Smicks Take Roma 2012

Last week began pretty rainy, which left my roomies and me mostly inside catching up on school work (well, at least that’s what we intended). In reality, we had several more roomie bonding experiences including singing Hillary Duff and Taylor Swift and taking strange videos of each other. Some crazy stuff goes on in room 603 at the Tiz, I’m telling you. We were a bit productive though when it came to planning trips—we’re going to Cinque Terre November 2-4, the first weekend when we have Friday off, and then we’re headed to London for Thanksgiving break!

Other highlights of the week included going out for wine and cheese and having the most delicious parmigiano ever!! Also, of course more gelato flavors at Giolitti. The other day I had a combination of mela (apple) and canella (cinnamon)…this is going on the favorite list. Wednesday I explored a new area of town that is surprisingly super close to the hotel, the Jewish Ghetto. Don’t worry mom and dad—this is not a true ghetto anymore. It’s actually a really cute area with restaurants, bakeries, shops, a Synagogue, and ancient ruins. Thanks to my handy Rick Steves tour book, I learned a great deal on my exploration of the area. One of the most interesting parts was seeing the square where the Nazis threatened to take all the Jews to concentration camps unless the community came up with 110 pounds of gold in 24 hours. Named after the date of this Nazi occupation, the square is called Largo 16 Ottobre 1943.

Il Colosseo? Guess again. This is actually a theatre in the Jewish Ghetto and was built BEFORE the Colosseum!

On Thursday, the weather became much warmer so I went back to Villa Borghese with Cara and walked around the park, people-watched, and caught up on some reading while enjoying a magnificent view of the city below. Then on Friday after my one and only class of the day, Shannon, Hannah, Karli, and I ventured to the beach for the first time. Of course, Rome isn’t quite on the coast, but it is a relatively short trip there. We took the metro and 1,50 euro and about 45 minutes later, we were at the Terranean Sea! It wasn’t quite a white sandy beach (rather, dark sand and a little rocky) but it was beautiful nonetheless and a nice change of pace from the city. It truly felt like we had entered a different world. Hannah, our designated photographer (and an amazing one at that!) for the trip took some great pics of each of us….see below :) The way back from the beach was a bit more eventful. While we were waiting for the metro to arrive, a man who spoke very good English informed us that that particular train was not working and proceeded to direct us to a bus which would take us back to Rome. We found our way to this bus, took it to the first stop, and then waited in what seemed like the middle of nowhere for about 10 minutes for the second bus onto the city. We stood in the crowded aisle way the whole hour trip back, holding onto the handlebars so we wouldn’t go flying forward with each jolting stop! Gave me a bit of a headache and made us a half hour late for dinner at the Tiziano, but all in all, was a worthwhile adventure. Up until this point, we’ve been walking everywhere in Rome, so it’s good to get familiar with the public transportation. We even met a nice mom and daughter from the Netherlands who spoke excellent English on the bus. The daughrer was 13 and told us all about how English is one of the SIX languages she speaks. Talk about making me feel inadequate! Friday night we had a roomies night in complete with wine, cheese, bread, fruit, and Friends reruns. The chill night was just what we needed because the following morning we had to be on the bus by 7am for a full day of lectures and tours.

A beautiful day at Villa Borghese. Who would have thought Rome would have palm trees?!

Roomie night in the 603 <3

These cards from home made my day! Thanks mama!
Blog readers, I'm always happy to accept mail....address in first blog post :)

Beach day on Friday...yep, I've fallen in love with Italy.

Our tours on Saturday took us to Tarquinia and Cerveteri, two towns north of Rome. At both we explored the necropoli, or cities of the dead. We were only able to peek through windows of the Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia because they are sealed to protect the paintings on the tomb walls. In Cerveteri, the 3,000 year old tombs are carved out of bedrock, so we were actually able to go inside several. Kinda creepy but also really cool. In between seeing the two towns we had a picnic on the beach in Tarquinia—it was 75 degrees and beautiful…couldn’t ask for anything better! By the time we got back to Rome, it was around 6pm, so needless to say we were all exhausted! I caught up on sleep yesterday—that’s what Sundays are for, right?! Now it’s time to go full-force into another week of classes and exploring this fabulous city!

