Mi Sento Molto Santo

 I'm Feeling Very Holy

 PICTURES TO COME

As of Monday, I thought I was beginning to form a relatively regular routine, but come Tuesday, my week went in all different directions.

Tuesday started out normal enough:  wake up. workout. sheet exchange (I love that they wash our sheets for us!). class.  Well, I started tutoring Laura (here Laura is always pronounced Lowra...although it sounds much prettier than it looks).  She is 13 years old, and she needs to take an English exam in June.  I'm working on conversation, vocabulary, and the different tenses with her.  Her mom came to JFRC to show me the way to their house, so that in the future I would be able to get back and forth.  (good thing because we all know how terrible I am with directions)  Anyway, when she picked me up she spoke no English.  This really frightened me, because I was told that the family already knew a little English.  As I said before, my Italian is slowly improving, but it is still not to where I am comfortable speaking it all the time.  Back to the story: so, we are able to make a little talk on the way, I see where the different bus stops are, (although it's only about a  20 min walk) and also how to get into their building and to their apt.  Laura and her two  younger siblings were at the door to meet me, along with who I am assuming to be their Nonna (grandma in Italian).  Again, very little English...actually none...was spoken.  But once I sat down in Laura's room with her to work on English things went much better.  She's very good at reading it, and I was able to explain, in Italian, the words that she did not know.  We also worked on past tense verbs.

I had to basically run back to JFRC to be there in time for speaking partners.  Speaking partners is a program with the English school here at JFRC that allows us to practice our Italian and Italians to practice their English.  I met a nice girl, probably a few years older than me, and a nice woman about the age of my mom/aunts.  It was enjoyable.

Wednesday morning classes were canceled because we had tickets for a Papal Audience.  Holy cow.  I guess that saying might be sac-religious in this case, but wowza it was crazy!  I was four rows away from the Pope.  No big deal or anything.  I've gotten pretty lucky in this aspect of my life, because when I was in Rome 12 years ago with my parents and sister we were only 12 rows away from Pope John Paul II.  But back to present day:  We left at 7:30am, but the Papal Audience didn't start until 10:30 (which is why we got such good seats).  Pope Benedict XVI speaks 7 languages and read in all of them.  All the large groups there were presented to him...some sang to him (and he even clapped), while others (like JFRC) just cheered when their name was called.  This sounds tacky, and it was, but everyone was going nuts....some people were even waving flags and banners...it was more like a concert than a holy event.  The Pope extended his blessing to all of us, our religious belongings, and to our families and friends.  So you were all apparently blessed by the Pope yesterday.  (unless you're a stranger, thus being a stalker by reading this blog...but in a sense you now know my life, so perhaps the Pope would consider you a friend of mine also)  He also extended his blessing to all of our children.  I was going to entitle this blog : My womb is blessed, but I felt that that might offend some people, and was probably not the holiest of holy things to do.

For those of you who don't know, this is the Pope.

This Picture was taken by my friend, Kaitlyn...my camera made the pope come out as a white blob even though we were so close.
Also during the Papal Audience, a  little kid ran up onto the altar and knelt before the Pope.  The Pope blessed him, and I'm sure you're all thinking awwww how cute.  1.  The guards didn't catch him...doesn't make the Pope's security look too promising.   2.  How does a 4 year old know to kneel before the Pope.  Maybe 'cause his dad was there ready with his camera to take a picture of it. If I had run past the guards I would have been tackled or shot down. 
http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/pope-security-is-breached-by-young-brazilian-boy-who-wanted-a-private-/4932/

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/02/5975803-boy-gives-vatican-security-guards-the-slip-to-greet-pope-benedict


After the Papal Audience we bought tickets for a AS Roma Calcio game.  Going to a soccer game was on my list of "must dos" and it was really fun.  There was a big group of us that went.  We got to the game after it had already started (due to walking in several wrong directions, a usual for me) and let's just say it was quite the experience.  For starters, I  thought I was going to miserable, because upon entering the stadium I was patted down.  And they have no idea of personal space.  They patted everywhere....very uncomfortable.  More security than for the Pope...this seems a bit backwards.  All the carabinieri and police had huge machine guns...which for some reason made me a little more uncomfortable last night.  But after the initial entering of the stadium, I enjoyed myself.  Don't expect to have a seat at the game...even if your ticket has one on it.  Everyone piles into a few sections and is crammed together.  We stood among all these Roma fans and it was unlike any other sporting event I have been to.  The crowd is so focused on the game, and everyone...literally the whole stadium...is singing the same cheers (and they have many). It was definitely  a great time.

The AS Roma fans wave their flags like crazy and sing and chant with each other.  A crazy experience!

Today, although only 10:30 has been great.  I went for a run outside with my friend, Crissy.  We attempted to run to the Vatican, but didn't turn and ended up going much farther out of the way.  It was a great work out though.  I love running outside; it is so much more challenging than a treadmill, and in Rome there is so much to see while you run.  Unless you are looking at the ground to avoid the dog poop.  So, Mom and Dad, I know you were worried about me running by myself and getting abducted by an Albanian, but you do not have to worry anymore.  Actually, you might, because we almost had a few fatal accidents by dogs, cracks in the really terrible sidewalks, buses, and vespas that do not stop.  Oh yeah, and Italians look at you like you have 5 heads when they see you running.  No one here runs.  They don't mind blocking your way, breathing smoke into your face, or pointing and laughing at you.

Random Facts
1.  I'm becoming an expert at avoiding dog poop.

2. Apparently pot isn't illegal in a soccer stadium...I mean it is, but looking around everyone was smoking it, and the smell was very strong.

3. Churches are not the place to stop on a run if you are looking for a bathroom.

4.  As  much as I love Rome, and don't take this the wrong way, because I do not want to come home right now, but I wish I was sledding in 2+ feet of snow....although having it be 45ish degrees last night was really nice. But a week of snowdays would have been swell too.