Ciao from Rome! And what a wonderful city it is!
Upon arrival yesterday, we realized we were at ‘Bin 28’. That means there are 28 platforms. So that meant that we were in a huge train station and didn’t see the McDonald’s where we were to meet Kaitlyn & Julia. But in a beautiful God moment we happened upon them, as they were looking for us as well. It was so fun to be reunited with them!
They took us across the train station, onto the metro, and back to Bernardi. The walk with our luggage was a bit of a struggle, but we made it! We arrived at Bernardi, used the elevator, and unloaded in their room. They have a triple- room, and an extra cot had been brought in for us. Bernardi is sooooo beautiful! It is 4 floors, has a kitchen, dining area, computer lounge, living room, chapel, offices, dorm rooms, guest rooms, and a terrace that over looks the entire city. We were stoked!
We unpacked, freshened up, and headed out with Julia, Kaitlyn, and their friends (Rachelle and Emily). We took the bus and walked to a restaurant, but the wait was 2 hours! (It was 8:00 pm by this point- everything happens so late here!) We decided to put our name in at a restaurant (with a 30 minute wait) and we had a snack from “Chip star”. It is essentially French fries, in a paper cone, with various dipping sauces. They were delicious. And it was fun to eat them in a piazza, with the people around, next to a monument!
When we finally sat down for dinner we were ready for a nice meal! We all had good food and a good conversation! I had steak and potatoes! (I missed my protein!) And we had tiramisu and a pear that had been baked in wine for dessert. Mmmmm!
By this point, it was time for bed. So we headed back to Bernardi and got ready for bed. Once in my cot, I crashed. I finally got 8 hours of sleep! It was wonderful! I woke up really sore and with a sore throat. So that wasn’t too fun. But a shower helped!
Once ready for the day, we ate breakfast, and hopped on the bus to go to mass. We ended up in ‘Aventine hill’ and went to mass at Santa Sabina. We saw some incredible views of the city and had a nice walk through the orange tree gardens. Mass was good! It is so fun to be able to go anywhere in the world and know that mass is going to be the same. The familiarity is nice! However, my little knowledge of Italian did hinder how much I understood. But it was nice, nevertheless.
After mass, Julia had to go meet a friend at the train station, so Kaitlyn took us on the most incredible walk! We went past the Roman Forum, the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain (which is under construction so you can’t see ANYTHING!!! L), the Spanish Steps, where she goes to school, and many fountains, piazzas, and monuments along the way. We stopped for lunch midway through our walk. I had a pizza with ham, mushrooms, artichokes, olives, and egg. I really wanted the nutritional value and I am trying to learn to like mushrooms and olives. Nat and Kaitlyn had salads, and they were GIANT! It was a delicious lunch!
After our walk, we ended back at Bernardi and Kaitlyn helped us look at our map to know where our school is, where our house it, what trains to take, etc. It was helpful! However, our house is a ways from school. It will take us about 45 minutes, by metro, I’m guessing. Oh well. I should be used to it by now. The third times the charm, I guess. Our school gave us an unlimited metro pass, so that is FANTASTIC!
Several of the Bernardians had returned from their holiday trips, so it was neat to see some of our fellow Tommies here in Rome!
After packing up, Kaitlyn and her friend Ellen walked us to our hotel. Upon arrival, we met our program directors, checked in, and got into our room. This hotel is SOOO nice! We are on the 6th floor, have an amazing view, have super comfy beds, and are resting for the afternoon.
I repacked and washed some clothes by hand in the sink. After this blog writing, I will post some more pictures on Facebook, and then it will be time for dinner. Even though I am on ‘vacation’ it sure seems like there is always something to do!
I am excited to meet my classmates and head to bed early this evening. Tomorrow we have a tour of the city, and orientation, and then we will move into our homestay! It will be interesting that our host family is out of town until Tuesday, but we will have to make do. Honestly, it will just be nice to have a closet and settle in and not have to carry those backpacks for a few days.
We are excited, tired, sore, and not sure what quite to expect next. Pray for the restoration and recuperation of our bodies and for our excitement to continue to flow!
