Pictures of Rome and the pope!!

Definitely take a look at these pictures: Roma Favorites

They highlight the best parts of these last couple weeks and show how close I was to shaking the pope's hand!!

Thanks for all the comments....it's refreshing to know that this blog has helped me share my experiences with you!

Buon Natale and Auguri!!

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes!!

With love,

Anne

Only 8 more days in Rome :(

Well, it's down to my final days in Rome. I am really going to miss everything about living here, but most of all the people. A few of my closest friends here are staying the year so I won't see them at Saint Mary's until next fall. The other people I'm going to miss are the seminaries, deacons, priests, and sisters that have worked with us throughout the semester. They led a group called "God Squad" that helped explain different parts of our faith. Last night was our last meeting, and all of us are so sad to leave them. They have taught us so much about our faith and God's great love for us, there is no way to thank them enough. Even though I have finals Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, I have managed to get some fun in this week so far. Monday was a national holiday in Rome...Mary Smith's birthday of course! Haha it should have been for that, but it was really for the Immaculate Conception. There is a big ceremony where Pope Benedict blesses a wreath and then it is placed on a statue of Mary near the Spanish Steps. There were at least a thousand people in the area so we really couldn't see much, but at the last minute my friend lifted me up and I saw Pope Benedict XVI!! And then today we had tickets to the Papal Audience. He was really close today, and when they announced groups present from English-speaking countries, they announced Saint Mary's College! So we stood up and clapped and he waved to us. It gave me chills to have the pope looking at us and waving to us...it's one thing to see him at the Angelus blessing you, but to have something more personal was such a wonderful feeling. He blessed us and our families so know that you are taken care of by Pope Benedict. Since I have received a request from Mac to put up a picture, I have added this one of my friend Jillian and I outside of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls. This is one of my favorite basilicas in Rome....it holds St. Paul's sarcophagus and the cross that spoke to St. Bridget. The courtyard outside was also beautiful, which is where we are. 

I leave for Austria on Dec. 19th and return on the 26th, but hopefully I will post before then!

Love you all,

Anne

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

I celebrated this afternoon Italian style, and it was awesome! Even though I miss my green beans and mashed potatoes, it was delicious. We are treated so well here....i

t was a sit down dinner with all of our professors, the director of the program, the deacons & priests who work with us, our tour guides, all of the girls, and

 more. Here's a brief summary of our menu: Saffron rice timbales, squash ravioli with spicy fresh tomato sauce, Roman turkey with chestnut stuffing, potatoes, peas, and apple cake. I have not been that full in a very long time, and that's a lot to say considering what we eat here every day. Another thing the Italians forget is that Americans take a nice nap after a huge meal like that. Instead of laying down, I had to walk to the top of the Esquiline Hill, the highest hill in Rome, for a tour with my art history class. We saw two beautiful churches, but everyone was ready to sit down. Later I took a really long nap to make up for it. 

It was a wonderful afternoon/evening, but I will definitely miss being at home for the holidays. I would love to be able to tell you this in person tomorrow, but I have to settle for this....

I sincerely thank you ALL for all of your support. I cannot put into words how much I appreciate how much God has blessed me with such amazing friends and family. I continuously ask myself why I get to have this amazing experience, and my only prayer is that I will be able to share what I have gained with you. Tomorrow, try and 

be aware of God's presence in every person. We really are made in God's image and the holidays is one of the best times to see that. Also, know that I will be praying for you and thanking God for giving me such wonderful people to help me be a better person. 

One more thing....

Can you do a favor for me?

Anyone who is going to see my parents tomorrow......give them the best hug you can. No side hug that Rita Kesterson would give you a hard time for! I owe them so much, and since I can't show them in person, I would love it if you helped me thank them for being such incredible parents. 

Mom and Dad--- THANK YOU. You are one of the best examples of true selfless love, and I hope I can give that back to you somehow.

I'm off to pack for England, and I leave in the morning!

Love you all,

Anne

an update on my travels the last couple weeks and what's to come...