Following our professors as they climbed into 3,000 year-old Etruscan tombs!

Roomies <3

ChurchCrawl--Rome Edition: Part 1

Last year at SMC/ND, I did a "chapel crawl" with some friends where I tried to go to mass in all the different dorm chapels on the two campuses. I figure that this year, since I am living in the center of Catholicism, I should extend my chapel crawl to a church crawl around Roma! After being here for a few weeks, I have already wandered into several beautiful churches. At times, it seems one is essentially the same as the next. But I've decided to start keeping track of all the churches I visit and choose just a few things that stick out to me in each. They are really all unique in terms of art, architecture, size, design, and layout. When you look closely and read the stories and history behind everything, you can learn very interesting stuff! Here's what I've learned so far....

• Gesu Church: This church is right in the neighborhood of our hotel and classroom building, and was actually the first in my explorations. It houses the tomb of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, who lived, worked, and died in the adjacent church. Having visited several Jesuit parishes and schools throughout the States, I thought it was so cool to see where the Jesuits got started. 

Chiesa del Gesu

Tomb of St. Ignatius at Chiesa del Gesu

• Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva: This church is about 30 seconds away from our classroom building. I went to my first mass in Rome there on Sunday and later came back to explore it more closely. In the square outside the church stands an obelisk with an elephant sculpture underneath by Bernini. Santa Maria Sopra Minerva is the only true remaining Gothic church in Rome (most of the others are Baroque in style). One of the most striking things about this church is the number of funeral moments it contains. The most prominent is that of Saint Catherine of Siena, whose body lies under the altar (her head is in Siena, which I will be visiting during spring semester). The Renaissance painter Fra Angelico as well as popes Urban VII, Paul IV, Leo X, and Clement VII. Another cool thing about this church is that it contains one of Michaelangelo's lesser known sculptures, Christ Bearing the Cross. In Assisi, there is also a church by this name that we visited.

The simple exterior of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva--nothing compared to what's inside!



Michelangelo statue of il Cristo



Saint Catherine



• Church of San Ignazio: I don't know much about Baroque style, but after seeing this church and reading about it in my travel book, I can definitely understand what it is. The large ceiling fresco right when you walk in to this church has so many illusions in perspective. For example, the columns in the fresco look like extensions of the real architecture. Also, at the center of the church, if you look up into the central black dome, it looks 3-dimensional when in reality, it is just painted and flat. SO crazy. 

San Ignazio exterior



• Saint Paul Outside the Walls: One of the 4 major basilicas in Rome, this one is often overlooked in favor of Saint Peter's. But Paul was an equally important saint and his basilica is pretty impressive as well. It is huge and contains the tomb of St. Paul the Apostle. All around the basilica are images of the popes from Peter to Benedict. Aside from these, my favorite part was the outdoor courtyard and the beautiful mosaic facing it that said "Spes Unica" (the cross, our only hope).

St. Paul Outside the Walls

Mosaic facing courtyard at St. Paul Outside the Walls



• Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore: This was one of the churches that Deacon Doug and Deacon David, 2 more of the 6 deacons working with the SMC program took us to. It was a optional outing so it ended up being only me plus 3 other girls. The small group actually worked out really well because after mass, the deacons gave us some personal insights into the history and layout of the basilica. It reminded me of Saint Paul Outside the Walls  in terms of size and the long rectangular layout lined with columns. It is the largest of the 25 churches in Rome specifically dedicated to Mary our Mother, so as you can imagine, there are images of the Blessed Mother everywhere. The highlight for me was seeing the encased remnants of the crib in which the infant Jesus laid after his birth. Talk about making faith come alive. What a real reminder of the fact that Jesus, just like each of us, was fully human. In all these other churches I have been very close to popes, saints, and other important church figures, but never before have I felt so close (both physically and spiritually) to Christ. I wish everyone who has ever had doubts in their faith (which, undoubtedly is everyone) could experience this as well.

