Arrivederci Roma

Today is my last day in Rome. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. This whole semester has been a challenging and life changing pilgrimage. In one of my classes I was asked to write a reflection about the semester and one of the quotes from our textbook The Italians particularly struck me. “A moment of revelation comes, it must be admitted, practically to everybody […] Each has his own way of reaching maturity. Some need the imperceptible passing of the years. It takes but a tiny incident for others; like the shaking of a kaleidoscope it precipitates an abrupt change of the picture” (176). Rome and all the other wonderful places I have traveled have all acted in their own way as the shifting colors of a kaleidoscope, shifting my view of the world.  Being immersed in a culture where I don’t know the language and don’t know the customs has taught me to adapt in new ways. I have learned to love Italian cappuccino and cornetti and the culture that surrounds it. I know I will never be able to eat pasta again without thinking about one of the amazing dishes I’ve had here. The vino will never be the same and I’ll miss wandering around the city center and seeing masterpieces of Bernini on my way.

I’m ready to go home to see my family, and I know I will need every day I have before flying to China for the second part of my Ricci Scholar adventure. But that doesn’t make leaving any less easy. It is hard to think about not greeting my friends with a ciao or going out for some pasta and vino for a birthday. It is hard to think about leaving the city where I can go visit the Vatican when I need to say a special prayer. It is hard to think about leaving a place that I have grown to love. Rome has offered me the opportunity to embark on a pilgrimage that has helped me to mature and has changed my picture of the world and myself. Roma has taught me so much and has truly been like the shaking of a kaleidoscope allowing different colors and shapes to surface, changing me and the way I see the world.

Arrivederci Roma!

My Blog will continue in January when I head to Beijing, China!

London: A Magical, Musical, Fantastic Weekend

Last weekend I went to London for three days with five friends from the J-Force, and now I want to go back and live there. London reminded me of Chicago with its streets full of people and the diversity of food and entertainment. I also loved how it seemed like everywhere we went I was reminded of a great movie, book, or television show. When we arrived Thursday night and decided to explore the city I had “chim chiminey” from Mary Poppins stuck in my head as we looked at all of the rooftops and Big Ben lit up.

One of the major reasons I went to London last weekend was to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The first public showing of Harry Potter in London was Friday morning (since it the premiere was at midnight in California or something). I couldn’t believe I was going to see Harry Potter premiere in London!!! It was like Christmas morning as we made our way to the theater through the busy streets of London. We walked from our hostel to Kings Cross, which was the closed underground stop, and happen to be a very important Harry Potter sight. Even though we didn’t have time to look for platform 9 ¾ the excitement of the group became to grow exponentially. We were standing in the station that takes students to Hogwarts! We ended up having some time to kill before the show so we wandered around the downtown area we were in. We stopped to eat at the only Chipotle outside of the United States and met a guy from Rogers Park who works there. When it was finally time for the movie to start I felt like a kid waiting to open all her presents on Christmas morning. I can’t remember the last time I was that excited about something. 

As I walked into the giant Odeon Theater and heard the brilliant John Williams score for the first Harry Potter movie I could not stop from jumping up and down from excitement. When the dramatic red curtains that had been over the movie screen were drawn back the excitement and magic was almost tangible in the theater. In the part of the movie where Harry, Ron, and Hermione have to apparate quickly away from the wedding they apparate to the first place Hermione thinks of which is Charing Cross Road. When they apparated I instantly realized that I had just been there. I had been standing on Charing Cross Road in the same square they were showing in the movie! Matt, one my friends on the trip, realized this at the same time as me and we grabbed each others hands and whispered with more excitement that exclamation points can express “We were just there!” It was sooooo exciting!

