THE BARCELONA EDITION!

Something I learned about myself:

I am capable of staying awake past midnight THREE nights in a row. Usually I am that girl at nighttime outings who not so subtly starts yawning and hinting at all the things that I could be doing (aka sleeping). But, I decided to put on my big girl pants (again, seems to be a recurring theme of this trip) and do as the Romans (Barcelonans) do and stay out late. And by late I mean early. But then I guess when you don’t eat dinner until midnight,  you’re bound to be out later than the average Joe. In addition to being impressed at my body’s ability to go against everything that it is used to, I was proud of myself for being a contributing member of after 11:30 scene for once. Can’t guarantee it will happen again anytime soon though. . .   

Apparently some people go to ice bars after midnight. . .

The Best Thing That I Ate:

The options for this post were limitless. Chicken. Eggs. STARBUCKS. Ranch dressing. Tapas. But alas, because I am cultured now, the clear winner was sangria. What a pleasant and tart experience. I wish I could adequately describe my squeals (think newborn piglets), but suffice it to say that I think I have found the key to happiness. Kidding. I promise that my experience abroad has provided much more fruitful insights than I like sangria, but until I am done licking my lips that’s all you will get for me.  

This smile is still on my face. 

An Adventure I Went On:

Guell Park. For those of you who don’t know who Gaudi is (aka me before I decided I was going to Barcelona), look him up. He was crazy. In a good way. His work is showcased throughout Barcelona (the pinnacle being La Sagrada Familia, see below) and the second most beautiful is Guell Park. In addition to beautiful structures, there are several places where you can walk up the surrounding hills to breathtaking views of the city. The most beautiful of theses was a big rock (obviously struggling to find a better word), that had three crosses and looked out to a stunning view of the city. Standing upon that point, not only was I reminded of the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for us on a different hill thousands of years ago, but I was reminded of the wonderful blessings that He has given me. After lots of pictures and prayer, I carefully treaded back down and took a few deep breaths reminding myself of just how good God has been to me.

Simply breathtaking. 

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

It’s a tie. Now, these two are complete opposites so bear with me. . .

Barcelona at Night:

Let me tell you guys, this city is BUMPIN. But bumpin in a ‘really fun for the weekend but I don’t know if I could survive more than a few days’. Walking back to our apartment each night, I literally could not believe what I was seeing. Nothing can stop these people—not even four am and rain. I saw a lot of things that I hope to never see again, but hey, there is a first time for everything, right?

La Sagrada Familia:

This church is beautiful. But if you have ever been there or look closely at the pictures, you will understand that it is both crazy and interesting. This church has been under construction since the late 1800’s, and won’t be completed for another thirty years or so. The intricacy is amazing and breathtaking. Every part of this sacred space has scriptural and spiritual meaning and is impeccably planned out. As a Catholic, this was a place of profound prayer and an opportunity to truly be in awe of such a physical manifestation of God’s glory.

My pictures will never be enough for how beautiful this was. 

You could look at this picture for an hour and still
just have scratched the surface. Amazing. 

Why you should buy cheese with cartoons on it.

Something I learned about myself:

Trying to put sugar into your coffee while lying in bed is probably the worst idea ever. I know, I know, this seems obvious. But you know that moment where you have a flash of ‘oh shoot, maybe this isn’t the best idea’ but then muster up enough confidence to try it anyway? Well that was today. After mass this morning, I bought a croissant and cup of American coffee and brought it back to my room to treat myself to breakfast in bed. However, this potentially enjoyable experience became a lot more stressful when my seemingly brilliant idea turned very, very wrong. A picture definitely isn’t necessary, but needless to say I won’t be trying this again anytime soon.

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Just because it was so cute. This is cheese. Why there is a specified ‘kids cheese’, I may never know. But then Italy does a lot of things I don’t understand . . .like making you pay for water and having an utter disregard for traffic rules. Besides the point, when I was grocery shopping on Monday (aka searching for the biggest jar of nutella I could find . . .) I was stressed out trying to pick cheese for my crackers—you can tell my life is pretty tough right now—when my friend Carolann pointed this out to me and at that moment nothing else matters. Suffice it to say my twenty-year-old self counts this cheese designed for two year olds as one of my best purchases so far.

