February 26-28

This past weekend, a majority of the Loyola students on our trip (including myself) took a trip to Belgium. In my case, it was a last minute decision due to the fact that I was unsure of what there was to see in Belgium.

In retrospect, there was a lot. 

After putting on our parkas and packing our cold weather accessories, we flew two hours to Brussels on Friday night and walked a bit to try and find our hostel. Our room and the hostel in general were much nicer than I expected. We got lucky and didn't have to share a room with strangers, always a plus. 

We got settled in and set out to grab something to eat and some drinks afterwards. We wanted to go to a bar called Delrium which was supposed to have over 2000 different varieties of beer (which is crazy and sounded awesome) but I'm pretty convinced that we went to the wrong place. Either way, it was a lot of fun. The only downside was that it was a lot harder to find something good to eat than it is in Rome...I guess I wasn't too surprised by this. 

The second day I woke up with plans that were unclear and a craving for some Belgian waffles. Our destination for the morning was the Grand Place, a magnificent square composed of extraordinary looking buildings. After admiring the architecture, we were on the lookout for waffles. We found a small store with all of the topping options displayed in the window. I chose chocolate and strawberries. 

It was just as good as it looks.

Waffles in hand, we walked back over to the grand place to get some photos and enjoy the view one more time before moving on. 

Photo: Waffles in the Grand Place

At this point, probably because we stopped for the photo op, Meg and I lost the group and weren't able to get in touch with them because our phones don't work without wi-fi outside of Italy. We made the best out of this situation and stopped in a café, where I had the closest thing to American coffee that I've been able to find in Europe thus far. 

After we finally found the group, we established that we'd be venturing to Brugges, another city in Belgium. In Brugges (also the title of a movie), we walked around and came across a lake and I took advantage of yet another photo op.

We continued to the main square of the city, which was bordered by more beautiful buildings. We stayed there for a bit, enjoying the atmosphere, before getting on another train. We were headed to Leuven, another Belgian city,for the night. One of Loyola's abroad programs was stationed there, so we got a chance to catch up with some friends. The earliest train back to Brussels was at 4am, so we had no choice but to stay up all night, which turned out being pretty fun. 

After a long, adventurous  weekend, we returned to home sweet Rome.

January 31

This was a very special day. On this day, I met Anna and Pepe, my host parents, and moved into the apartment that I will call my home until May. 

We all waited in the lobby of the school in anticipation for the moment that our host parents would arrive to pick us up and bring us to our new homes. I would be rooming with another girl from Loyola named Meg. I had heard very good things from multiple people about our host parents and their home. 

Anna arrived at the school and after saying hello, we loaded our suitcases into the car which Pepe would drive back. Being that Italian cars are as tiny as they are, there was no room for Meg and I. For this reason, us two and Anna took a 15 minute walk back to our new home. 

Our home is located in the Centro Storico, or Historical Center of Rome. The school, also known as the Catholic University of America in Rome (CUA Rome) is located in "Trastevere" (tras = across, Tevere = Tiber river), which is across the river from what used to be the confines of the city of Rome. Now, Trastevere is just another neighborhood in Rome located south of Vatican City. So, in order to get back home from Trastevere, we simply descended Gianiculum hill, on which CUA sits, and crossed one of the many bridges over the Tiber. 

Our walk with Anna was very pleasant despite a light drizzle. Anna speaks a good amount of English, but she was excited to hear that I speak a little bit of Italian (or at least understand some). 

We got settled into our home and at around 8:30 we ate dinner. It was nice to finally be moved in and have a home cooked meal. 

January 30

This was supposed to be the day of the scavenger hunt, in which we would ideally traverse the city in groups to see who could take a group picture at the most sites/landmarks. However, I had walked over 30,000 steps, the most I have ever recorded. To put that in perspective, the goal is always 10,000. I hadn't achieved that until the first day of my trip on my journey to (and throughout) the airport.

But today, many of us were tired. We managed to make our way to a couple of the sites, the most notable being the Trevi Fountain (where we tossed our coins in and made wishes of course) and Piazza Spagna, which is unfortunately under construction.



 

Photo: Panoramic of the Trevi fountain.



