Video of my apartment in Rome!

Here are links to my videos of the apartment in Rome I moved into this week. I took it with the video on my digital camera, so it's not the best but it gives a better idea of what it's like vs. just photos.
It works best if you let the video load all the way before playing so it doesn't keep stopping. You can tell it's loaded when the whole bar is light grey.


http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=13611229

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=13612669

I have a home in Rome!

17 July 2007
11:45pm Rome/ 4:41pm Houston

(If you want to see pics of my new place, here's a link to the pictures of my apartment:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37023&l=f8047&id=800405227.)

Wow ! The last couple of days have just been a bit surreal for me! I’m actually so tired & worn out tonight, but figured I better write a blog before I forget everything that has happened.

Now I know getting an apartment here is very different from in the US. Before you can get the keys there is so much more to sign & so much you have to pay for! I just had no idea! It was all a bit overwhelming! Before I went to the apartment to sign everything I needed 1) a check for 3 months rent (I must pay for 3 months rent); 2) a 'libretto al portatore' from the bank for 2 months of rent for a deposit 3) over €130 in these stamps you buy (I think related to taxes, I don't really know for sure); and 4) cash to pay for registration tax.

So yesterday morning (Monday, July 16th) I had an appointment to meet with the girl from the agency at the bank so I could get the libretto and a checkbook so I could write a check. The libretto is kind of like a check but when the person who receives it deposits it in the bank, it stays separate from their account so the interest on that piece can be tracked separately. The landlady wanted it this way so when she returns it to me at the end of my lease she won't have to calculate the interest. Oh and since I didn't realize that it would cost so much up front to get an apartment, I only transferred a little from my US account & not enough to cover all the costs. Thank goodness the landlady was willing to hold my rent check until the wire from my company for my yearly “living” allowance comes through (as long as I showed her that the wire was made).
Anyway, I’m thinking an hour max at the bank to do these things - not so! It ended up taking over 2 hours. First we have to wait for them to open the bank because even though they say they open at 8:30, that doesn’t mean they actually open the doors AT 8:30. Then we had to get a ticket because at their banks you have to get a ticket with a number & you just wait for your number to get served. As we were waiting the girl from the agency decides to ask the reception lady (who finally showed up) if we needed to talk to one of the personal bankers (that’s not what they call them…I think they call them executive bankers or something like that). So we find out that yes we do need to talk to the executive banker. Of course on only 1 executive banker is working, so we wait in line to talk to him. Then it takes him about half an hour to do the libretto & he tells us he can’t issue the checkbook, only the tellers. So we have to get another number & wait again for our turn.
After we finally got it all done we called the agency and found out that the appointment for my apartment wouldn’t be until 6:30pm. I had taken the whole day off as a personal day, but decided to go to work because there was no use just sitting in the residence.
I get off work a little early and caught a bus & headed to my soon-to-be apartment to do all the paperwork & get the key. So the time comes to go through the contract, which they sent me a copy of before hand all in Italian of course! Thank goodness for google translator! When it came down to the us signing the contract, it was a bit stressful! There were 5 of us at the apartment - me, the girl from my agency helping translate, the landlady, her agent, and then another lady that I guess was a lawyer of some sort. The lady from the landlady’s agency read the contract word for word out loud as we listened. And them the girl from my agency would tell summarize for me what it said. Thank goodness the contract was only about 3 or so pages! In the middle of going through it, they realized that the copy they had printed to sign was not the latest version! I had printed the copy they sent me & they were able to go make copies of that - thank goodness! We also went through the inventory list to make sure everything was really there & okay. And for all the paperwork, I had to sign 3 copies of it and initial/sign every page! So about 2 hours later we were finally done with all the paperwork and I got the keys! I was so caught up in trying to figure out what was going on that I didn’t really take the time to comprehend what was going on. It would have been a bit overwhelming in English, but add onto that it was all in Italian & they were all speaking Italian - it was a bit nerve wracking! After they all left, I went back up into the apartment - at that moment was when it hit me…I actually have an apartment in Rome! A place to call ‘home’! THIS makes it seem more permanent.
I took pictures & video & then just sat on the balcony just trying to soak it all in. I finally had to leave because I needed to grab dinner. I decided to go to a place in Piazza Navona (about a 10 minute walk away) & had a mini celebration all of my own - with wine, pasta & dessert - as I watched the crowd at Piazza Navona. Now it wouldn’t be my favorite pick because it’s definitely geared towards tourists (the prices show that!! Way more expensive compared to most places I’ve been), but I needed to be around people & noise & a crowd & the excitement, so being there did all that. As I was sitting there I was just feeling so, so blessed. Realizing that I’m now getting to experience something that many will never get to do & something that growing up I never would have imagined would happen. Looking out from my balcony that evening with the cars (& tourists) going below on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and looking towards Castle Sant’Angelo I was thinking 'This is such a far cry from Wallis! This is so different! How did I actually end up here?!?'

