it lasts a while! :)

It was a beautiful quick day trip to Florence!

As of this week, I am here for less than 4 weeks!! Woah! Time sure has flown by way too fast! Good news is that I will be home for Christmas and get to spend some quality time with family for a few weeks!

Before then though, my fingers will be busy writing 3, 8-10 pg. papers in the next 3 weeks! With this said, if you do not get an update, know that I am writing away! But I will try my best to keep you informed! 

My last trip will be to Spain- this trip is in less than 48 hours!!! Thanksgiving break here we come! I will be in Avila and Madrid until Sunday. You will definitely get a post about this trip on Sunday night. 

Please keep us in prayer for safe travels!! 

Peace and Blessings! 

Anne

The Beginning of the End

Ciao friends

It has been quite the eventful week! A week that has led me to doing absolutely nothing today but watching movies, lying in bed and resting! Got to love Saturday's! 

To give an overview of the week: Tuesday I got an email that had my housing assignment for next semester at CUA. Best email ever. Glad I know I have somewhere to live. 

Wednesday, we went to the Papal Audience, in which I made eye contact with Pope Francis. I hope to never forget that moment! So blessed! 

Thursday: Dinner with President Garvey! This was absolutely amazing! Such a great dinner!

Friday: Class at the Roman Forum and Coliseum and Skype interview with my potential internship at 10pm. (It went great, and I was accepted!! What a great way to end the week!)

Here are a few photos from the week: 

Tomorrow I might be going to Florence for the day! 

This week I am off to Spain for Thanksgiving break! 

Dinner with Pres. Garvey was delicious. Complete Thanksgiving dinner all the way from mash potatoes, gravy, stuffing, peas, carrots, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie! Soooo good! I had a nice "Thanksgiving coma" after that! :)

I thought this was fascinating at the Roman Forum- the 6 holes in the stone was once used many many many years ago as a game board. This is what they would do with their time. Similar to Mancala!  I love Mancala! :)

Peace and Blessings! 

No pain, no gain.

Ciao friends!

Happy Monday! It is currently rainy and a little chilly here in Roma. I saw that it is gorgeous in San Diego... of course! And in DC... I think the heater is on and people are bundled up for the brutal winter! I can't say that I am looking to Round 2 of Polar Vortex!

Anyways, this weekend was super duper fun! On Saturday, 3 of us went up to the NAC for sports day. There were supposed to be 13 of us... none of them showed up. So it was 7 seminarians and 3 CUA students. We didn't mind at all! They are so great! It was like having spending time with 7 awesome older brothers...something I am very used to, so I loved it! :)

We played soccer and basketball, both of which I have not played since grade school. To sum the day up, I slipped about 6 times, hit my head twice, on those falls, head butted the soccer ball 3 times which I have always wanted to do, got hit in the upper thigh with a soccer ball from 5 feet away, and last but not least, got hit in the jaw by a basketball. Good news is that I am still alive. Oh and our team won at both sports, so it was all worth it. I couldn't move by the end of the day. Not kidding. my body hated me yesterday...it has every right to! Today I am feeling more alive and more mobile, thank God! Going up stairs and kneeling at Mass was brutal. TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Then, on Sunday, I met up with one of my friends from high school I haven't seen since graduation. We had a great pasta lunch at my favorite restaurant, and then it started raining. So we sat at a cafe for a good hour and a half and had yummy cappuccino. That was an interesting experience. The waiter was hitting on us and wouldn't leave us alone. Creeper. So we left and played in the rain. Good choice! We had about and hour to kill before Mass with the seminarians, so we sat at Subway and chatted away. We got a water just so they wouldn't kick us out for not buying anything...haha
Mass was amazing, as always. Then we went to dinner with the seminarians at a pizzeria, which was so much fun! My face hurt from laughing so much! It was a really great time. Nothing quite like pizza, wine, seminarians and friends to spend the evening with! Then as always, we went to get Gelato, in the rain. Nothing stops us from getting gelato, nothing. Super good!
Great weekend, and it will be a great week! T-1 day(s) until Papal Audience, and T -2 days until President Garvey comes! T- 5 days until Florence! :)

Peace and Blessings! 

Anne

Week 11...The European adventure continues!

Ciao, friends!

I actually have a few free moments on my hands, and motivation is on my side! Therefore, I thought I update you on all my adventures currently and in the coming weeks. 

It has been a busy few weeks, but nonetheless very blessed! Last weekend, we went to Pompeii, Sorento, and Naples (I had authentic Napoleon pizza! It was pretty good!) This was a good weekend, but very tiring. We got back from Fall break the weekend prior, had 4 days in Rome, and then was off again for the weekend. Everyone was exhausted...but we still tried to enjoy it as much as we could. I am definitely happy that I hiked up Mt. Vesuvius with my roommate! Perfect weather, we were not expecting, a perfect view of the Bay of Naples... everything was perfect. Couldn't ask for more!!

This week has been mostly quiet and rainy.  One thing that has made me super happy is that the tourist season is pretty much over now, thankfully. This means that I don't have to fight the mass crowds and clueless people everywhere I go. Especially St. Peter's Square/Basilica. The line has shortened significantly, so now I am able to actually go inside St. Peter's Basilica everyday that I can/want. I have made it a point to at least go to St. Peter's Square every day, just to pray and reflect and take a break from the school work. So now, I go inside the Basilica and pray in the Adoration Chapel for a few minutes. It is the bet part of my day...I went this morning right after I woke up! So peaceful!

This weekend, we have off, in the sense that we have no school trips planned and we can do whatever we desire. Thank God! So the NAC has organized a Sports Day on Saturday and a Mass on Sunday for us. This should be lots of fun.

Next week will be an awesome week, for tow main reasons. President Garvey from CUA will be coming to our school to have dinner with us, as a Thanksgiving dinner. Us CUA students have known about this for about 6 weeks, and every week, at least one person says, "I can't wait for Pres. Garvey to come!" We are so excited! He is an awesome person, an amazing school President, and like a second father to all us at CUA. We are blessed to have him. And we will be going to a Papal Audience on Wednesday Nov. 19th, and they have requested that our schools be announced by Pope Francis!!! Whohoo!!! :)

After that, we are go on our last optional school trip to Florence.  I am going for free because I won a scavenger hunt at the beginning of the semester! Whohoo!

After this, a friend and I are off to Spain for 4 days, for Thanksgiving break!
And after that, we have a 4 days weekend so a few friends and I will be going to Venice for a day trip, and I plan to go back to Assisi for one of those days. Whohoo!!!
Finally, by then, it will be time to start packing to come home and studying for finals. Can't exactly say whohoo to this one quite yet!

Please keep me in your prayers for my remaining weeks left in Roma!
Peace and Blessings! (To give you a laugh... my hair erupted at the volcano.... hehe)