Photo: As the caption on the photo notes, I checked the Trevi Fountain off of my list of places to see. This definitely doesn't mean that I'm not going back.


Photo: (From left to right) Marco, me, Sydney, Sarah, Irene, and Meg sitting on the fountain. This was the only group photo in front of a monument we took all day.
Spoiler:
We didn't win the scavenger hunt.


Photo: Piazza Spagna/ the Spanish Steps, currently under construction.

January 29

Today we had the opportunity to meet an Australian priest who is associated with our program for 7 AM mass at St. Peter's Basilica. This meant waking up at about 5:30 so that we could have breakfast before taking the metro over and going through security. When entering the basilica, we were able to walk through the "holy doors" which are only open during Jubilee years.

Wikipedia tells us that, "..in Christianity, the tradition dates to 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII convoked a holy year, following which ordinary jubilees have generally been celebrated every 25 or 50 years; with extraordinary jubilees in addition depending on need. Christian Jubilees, particularly in the Catholic tradition, generally involve pilgrimage to a sacred site, normally the city of Rome. The Catholic Church has declared the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy for 2015–2016."

I don't quite understand how it's decided that we need a Jubilee year but it's pretty cool that I'm here to experience it. After entering the church, we were given a few minutes to look around before being escorted downstairs to a tiny room, very close to the tomb of St. Peter, where we would have our mass. I can't really explain how amazing it was to be able to celebrate mass in the most famous basilica in the world. (I didn't fact-check that but I give you all permission to attribute that quote to me)








Photo: This is what St. Peter's looks like from a distance before the sun rises. If we're being realistic this is probably the only pre-sunrise picture I'll take all semester.




Photo: Still St. Peter's although the dome isn't visible in this picture. By the time we got through security the sun had risen.

Photo: As close as I could get to the main altar of the basilica. The area was blocked off. Didn't take more pictures inside because there was too much to see. I'll be back again.

Photo: Proof that I was actually at St. Peter's since everyone knows I don't like waking up early. Mom and Dad-- maybe John can explain to you what a "geotag" is.

Extra proof that I woke up early: my scarf tag is sticking out and my eyeliner is smudged across my face.

Later on this same day, my friend Irene (pronounced ee-ren-ay, not eye-reen) and I decided to take steps towards acquiring our residence permits. We took the metro to Piazza Barberini, bought a stamp called a "marca di bollo" (I don't know what it is either) for 16 euro, as was required, and walked a bit to find the specific post office where we would purchase our "permesso di soggiorno" (residence permits-- are you keeping up?). After waiting for a bit and painfully handing over 140 euro in cash, we received receipts with our scheduled appointments for the fingerprinting portion of the process. What's VERY unfortunate is that mine is at 8:30 in the morning on Friday, March 11th. (Hint: the morning after my 21st birthday). I think we have to get our pictures taken too-- I'll be sure to make copies of that one.

January 28

Today, we said goodbye to Assisi and prepared to return to Rome, where we would be staying in another guest house for the weekend before moving in with our host families.

Photo: Edited version of a photo I took from Rocca Maggiore in Assisi. 

We were all more than ready to get settled in with our host families and not really looking forward to having to pack our things, carry our luggage for another temporary stay in a guest house, but at least we would be in Rome. 

The guest house was owned by nuns, who seemed strict and only spoke Italian. However, they did prepare a nice breakfast for us every morning and gave us a place to stay for a few days, so it wasn't that bad. Before long, we settled in and were on our way to a pizza dinner. The pizza was very good, but I think I also discovered my new favorite dessert, consisting of a waffle bowl, cream, strawberries, and chocolate syrup. Not sure what they call it here but I have to have it again.

January 27

We ventured to Perugia, another city not too far from Assisi. The name of this town sounded extremely familiar to me, probably because Perugia is also the name of the entire region of Italy. We convened in the Piazza Italia, where a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II stands. 

Photo: Statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. 

We then got a chance to see the National Gallery of Art, which contained works from the before, during, and after the  Renaissance. The paintings within the gallery were all beautiful and I was able to appreciate each of them for their aesthetic value upon my first look. Additionally, the professors who joined us for the trip were able to provide some background information and other facts, allowing me to better understand the historical significance of each. 