When I looked at my blog and realized I hadn't posted in a couple weeks, I couldn't believe it. Which is scary, because I'm sure I will be wondering where the time went after the next 5-6 weeks. Since I'm always short on time these days, I will just tell you about the most exciting parts of my past couple weeks. November 7-9 I was in Ireland with all of my roommates!! My roomie Maire's aunt and uncle live in Raheny, a small town right outside of Dublin, so we stayed with them. It was wonderful being able to stay with them, and they were firm believers Irish hospitality, so we were treated extremely well. On Friday, we went into Dublin, had some traditional Irish stew, then saw the main attractions including Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and of course the Guinness brewery. Saturday we did some shopping in Dublin then we went to the beach near Raheny and to the small town of Howth. I think Ireland is the only place that can still be beautiful when it is rainy, cold, and windy! This past weekend we had our last "Lectures and Tours" on Friday and Saturday around Rome. Friday we went to Palestrina and visited the museum and site of a huge ancient Roman temple, then after that we went to Tivoli and visited Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este. Hadrian's Villa was probably my favorite...it was huge and it was so fun to imagine how incredible it looked at its height. And today I went to the Vatican Museums and saw a whole collection of Egyptian and Roman statues from the villa, and it was really neat to be able to think of the exact area where they would have stood. Villa d'Este has these huge gardens that are filled with beautiful fountains. Saturday we went to Ostia Antica, the ancient port city of Rome. I had a really good tour guide, the archeology professor who happens to have his doctorate in the study of Ostia, so I definitely learned a lot. It was really neat to imagine that I was in the center of the place where goods from all around the world came into Rome. Saturday afternoon I went on a long walk around Rome with one of my roommates. This is my favorite way to see Rome....just heading out in a general direction and getting lost. We went to this park that has an incredible view of Rome and found some other neat places. Sunday I left at 6 am for Florence! It was really a perfect day. We didn't wait in line for the Academia to see the David, barely waited to get into the Uffizi Gallery, which holds the greatest collection of Italian paintings, then shopped on the famous bridge called the Ponte Vecchio. After that we went to this small town called Fiesole, which has the best view of Florence. It was breathtaking, and we made it right at sunset so it was a great end to the day. Now I leave for Frankfurt, Germany on Friday for the weekend!! The next week should be great because we have a Thanksgiving banquet at the hotel, then I am going with my roommate Jillian to stay with her relatives in England and maybe Scotland. It's all downhill from there: one free weekend staying in Rome, finals (on the wknd too! ), then the Christmas banquet to end the semester. After that, I am heading to Austria from December 20-26! Everything is planned by Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students who are currently studying in Austria. There are more details on that coming soon! 

Here's a link to some recent pictures: Ireland, Roma, Florence

Ciao!

PICTURES!!!

I have been trying to get my pictures up, and I have finally caught up!

Here are links to my albums:

Roma (1)

Roma (2)

Roma (3)

Cinque Terre & Pisa

Pompeii, Amalfi, & Paestum

Archaeological Museum of Naples, Cuma, Capodimonte Museum, and the coast of Naples

Capri

Sorry to overwhelm you with all of these at once! Enjoy! Time is flying here as usual....Our whole group was in southern Italy from Tuesday the 28th to Saturday the 2nd. I was able to spend time with my friends who are studying in Spain this semester because they were visiting Rome this weekend. This week I had a couple midterms, so that was a lot of my week, and now I have to pack because I fly out tomorrow morning for IRELAND!!! I'm soooo anxious and excited today has gone by so slowly! I'm off to another one of our wonderful dinners at our hotel. Ciao!

Sleep can't be that important...

After a weekend in Cinque Terre, a group of five small towns on the coast of Italy, I am officially exhausted. We left on the midnight train on Friday, slept on the beach (more like a big rock) along the water until about 7 am then started our day. You hike along trails to get to each town, so you get some amazing views. (I took about 300 pictures total this weekend.) It was absolutely gorgeous! I really can't put it into words, much like everything else I have seen. The water was perfectly clear, and it was a nice break from the sweaters and scarves every day in Rome, and not to mention a break from the sirens and other noise from the city. On our way back to Rome on Sunday, we stopped in Pisa and took the typical picture "holding up" the leaning tower. It was acutally a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be! This weekend was definitely a learning experience with the traveling, but each train ride it gets easier. The most important thing you have to learn here is to go with the flow. You really can't travel with ease unless you learn this. Speaking of traveling, I'm off to southern Italy from Tuesday at 6 am to Saturday night. We will be staying in Naples and visiting Pompeii, Paestum, a couple archeological museums, and Capri the last day. Hopefully the weather holds out and we are able to enjoy the beach! Hopefully I will be able to catch some free time next week but who knows with the craziness here. I have two midterms next week and then I'm going to Dublin that weekend!! So, like the title of the post implies, who needs sleep when you live in Rome?
Love you all,
Anne

P.S. GO COLTS!! And Happy Halloween to my favorite little cousins!!! I will miss trick or treating with you guys! I better see some pictures of your costumes! Love you :)

Catching up...

