This is just a fun little post... ok, ok, it's a procrastination post.
I thought I would share some of the music that I have been listening to non-stop lately!
The semester is coming to an end and I am enjoying being in Rome, taking walks, hanging out... and doing papers, so I've had ample time to make spotify playlists until my ears get tired, I put one of them on 8tracks so I could share with ya'll.
So here is the fruit of my labor... hope you love it!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Southern Italy III: Naples
Naples is an interesting place... when they say it's gritty, they ain't kiddin'. In the words of Dr. Dawson "It's like Italy's New York." In the words of me: "Its more like Italy's Detroit..."
Yes, it is the birthplace of pizza. Yes, it was really popular in ancient times. Yes, there are a lot of Italian Americans with families from Naples. To the last point, I say this, if Naples were that great, you would be Italian, not American. Think about it.
There were a few times that I was completely sketched out... thank goodness for some of the guys in the program being really great and helping us poor females out.
The pizza was great. The company was great. The setting, not so much.
I probably wouldn't go back to Naples... ever. But it was an experience.
I didn't bring my camera off of the bus for fear of it being stolen... but here's a picture of me and Christine being cute to make you feel better.
Yes, it is the birthplace of pizza. Yes, it was really popular in ancient times. Yes, there are a lot of Italian Americans with families from Naples. To the last point, I say this, if Naples were that great, you would be Italian, not American. Think about it.
There were a few times that I was completely sketched out... thank goodness for some of the guys in the program being really great and helping us poor females out.
The pizza was great. The company was great. The setting, not so much.
I probably wouldn't go back to Naples... ever. But it was an experience.
I didn't bring my camera off of the bus for fear of it being stolen... but here's a picture of me and Christine being cute to make you feel better.
Southern Italy II: Capri Sun
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| Morning view of the bay. |
We took a ferry to the port and immediately boarded a boat for a tour of the island as well as a trip into the famous Grotta Azzurra, The Blue Grotto.
To get into the Blue Grotto, you transfer to little row boats and make your way into the smallest hole ever, seriously. The guy in charge of the boat tells you all to lay down and pulls the boat in from a chain on the wall of the cave. There was a swell on our way inside which lead to the man pressing himself onto the person on top... me. It's ok, he was cute. It was all worth it when we got inside and saw the most amazing sight. The grotto literally glowed blue. It was so beautiful! The men rowing the countless tiny boats on the inside started singing to us and we made our way out the same way we came in. what an adventure.
We got back on the bigger boat and started to make our way around the island. The hills, caves, lighthouses, and huge villas were all so pretty. It was paradise.
After our boat ride, we got some lunch, changed into our bathing suits and made our way to the free beach for some sun and sand! We climbed the jetty and found some flat spots to sunbathe and listen to Zac Brown Band, of course! The water was so absolutely freezing, but at least I can say I swam in the Bay of Naples, right?
After the beach, we got changed and headed back to Sorrento on the ferry. After the ferry we got a little lost on the way back to the hotel and walked up the side of a mountain... literally. Why is Italy so hilly/ volcanic? oi. We freshened up and put on our cute summer dresses (complete with authentic sunburn) for dinner and a show.
After that, we headed out for some gelato and went back to the hotel to relax and watch a movie.
Bliss.
Southern Italy I: Pompeii
This weekend was SO great! The entire program headed to the Bay of Naples together for one of the best trips of the semester. First stop: Pompeii.
Pompeii was so cool. We had an onsite lecture by one of the history professors and say so many things. It sounds silly... but I didn't realize how big Pompeii was. It's an ancient city, with streets, alleyways, and houses. The forums, temples, markets, and theaters are all such amazing sights.
I had been to the exhibit in NYC last summer, so I had seen the casts of bodies, so they weren't as shocking, but I didn't realize that there were still bones in those casts! It made it that much more real.
Because Pompeii is still an active excavation, they have shelves of things they've found... including bodies. That was pretty shocking, seeing terracotta pots next to the cast of a person.
It was really cool to see normal everyday things, like fast food counters and crosswalks.
Its amazing to think that only 1/3 of the city has been excavated and we spent the better part of 4 hours walking around the different buildings and streets. Another funny thing about Pompeii is that it was thought to be really wealthy, but the building materials are really cheap, like tufa and brick, not as much marble as we see in Rome, even on the temple of Jupiter in the middle of the city.
I had a great time in Pompeii, it was really eye opening to see such a hugely popular place, a place of such destruction, but also a place that has taught us so much about daily life in a Roman city.
After Pompeii, we hopped onto the bus and made it around the twisty roads to Sorrento to get to our hotel. Mary, Christine, and I were so happy to see the view from our BALCONY!
Pompeii was so cool. We had an onsite lecture by one of the history professors and say so many things. It sounds silly... but I didn't realize how big Pompeii was. It's an ancient city, with streets, alleyways, and houses. The forums, temples, markets, and theaters are all such amazing sights.