Needless to say that last night was very exciting & emotional night for me. I was so excited I didn’t know if I wanted to just jump up & scream and shout or just cry - I didn’t really do either, but came closer to crying! The only thing was that I wished I had someone here to share the excitement with…that’s the only down side to being over here by myself. When you get so excited about something & you just want to give someone a big hug…but there’s no one here to share that with. But I was able to email back & forth with a good friend through the whole thing & I knew she (as well as many friends & family) were with me here in spirit. So that does help!

And I tried to get on the internet at the residence last night & this morning so I could share pictures and video with all of you right away, but I couldn’t get it to work. Figures the time I have news I want to get out right away, the internet is down!
So today was the day I actually moved in. I ended up taking today off instead of yesterday to get things all set up. I took it easy this morning sleeping in & packing up (& trying to get on the internet!). I actually felt a bit sad leaving the residence for some reason. And strange enough - the room that I thought was so, so small when I first got there didn't seem that small anymore.

Moving ended up being a workout for me! I somehow managed to get a lot more stuff in the last several weeks & it took me 3 trips to get all my stuff. By the time the taxi came I was already all sweaty! :-o I finally got to my apartment a little after noon. Again since I had so much stuff it took me 2 trips up the elevator just to get my stuff to my apartment (it has a very small elevator!).

I also realized that I would need to go to the store today to get stuff because I didn’t have some of the basic stuff I needed like bed sheets & towels. So after I got everything into the apartment I decided to make a trip to Ikea. Using my blackberry I looked up the directions & it didn’t seem hard to get to - but I had to take a bus to the metro go all the way to the end of the metro line & then take another bus. Of course I didn’t look up the bus stop’s name either, so I ended up missing the stop & walking at least half a mile to get back to Ikea! I think the whole Ikea shopping adventure ended up taking 3 hrs! In Houston, that would have been an hour max!
This whole lifestyle of having to carry everything I buy is something I’ll have to get use to as well! In the store I was going to buy something, but then would look at my basket and realize I couldn’t carry any more. I ended up having 1 huge bag of stuff (I had to buy the bag of course!). I ended up carrying that bag all around the parking lot to the bus stop, then on 1 bus, then through the metro station & on the metro, then trying to find my 2nd bus…then when on the way back I wasn’t sure on the stop & ended up getting off about 4 stops too early so I had to carry it even further! That was workout #2 for the day! One of these days I'll get the bus and everything all figured out...then I'll have to find a gym since I won't have as many workouts from everyday tasks! ;-)
One part of moving I forgot about was the cleaning! I spent a lot of the evening cleaning & it still seems like I have so much to do! I need to go to the store to buy more stuff to clean with before I can do too much more!
Between the moving, Ikea trip & cleaning I’m just really worn out!
My apartment doesn’t have internet yet, so other than my blackberry (who’s battery was showing low all day long) I have no connection to the internet. It’s times like that I realize how dependent I really am on it! It's sad, but true! When I thought my blackberry was going to go out I felt like I was about to loose connection to the world & everyone I know! I almost went to the office to get my work computer to use as well as my blackberry power cord, but didn’t because my load in the washer was taking too long! I guess maybe I should learn not to be so dependent on it…but in this day & age it’s hard!
Well I better close since I’m about to fall asleep typing this!
Ciao!
12:35am Rome/ 6:35 pm Houston

18 July 2007

11:30pm Rome/ 4:30pm Houston

I'm writing this blog out on my balcony enjoying the nice cool evening breeze with the cars going past below me! I was able to get the wireless connection to work on my work laptop, so now I'm finally able to post this blog and upload pictures & video (the videos are taking a while to get up, so those will come in a later blog)! Now I feel connected to the world again!