Come on, how could this not be delicious?!

An Adventure I Went On:

Saint Mary Major. I promise that I do other things other than visit churches, but this is worth sharing. This was another visit as a part of my ‘Christology in the City of Rome’ class, and the Church is beautiful! Just beautiful. I am literally in more and more awe of the Roman Catholic Church every time I step foot into another beautiful space like this.  What was really cool was after class got let out a little early (huzzah!) I was able to spend time by myself in and around the Church. After spending some time before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration (and simultaneously inhaling as much incense as I could) and passive aggressively ignoring the very loud Italian family talking behind me, I set out on my own to Italian class. And by ‘set out’ I mean hopped on the metro three stops, but still, I was proud of myself. You guys may think I have a whacked sense of adventure, but I’m going to Barcelona this weekend so I promise to have more to report. 

Breathtakingly Beautiful.

Posing in front of what is thought to be
remnants from the crib Jesus was born in.                  

You know what they say, they just don't make
them like this anymore. . 

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

I am going to refrain from venting about the C-R-A-Z-Y thing I saw earlier today, which was a grown man publically urinating outside one of the four papal basilicas . . .. Instead, I will tell you what a whacked up job Italians do at parking. Let’s just say that if Catholic University’s DPS got a hold of these drivers, it would be the end of them. They literally park EVERYWHERE, sidewalks, in front of bus stops, and on top of each other. Note to self: while trying to fit in walking down the street (one does this by not smiling, walking fast and plowing through any person in your way) you really give yourself away whipping out a camera . . .If you guys can get at least a small glimpse of the insanity that is their parking ‘strategy’, it will all be worth it.

                          

Mayhem.

No Complaints.

Something I learned about myself:

Things are a lot easier when you don’t complain. I don’t usually consider myself someone who complains a lot (unless there is no honey mustard in the student restaurant, then anyone and everyone will hear about it). If you’ll indulge me in complaining for a moment, I hate laundry. Hate. It. I’m lucky that I have made a deal with the world’s greatest mom—she washes and I fold. You know that looming feeling when you know you have deliberately put something off? Yep, that was me today. SO after successfully refreshing my facebook newsfeed seven times in five minutes, I realized that if I don’t do laundry I’d be in deep trouble for tomorrow. As much as I wanted to curse the dirty clothes while walking the unbearable thirty feet to the laundry room, I acknowledge that it doesn’t do me any good to complain to myself and let’s face it, that would just distract me from daydreaming about Swiss guards and eating nutella.

In an effort to avoid complaining about the lack of dryer,
I'll direct your attention to the lovely hanging contraption that we get to use.               

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Brunch. We are blessed enough as a program to have three wonderful men at the North American College minister to us and they cooked brunch for us on Saturday morning. Not just any brunch, American brunch! Dunkin Donuts coffee, hash browns, egg bake and pancakes with SYRUP. I could have cried eating this meal . . .Okay, maybe I did. There was great company and after we ate seconds and thirds and fourths, we got a tour of the North American College. The roof of the NAC has one of the absolute best views in Rome and after some lovely prayer time in their chapel, we all basked in the sun outside on their sports field. To make things even better, I got to eat a fresh orange--although it did come at some personal pain, when I pulled an orange off the tree, another one wacked me straight on the nose. Cute, right? Although the food was delicious, it was such an honor to be in the presence of these men who have given everything to serve the Church and Catholics everywhere. 

I was too busy eating to take a picture of the food,
but you can see how beautiful the view is! 

Deacon Ryan is a lot cooler than I am and could juggle four oranges, where I couldn't even yank one off the tree without getting a welt. 

An Adventure I Went On:

Nettuno! As a part of my politics class, we all ventured about 35 miles south of Rome to a small town called Nettuno. We were there for the 68^th anniversary of the Allies landing on the beach in Nettuno. It was such an amazing opportunity to be able to learn more about history and the important sacrifice that so many Americans have made, and seeing that American flag was oh so sweet. After a few ceremonies, we went over to go see the tomb of St. Maria Goretti. We found out when we arrived at the Church that they were closing, so even though the priest was clearly yelling in Italian Elise and I opted to sprint down the steps so we could catch a glimpse and say a prayer. And a prayer it was, to be in the physical presence of a saint whose story is one of God’s unbelievable mercy was a truly beautiful experience.