 

After the movie we went to see Big Ben in the daylight and then walked around central London before heading back to the theater district to grab some dinner before going to see Phantom of the Opera. Yes, I got to see a musical on the West End of London! Earlier in the day we had all gotten half price tickets to see the show. We headed toward the theater and stopped at a local restaurant for some yummy fish and chips. Phantom of the Opera was spectacular! When the orchestra started playing Andrew Lloyd Webber brilliant overture it gave me chills and I sat in utter amazement as the musical progressed. After the performance we headed back to our hostel stopping at Kings Cross Station, and of course looking for platform 9 ¾. Well, I found out that there isn’t actually a platform between 9 and 10 but instead only open tracks, but just standing on platform 9 was enough for me to feel the magic of Harry Potter. I had heard that there was a little plaque somewhere that said 9 ¾ so we went to find it, and found it under construction. Fortunately, the extremely nice construction workers let us run in to the barricaded area for a couple seconds to get a picture. I think that the men wearing luminescent vests in the background of my picture only add to its awesomeness.

 

The last thing I really wanted to do in London was go on a search for a historic blue police call box that functions as a time and space traveling machine called the Tardis in the awesome BBC show Doctor Who. My youngest sister Anna got me hooked on the series and now I absolutely love it! I just had to go see if I could find the Tardis, and so I followed some vague directions I had found on the internet. I wandered around the area it was supposed to be until I found it. It was yet another exciting moment in London. The people in the area gave me some strange looks as I began to take pictures of this blue police call box that it seemed only I knew was The Doctor’s Tardis. I asked a group of teens to take a picture of me with it, and when they realized what it was they got really excited and said they hadn’t realized there was a tardis in London. It was really exciting to meet some native Doctor Who fans and touching the Tardis was like being on Platform 9 ¾, it was magical.

I loved London and all the amazing things I got to see! 

Pilgrimage to Poland

One of the places on the top of my list to visit in Europe was Poland since it is a huge part of my heritage. I've grown up listening and singing along to polkas, going to PNA (Polish National Alliance) parties in Chicago, and hearing about my parents visit to Poland. I went to Poland with my cousin Brittney who is studying abroad in Spain this semester. We met in Krakow and spent the weekend experiencing and learning about our Polish heritage in Krakow. 

It was a great experience to be in the country where my ancestors came from. One of my favorite experiences from the weekend was going to Saint Mary's Basilica in the main square. Maybe it's just because my time in Rome has been consumed with the study of sacred space but it was my favorite part of the weekend. I am taking a class on the theology of pilgrimage this semester and it has made me look at sacred space in a new enlightened way. In one of my textbooks the author writes about the trend of medieval pilgrims going to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Christ. My pilgrimage to Poland was prompted by my Polish heritage, and my desire to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors. I think of my trip to Poland as a pilgrimage where I was able to walk where my family had walked and partake in a real way the same religious devotion of my family when I visited Saint Mary’s Basilica in Krakow.

When I approached Saint Mary’s Basilica I felt like I was approaching part of my family history. Like the early pilgrims I traveled to Poland knowing only a few Polish words and not knowing anything about Saint Mary’s Basilica. I went with the desire in my heart to walk and pray where my family had walked and prayed. At the time I felt connected in a very special way to my Polish ancestors. There was something special about physically standing in the place where my ancestors and my parents had stood and prayed. The inside of Saint Mary’s Basilica was stunning. I had not expected such a rich and beautifully decorated interior. I didn’t know where to look as I walked past the pews filled with people. I was amazed at how many people sat in the pews sitting quietly in prayer, praying the rosary aloud, and waiting to go to confession. There was something transformative about the quiet murmur of prayers and the visible devotion of all the people in the church. At the time it seemed to me that the large group praying the rosary in Polish prayed with fervor greater than I haven’t heard anywhere else in Europe. The elderly Polish women reminded me of my own grandmother who made me say the rosary with her countless times. There is such a strong devotion to Marian theology in my family, and I experienced this devotion in a very tangible way hearing the rosary in Polish surrounded by a plethora of images of Mary. 