This morning was my 1st real commute to work (the 5 minutes walk from the Residence doesn't count as a commute). Today it wasn't that bad - about a 10 minute walk to the bus stop, a 30 to 40 minute ride on the bus, then about a 5 minute walk to the office. The only question is how long I will have to wait at the bus stop for a bus...today I was lucky on my way in & one arrived as soon as I got to the stop. I also don't know my clients yet, so when I find out where they are located I will have to see how long that commute will be...I hope it won't be too terribly long! It was a little strange this morning walking to the bus stop in the small, cobblestone streets. That would never happen in Houston! Even though I've been here almost a month, it still hasn't really sunk in that this in my new home.

The apartment will take some getting use to as well. The bathroom is so tiny - especially the shower! This morning I had a river flowing through it from where I accidentally sprayed water where I apparently didn't have the curtain closed all the way. Thank goodness it's all tiled floor! And then the super small washer & air drying clothes I'm not use to either. My clothes are all stiff because I still need to buy some softener & then hopefully can figure out where to put it in the washing machine! Oh & I haven't found out yet how to get hot water to actually come out when I turn the hot water know in the kitchen & bathroom sink (seems like it should be simple, right?). It is definitely a different way of living here, but I think I'll be able to adapt.

Today at work I was asked to read a couple reports that were in English. The partner wanted someone who's native tongue was English to read through them before they went out. So the manager sent them to me & I read them & mad e a couple of changes/comments. Reading through them though, I was starting to doubt my English skills and hoping how I interpreting what they meant to say was really what they intended. I spoke with the manager on the phone and we discussed them, so I think the changes I suggested were all okay. The other thing is here the English that is used is more like the UK English...and any of you who have been to England know that it is a bit different. Then this afternoon I receive a call from a lady who starts asking me if I speak Italian and some other stuff in Italian. I told her I only spoke a little. She said okay good because I don't know if so & so (I didn't catch the name) speaks English that well....let me transfer you to him. So then a guy gets on the phone and starts rattling stuff off in Italian. I realize then that it was the partner who's reports I had looked through this morning & he was asking me questions about them. I was thinking to myself 'Dear God I have no clue what he's saying!! Why don't I know Italian yet!!' I did understand some, but didn't know how to respond. During a long pause he asked if I spoke Italian & I responded in Italian a little...then he says 'oh well then' in English and continues in English. I really, really need to focus more on learning Italian! After that incident I started studying it at work this afternoon! I don't know why I haven't picked up any more. I'm not very confident in trying and every time I start to try to speak in Italian instead of English I stop because I don't think I know how to say it right. If I could only get more confident in trying even if I say it wrong I think I could do better. Learning Italian is a MUST for me & I have to do it! I need some extra prayers with this one...because it seems like it will take a miracle! :-)

Well not much else to say tonight - mostly wanted to get the blog, pictures & video (to come later) posted.

Take care! Ciao!

Lynette

11:55pm Rome/ 4:55pm Houston

Boxing match

This is a bit delayed, but I finally uploaded the video I took of the boxing match I happened to pass my 1st night in Rome.
Here are the links:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=12845756
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=13154394

Enjoy!

Pictures of the outside of my 'soon-to-be' apartment

This is the view of my soon-to-be apartment building from across the street. My apartment will be the one with the long balcony (3rd set of windows from the bottom).

Here is the view of the street it's on. The apartment building is on the left & my apartment will be the one with the long balcony.

Saldi! Saldi! Saldi!

7/15 12:20 am Rome/ 7/14 5:20 pm Houston

So today the sales (saldi) started in Rome. Since these sales happen all over Italy only twice a year - it's a big deal. Usually you will not find many sales in the stores, unless you happen to talk the sales person in the small boutiques to give you a discount (I haven't done that yet). So I've been waiting to buy anything since I've arrived at Rome since I found out these sales were going to take place.

I don't think I've ever prepared so much for a day of shopping either. I asked a couple of people that live here for suggestions on where to go & one girl from work even gave me some of the popular brands of clothes, shoes & purses. Last night I even highlighted the streets I wanted to go to on my map & made sure I had a whole plan on what I wanted to do!

Of course my plan was already off this morning because I overslept & got out of bed at the time I planned on being at the stores! :-o But when I finally got ready (around 10am) I headed to Via del Corso, which is the main street that has stores all down it. For those of you taking note on where to go, if you want shopping this street & the streets off of it are THE shopping streets in Rome. Most of the stores are very small compared to the US, with a few "department" stores that are a couple stories, and then they have a "Galleria" that has several stores & is 3 stores tall. (The Galleria Colonna is the picture above - again something you wouldn't see in Houston.) If you go on the streets between Via del Corso & the Spanish Steps, that's where most of the high fashion shops are such as Valentino, Gucci, Dior, Prada & all the other stores I will never be able to afford!