Beautiful Nettuno.

Gorgeous memorial. 

St. Maria Goretti, Pray for us!

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

Rocks. But not just any rocks—rocks from 2000 years ago. As a part of my Catholicism, Commerce and Culture class we went to the Roman Forums. Now, I’m usually the girl in museums/historical places who has troubles comprehending the magnitude of it and asks questions like “Wait, you mean this is the actual column that was here 2000 years ago? Are you SURE?” This is usually met with both annoyed looks and encouraging glances from people who are clearly much better informed than I am. The Roman Forums are both beautiful and expansive and I was able to enjoy a wonderful class and learn a lot more about ancient Roman history (and the bird poop makeup that they wore). Gross.

Part of the Roman Forum behind us. 

Can you believe that I get to have class here?

Prayers to everyone back home participating in the March for Life, count on prayers from across the ocean! 

Cereal, St. Paul and Swiss Guards

Something I learned about myself:

Swiss Guards make me giddy. Monday night as I was passing one of the side entrances to the Vatican, I noticed a swiss guard and he nodded at me. I thought that was good and of course couldn’t stop thinking about it for the next few hours. Then as my friend and I were walking back from Praise and Worship at the seminary, I saw not one but TWO of these Swiss guards. I of course acknowledged this as the perfect opportunity to institute my ‘make a Swiss guard fall in love with me’ plan, took a chance and shot a wave in their direction. What followed from that moment: 1. The world stopped turning. 2.  Everything was in slow motion. 3. They waved, smiled, and saluted me. 4. I sprinted away half screaming, half not breathing. Since then the world has started moving again, but it hasn’t stopped me from reliving that moment a few times in my mind.

This wasn't him, but you get the idea.  I was obviously keeping it cool and didn't take a picture. 

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Okay, before you judge me and think “Wow, I am so glad that Lauren is in Rome and taking advantage of the cuisine by eating cereal alone in her room. . .”, let me explain. The food here is delicious and I have had more pasta/red wine/gelato (gelato twice today, actually) but after meal after meal of pasta/pizza, I needed a break. Luckily this cereal hit the spot. For those of you who are concerned, I also ate approximately ten breadsticks dipped in nutella. Dining at it’s finest.

Sometimes, simple is good. 

An Adventure I Went On:

Today my whole class met at one of the Papal Basilicas—St. Paul Outside the Walls. All I have to say is wow. For me this felt adventurous because we switched lines on the metro and we were headed out from the center of the city where I have been spending a lot of my time. Once I got there, it was such a humbling thing to be standing around and in such a spiritually significant place, and par for the course I was teary eyed. Our program director, Zio David as I call him, is one of the most intelligent people I have ever known and I have learned so much from him. (Largely because I stand at the front of the group and loudly ask questions about every single thing that I see). I am going to try to get back there next Saturday, partly because there is a big prayer service for the Week for Christian Unity, and partially because a little birdie told me there will be priests with British accents there. . .

        

This city has so much to offer, and I am amazed everyday at all the beautiful places I get to visit. 

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

I have learned to not be surprised by what people do around me, but I have to say that I was a little caught off guard today when I was at mass and a woman walked in right as we were starting with a bag (pronounced baaaaaaeeg, in case any of you miss me saying it like that) of groceries. I have to admit, in my state of hunger I was initially curious about what was in the bag, but then I was marveling at the fact that she was confident enough to just waltz right up to the front of the Church, groceries and all. I think this action says a lot about how comfortable people are with their faith here--it all seems so seamless.

Silence, Public Displays of Affection and Powdered Goodness.

Something I learned About Myself:

Sometimes, you have to be okay with silence. For those of you who know me (and if you don’t and are still reading this, you deserve an award), I am a talker.  I know, I know shocker. As someone who is so used to talking and really appreciates communication, it has been quite an adjustment getting used to the quieter moments that present themselves daily here. For example, when I am walking around (probably getting gelato for the second time that day), I can’t just call up my mom or listen to music. This has really opened my eyes to the chance to contemplate this amazing and blessed opportunity and focus on appreciating silence as an opportunity personal growth.   

