Why Can't We Give Love that One More Chance?

Ciao!

I officially only have 2 weeks left in Roma. Where did the time go? Seriously! None of us are ready to leave, and the roommates and I often find ourselves talking about how depressed we are to be leaving. The other day my Macroeconomics professor tried to be funny by saying, "I thought of you kids today. Just when it's really nice out, you kids have your final exams. Spring in Rome is the best." So cruel! We're all trying to absorb Rome as much as possible though ... but our final exams and term papers have perfect timing. I'm just happy that after traveling through Europe, I'll be able to come back to Rome and have a couple of days to take it all in again before heading back to the States.

Last weekend I went to Assisi. It was beautiful. It's in Umbria, just to the east of Toscana. I was able to see St. Francis' Basilica, St. Claire's (which has the cross that Jesus used to first talk to St. Francis), and I hiked up to this old castle. The view was breathtaking ... mountains and fields of green and gold.

In another news, Christine Price was in Rome for a couple of days. It was so much fun to be with her again and experience the sarcastic humor that I had missed so much. I must say, I did enjoy showing her St. Peter's Square and making her eat some of the best tiramasu in the city.

Our Italian class had a really interesting conversation with our Professor (Gina) the other day. Gina, who is from Florence, does not enjoy Rome. She has been really interesting to talk to about Italy because she lived in New York City for 10 years. She loves Americans, she loves our culture, and she misses the U.S. Coming from a classthat is not used to hearing not the nicest things about Americans, it was really refreshing. Gina also told us that she would never date an Italian, and she actually came to the States becaue of her American boyfriend. She shared this commercial with our class the other day, too ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e64NGmNrhg. We guessed that this one wouldn't go over so well back home.

As many of you know, Wednesday was Earth Day. National Geographic actually sponsored a free concert in Rome at Piazza del Popolo where BEN HARPER played. He is one of my favorites so it was unbelievable to see him. Highlight = Ben Harper's cover of Under Pressure. The concert was a lot of fun ... except for the mosh pit that erupted when the crowd went absolutely crazy for an Italian opening act.


















Anyways, that about sums up the past two weeks. Hope everyone is enjoying the Spring weather at home! You are loved and prayed for, Kaitlin

"The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways,
the point, however, is to change it." - Karl Marx

Earthquakes and Pasqua

Hey all!

So a bit to catch up on. I am sure you are all aware that there was an earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy last Wednesday on the 8th. The earthquake was in the Abruzzo region of Italy, and the neighbor of Rome's region of Lazio. Rome is actually around 117 km away from Rome, and the earthquake could be felt all the way over to my apartment. The earthquake was in the middle of the night and I did not wake up to it, compared to some of my roommates. Over the past week, there have been numerous aftershocks from the earthquake and I have felt a couple of them in Rome. I live on the top floor of my apartment, so when an aftershock hits, it feels like you are on a sailboat rocking in 5 foot ways. It's the most surreal feeling. Everything is okay in Rome though, compared to L'Aquila and its surrounding cities. Thousands upon thousands are homeless and over 200 people have died. It's been a really chilling experience being so close to the earthquake. One of my friends, Matteo, has a family house in Abruzzo and his family had to make a trip to check out their house. There are cracks on the walls and ceilings, and they will probably have to do repairs. John Cabot is doing their part though and are holding clothing and food drives. I scrounged around for a couple of shirts, a toothbrush still in the package, two pair of shoes I never wear, and soup that I had't eaten yet.

On brighter news, I went to Easter mass at St. Peter's on Sunday. So incredible. Mass was at 10:15AM, but my roommate, Abby, and I left at 7AM to get in line. We were able to get seats in the front section and were as close to Pope Benedict as we could possibly be. Mass ended up being two hours long and was said in a multitude of languages. There were hundreds and hundreds of people in seats, standing in the square, and standing along Via della Conciliazione (the street leading up to the Vatican). My favorite part of the day was a little boy yelling, "Ciao Dio!" (hi God) at the beginning of mass. Oh, and of course, the gelato from Old Bridge that I haven't been able to have since Lent began.