Encased pieces from the Nativity crib

There's confessionals around the sides of the church with the languages the priests speak
and people just stand outside them to go to confession

Looks familiar, right?

Exterior of Santa Maria Maggiore

Another amazing week in the eternal city

I could easily fill up pages and pages of this blog with everything I've been up to and all the amazing places I've visited, but I'll spare you all the details and just highlight some of the best parts of this past week.

First of all, it hardly feels like I'm in school here because I never have more than 2 classes per day and starting in 2 weeks, we have no more Friday classes! And yesterday, my morning class was cancelled so I had the whole day free until 5:30 pm! This is the life :) But really, the few times that I am in class, it is truly SO INTERESTING. I can't even decide which of my 4 classes is my favorite because they are all great and are all topics that I am most passionate about. For example, in religion the other day, Father Mark talked all about the Church before and after Vatican II and told (in story form, which let's face it, is much more engaging than a textbook) us about the popes from that time period. He talked about Pope John XXIII who opened the Second Vatican Council and boy, did he sound like a character! He was elected to be a "caretaker" pope since he was old and frail, but he ended up changing the whole landscape of Catholicism. His warmth and good humor, much unlike the previous pope, made him an endearing figure to Catholics. He was seen out in public, helping Jews during the Holocaust, and frequenting children's hospitals around Rome. Father Mark even told us stories about how Pope John would form a frequent habit of sneaking out of the Vatican late at night for an evening "passeggiata" or stroll along the streets of Rome; meanwhile all the Vatican officials would be sent into a frenzy trying to "find" the Pope! The way Father Mark tells us these stories makes me so interested and eager to learn more---and that's a lot for me to say since our classes meet at 7pm and 8am!

Last Tuesday, my friend Jayna from Saint Mary's who is studying in Alicante, Spain this semester came to Rome to visit. We showed her the places that we had already been to and were her "tour guides" for a few days. Crazy how comfortable I am already feeling with navigating this city that I can show other people around :) Jayna stayed with some friends she came with during the week and then joined us in the hotel for the weekend. On Friday after classes, she, Cara, and I ventured out to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter's Basilica. With my handy Rick Steve's travel book in hand, I again played tour guide and read to the girls about the various paintings, statues, tapestries, etc. in the museums. There are 54 galleries (or rooms) in the museums, culminating with the true gem, the Sistine Chapel. I had of course seen pictures of the Sistine Chapel, but nothing could prepare me for what it really was: literally floor to ceiling frescoes of the Bible as depicted by Michelangelo. The main fresco, the Last Judgment is on the wall behind the altar, and was painted about 20 years after the rest of the chapel. The tension present in the Church at that time due to the Counter-Reformation is very evident in the painting itself. It was just too beautiful not to take pictures, so even though you aren't supposed to, I snuck a few in :) Afterwards, we got to go straight through to Saint Peter's Basilica where we saw JPII's tomb and Michelangelo's Pieta, a sculpture I have always admired and loved. We just happened to be there right as mass was starting (okay, maybe not so much of a coincidence since mass is said there almost every hour haha).

Jayna was super interested in the tour :)

The Sistine Chapel

Saturday morning we had our second day of our lectures and tours class; this time we went to Villa Giulia (a museum filled with Etruscan sculpture and pottery) and Villa Borghese (a lovely park, where I've seen the most green since I've been in Rome!). Villa Giulia is probably not a place I would have ever gone myself, since to the outsider it looks like a museum with rooms full of pottery and sculpture, but again, our professors who led the tours had a way of drawing us all in (at least for a bit before we all became too tired and hungry to function haha). Dr. Hansen, the archaeology professor who leads the tours along with the art history professor, is so into the subject matter that she describes ancient ruins as "handsome" and "sexy." She's quite entertaining! Unfortunately once we left the museum and went to Villa Borghese, it was pouring rain so we didn't get to spend much time in the park. I definitely want to go back there while the weather is still nice though and pack a picnic and read a book.