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Frappe. When I say that the most delicious thing ever tastes like a sweet wonton with powdered sugar, you may be inclined to think that all my taste buds got burnt off (or I had too many glasses of red wine). I promise you, it is delicious. While we were on our tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, we learned that each Italian city makes their own special desert during ‘carnivale’, and the Roman desert is this ‘frappe’. When some friends and I passed by a bakery and saw the deliciousness we knew that we had to go back after lunch. We used hand motions and some Italian to snag some for ourselves, and being the selfless person that I am, I volunteered to hold the bag for everyone . . .It was gone within two minutes. 

                        I almost want to lick the screen.                           

An Adventure I Went On:

Trastevere. As I have gotten more comfortable with the city (still not used to the near death experience that happens every time I try to cross the street), I have started to venture into different neighborhoods. On Friday night, a big group of us went out to dinner in Trastevere, which is a neighborhood just south of where I am living in the neighborhood of Prati. I decided to venture back there on Saturday night with a few friends. What was originally going to be dinner and drinks turned into dinner and gelato. No regrets. It was beautiful at night, was buzzing with young people and is anchored by a beautiful basilica. As someone who views my car as the only acceptable means of transportation, I put on my big girl pants and rode the bus on the way there and walked home. My only regret of this adventure? Not being able to further assist the handsome chap who asked me for directions in a British accent.

 

I think that it is safe to say most of my adventures have included churches, wine/pasta and gelato. 

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

A couple macking in the middle of St. Peter’s Basilica. I’m not going to dignify this with a picture, but it was exactly what it sounded like. As I was enjoying my tour and soaking in the beauty that is the world’s largest Church, I look to my right and see a couple macking right in the middle of the Church. Now, I have learned to not let things like this get to me (especially here in Rome), but I am pretty sure that on the list of the most inappropriate places to publically display affection, St. Peter’s is right at the top along with the White House and fancy restaurants. 

Luckily there were just a few other things that could catch my eye. . .

 It has been a blessed first week and a half here, and I continue to thank God every day for this opportunity He has given me. 'Salute' to the second week of classes!

When Words Aren't Enough.

Something I learned about myself:

I don’t fall to my knees enough. This may seem like a weird thing to ‘discover’, but as I have learned more about this city and it’s rich history, I myself have become more open to everything that it has to offer. With this openness has come a realization of how hesitant I am at times to be on my knees thanking God. In today’s busy, busy world we are told that our whole lives need to be a prayer and that we must pray without ceasing. What I realized this Monday night when I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament at adoration with the seminarians at the North American College (NAC) was although I acknowledge how good God has been to me with this opportunity to study in the city where He is so present, I won't fully appreciate everything this opportunity has to offer if I am not on my knees asking Him for the grace to embrace it.

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Cappuccino and croissant. I sincerely hope that the first thought that flits through your head isn’t ‘BORING, we have these in America. . .') because I may have to beat you up. . .although I will probably be too busy eating my beloved croissant/cappuccino combination to notice. Almost every single morning, I have ventured into a different ‘bar’—Italian code word for cute café that serves coffee, light lunches, etc to order breakfast. Without fail, every single morning has involved several things: me awkwardly shuffling in the door and immediately analyzing the situation to see if I should be paying ahead of time or after still haven't gotten it right. Then there is the whole language barrier thing which always involves a lot of ‘ciaos’ and crazy hand gestures—think of a ridiculous mix of charades and speed dating. 

(Side note: although Italians can be really loud, they are still ‘getting used to’ me shuffling into these cafes and not so quietly thinking out loud about what I should be ordering and the best way for them to understand me.)

An Adventure I Went On:

Although I haven’t been able to venture outside of Rome yet, I am still getting rid of my Rome ‘sea legs’. It is finally getting to the point where I feel like I can venture in and around the city and not clutch my map the entire time—it has also taken some getting used to just cross aka sprint across the street whenever there is the smallest probability that you will be hit by a motorcycle. A few mornings ago, Elise and I went to mass at a precious parish up the road (sidenote: it’s awkward when you accidentally say the responses in English loudly when everyone else is saying them in Italian. . .). We then ventured to some little street markets and then out away from Prati, the neighborhood where are school is, down to the river and up the hill near the Vatican. The view was amazing, and again I found myself constantly gawking in the beauty that is this city.