I had been to the exhibit in NYC last summer, so I had seen the casts of bodies, so they weren't as shocking, but I didn't realize that there were still bones in those casts! It made it that much more real.
Because Pompeii is still an active excavation, they have shelves of things they've found... including bodies. That was pretty shocking, seeing terracotta pots next to the cast of a person.
It was really cool to see normal everyday things, like fast food counters and crosswalks.
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| food counter |
Its amazing to think that only 1/3 of the city has been excavated and we spent the better part of 4 hours walking around the different buildings and streets. Another funny thing about Pompeii is that it was thought to be really wealthy, but the building materials are really cheap, like tufa and brick, not as much marble as we see in Rome, even on the temple of Jupiter in the middle of the city.
I had a great time in Pompeii, it was really eye opening to see such a hugely popular place, a place of such destruction, but also a place that has taught us so much about daily life in a Roman city.
After Pompeii, we hopped onto the bus and made it around the twisty roads to Sorrento to get to our hotel. Mary, Christine, and I were so happy to see the view from our BALCONY!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
'Staches and Early Morning Crashes
All-nighters are the worst. They are the worst of the worst when you are already in a seriously bad mood... jeeze. There is truly nothing like staying up into the not-so wee hours of the morning with a few cappuccinos and a good friend. If it weren't for Christine Fontaine, something awful would have happened to me whilst writing this paper.
In order to combat the absolute agony of an 8-10 page paper on a topic that could have been completed in 2 pages, we rewarded ourselves with little study breaks. During these breaks, we would take some time to document our progress and share it with the world. We spend some time on Photobooth and immediately shared these pictures on Facebook. Here are the results:
It was all fun and games until we realized it was already 1 am and we hadn't even gotten a line onto the second page yet... oh no. It was going to be a long night.
When we realized, our faces turned a little more... well, frustrated. When the clock struck 2:30, we were kicked out of our plush role-y chairs and forced to finish up our work in the cold, dark hallway.
An hour later, we were making progress, working on our papers in a good way. Then Chris came down to print out his paper. We were a little discouraged at that point, as you can probably tell by our faces. But, the work had to be done, we couldn't fail Msgr. Irwin!
We ended up finishing our papers about the same time the sun came up. we hurried upstairs to freshen up and get some breakfast before our class started at 9am. Moral of the story: procrastination is a very bad thing.
In order to combat the absolute agony of an 8-10 page paper on a topic that could have been completed in 2 pages, we rewarded ourselves with little study breaks. During these breaks, we would take some time to document our progress and share it with the world. We spend some time on Photobooth and immediately shared these pictures on Facebook. Here are the results:
It was all fun and games until we realized it was already 1 am and we hadn't even gotten a line onto the second page yet... oh no. It was going to be a long night.
When we realized, our faces turned a little more... well, frustrated. When the clock struck 2:30, we were kicked out of our plush role-y chairs and forced to finish up our work in the cold, dark hallway.
An hour later, we were making progress, working on our papers in a good way. Then Chris came down to print out his paper. We were a little discouraged at that point, as you can probably tell by our faces. But, the work had to be done, we couldn't fail Msgr. Irwin!
We ended up finishing our papers about the same time the sun came up. we hurried upstairs to freshen up and get some breakfast before our class started at 9am. Moral of the story: procrastination is a very bad thing.
Monday, April 1, 2013
La Settimana Sancta: oi.
Holy Week, oi. It was a long-long-long week. Rome is quite busy (as you would expect) during Holy Week, or La Settimana Sancta.
We started the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) with Mass at Santa Susana, the American Parish in Rome. It is really refreshing to be able to participate in Mass in English as they are few and far between here in Rome. Although, my Latin 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary' are getting pretty good.
We went to eleven churches that night to take part in a Roman tradition of visiting the Blessed Sacrament Chapels. Chris, Christine, Paul, Caitlin, Nick, Mary, and I all said prayers at each chapel to prepare for Easter.Then, we got back to the dorm and Mary, Christine, and I watched 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson... we had a good cry.
Friday, we headed over to The Venerable English College for Good Friday service. This is always my favorite service of the Triduum. There is always so much emotion when the Celebrants lay prostrate before the altar. The English seminarians did a really good job of making it somber.
On Saturday, we began the day at the Holy Stairs. The Legend of the Holy Stairs is that they are the stairs that Jesus climbed to see Pilate on the night of His passion. It is believed that St. Helen, Constantine the Great's mother brought them from Jerusalem along with many other holy relics. The tradition is to go during the Triduum and to climb the stairs on your knees, not allowing your feet to touch. It was a really beautiful experience. It was painful too, but when ever your knees started shaking and you felt like you couldn't go up another step, you could look up and see the image of Christ on the cross. It sounds corny, but that really helped me to finish it up.
After that, we headed back to The Venerable English College for Easter Vigil Mass and saw our theology professor Msgr. Kevin Irwin. The Mass was longer than most with seven readings (the Pope only did four that night). Then, the seminarians treated everyone to champagne and chocolate, the first chocolate I'd had since Lent started. It was so good.