Dr. Hansen showing us around Rome

Saturday evening was Jayna's last night with us, so we took her to Scholars to watch the ND game with some University of Dallas guys that we had met the night before (amazing game by the way!! Or last quarter, anyway...why is it that Notre Dame always gives me an almost-heart attack in the 4th quarter?!) The Dallas guys are also studying in Rome for the semester; however, their campus is an hour outside the city and getting into the city demands that they take several forms of public transportation and then usually cabs back late at night (which can cost up to 40 euro per person!). The fact of the matter is that many other university Rome programs are similar to this one in that they are located outside of the city. Every time I hear about one of these, I feel even luckier to be on the Saint Mary's Rome program. We are walking distance from everywhere and anywhere we could possibly want to go. Such a unique opportunity. I can't get over how great all of this is. If you couldn't already tell, I'm kind of obsessed with Rome already :)

Sunday morning, the deacons that work with the SMC Rome program, Deacon Mike and Deacon Nick took whoever wanted to go to the Basilica St. Paul's Outside the Walls. We had to take the metro to get there since it's outside the city a bit, but it was definitely worth the short trek. All along the sides of the basilica are pictures of every pope starting with St. Peter. St. Paul's tomb is also located at this basilica. Look for a separate blog post soon about all the churches I've been visiting. They are way too numerous to mention here!

St. Paul's Outside the Walls

Off to get gelato at Giolitti with the girls! Hmmm...what flavor to choose this time? These are difficut life decisions... :)

The past meets the present

Going to school in a city is so crazy after coming from little Saint Mary's and Door County. But definitely crazy in a good way. There is just so much to do ALL THE TIME. Friday morning after class, I just wandered around a new area of the city and went exploring by myself. I'm finding that the best way to see things is just to be okay with getting a little lost. I prefer doing some of this on my own, because that way I don't have to worry about everyone else's agenda. No matter what, I always happen upon something beautiful and worthy of stopping to visit. One of the surprises I encountered was Chiesa del Gesu, a stunning church just down the street from our hotel. All of the churches I have seen so far (in both Assisi and Rome) are elaborately decorated with multiple side altars. In most of them, taking pictures is not allowed, but I was able to get a few in this one. The tomb of St. Ignatius Loyola is also located in this church. I feel like someone could spend an entire trip just looking at all the churches in Rome. I also explored the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina, which is the street that runs perpendicular to Corso Vittorio where the hotel is located. These ancient ruins, where four temples once stood, are literally right in the center of the busy city. It is such an incredible juxtaposition of past and present unlike anything I've ever seen.

Inside Chiesa del Gesu

On Saturday, we had our first day of Lectures and Tours, a one credit course in which our professors give guided tours of many of the sights in Rome. Yesterday we saw Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum as well as the Colosseum. Here again, amidst the crowds of tourists and the loud noises of the city streets, I felt transported thousands of years back in time. From the ruins, I formed a mental image of the grand palace that once existed on the Palatine Hill and the huge marketplace/town center that existed in the Forum. It is one thing to read about ancient Rome in history books, but it is quite another to truly experience it in real life. The two professors who led the tours are specialists in art history and archaeology, so as you can imagine, they have a wealth of information to share; this is one of the many fabulous aspects of the SMC Rome program because their knowledge really brings our tours to life.

After the tours on Saturday afternoon, Shannon and I explored the Vittoriano, the monument commemorating the unification of Italy by Victor Emanuele II. From the terrace, we were able to get excellent views of the city and some great pictures. Later that evening, my roomies, Anna, Hannah, Cara, and I went out for pizza near Campo de' Fiori which of course included a bottle of fabulous vino bianco! Afterwards, we discovered our new favorite gelateria, Giolitti. Apparently it is also the Pope's favorite gelateria! So many flavors and you can get as many as you want combined in a small cone for only 2,50 euro. This could be a very dangerous place for me! A few of us spent the remainder of the evening walking around the city and along the Tiber River before heading to Scholars for the ND game watch. Since the game didn't begin in Rome until 1:30 am, we only stayed to watch for the first quarter, but I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up this morning to know my Irish did not disappoint. 5-0 record....I don't think that's ever happened in my lifetime!