After the gallery, we stopped into a local pizzeria for lunch. 

Photo: If you order a pepperoni pizza in America and the waiter brings you this, you'll probably send it back and repeat your order. If you order a pepperoni pizza in Italy, you should probably know that "pepperoni" means "peppers". It was very good.

After lunch we visited the "Casa Romana", a typical home of a wealthy ancient Roman family. The floors were tiled intricately with different patterns for each room. This was very cool to see. 

After a long day, we returned to Assisi for a wine tasting at a local "enoteca", or wine store. Most of us had already been acquainted with the owner, Alessandro--probably his best customers all year.

We were able to try three different wines--one white and two red. Each wine was paired with either cheese, meat, or bread with olive oil and truffle (kind of like mushrooms but so much better). 

 

After the wine tasting, we returned to the guest house for more food and more wine, and by the end of dinner we had all had too much to eat and in the case of a few, too much to drink. This was evident when one of the more shy girls from our program volunteered to say grace and couldn't help but share not only her thanks but also the fact that we are all "very lovely" people. 

January 26

(This post and a few of the following are short because I'm almost a week behind on my posts)

Today we took a convoluted trip to the TIM store to figure out our phone situation. Our guide, Aurora, didn't exactly know where the store was so we ended up walking quite a distance from the bus stop although we could have stayed on the bus and gotten off right in front of the store. It took a long while for everyone to pick a plan due to the fact that we were all relying on Aurora's translation as to how each plan worked. At the end of the ordeal, I picked a plan with 2 GB of data (I'm hoping I don't use it all using my Maps app while trying to find my way around) and 1000 minutes so that I can call Mom and Dad for $0.15 a minute which will be well worth it. 

January 25

Today we ventured to the nearby town called Spoleto. Like Assisi, Spoleto is an ancient town that was built on a hill with its own cathedral at the center. Spoleto is also known for having an amphitheatre. Unfortunately we weren't able to see it because it's closed on Mondays. 

Photo: Cathedral of Spoleto 

The train ride wasn't long at all, and when we arrived we made our way up a series of outdoor escalators (which seem to be a common thing here) to a castle with a beautiful view of Spoleto.

Picture: View of Spoleto from the castle. 

After descending from the castle, we were all ready for lunch. I had a bowl of pasta which was named for the town, so I figured it was the local specialty. Whatever it was, it was very good. I also helped one of my friends finish her Caprese pizza, very good as well. 

Photo: Can't remember the name of the dish but I know it included the word "Spolentino". 

After lunch, we were able to tour the "Casa Romana", a Roman style home that probably belonged to a wealthy family. It was interesting to see how the house was built with an intricate tile pattern on the floors, different for every room, and a focus on religion. 

Soon, we boarded the train and were on our way back to Assisi for dinner. Bed time came around and we were ready for Tuesday aka "phone day", when we would make our way to downtown Assisi and purchase phone plans. 

January 24

This morning, I woke up at regular time for breakfast and joined the group that was headed into town for 10:30 mass at the Basilica di San Francesco. (I know you're happy to hear that Mom and Dad.) The entire mass was in Italian, and I was able to understand the majority of it, partly because most of the mass consists of the same prayers that we hear in English every week back home. However, I also was able to catch more of the homily than I typically do at mass back home, probably because I was attempting to mentally translate what the priest was saying rather than zoning out as I typically do (sorry mom and dad). 

After mass, we had some time to kill before our scheduled meeting in the center of town or "il piazza comune". A few of us stopped into a small shop where there were unnamed sandwiches. Instead of attempting to figure out how to order one, I followed my friend Irene's lead when she ordered a slice of what we call "Sicilian" pizza by saying "lo stesso!" ("The same!") I do not yet know what the Italian phrase for a slice of pizza is. Our quick lunch left us with more time than we needed to walk around, and it was pretty chilly out so we needed to stop for a quick coffee. American style coffee barely exists in Italy, and the closest thing you'll get is a "caffe Americano", a fancy name for a watered down shot of espresso. And cappuccino can only be ordered before lunchtime. So I had to put my knowledge of Italian coffee drinks to the test and I did pretty okay by ordering a caffe macchiato, a tiny shot of espresso  with foamed milk on top. 