So I get to Via del Corso & tons of stores had "Saldi" on the windows & there were just people everywhere going from store to store. It wasn't too bad...just in some of the more popular stores you had to wait in line for the dressing rooms for a bit & then another long line to pay. When walking, I noticed that for some of the more high end stores they actually had lines outside the stores because they were only letting a certain number of people inside at a time so it didn't get too crowded. I also say a couple of people going down the street with those rolling clothes racks - I guess going to get clothes from storage.

I started at the beginning of Via del Corso & just made my way all the way down going from shop to shop & then down some of the side streets every now & then. I was a bit disappointed at first because for the 1st couple of hours I didn't find anything I liked (or could justify buying I should say). But after several hours of shopping I did end up buying several pairs of work pants, some shirts/blouses, a blazer, and a pair of jeans -- everything on sale & some even 50% off! So overall a pretty good shopping day! I didn't go overboard & most isn't anything that you can tell by looking it's "Italian", but I think it's things I will be able to get a lot of use out of. Plus I'm focusing on getting clothes for work, since that's what I need most (and don't have money to spend on tons of clothes).

One thing that I have to get use to is the fact that a shopping trip here will be different for me compared to back home. Other than walking a lot (I think I walked for at least 10 hours!), I also have to remember that whatever I buy I have to carry until I get home since I don't have a car to put it in after I buy it! So for me shopping is now a bit of a workout too! When I got home my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my hands hurt from holding on to the bags & overall my body is just tired! I actually can't remember the last time I was this tired from shopping! (maybe when I was in Milan in Nov.?)

One thing I managed to do today instead of just shopping was to make it to most of the main tourist monuments in Rome - Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps. In most cases I went to those because I needed a place to sit & rest and I knew there was plenty of space at these. ;-) Although I've been to most at least a couple times since I've been here, I still enjoy going to them & it still hasn't really sunk in that I can go to them as much as I want! I'm sure eventually I'll get tired of them...maybe. But for now I will keep enjoying them & visiting them as much as I can.

I also decided walked to my soon-to-be apartment to see what the neighborhood is like & to see how far of a walk it was from Via del Corso (it's about 15 - 20 minutes from the end of Corso). I took some pictures of the outside I will post in another blog. I'm suppose to sign the contract & get the key on Monday, but that might get moved back to later in the week. :-( The reason for the potential delay is because transfers between bank accounts (even from 1 Italian bank to another) are really slow & in order for me to pay for everything to get my apartment I need the money that my company is suppose to deposit for me. We will try on Monday to see if my bank will cut a check if we prove that the wire from the other bank was made, but the agency isn't sure it will work. If they won't do that, I will just have to wait until the money comes thru before I can move. Just another thing that shows you have to have patience to live here. ;-) In this whole process, what I found out after I decided on the apartment that 1) the deposits required here are A LOT larger than back home & 2) in most cases you always have to pay your rent 3 months at a time...always in advance of course. So that means on the day I move in I have to pay all of that plus additional fees! That was an unexpected surprise just due to me not knowing how that all works here and not asking. Oh and on top of that, everyone only gets paid once a month vs. twice a month like in the US. I'm learning many things as I go along!

Well I better close this blog so I can get some sleep & get some more shopping in tomorrow. I'm still in search of shoes, a purse, & more work clothes! I'm not sure which stores will be open, but hopefully some will be open.

Ciao!

1:05am Rome/ 6:05pm Houston

Pope Benedict's message during Angelus on June 24th & Homily from Mass on June 29th

Here is the Pope's message during the Anguls on June 24th & homily from the day we attended mass...it wasn't posted when I originally blogged about these, but thought I would go ahead & add it.


BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
Saint Peter's SquareSunday, 24 June 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, 24 June, the liturgy invites us to celebrate the Solemnity of the Birth of St John the Baptist, whose life was totally directed to Christ, as was that of Mary, Christ's Mother.
John the Baptist was the forerunner, the "voice" sent to proclaim the Incarnate Word. Thus, commemorating his birth actually means celebrating Christ, the fulfilment of the promises of all the prophets, among whom the greatest was the Baptist, called to "prepare the way" for the Messiah (cf. Mt 11: 9-10).
All the Gospels introduce the narrative of Jesus' public life with the account of his baptism by John in the River Jordan. St Luke frames the Baptist's entrance on the scene in a solemn historical setting.
My book Jesus of Nazareth also begins with the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, an event which had enormous echoes in his day. People flocked from Jerusalem and every part of Judea to listen to John the Baptist and have themselves baptized in the river by him, confessing their sins (cf. Mk 1: 5). The baptizing prophet became so famous that many asked themselves whether he was the Messiah. The Evangelist, however, specifically denied this: "I am not the Christ" (Jn 1: 20).
Nevertheless, he was the first "witness" of Jesus, having received instructions from Heaven: "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (Jn 1: 33). This happened precisely when Jesus, after receiving baptism, emerged from the water: John saw the Spirit descending upon him in the form of a dove. It was then that he "knew" the full reality of Jesus of Nazareth and began to make him "known to Israel" (Jn 1: 31), pointing him out as the Son of God and Redeemer of man: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn 1: 29).
As an authentic prophet, John bore witness to the truth without compromise. He denounced transgressions of God's commandments, even when it was the powerful who were responsible for them. Thus, when he accused Herod and Herodias of adultery, he paid with his life, sealing with martyrdom his service to Christ who is Truth in person.
Let us invoke his intercession, together with that of Mary Most Holy, so that also in our day the Church will remain ever faithful to Christ and courageously witness to his truth and his love for all.
After the Angelus:
I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer. Today, as the Church celebrates the Birth of St John the Baptist, let us ask for the gift of true conversion and growth in holiness, so that our lives will prepare a way for the Lord and hasten the coming of his Kingdom. Upon all of you I invoke God's Blessings of joy and peace!
I wish everyone a good Sunday!
© Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

(weblink: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20070624_en.html)


EUCHARISTIC CONCELEBRATION ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Vatican BasilicaFriday, 29 June 2007