View from il Vittoriano

Dinner with the roomies at Pizzeria Hosteria

Today (Sunday), we moved at a bit slower pace than yesterday--sightseeing can be pretty exhausting! Back at Saint Mary's, I always dreaded Sundays because I knew they meant homework, studying, and papers from morning until night. This Sunday was nothing of the sort, as classes here are much less busy work/homework focused and much more oriented toward background reading and just a few tests/papers as evaluation. This gives us time to explore and learn from our amazing surroundings. In addition to learning from the historical monuments and ruins, every day I am learning from daily life in this new culture. Today when a few of the girls and I went to get lunch at a bar, we greeted the baristas saying "Buon Giorno," to which they responded "Hi! How are you?" The fact that we all look super American prompts locals to speak to us in English CONSTANTLY! It can be so easy to just settle into responding in English, but we definitely need the practice with our Italian! Another cultural immersion I experienced today was attending my first mass in Italian. We went to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, a beautiful church that houses the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena (literally her preserved body right behind the main altar) as well as the tombs of 2 popes and artwork/sculptures by Michelangelo and Bernini. Although I couldn't understand much of the homily, the fact that Catholicism is universal was quite comforting, because despite the language barrier, I still felt at home. And every day, as I better learn the layout of the city, develop deeper relationships with the other girls on the program, and immerse myself in the culture, I feel more and more at home.

Week 1

My first week of classes is almost over, and I've been loving every minute of this! My religion class on Monday was FABULOUS! My professor is a Carmelite priest with some kind of British/Scottish sounding accent, although after many incorrect guesses on our part, he still won't tell us where he is from! He seems so low-key about grading and evaluation, and much more focused on discussion about important moral issues and human life. My kind of class...except for the fact that on Thursdays, it is at 8am, so I was almost falling asleep during it this morning haha. (My roomies have already caught on to my late-sleeping habits so they are making sure to wake me up in time for class!) On Tuesdays my one and only class is Intermediate Italian with yet another great professor. She is a native of Sicily and is so easygoing and helpful. Unlike my Italian class last year, which focused on a lot of grammar concepts, this one is going to be much more centered on conversation and practical use of the language. My communications class is also super interesting and I am thinking of getting out of art history while I can and switching to a business/marketing class that sounds way more fun and useful. For the Fridays during October, we have make-up classes to replace the time when we will be on our Southern Italy trip. After that, we have 3-day weekends which will be great for traveling throughout Italy and some places in Europe. Also, every day except Monday I will be getting out of class by 2:15 so I will have my afternoons to explore all that the city has to offer.

Amidst getting settled into the hotel and my classes this week, I have also found a little time to explore some areas of the city. There is SO MUCH going on here--it's quite overwhelming! As my Italian professor said, Rome is a city that will constantly surprise you. It's been quite some time since I've lived in the hustle and bustle of a big city, and I have never really lived in the center of a chaotic city like I am now. There are so many diverse people here, various languages spoken, people rushing across the street in front of cars and mopeds, and men blowing kisses and yelling "ciao bella" at the women (yes, the latter actually happened to me yesterday). On Tuesday afternoon, Shannon, Teresa, Bailey, and I went to see Piazza Navona and then found our way past Castel del Monte/the Tiber River to Saint Peter's Square. It is so close to our hotel--it just feels incredibly unreal that here I am, in the capital of Catholicism, in a city chock-full of inordinate amounts of history. Last night I saw the Trevi Fountain for the first time...yet another breathtaking sight. A few of the other girls and I bought wine and walked around with it exploring the sights and nightlife of Rome. We all felt so weird and apprehensive about buying alcohol and just walking around with it on the streets (you're allowed to drink on the streets here until 11pm at this time of year), but I guess that's just another thing they do here that we will grow accustomed to! We also found our way to Scholars, the Irish Pub frequented by many American college students studying in Rome, and the place where we will meet up with the Notre Dame program students on Saturdays to watch the football games.