Sorry I have been neglecting keeping you all updated! I have found that there is hardly any time to sit down and relax, let alone sleep for a significant amount of time. I will start by catching you up with last weekend (Oct. 11-12). On Saturday we had an early morning wake up call and the whole SMC group was on the bus by 7 am on our way to Tarquinia, a necropolis of the ancient Etruscans. After about an hour and half bus ride there, I was kind of annoyed to wake up to see a field of openings to go underground to the tombs. However, the tour turned out to be very interesting and exciting. You had to be observant and pick up on the patterns as we went to each tomb. It was actually fun to think of the meanings behind the scenes and structure of the tombs, whether it could be a depiction of the afterlife or a person's life. Then we went to a museum to examine the sarcophagi (coffins) and other artifacts of the Etruscans. I thought it was fascinating how they took aspects from Greek culture, but still managed to have very unique and defined techniques. As fascinating as all of this was, I can only take so much of tombs and pottery, so luckily we got a much needed break with pizza and a trip to the beach along the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was really refreshing and relaxing to just walk along the water and enjoy the beautiful weather. After this we headed to Ceveteri, another Etruscan necropolis. The tombs here were much different than the ones in Tarquinia. Here the style switched to a tumulus, which was often build more above ground. I really enjoyed these because you could explore and actually go into the tombs. It was kind of creepy sitting where the dead once laid, but it was definitely one of the cooler things I have done. 

We got back to Rome at about 5:30 in the evening, exhausted and dirty from the day, but in usual fashion of our lifestyle here, we were up and going not long after that. MTV was putting on a free concert in a piazza by the Colosseum (about a 15 minute walk). The concert consisted of an Italian band, John Legend, Italian rappers (which were horrible), and The Cure. When we first got there the crowd wasn't too huge, but it gradually built up. The Italian band and John Legend were pretty good, but The Cure brought out some weird people. It was the first and only time so far that I haven't felt completely safe here. By the time we left, the crowd was almost never-ending, but luckily we made it out safely. 

The next day, we went to Porta Portese, a huge local market on Sundays. There are rows of a large variety of tents, including clothes, jewelry, shoes, decorations, music, etc. I found some black skinny jeans, and was able to haggle the price down a little to 9 euro, and I found a silver watch for 3 euro. If you want to be in on some of the fashion in Italy, go for purple and boots. You can't go wrong with those two here. Also, you never go out in public without looking your best or at least presentable. It is a huge change from dragging myself out of bed and going straight to class at SMC, but I really kind of enjoy it now. It's nice not looking like you just woke up all the time. :) Hopefully I can keep this up when I get back!

Well that's a quick catch up for now, but I will be updating again tomorrow on this past weekend, including the Scavi Tour and other awesome adventures in Rome! Thanks for your patience with me! 

Pictures are up!

Check out some pictures here: Assisi

and Roma

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!

First of all, I would like to wish my lovely parents a wonderful birthday! (Don't worry, I won't share with everyone how close you are to turning 60!) All my friends are amazed that my parents were born on the same day, same year, and in the same hospital. 

Anyways, this weekend we went to the Roman Forum and Colosseum.

Both of them were equally incredible. It was so hard to wrap my mind around where I was as I stood a room of the house where the Roman emperor Augustus lived, or as we could see the indentations from chariots in the stone. On Sunday, we attended Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and then saw Pope Benedict at the Angelus! It was probably the most surreal and best weekends of my entire life. I plan on going to the Vatican as often as possible. Sorry this is a short post but I have to be off to class. 

La Dolce Vita

Where to begin? I have no idea how to describe Rome. It is very overwhelming. I want to go out and see everything, but there is so much it's hard to know where to start. Our hotel is on a main busy street of downtown Rome, much different than I expected. For some reason I pictured something a little more quiet and not as central. The campus, which includes classrooms, offices, a chapel, and library, is about 2 minutes from the hotel. Then another 2 minutes from there is the Pantheon. I wish I could capture the beauty and profoundness of the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, and everything here, but it cannot be captured in pictures or even words. Last night was probably one of the best nights I have had in Italy so far, and it really began to set in that I am living in Rome. It is the most amazing feel in the world to realize that you are living in one of the most ancient and greatest cities in the world. My friend Caroline Arness (another Cathedral grad) accompanied me to meet with Father Casey, Father Pat Biedelman, and a group of St. John's parishoners last night. They have been in Italy for almost a week, and we were finally able to spend some time with them on their last night here. They treated us to a delicious glass of white wine in a fancy hotel, and we sat and chatted with them for a while. Everyone was so welcoming, friendly, and so fun to be around. Also, we made a great connection with Father Pat because he is currently living in Rome. He offered us tickets to the Scavi tour in the Vatican, which includes seeing the bones of St. Peter, on October 18. Usually you have to book this tour almost a year in advance! Hopefully we will be able to make it! After Father Casey insisted on getting us a taxi back to our Hotel, Caroline and I enjoyed some delicious chocolate gelato while sitting on the steps of the fountain right in front of the Pantheon. Can it get any better than this?? Well, yes, because we are going as a group to tour the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum on Saturday and then attending the Papal Mass and Angelus on Sunday. I have to get going on some reading for classes (yes, those things that interfere with exploring Rome). Thank you so much for reading my blog! I hope all is well back in the States! 