I had gone to Saint Mary’s the Saturday vigil mass, and in participating in the liturgy I celebrated not only the Eucharist but also my cultural heritage. As I made the sign of the cross and knelt on the rickety wooden pew I was participating in the same prayerful ritual that my family had. When mass began I remembered how my mother and grandmother had taught me how to make the sign of the cross saying, “W imię Ojca, i Syna, i Ducha Świętego, Amen.” To my family, being Polish includes participating in Polish Catholic devotions. Hearing mass in Polish was a new and wonderful experience that made me feel as though by taking part in the ritual of the Catholic mass in Polish I was able to experience the Eucharist in a new way. Through my pilgrimage I broke down the separation between myself and my Polish ancestors. I was able to physically connect myself to the place where they prayed, and I became unified with the ritual of the past and my family heritage through my participation in the Eucharist.

Sun and Waves (Greece Trip Part 2)

Island of Delos

On my trip to Greece we spent two days on the island of Mykonos, and on the first day we had the option of taking a boat to the island of Delos. The whole island is an archeological site, and the only people that live on the site are archeologists. I climbed to the top of the island which was no easy feat, and enjoyed the incredible view before facing the predicament of going back down. After searching with no avail to find the beach promised by one of our professors we ruffed it through what reminded me of the elephant grave yard in the Lion King. When we finally made it back to the main site we found a small beach and we relaxed till the boat took us back.

When I got back to Mykonos I headed to a small beach by our hotel with a group of friends. Right away I jumped into the sea! It was so exciting to be swimming in the sea off an island in Greece! I had to watch out for the scary sea urchins, but once I got out into the deep water it was wonderful. Because of the salt water it was really easy to float and stay out in the water for a long time. The water was perfectly refreshing and not too cold. Floating in the sea with the sun shining down was a perfect moment of peace, and I thanked God for allowing me to be part of such an incredible experience. 

That night we had another fabulous dinner at a restaurant where two Greek men performed and taught us traditional Greek dances. The dancing was awesome, and it was a ton of fun when I got to join in learning one of the traditional dances. Then when dinner was winding down everyone got up to do a greek dance together, and when that song ended they started playing classic American dance songs. They played twist, shout, the YMCA, and a some other great dance songs. It turned into another giant J-Force dance party!

On our last full day in Greece I went to Paradise Beach. Yes, it was really named that and it lived up to its name. I had never seen such clear water. As I sat listening to the waves and the breeze through the palm tree umbrellas with the warm sun shining on me I definitely felt like I was sitting on a little piece of paradise. I spent the day swimming in the sea and sitting reading in the sun. It was a beautiful, peaceful, relaxing day. I'm glad I spent the day chilling at the beach because our last groups dinner turned into another awesome dance party in the restaurant that spilled out into the streets of Mykonos.

The next day I woke up tired and very sad to be leaving Greece. It was an unbelievable ten days. I learned so much about history, culture, and myself on the trip!  

Yiamas! (Greece Trip Part 1)

The reason I haven't blogged in such a long time is because for my fall break I went on a ten day study trip to Greece, and since then I have been recuperating from the epic days of climbing thousands of steps, exploring ruins, eating sumptuous meals of Greek cuisine, and participating in wonderful traditions of staying up late into the night dancing.

The trip started in Athens, and one of the highlights of the my whole trip was seeing one of my best friends from high school who is studying in Athens. I met up with my friend Ellen and we got gyros and hung out. It was so nice to see a familiar face and be able to catch up with a friend. The next day I got to climb the Acropolis hill to see the parthenon. It was incredible to visit such an important ancient site. That evening we had our first group dinner. It was soooooo good! We had amazing salad, appetizers, plentiful wine, and gryos. There was live Greek music, and the professors on our trip danced for all of us.

