ROMA: Week One

Here I am once again after a long LONG time out of the blogging scene. The lame-ness of it all is that the last you heard of me was about 5 months short of a year ago. Now that's what I call sad, especially for some wanna-be blogger. Anyway, what better excuse is there to get back into the habit than the fact that I am now in Rome, Italy. I will spare the super-exuberant adjectives and simply say that I am beyond blessed to be here. Rome already feels like home and this is as it should be. This feels like a dream...especially the part of participating in a Mass that was celebrated on an altar with the incorruptible body of St. Philip Neri. Or walking in front of the tomb of St. John Paul II. Or seeing said tomb during a tour of the St. Peter's Basilica. A TOUR OF ST. PETER'S BASILICA. Or running through Rome with a group in attempt to win the scavenger hunt. Or drinking delicious wine in an authentic Italian restaurant. These are the things that I have only dreamed of until now.

These are also the best of week one (which really consisted of only 3 days, but felt like a full week anyways). Other tidbits would include trying to understand when to turn where at which corner of the street to get to campus; taking in the beauty of all simple things such as the campus grounds and the easy breezy weather; and how to interact with Italians...which is something I may never master and I'm okay with that.

I could carry on forever, but it is 12:37 p.m. Roma time. I, as well as everyone in my group - please pray for all 25 of us as well as the staff & the sisters - will probably be thankful for the extra sleep.

Lord, thank You for the gift of Yourself. There is nothing more I can ask for.