Other events from the weekend:
- Going to a restruarant, called "Wanted", with friends. We laughed at the name.
- Seeing the Colosseum at night.
- Napping in St. Peter's Square. Which also means getting scolded by the police.
- Sharing a ginormous chocolate easter egg with roommates.
- Scheduling for my Senior year. Yes, I think I may be graduating on time.
- Talking to Amadeaus (the pizza guy) about how us girls are only here for 1 more month. It was a sad, sad conversation. He still has to take me on a vespa ride ... adding it to the "to-do" list.

Hope everyone had a good Easter.
Buona Pasqua! You are loved and prayed for, Kaitlin

So it's been awhile since my last post and a lot has happened. It's hard to think back and remember everything that I want to share. Here goes ...

My Mom was here for two weeks and came for my Spring Break. It was amazing having her here and I now know that the highlight of this semester was seeing the joy come from my Mom's face once we reached Tuscany. My Mom and I spent the week of SB in Siena and Montepulciano. Siena was everything I thought it would be and more. The highlight of the trip was visiting the scala where the Siena hospital used to be in the 1300s-1500s. St. Catherine of Siena worked at the hospital and we visited the sacristy and chapel she prayed in, which was underground. It was a really moving experience and I am so appreciative that my Mom and I were able to pray where one of my favorite Saints once prayed as well.

For one of the days during the week, my Mom and I took a day trip to Florence. Florence has been one of the places that both of us have wanted to visit, but the day didn't turn out exactly as we planned. My Mom's credit card was not working, it was raining, the top of the Duomo was closed, and the most famous painting in the Uffizi Art Gallery was on a tour. But all my Mom and I could do was laugh. We had a really good time, even with all the ups and downs of the day.

During the second part of SB, we traveled to Montepulciano. Montepulciano is known for it's wine, Vino Nobile. Vino Nobile is the famous wine made in the town by the Contucci family for hundreds and hundreds of years. The Contucci family leaves their wine cellar open for people to look around and taste test, and we were able to meet the current owner ... an amazingly kind, old, Italian man. He had so much joy, so of course, we ended up shipping some of the wine home.

My Mom and I definitely got used to the relaxed atmosphere of Tuscany, so Roma seemed more chaotic than ever once I came back after Spring Break. I was blessed enough to have my Mom in Rome for five days and I was able to show her all of the sites. When we went to the Vatican on Monday, we were able to go on the Scavi tour which goes underneath St. Peter's Basilica where the Pagan Romans had built their necropolis. We were able to tour underground, see the necropolis, and the highlight at the end which was the tomb of St. Peter. It was an unbelievable tour.

On the last day my Mom was here, we went to San Giovanni, which is the most holy site in all of Rome. The church was built by Constantine and was the first church where Christians could worship. St. Helena, Constantine's mother, eventually brought the marble stairs from the palace of Pontius Pilate to the church. The 28 marble stairs are believed to be the stairs the Jesus climbed up and down the day he was crucified. The stairs are now covered with wood, but there are holes where you can peek through to see the original marble, stained with Jesus' blood. People now make pilgrimages to the church and it is required that you ascend the stairs on your knees, while saying a prayer on each step. My Mom and I were able to climb the stairs on our knees and it was unbelievable and humbling experience.

There is so much more I should talk about but it's hard to summarize how amazing the past two weeks have been. I am sure my Mom will have stories for all of you at home as well. Anyways, I only have a couple more weeks of class, but I'm trying not to think about the little time left I have in Roma. Next weekend I am going to Easter mass at the Vatican and I cannot wait.

Hope all is well at home.
You are loved and prayed for,
Kaitlin

GO GREEN!!!

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence."
-Papa Giovanni Paolo II