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls, where I celebrated First Vespers for today's Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Beside the sepulchre of the Apostle to the Gentiles I paid homage to his memory and announced the Pauline Year which, on the occasion of the bimillennium of his birth, will be celebrated from 28 June 2008 until 29 June 2009.
This morning we have gathered round the sepulchre of St Peter in accordance with tradition. Present here to receive the Pallium are the Metropolitan Archbishops appointed during the past year, to whom I extend my special greeting. Also present, sent by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, is an eminent Delegation; I welcome it with cordial gratitude, thinking back to last 30 November when I was in Istanbul-Constantinople for the Feast of St Andrew.
I greet the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima and the Deacon Andreas. Welcome, dear Brothers! The visits we pay each other every year are a sign that the search for full communion is always present and desired by the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Bishop of Rome.
Today's Feast offers me the opportunity to meditate once again on Peter's confession, the decisive moment in the journey of the disciples with Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels have it take place in the district of Caesarea Philippi (cf. Mt 16: 13-20; Mk 8: 27-30; Lk 9: 18-22).
John, for his part, keeps for us another important confession by Peter, after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and Jesus' Address in the Synagogue of Capernaum (cf. Jn 6: 66-70). Matthew, in the text just proclaimed, recalls Jesus' attribution of the nickname Cephas, "Rock", to Simon. Jesus said that he desired to build his Church "on this rock" and with this in view, conferred on Peter the power of the keys (cf. Mt 16: 17-19). It clearly emerges from these accounts that Peter's confession is inseparable from his pastoral duty to Christ's flock which was entrusted to him.
According to all the Evangelists, Simon's confession takes place at a crucial moment in Jesus' life when, after preaching in Galilee, he resolutely set out for Jerusalem in order to bring his saving mission to completion with his death on the Cross and his Resurrection.
The disciples were involved in this decision: Jesus invited them to make a choice that would bring them to distinguish themselves from the crowd so as to become the community of those who believed in him, his "family", the beginning of the Church.
In fact, there are two ways of "seeing" and "knowing" Jesus: one - that of the crowd - is more superficial; the other - that of the disciples - more penetrating and genuine. With his twofold question: "What do the people say?" and "who do you say that I am?", Jesus invited the disciples to become aware of this different perspective.
The people thought that Jesus was a prophet. This was not wrong, but it does not suffice; it is inadequate. In fact, it was a matter of delving deep, of recognizing the uniqueness of the person of Jesus of Nazareth and his newness.
This is how it still is today: many people draw near to Jesus, as it were, from the outside. Great scholars recognize his spiritual and moral stature and his influence on human history, comparing him to Buddha, Confucius, Socrates and other wise and important historical figures.
Yet they do not manage to recognize him in his uniqueness. What Jesus said to Philip at the Last Supper springs to mind: "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?" (Jn 14: 9).
Jesus is often also considered as one of the great founders of a religion from which everyone may take something in order to form his or her own conviction. Today too, "people" have different opinions about Jesus, just as they did then. And as he did then, Jesus also repeats his question to us, his disciples today: "And who do you say that I am?".
Let us make Peter's answer our own. According to the Gospel of Mark he said: "You are the Christ" (8: 29); in Luke, the affirmation is: "The Christ of God" (Lk 9: 20); in Matthew resounds, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16: 16); finally, in John: "You are the Holy One of God". These are all correct answers which are also right for us.
Let us reflect on Matthew's text in particular, quoted by today's liturgy.
According to certain experts, the formula which appears there presupposes the post-Resurrection context and might even be connected with a personal appearance of the Risen Jesus to Peter, an appearance similar to that which Paul experienced on the road to Damascus.
In fact, the responsibility conferred on Peter by the Lord was rooted in the personal relationship which the Jesus of history had with Simon the fisherman, from his first meeting with him when he said to him ""So you are Simon.... You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)" (Jn 1: 42). The Evangelist John emphasizes it, he who was also a fisherman and an associate, together with his brother James, of the two brothers, Simon and Andrew. The Jesus who called Saul after the Resurrection is the same Jesus who - still immersed in history - after his baptism in the Jordan approached the four brother fishermen who were then disciples of the Baptist (cf. Jn 1: 35-42).
He sought them out on the shores of Lake Galilee and called them to follow him, to become "fishers of men" (cf. Mk 1: 16-20). He then entrusted Peter with a specific task, thereby recognizing in him a special gift of faith from the heavenly Father. Of course, all this was then illumined by the Paschal experience, but always remaining firmly anchored in the historical events prior to Easter. The parallel between Peter and Paul cannot diminish the importance of Simon's historical journey with his Master and Lord, who from the outset attributed to him the characteristic of the "rock" on which he intended to build his new community, the Church.
In the Synoptic Gospels Peter's confession is always followed by Jesus' announcement of his imminent Passion. Peter reacted to this announcement because he was not yet able to understand. Nonetheless, this was a fundamental element on which Jesus strongly insisted. Indeed, the titles attributed to him by Peter - you are "the Christ", "the Christ of God", "the Son of the living God" - can only be properly understood in light of the mystery of his death and Resurrection.
And the opposite is also true: the event of the Cross reveals its full meaning only if "this man" who suffered and died on the Cross "truly was the Son of God", to use the words uttered by the centurion as he stood before the Crucified Christ (cf. Mk 15: 39). These texts clearly say that the integrity of the Christian faith stems from the confession of Peter, illumined by the teaching of Jesus on his "way" toward glory, that is, on his absolutely unique way, being the Messiah and the Son of God.
It was a narrow "way", a shocking "manner" for the disciples of every age, who are inevitably led to think according to men rather than according to God (cf. Mt 16: 23).
Today too, as in Jesus' day, it does not suffice to possess the proper confession of faith: it is always necessary to learn anew from the Lord the actual way in which he is Saviour and the path on which we must follow him. Indeed, we have to recognize that even for believers, the Cross is always hard to accept.
Instinct impels one to avoid it and the tempter leads one to believe that it is wiser to be concerned with saving oneself rather than losing one's life through faithfulness to love, faithfulness to the Son of God made man. Who do you say I am? What was it that the people to whom Jesus was speaking found hard to accept? What continues to be hard for many people also in our time?
It is difficult to accept that he claimed not only to be one of the prophets but the Son of God, and that he claimed God's own authority for himself.
Listening to him preaching, seeing him heal the sick, evangelize the lowly and the poor and reconcile sinners, little by little the disciples came to realize that he was the Messiah in the most exalted sense of the word, that is, not only a man sent by God, but God himself made man.
Clearly, all this was far beyond them, it exceeded their capacity for understanding. They were able to express their faith with the titles of the Judaic tradition: "Christ", "Son of God", "Lord". However, to adhere truly to reality, these titles had in some way to be rediscovered in their most profound truth: Jesus himself revealed their true meaning with his life, ever surprising, even paradoxical considering the customary concepts.
And the faith of the disciples itself had to progressively adapt. It presents itself as a pilgrimage which begins in the experience of the historical Jesus, finds its foundation in the Paschal Mystery, but must then advance further thanks to the working of the Holy Spirit.
This was also the faith of the Church in the course of history, this is also our faith as Christians of today. Firmly resting on the "rock" of Peter, it is a pilgrimage toward the fullness of that truth which the Fisherman of Galilee professed with passionate conviction: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Mt 16: 16).
In Peter's profession of faith, dear brothers and sisters, we can feel that we are all one, despite the divisions that have wounded the Church's unity down the centuries and whose consequences are still being felt.
Today, in the name of Sts Peter and Paul, let us renew, together with our Brothers who have come from Constantinople - whom I thank once again for their presence at our celebration - our commitment to accept to the very end the desire of Christ, who wants us to be fully united. With the concelebrating Archbishops, let us accept the gift and responsibility of communion between the See of Peter and the Metropolitan Churches entrusted to their pastoral care.
May the Holy Mother of God always guide us and accompany us with her intercession: may her unswerving faith, which sustained the faith of Peter and of the other Apostles, continue to sustain that of the Christian generations, our own faith: Queen of Apostles, pray for us! Amen.

© Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

(link to webpage: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20070629_pallio_en.html)

Good news & lots of links blog!

1:00 am Rome/ 6:00pm (7/11) Houston

Well since it's pretty late here I won't write much tonight, but wanted to get this blog up.

Today before I left work I received a call that the landlady accepted my proposal for the apartment I was looking at. So on Monday I will sign the contract and get the key! Woohoo - finally I'll actually have a permanent place to live in Rome! This whole process is a lot different compared to the US, but I'll explain all that in another blog. (I learn more about it too!)

Here's a link to a google map of where my soon-to-be apartment is located (look at it in satellite view for the best idea of where it is): http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Corso+Vittorio+Emanuele+II,+315,+00186+Roma,+Rome+(Lazio),+Italy&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.599615,81.738281&ie=UTF8&ll=41.899913,12.466629&spn=0.006979,0.019956&t=k&z=16&om=1

Here are links to some of the video I took over the last couple weeks that I finally uploaded (they were taken with my camera, so please excuse the quality):

Pope greeting on June 24th: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=12727235

Pope entering: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=12729723

Choir: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=12733618

Pope leaving: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=12657497

(I have 2 more videos, but have to upload them & will probably be a couple days before I get those up.)

Here's the link to some new pictures I've added (pictures from Jody's camera): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35291&l=be160&id=800405227

You shouldn't have to sign up for anything to see any of the above items - if you have problems please let me know so I can fix it.

Enjoy! Ciao!

1:15am Rome/6:15 pm Houston

9 July 2007

11:06 pm Rome/ 4:06 pm Houston






First I want to say thanks to those of you who have commented or emailed me saying you enjoy reading my blogs - glad to hear people are actually reading them...and that some are even enjoying them! :-) As long as I have things to write about, I'll keep writing...and at the rate I'm going I think I'll have plenty to blog about!






So last I left I was going to have to continue the apartment search. This past Friday the relocation agency set up 2 more appointments more apartments to see. I don't know if they are getting tired of making appointment for me & me not liking anything or what - because this time they didn't give me any information about the places. All they did was phoned me and gave me an address and told me to be there at 5:20pm on Friday. So I go to the address and met up with the girl who has been taking me around to these appointments the last couple weeks. It was funny because when I saw her she said 'Well you just can't seem to get rid of me, can you?!?' I was thinking she was probably thinking the same thing about me! And she keeps telling me she feels bad because she doesn't speak English well, but I think it's fine. She's been so helpful to me too! Anyway, so the address they gave was a real estate office where we met a lady that took us to the apartments. The first apartment (which was several blocks from where we met) was in a very nice neighborhood and building, but I just didn't care for the apartment at all. I couldn't even tell if the bedroom was suppose to be the bedroom or a living room. After we looked at that one, the lady informs us that the other apartment is a bit away and the lady showing us can't meet us until another hour. So the girl showing me around & I have an hour to waste. Time past pretty quickly and it did take us a little bit to get there even though we took a bus for part of it. I kept thinking to myself, 'This apartment better be good after waiting this long!' When we finally saw the apartment, it was a bit different compared to the others I've seen. I has very high ceilings, is on the 2nd floor (which really is the 3rd floor of the building), and has a balcony facing the street that is the whole length of the apartment. And from the balcony you can see some of Castle Sant'Angelo (any of you have ready Angels & Demons by Dan Brown - it's the Castle he talks about in that book). Of course the apartment, like most apartments here, is well...not Texas size - that's for sure! But to be honest, I'm already starting to get use to things just being smaller. (At least there is less to clean that way!) The apartment is right next to a very noisy street & I was worried about that, but the windows are all have double panes & when you close them it cuts out the noise - pretty amazing. So I liked the apartment, but when we started talking price it was one of the most expensive ones I've looked at so far. So as I left there, I had no idea what I wanted to do.