Love always,

Anne

Prego, Mi piace gli occhialli, Attraversimo, Andiamo, Frulatto di pesca, Vorrei vino rosso....

Ciao! I am slowly but surely picking up Italian. The blog title features a few of the words and phrases I have picked up. I forgot how difficult it was to be brand new to a language since I have taken Spanish for five years. Fortunately a lot of Italians speak English, especially in Rome since it is such a tourist city! Anyways, I have much catching up to do, so I will begin with Assisi. On our first evening in Assisi, we came across a German choir singing songs (in English!) in the piazza. The piazza of Italian cities/towns is a square where life in the city is centered around. The main feature of the one in Assisi is the Temple of Manerva which was built in the 1st century A.D. Amazingly it is still in remarkable condition, and it fits in perfectly with the other buildings which were built in the 14th and 15th centuries. Italy's ability to blend such antiquity and modernity together so well can be seen throughout Assisi, Rome, and I imagine all of Italy. Assisi is a beautiful and peaceful place, as it should be holding a few of the most holy places in the world. The first is the Basilica of Santa Chiara (Saint Claire) which includes the following: the cross that spoke to San Francesco (Saint Francis) and told him to "rebuild my church", Santa Chiara's tomb and perfectly preserved skeleton, Santa Chiara's long blond hair she cut off when she joined San Francesco, and clothes from both of them. It was very moved by the story of Santa Chiara. At age 16, when she found out she was to be wed to a wealthy man, she hid from her parents with San Francesco. She gave up everything she had to devote herself to God when she was younger than I am. Both she and Saint Francis were the same in that they took the vow of poverty very seriously. Saint Claire made all of her clothes and grew her food. The Poor Sisters of Saint Claire live in a convent connected to the Basilica of Santa Chiara. They never leave their cloister, following the ways of Santa Chiara by growing food in a courtyard in the middle of the building and making their own clothes. Another very powerful holy place in Assisi is San Damiano. God is truly present here as it's the place where San Francesco first escaped his father, hiding in a small crypt, the place of Santa Chiara's death (which we were able to go into the room), where the cross spoke to San Francesco, telling him to go and "rebuild my church", and where it is believed that he wrote the Canticle of the Creatures. You could see how he could appreciate and write about the beauty of Nature there because it is located in the middle of olive trees outisde the gates of Assisi. (I lit a candle here for my family so know that the prayers of Saint Francis and Saint Claire are with you.) The Basilica of San Francesco is another amazing place in Assisi. My favorite part was the crypt that holds the tomb of San Francesco. You could see the deep emotion and love people from all around the world have for him. Another amazing part was the frescoes that were painted by Giotto to display the life of Saint Francis. I never realized the importance of his life. From my experiences in Assisi and witnessing the effects of the work of Saint Francis still very much visible today, I think he is the closest human beings will come to following in the footsteps of Christ. I forget the exact numbers because there was so much information to take in, but I would recommend looking up the numbers of members of the First Franciscan order who have been pope and who are saints. Also, two out of the three people who have received the stigmata have been Franciscan brothers, the first being Saint Francis. Another incredible church in Assisi is Santa Maria Delle Grazze in the valley, which is the church built for Santa Chiara. It is built over the home where Saint Franics and his followers lived, and consequently where Santa Chiara escaped her family when she found out she was to be married to a wealthy man. Well that's the short summary of Assisi....I will be filling you in about Rome and putting up pictures ASAP!

Quick hello from Assisi

Ciao from Assisi! I am sitting in a small Internet cafe with about twenty other Saint Mary's students. We were all very excited to walk by it this morning on our long trek up to La Rocca, Assisi's mountain top fortress. Unless I eat gelato about three times a day, I do not think I will be gaining weight. The portions are significantly less, yet filling. Also, Assisi is on a hill, so we are constantly walking uphill. The hills and stairs are never-ending. I have already fallen in love with Italy. It hit me last night watching the sunset that I was beginning the best experience of my life. The Italian culture is warm and unique. But more on that later when I have significant time to describe it in its entirety! Well, I'm off to chat with my friends and then head to dinner! Check for another update early next week! 

Almost there!

Welcome to my blog! I will be using this to share stories and experiences throughout my semester abroad. Also, I will be able to share photos of my travels with you! I fly out of Chicago Tuesday, September 23rd. We have a short layover in Madrid, then head to Roma. Then we will travel by bus with the entire Saint Mary's group to Assisi for orientation. After four days there, we will return to Rome on September 28 for classes. Until Then, Ciao!