Our group meeting took us first to the Cathedral of Assisi. We learned yesterday that every city can only have one cathedral. At this site, we learned about the life of Santa Chiara (St. Clare), who wanted to follow in St. Francis' path by becoming poor and living a humble life as he and his followers did. She ended up having to start an order called the "poor Clares" because St. Francis wouldn't allow women to participate. 

After the cathedral, we went to the Basilica di San Chiara, which we had passed many times while walking through Assisi during the previous days. When the poor Clares moved to this church, they brought the cross of San Damiano with them. This was the cross that St. Francis prayed to during the moment that God called upon him to live a life of humility. 

Picture: Basilica di San Chiara, I took this picture on the day we arrived in Assisi. You can't miss this building when walking through town. The arches that protrude from the left side of the building are characteristic of the Romanesque period. They are known as "flying buttresses". 

Tracing the cross back to its original location, we walked downhill for a bit of a distance, passing rows of olive trees before arriving at San Damiano. As aforementioned, this was the home of the poor Clares before the Basilica of Santa Chiara was built but also the place where St. Clare died.

This was a very long day for us, especially because after making the trek up the large hill coming back from San Damiano, we attended an information session in the classroom of the guest house. Everyone was more than ready for the bed by the time we were done with dinner. 

January 23

Buon giorno/ buona sera /buona notte! 

Today I realized that only two of these three expressions are appropriate to start a conversation with. You don't say goodnight to someone unless you plan on leaving them alone and letting them sleep. I'm glad Dr. Dawson pointed out that these expressions translate quite literally. 

We began our day with breakfast which was served until 8:30, and I'm surprised I made it because last night I inadvertently fell asleep on top of my sheets and only under the comforter, I'm guessing I was too tired to notice. The urge to sleep in was strong but breakfast is the most important meal of the day and sleep is for the weak. 

The Italian breakfast, like dinner, is different from what we're used to. It's kind of like the continental breakfast you get at hotels but the cereal bowls are about 20 times smaller (or at least today they were). I ate a regular piece of bread with my meal and attempted to determine if the amount of walking we would do this semester would cancel out the weight I gain from the amount of bread in the Italian diet. And of course, I had a much needed cappuccino. 

We headed into town at about 9:30 for a walking tour around Assisi to learn a little about the city itself, it's construction, and the life of St. Francis. 

Assisi, located in the Italian region Umbria, was constructed before the rise of the Roman Empire, and like most civilizations at the time, it was built on a hill for protection and to keep watch for invaders. 

Following the history of the city itself, we saw several buildings and learned about their significance. We had a chance to visit the Basilica di San Francesco where St. Francis is currently buried. His body had been moved various times in the past due to claims from officials in other towns of apparitions in which St. Francis would request to be taken to their city to rest. They would then steal the body from  the basilica without notice. Dr. Dawson ensured us that the tomb was now sealed. I didn't consult St. Francis, but Assisi is probably the best resting place for him. 

Picture: The Basilica di San Francesco, with Irene and Sydney in the foreground. 

Fun fact: Francesco means "little French boy" in Italian. St. Francis' father was a cloth salesman who imported his materials from France, so this was a nickname used to poke fun at him. Anyone whose name is Francis or any variation thereof was named after St. Francis' father, the original "Francesco". 

After seeing more of the city, we stopped in a "bar" or café, where I got a small cappuccino. This morning the temperatures were in the 30's, which is one of the reasons we stayed inside for about 20 minutes. The other reason we stuck around is because Italians rarely take beverages, especially coffee drinks, to go. It is typical to stand at the bar or take a seat while you enjoy your drink, and leave only when you are done. This particular café had to go cups, but that is not to be expected. I really like the idea of that, although it may take some getting used to. 

After a little more walking, we went off on our own to have lunch. I had a panini with prosciutto, mozzarella, and arugula, served on a bread board. So cool. 

