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