Playing Catch Up

How beautiful is Rome!?

Hey y'all!!!

American Embassy!

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated.  I kept waiting until I had a lot of things to say at once, but now I have four or five days that y'all need to catch up on!  I've also had a lot of homework to work on (I hope you are all proud), so that took up a lot of time this weekend, as I was recovering from my cold.  Sorry that this is going to be so abbreviated, and hopefully more photos than text; I will be much more diligent with the blog from here on out :)

Kat and I!

I'll start with Monday Funday.  This Monday, Kat and I had big plans to find the Pasta Museum.  I was hoping they would have free samples...We read the directions online, but we all know that I am not the world's best navigator, so we ended up getting off the metro and walking several blocks the wrong way.  As fate would have it, we ran right into the American Embassy.  I felt like I was at home.  I also needed to send in my request for an absentee ballot this week, so this was just like killing two birds with one stone.  Kat and I walk up to the front door, past the military out front, and to the guards.  I just wanted to run in, get a form, and have them send it so I didn't have to pay for postage.

So we saunter up to the front and they ask for ID.  No worries, I am very responsible and I always carry a copy of my passport with me....except today.  Because of course, I purchased a merlot-colored Longchamp (very in for fall, and VERY cheap in Europe--saving you money, Dad), and forgot to switch my paperwork over.  "It's OK", says the guard, "a license will work." Of course that would be in my desk at school.  The guard's eyes get real big and she asks if I have "any sort of identification on me."  That would be a big negative.  They let me in anyway.  Score.  Don't worry y'all, I have lots of copies of ID on me in every bag now.  We're good.  So we go inside and I start filling out the form....which of course needs a license or passport number to complete.  But I have a copy of my passport on my phone....which they confiscated.  Kat is a little more responsible, but she is having to use their phone to call to find out her social security number.  It was a hot mess in the Embassy.  Luckily we are both getting absentee ballots now.  I know you're proud that we are doing our civic duty.

After that, we shopped around for art in Piazza Navona, and found this amazing gelato place that Kat loves.  Y'all, it's amazing.  The flavors are so intense.  Each flavor is a combination of one or two different things.  I had a cup with four little samples.  Lavendar and plum (tasted like lotion, but it was still really good), cherry and cheese (my favorite, surprisingly), cream, and wine and dark chocolate.  It was so intense.  They had a lot of other flavors as well; strawberry, watermelon, white peach, grape, etc.  Sooo delicious.

San Giovanni!

Scala Sancta

Tuesday (yesterday!) was a PACKED day.  It started with three churches in the early morning for my religion class.    We saw San Giovanni, which was just beautiful!  We also got to see the Scala Sancta, or the Holy Stairs.  They were brought from Jerusalem in the 4th century, and are supposedly the steps that Jesus stood on before his trial.  People are only allowed to ascend them on their knees.  It was pretty special to see!  I love my on-site classes because it's nice to go to these old buildings/churches/monuments, and really be able to understand why they are important as opposed to reading it out of a guidebook. And of course, I love my religion professor because he says that our trips are our pilgrimages.  And if I'm a pilgrim, I probably shouldn't be bringing notes/books to class.  That's nice.

After class, I headed back to campus for more class and lunch.  I took a two hour nap, which I really needed because we were getting ready to hit the town for my friend Avery's 12:01 for her 21st birthday!  We had a late dinner in Trastevere (which is probably my favorite neighborhood so far), and had a blast just being with friends.  We went out afterwards and we had a great time helping Avery celebrate.  I thought I would be back home around 1am.  Lies.  All lies.  I stayed out way too late (but for all intents and purposes, I was back in bed at 12am because nothing good happens after midnight.  Right, mom?)  Seeing Rome lit up at night is just magical.

This morning we got up after what can only be called a short nap in order to go to the papal audience to see the pope! I am so glad I went!  It was LONG to wait for him (I fell asleep) and then to hear the mass because the reading was done in six or seven languages, and they called out specific groups to tell the pope where they had come from.  They recognized our school, which was awesome.  It was awesome seeing the pope in person.  We aren't Catholic, but he's such a well-known figure that I couldn't miss the chance to  see him in real life.  He was so cute and I could have just given him a hug!  I'm sure they would have shot me; not worth it.  But it was a wonderful experience.  I need to brush up on my Catholic knowledge though because at one point I leaned over to tell my friend Adam that "the men in the pink were my favorite."  They were the cardinals.  I need to get out more.

trying to look alive at the papal audience!

the pope

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Little nap before the pope arrived!

Some friends and I went to this really hip little restaurant afterwards to grab burgers.  They were so good after not having much more than a banana for breakfast and waiting over four hours in St. Peter's Square for the pope/mass.  Now I'm back at school catching up on emails/finally updating my blog.  I wish this was more detailed, but I think these are the highlights! :)

Miss y'all!

Ciao! (and I WILL update again soon!)