While abroad, I have also learned that you really need to be okay with self portraits. . .Okay, this has never really been a problem for me.

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

‘You are Peter’. This is ‘crazy’ in the sense that I could hardly grasp my head around it. Words will never be enough, so I hope these pictures convey what I am thinking.

Elise and I headed to the Vatican for daily mass, we went to noon mass at the Altar of St. Joseph which is located towards the front of the church. We were so rushed getting there and sprinting past large tour groups that by the time mass ended, I had momentarily forgotten where I was.

Absolutely breathtaking, I felt like I could sit in this one small part for hours and hours. 

Then I turned around, and the first thing that caught my eye was this:

Matthew 16:18

I then walked out from where I was at mass, turned around and the light was streaming through one of the side windows, a perfect spotlight on where the tomb of St. Peter is.    
                                                                         

For me to be at a loss for words is a pretty remarkable thing, but I have learned to not underestimate what can be done to me through the amazing things I am seeing in this city and this location in particular.

I have prayed the words 'one holy, catholic and apostolic church' my entire life, but at this moment, it all made sense. Like I said, crazy in a 'makes-you-think-twice-about-everything-from-that-moment-on' type of thing.

Don't worry, the silence didn't last long, especially after I saw a group of nuns AND school children within twenty seconds of each other.

Here Goes Nothing!

We're a few days in here and already the jet lag is gone, classes start tomorrow, I turned twenty and I'm all moved in! Blessed is an understatement. 

Something I learned about myself:

I wish I had something deep to share here, but the main things that keep popping in my head about what I have learned about myself are: passive-aggressiveness does work when fighting for room the airplane,  I can practice self-control (particularly in the form of not bursting into tears when the Pope went by), I am capable of walking a bajillion blocks on an empty stomach, and beer doesn’t taste as bad as it smells. I’m still so busy soaking in the grandeur that is this city, and I know it is only a matter of time until I am able to articulate better how much this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity means to me.

He was SO close and I kept my cool. I'm proud of myself.

The Best Thing That I Ate:

I’m not going to bore you with descriptions of the delicious bread that I ate (although, for the record I ate five pieces the night of my birthday. . .) When we all gathered for a group dinner the first night, we were treated with a delicious Italian meal. After a long 24 hours of travelling/settling in, this was amazing. Although I would have been happy with the wine, antipasta and delicious pasta, the desert sealed the deal for me. It mixed some of my favorite things: whipped cream, strawberries and nutella—all in a coffee flavored/waffle bowl. Heavenly.

Go ahead, take a bite. 

This was piece of bread #5. My face says it all. 

An Adventure I Went On:

Late night birthday walk to the Vatican! After a full and exhausting day complete with a wonderful group dinner and a rosary and blessing from Deacon Mario, Elise and I went on an impromptu walk to the Vatican. It’s clearly a blessed life when you can just decide to walk over to the Vatican on a whim . . .Anyways, I could think of nothing better than spending the last hours of my birthday in front of such a physical manifestation of God’s glory—St. Peter’s square was buzzing with people and the Vatican at night is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. We walked and talked and prayed the rosary—definitely a low key adventure, but a beautiful one nonetheless. 

I'll never get tired of this. 

Taking pictures of your hands is a lo more difficult than you may think. .  .

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

Communion lines. I know, original. But as someone who has been raised in a wonderful ‘well-lined’ parish and has spent the last year and a half at school accustomed to neatly moving lines up to the front of the Church to receive communion, the “blob” concept that is implemented here to move to the front of the Church has been completely foreign (haha, get it?) to me.  I can complain/joke about this, but I also recognize that it is an important opportunity to surrender my individual expectations about the way that I think things should be done. 

Obviously snapping a pic in the church was not an option,  so picture a mix of this:

and this: (P.S. Typing 'crowded lines' into google gives you an oddly large amount of pictures of Joe Jonas.)