After my Italian class this afternoon, I am going to walk to Campo de' Fiori with my roomies to visit the outdoor markets. I caught a glimpse of them the other day and saw so much fresh fruit, freshly-sqeezed juices, homemade breads, and the like. That will likely be our lunch since we get one main meal a day (during the school week) at the Hotel Tiziano (usually dinner) and the others we fill in using our meal tickets at Pascucci and markets/bars. I also plan on doing the first of my clothing/shoe shopping today...pray for my self-control! haha. On Saturday, we have our first Lectures and Tours excursion to the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, and then on Sunday, I think a few of us are going to go to the beach. I'll write more after the weekend and let you know how it all goes!

Miss you all and hope you're enjoying fall in your part of the good old USA :) I had a dream last night that it already started snowing in Wisconsin--I hope that isn't true!! It definitely doesn't feel like fall yet here--still highs of 75 every day. I'm telling you--my life is a movie.....

Thanks for watching :)

Piazza Navona

Castel Sant'Angelo

St. Peter's Square

first Trevi Fountain visit!

Assisi Parte Due

Ciao i miei amici e la mia famiglia!

Here’s the latest from Italia:

On Friday, half of our group toured San Damiano, the church where St. Francis saw a vision of Jesus on the crucifix and was told to rebuild His church. It is very small but beautifully unique. We heard the Poor Clares singing Vespers and also saw the place where Saint Clare died. At Santa Chiara, we saw relics from St. Clare’s life as well as her preserved body in the crypt. The fact that we were walking on the same ground where these saints walked thousands of years ago just amazes me. I’ve always been very close to my faith, but seeing all of this so up close and personal makes the lives of the saints come alive. After all, they were real people like you and me. How crazy is that?!

On Saturday, the other half of the group went to San Damiano while we saw San Francesco. It was much bigger than San Damiano with lots of small altars and chapels. The frescoes that filled the walls detailed the life of St. Francis. I am just in awe of the amount of historic art and architecture in Assisi alone. On Sunday we also saw an art exhibit called “Un’Americano in Assisi” which included the works of famous American painter William Congdon. His works are done in a style of “depainting” in which he starts with a black canvas, layers thick paint, and then scrapes into shapes. His paintings are religious in nature, many of them heart-wrenching depictions of the crucifixion.

After mass and lunch Sunday afternoon, we departed for Roma, much to the pleasure of everyone. Assisi was a great place for orientation, but it is a very small city that we were able to scale in about two days. Last night we got into Rome and boy, what a change! It’s quite overwhelming especially since it was dark and raining as we were given a short tour of the area surrounding our hotel (classroom building, library, the office building, etc). I’m sure it’s just going to take time to acclimate and figure everything out. But I am quite sure that I won’t be running out of things to do in this huge city!

For the remainder of the school year, I am living at the Hotel Tiziano in downtown Rome, just a few blocks from the Pantheon, Campo de Fiori, and Piazza Navona. Seriously prime location. I’m living in a quad on the first floor which is fabulous (especially when the other girls had to drag their suitcases up 3 or 4 flights of stairs!).

This morning several of the girls and I headed to Pascucci, the bar at which where we have meal tickets, for breakfast. Cappuccini and cornetti ciocolatti make for quite the enjoyable breakfast J My first class was Mass Communications which was so interesting. The class is full of lots of other Comm majors too. This afternoon I have Art History and Religion and then only one class tomorrow (Italian).

A couple hours ago we had our first main meal at the Tiziano and then a few of the girls and I went to find hangers to buy for our closets (there is definitely not enough storage space for 4 girls’ clothes in our room!!). I was feeling all proud of myself for locating the place marked by Miss McHugh on our map; however, when we got there, the store was nowhere to be found. After exploring several other streets in and around the nearby Campo de Fiori and asking several locals, we found the store in the original place I had led the group to. There was a plain door marked only with a small sheet of paper with the store’s name in small letters and a note with the hours. Apparently many stores close for a mid-day siesta! I feel like we’re going to have lots of experiences like this!

I’m working on getting a more reliable Internet connection here but for now I’ll update when I get to the library. Off to my next class!

Baci! Ciao, ciao!

Outside of San Francesco

Santa Chiara

How beautiful is Assisi?!