We got back to the dorms at about 1 am... but with the time change for daylight savings in Europe that was really 2 am. We got up the next morning at 6-ish and left to see the Pope at St. Peter's just before 8.
We got to St. Peters, got SEATS! and waited for Mass. The outside of St. Peter's was beautifully decorated with tons of flowers!
It was my last mass with Pope Francis and it was a really beautiful experience. I was so tired, but I was happy to be with Mary and Christine... and to be eating Peanut M&M's, I missed them.
We had the most prime spots next to the nicest Italian Nuns and snapped our amazing pics of Papa Fran. Then, we waited for the Angelus. The last time (possibly) I saw Pope Francis speak in person was the same place I had seen him for the first time in person, the window in the front of St. Peters.
"And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world...Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation... To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace." - Pope Francis
After we got back (and NAPPED!) we made dinner in the dorm kitchen together.
After dinner, I talked to my entire family through Skype. It was really great to see everyone and hear their voices. It made me a little homesick (this is one of the first Easters I've had outside of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) but I'll see them very soon!
"Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!" - Pope Francis
We started the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) with Mass at Santa Susana, the American Parish in Rome. It is really refreshing to be able to participate in Mass in English as they are few and far between here in Rome. Although, my Latin 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary' are getting pretty good.
We went to eleven churches that night to take part in a Roman tradition of visiting the Blessed Sacrament Chapels. Chris, Christine, Paul, Caitlin, Nick, Mary, and I all said prayers at each chapel to prepare for Easter.Then, we got back to the dorm and Mary, Christine, and I watched 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson... we had a good cry.
Friday, we headed over to The Venerable English College for Good Friday service. This is always my favorite service of the Triduum. There is always so much emotion when the Celebrants lay prostrate before the altar. The English seminarians did a really good job of making it somber.
On Saturday, we began the day at the Holy Stairs. The Legend of the Holy Stairs is that they are the stairs that Jesus climbed to see Pilate on the night of His passion. It is believed that St. Helen, Constantine the Great's mother brought them from Jerusalem along with many other holy relics. The tradition is to go during the Triduum and to climb the stairs on your knees, not allowing your feet to touch. It was a really beautiful experience. It was painful too, but when ever your knees started shaking and you felt like you couldn't go up another step, you could look up and see the image of Christ on the cross. It sounds corny, but that really helped me to finish it up.
After that, we headed back to The Venerable English College for Easter Vigil Mass and saw our theology professor Msgr. Kevin Irwin. The Mass was longer than most with seven readings (the Pope only did four that night). Then, the seminarians treated everyone to champagne and chocolate, the first chocolate I'd had since Lent started. It was so good.
We got back to the dorms at about 1 am... but with the time change for daylight savings in Europe that was really 2 am. We got up the next morning at 6-ish and left to see the Pope at St. Peter's just before 8.
We got to St. Peters, got SEATS! and waited for Mass. The outside of St. Peter's was beautifully decorated with tons of flowers!
It was my last mass with Pope Francis and it was a really beautiful experience. I was so tired, but I was happy to be with Mary and Christine... and to be eating Peanut M&M's, I missed them.
We had the most prime spots next to the nicest Italian Nuns and snapped our amazing pics of Papa Fran. Then, we waited for the Angelus. The last time (possibly) I saw Pope Francis speak in person was the same place I had seen him for the first time in person, the window in the front of St. Peters.
"And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world...Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation... To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace." - Pope Francis
After we got back (and NAPPED!) we made dinner in the dorm kitchen together.
After dinner, I talked to my entire family through Skype. It was really great to see everyone and hear their voices. It made me a little homesick (this is one of the first Easters I've had outside of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) but I'll see them very soon!
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| Dad and I skyping. |
"Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!" - Pope Francis
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Palm Sunday, aka Papal Mass III
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| Palms (olive branches) getting blessed |
It was a beautiful mass that started at the obelisk in the square, which was decorated with tons of flowers, blossoming trees, and olive trees planted in the square, who knew.
The new pope focused much of his prayer and invocations on Mary, even spending some time at her statue during the Mas.
He had a beautiful homily and talked about this summer's World Youth Day in Rio. Here are some of my favorite parts of the homily:
"Never be sad men and women: a Christian can never be! Never give in to discouragement! Ours is not a joy that arises from possessing many things, rather it comes from having met a Person: Jesus, who is among us; it comes from knowing that with him we are never alone, even in difficult moments, even when the journey of life collides with problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are many!"
"Dear young people, I saw you in the procession, when you came in; I imagine you celebrating around Jesus, shaking the olive branches; I imagine you as you shout his name and express your joy at being with him! You have an important part in the feast of faith! You bring us the joy of faith and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always, a young heart even at 70 or 80! Young heart! With Christ the heart never grows old!" -- Pope Francis
He even tried to speak a few words in English during his blessing. Bless him, he's so cute.
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| Papa Francesco |
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