The next day we drove through the mountains of Greece, and I was blown away by the beauty of the landscape. When we got to our destination of Delphi I headed out with a bunch of students to go exploring. We found a path that led us to climb up and down some pretty trecherous rocks bringing us to the edge of some cliffs giving a gorgeious view of the mountains, valley of olive trees, and sea port in the distance. In the evening I bundeled up in all my layers and headed into town. It smelt like fall at home to me - the fresh chilly air filled with the smell of burning leaves, baked apples, and pie spices. In order to get to the tavern where we were going to have dinner we had to climb several hundred steps to to the top of a hill. The tavern was small and cozy and I had one of the best dinners of my life. We had warm baked bread, fresh goat cheese, greek salad, pasta like I've never tasted before, flavorful chicken, amazing lamb, wine, and a local honey spirit (which helped get the dancing started). There was a DJ that had been playing music during dinner, and when dinner started to wind down he turned up the music and everyone started dancing. When the DJ played Lady Gaga's Poker Face people got up on the tables and the evening progressed from a gourmet diner to an exclusive dance club. It was so much fun having a giant dance party with the whole restaurant just for us!

The next couple of days we visited more ancient ruins that often times made me feel like I was in Lord of the Rings going through the Misty Mountains. One of the best days of the trip was a day we spent in the village our wonderful guide Ioanna was from. Their are only three hundred people that live in the small beautfiul village, so being part of the group of almost sixty American students made us quite the spectacle. We had a delicous lunch made from all local products including the cheese, pork, salad, potatoes, and wine. Ioanna gave a speech about how wonderful it was to be able to bring us all to her village, and the cook came out of the kitchen and started to cry. It was such a touching moment to see this woman sharing her community with us, and her pride and the pride of everyone in the village was beautiful to witness. Later we sat in the village square drinking Greek coffee, and I sat in amazment at the simplistic beauty around me. Even the air was beautiful - cool and clean, with the smells of wood fires and home cooking. We got to go to a local basement wine cellar and drink wine straight from the barrel. The wine was fantatsic, and we got to eat it will locally produced honey, bread, and yummy dried figs. It seemed unreal at the time to be sitting in a small wine cellar in a small village in Greece tasting delicious food and wine. It got even better when we went back into the square and some locals made us fresh loukoumades (a doughtnut like pastery) covered in honey, cinnamon, and walnuts. I am so grateful for being able to have had such a beautiful and unique experience in Greece.

The next day we went to Corinth where Paul the Apostle preached. Now when I hear readings from Paul's letters to the Corinthians I can actually imagine what it looks like from first hand expereince! It was another great moment in my travels to sacred spaces to be able to walk where Paul the Apostle walked, and see where he would have defended himself. From Corinth we got on a Ferry to go to the island of Mykonos. I went out on the deck to watch the sunset with a bunch of students, and after the beautiful sunset we indulged in some very American moments dancing on the deck. Of course we had to sing "I'm on a boat", and we also learned a dance from one of the professors on our trip after doing the macarena, cha cha slide, and two step. When we got into Mykonos it was already late so I called it a night early to be ready for the next day. Already the trip had been amazing, and in ways a life chaning experience, and I'm only now started to process how incrdible it was.

I saw the Pope!

All the people behind us for the audience

This week the JFRC got tickets for us to go to a papal audience. Even before I got my ticket I was really excited to go see Pope Benedict XVI speak. The staff here recommended that we leave by 7:30 am to be able to get a good seat. Since I was really really excited to see the pope I decided to get up really early with a group to make sure that we got fantastic seats. So we got up before 6 am to leave the JFRC by 6:30. That put us at the Vatican by 7 am. We got in line and were very happy to be close to the front of the line although there were two brides and their families (wearing their wedding dresses and waitng to get their marriages blessed) in front of us. We took turns holding our spots in line while we got some breakfast. I had a yummy cream filled doughtnut that kept my spirits up.

When we finally got inside at 8 am a couple people from our group sprinted ahead to save seats and we got the front row. It was so awesome! We were in the front row of the general seating and could see all the bishops and cardinals sitting to the side of the platform where the pope sits and speaks from. We ended up having one extra seat so when Fr. Al, our chaplain, came by he took the seat next to me. He was probably the best person to be sitting next to since he speaks several languages and knew everything that was going on before and during the papal audience. He even said a rosary with me while we waited.