Orientation in Assisi

Ahhh, where to begin?! I've been in Italy a little over 24 hours and I'm already obsessed. After many flight delays yesterday due to mechanical issues on the plane, we finally made it to Rome where the rest of the Saint Mary's group was waiting. We then took a bus north to the region of Umbria where Assisi/our orientation is located. Assisi is a city atop a hill which means LOTS of uphill walks! This place is beautiful. So many cobblestone winding streets, churches, and magnificent views of the countryside. I am already overwhelmed in this city of only 12,000 people so I can't imagine what it's going to be like once I get to Roma!

Here in Assisi, we are staying at the Casa Franchi in the Cittadella, which is a community kind of like a little town within itself. Last night we had our first Italian meal and it was fabulous! It just the SMC girls plus the program director, Dr. Prebys, our librarian on staff, Dotoressa Conturso, and our RA, Miss KcHugh. I'm pretty sure we all were overwhelmed at the prospect of eating this first meal since the customs/table manners are still foreign to us. Our first course was a risotto dish, then we had tacchino (turkey), insalata, and finally fruit for dessert (Ann-Marie--the fruit dessert makes me think of you!) Also, apparently Italians DO NOT dip their bread in olive oil as we do in the States...it is for salads and cooking only! There was also of course wine on all the tables....one of the many things I had been looking forward to! I can get used to drinking wine at both lunch and dinner every day :) Today at lunch, we had linguine pasta (note the "e" instead of the "i" ending--only Americans say "linguini" apparently!) and Dr. Prebys told us all the appropriate way of eating it. It was hilarious watching 50 Saint Mary's girls try to twist noodles onto the fork. Two no-no's are twirling your pasta above the plate and cutting it with a knife (called the "rape" of pasta haha). So many little customs to learn!

This afternoon we had orientation activities, including going over the handbook, getting our class schedules, and choosing room pick numbers for the hotel in Rome. Just hearing the program guides talk about all the places we get to see in our Lectures and Tours class makes me soo excited for everything I'm going to experience in the coming months. I am also taking Intermediate Italian, Mass Communications, Italian Art History, and Christian Moral Life. Sounds like it will be an interesting bunch of classes. We begin those on Monday after we get to Roma.

We also had quite a bit of spare time today to explore Assisi on our own, so I ventured out a few times and saw churches, piazzas, fountains, and little shops, bars, and restaurants. At one of the churches Cara and I walked into, we were greeted by a priest from Rome who asked us in Italian where we were from and our names and then he proceeded to make the sign of the cross on our foreheads and bless us! Definitely wasn't expecting that! I'm feeling a little inadequate in my Italian after 4 months away from school though :( It's very simple to get by with a few key words, but I want to work up the confidence to use the Italian I learned last year in conversations with locals. I guess that will all come with time.

All the girls on the program are so awesome--many of them are already my friends from last year, but we are already becoming closer and getting to know new girls as well. It is such a community--even including a few of the program staff members who are Saint Mary's alumns themselves. Their dedication to the program and SMC in general goes to show what an amazing institution Saint Mary's is. I just feel so fortunate to be here and experience Italy in such a unique way and with such amazing people. I keep feeling like I am in some kind of dream that I am going to wake up from at any moment. This is the farthest I have ever been away from home and I am just in awe of this country. I don't think that feeling will ever go away, nor do I want it to.

The lovely Umbrian countryside

If this is not the epitome of Italian life, I don't know what is!

Tomorrow and Saturday we go on tours of the Basilica of St. Francis and San Damiano. I'll be sure to write about those on Sunday evening when we return to Rome and get settled in the Hotel Tiziano. Love to all of you! Thanks for reading! Buona notte from Assisi :)

Gelateria where I had my first Italian gelato...nociolla (hazelnut) of course!

Flight delays

More waiting....plane is apparently overheated (92 degrees) and we can't board until it reaches 80 degrees! We've resorted to playing Uno in the airport. 20ish Smick Chicks chilling in O'Hare=one crazy good time. But we are all more than ready to get there. So many nerves but mostly excitement! I'll let you all know once I arrive!