After lunch, a few of us decided to venture il Rocco Maggiore, from which there would be a beautiful view of Assisi. This took a lot of climbing but the cold air made for a refreshing little hike. And the view was more than worth it. I can't include a picture that does the view any justice but only a panoramic one that can give you a general idea of what we saw. 

At night time, I met my Roman History professor. This class was on the schedule I made originally, but I switched to the other class because I thought this one was more intensive with a larger workload. I'll definitely be switching back because even if that's true, the professor is awesome and the sites we're visiting will make it worth my while. 

After class, there was a short break and dinner began soon after. Although it was Saturday night and some of the group ventured into town to drink wine and socialize, I opted to stay warm under my covers and try to get a good sleep. In other words I changed my mind about sleep being reserved for the weak. 

 

January 21- January 22

And so the journey begins. Our flight from JFK, scheduled to depart at 7:32pm, actually departed around an hour later. The dinner we were served was better than I expected, especially because it was accompanied by my first ever legal drink, which, according to the flight attendant, was a "white table wine". Nothing special, but it didn't seem so bad being that I was on my way to Italy, my first time leaving the country (though we have travelled frequently throughout it).

The flight landed at Fiumicino, one of Rome's two airports, at around 10:30 in the morning (4:30AM EST). As we entered the airport, hearing the language come to life in actual dialogue (rather than in a classroom) compounded my excitement for the next three and a half months. 

The 23 of us Loyola students made our way to the baggage claim after getting our passports checked, and entered the terminal where we met Aurora Santoro, a Roman resident who will be guiding us for our time here. We stepped outside with our luggage (I'm making it sound a lot easier than it was) to a beautiful day, 60 degrees and sunny. As soon as we boarded the private bus that would take us to Rome, Aurora felt the need to apologize to us about the "cold weather", at which point we all looked at each other in confusion. 

The ride to our school, the Catholic University of America in Rome, probably took about half an hour. We put our bags down in a classroom, taking only what we'd use for our first week, and were soon on our way to take about 3 public buses to the Termini train station, at which point I learned that Italians place little value on their personal space. 

At the train station, I grabbed a panini for a quick lunch, attempting to order in Italian. We did a bit more walking to board our 2:20 train to Assisi, which would arrive just about two hours later. During this time I feel asleep once for about 20 minutes, immediately regretting it once I woke up to an extremely scenic view of small Italian towns that we passed through. 

As soon as I got off the train and rolled my already too-heavy suitcase towards the station, one of its wheels fell off. At this point I was sort of dragging my suitcase on the ground, which was fun. 

A little more walking had to be done before we finally arrived at the guest house in Assisi, called Oasi Sacro Cuore.

Photo: Taken from Oasi Sacro Cuore. We were lucky enough to get a room with a balcony. The town in the distance is Santa Maria degli Angeli, which borders Assisi. 

We were given a little time to regroup after our long day and the loss of 6 hours, although we were advised not to nap if we wanted to fight off the jet lag by getting a good night's sleep later. 

The CUA Rome program director (Dr. Dawson) invited us to follow him into the city without stating a specific time but saying that he'd let us know before he left. Well, we weren't notified and had to catch up with the group. 

We made our way through three large arches on the way into the city, which was beautiful. Little shops lined the sides of the brick streets, many of them advertising the local cuisine. (Dinner was scheduled for 8pm at the guest house so I forced myself to hold off). Many of the shops contained religious relics. The city itself was home to St. Francis, one of the few patron saints of Italy, and many of the sites and buildings tell stories of his life here. Tomorrow morning we will take a guided tour of the city and learn a bit more about his story and his impact on Assisi. 

We returned to the guest house and prepared for dinner...I was more than ready. I'm guessing the 7-8 hour gap between lunch and dinner is something you get used to. 

Italians eat a bit differently than us. A meal consists of bread, three courses, wine, and constant conversation. And it can last anywhere from 1-3 hours. At the conclusion of dinner, it was time for bed. I stayed up for a short time to write the first part of this, but ended up going to sleep at around 10pm. 

Quote of the day: 

"Buon giorno" - Italian man who checked my passport once we landed. 

It sounds exponentially more pleasant than "good morning" though it means exactly the same thing.