Finally at 10:30, after all our waiting, the pope we came around the corner in his pope-mobile. It was incredible to see him. He looked really happy and kept waving at the crowd. The pope-mobile drove right in front of our seats! He was so close I couldn't even believe it. He waved right at us!

Pope Benedict XVI

When the audience began the Pope gave a short blessing. I was smiling the whole time, and couldn't stop from being so happy and excited. I was being blessed by the pope! The pope also gave a blessing to all our families and especially those who are sick. Then there was a scripture reading in seven different languages, and the pope gave a reflection in each language. There was also a part when they announced the various groups who had come to the papal audience. When they said Loyola University Chicago everyone in our row jumped up and yelled and clapped, and then the pope waved at all of us. At the end of the audience the pope gave another blessing that blessed any religious articles we had brought.

Seeing the pope is definitely one of the highlights of my experience in Rome so far. It was such a blessed  experience, filled with grace and joy. It was an exciting spiritual experience that I will never forget.

Fantastic (and flavorful) Florence

I spent this last weekend in the fantastic city of Florence with a small group of friends from the Rome Center. The city was beautiful and I loved the food and culture I experienced there. I began my time in Florence by heading to the outdoor market full of famous Florence leather and a plethora of other wondrous goods. I was really proud of myself for bartering for a nice leather purse, and in the end I ended up getting the guy to knock off about fifteen dollars from the original price! I also bought some beautiful scarves that may or may not make it back to Indiana as gifts.

On our way back to our hostel we passed The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as the Duomo. It was massive! I couldn't believe the size of the basilica just from the outside. We went inside and my research senses started to go crazy as I observed how oddly the church was being used. There was only a small section of candles that people were lighting but no one seemed to be praying. The basilica was filled with tour groups and except for the modesty dress code there didn't seem to be any great reverence for the sacred space. Anyway, I caught myself thinking about functionality and tried to stop myself from continuing to explore the church in research mode but I guess its just how I've begun to look at things.




We got a recommendation for a reasonable restaurant from a local that turned out to be amazing. I had pear ravioli in the most delicious creamy cheese sauce every created. It was soooooo delicious. The pear was sweet and savory and I used some bread to soak up every last bit of sauce. Later we went to a gelato place not far from our hostel and I some of the best gelato in Italy! I had amaretto, grapefruit, and blackberry. All the flavors were amazing fresh and super yummy. The fantastic flavors of Florence continued when we went to dinner on Saturday night at a trattoria off the beaten path. We had chicken liver on toasted bread for appertivi (appetizer), and I had ravioli with sausage and tomato in another delectable cream sauce. I also had tiramisu since I've never had it before, and where better than a fantastic restaurant in Italy. The meal was delicious and very reasonable. All the food in Florence was wonderful! When I got a salami (so every things fine!) panino they sliced the meat fresh and added a scrumptious artichoke spread.


I got to go to The Galleria Accademia and the Uffizi Galleria. In the Accademia we saw Michelangelo's David. It was stunning! I wasn't allowed to take pictures and I couldn't do the sculpture justice trying to describe it. Every time I looked at the sculptures face I saw a different emotion. Especially with the religious context of the sculpture it was a moving experience. It was an incredible experience to see The David. In the Uffizi Galleria I saw several paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, and The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. It seems unreal that I saw such famous art.

On Sunday David (the only guy with on the trip) and I went exploring while the rest of the girls went shopping. There was a church I wanted to see but unfortunately it wasn't open. Instead we found a giant garden that we saw on our map. The garden was huge and gorgeous. The two of of took our time wandering around the beautiful gardens (which made me feel like I was in The Secret Garden) stumbling upon fountains and paths of overarching trees.

The whole trip was wonderful, and I can still taste all the fabulously fresh flavors of the delicious food!