During the day on Friday, I had been looking on a discussion board that another American in the PwC office recommended that is for English speaking people in Rome. They post all kinds of things related to Rome including events, apartments for rent, rooms for rent for short periods of time, questions on where you can buy stuff like evaporated milk...they ask/post tons of things. When I was looking on there I saw an advertisement for an apartment that sounded perfect and was less expensive than most I had been looking at, even though it was much larger. I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if it was still available and look at it. So I sent an email to girl who posted it and received a call on Sat. morning saying I could come by and see it later that evening if I was interested. I was with Jody & Lil Sat. evening, so they went with me to see it. That goodness for Google maps, because without it I wouldn't have even found the place because it wasn't even on the map I have. It ended up not being too hard to find and was in a quiet area not far from a metro stop. So the girl met us outside & showed up the apartment. The inside was so spacious and well decorated compared to most that I have seen. And it also had this cute garden patio with a table where you could sit & have breakfast or read or whatever. It seemed perfect! So we start talking price and she tell me the price that was posted, but says that they are not going to register it because if they do that they have to pay taxes and it will cost a lot more. I have had some people tell me about this whole registering or not business and after talking to several people I found out that many Italians are in apartments that aren't registered, even though it is illegal. The owner and the person renting just have an agreement between the 2 of them about the terms, but the owner doesn't have to pay the taxes on the income received. Many times the owners want to be paid in cash as well. Seeing that I'm not Italian, this just seemed a bit too risky for me. Although all weekend I thought about it. But what also helped is when I looked up the way I would have to go to the office & to one of my clients, it is about 15 to 20 metro stops away - so it would take forever to get to and from that apartment.


It was so great having Jody & Lil with me - helping me ask questions and being able to give their input. I wish they could have come to more with me - maybe it wouldn't be so stressful! Oh well, part of growing up is having to make decisions on your own, right?!? The funny part is that I kept telling them how small the apartments were & then the only one they see is the biggest one I've been in! Good thing they know I'm not a liar! ;-) (or at least I hope they don't!)



So after thinking through my choices and going back through and trying to do a budget of what I'm suppose to be paid, I decided I would see if the agency can reduce the rent at least some then I'll go for the one with the balcony that I saw on Friday. The lady at the agency called and said the apartment agency really liked me, so she thinks they will be willing to cut it some (when I mean some, we are just talking 600 euros per year). So they had to prepare a proposal for the reduced rent and I had to sign it. Then my agency will send it to see if they accept it or not. Hopefully they do so I will finally know where I will live! I should know by the end of this week (or at least I hope!). I was thinking that maybe I should just keep looking - but I might look for months and never find something that I like perfectly and this apartment will probably gone in a week. So I'll just have to wait patiently and see what happens...and go with the philosophy that whatever is suppose to happen will happen.



As far as work, nothing exciting has happened there. I still don't have any client work so still keeping busy reading - and days like today I dealt with apartment stuff most of the time. I have met a couple more people in the office. Today I met a senior manager who grew up in New Zealand that is on tour here. He has been in the Rome office for about a year & a half and is still not fluent in Italian. He said he does only US or UK accounting reports and always speaks to the client in English - so that gave me a little hope that I can make it even if I don't know Italian right now! I do want to learn it in less time than a year & a half though! He told me I better not learn more than him soon or I will make him look very bad! LOL!



Speaking of Italian, I don't feel like I've learned any more in the last 2 weeks even though I'm surrounded by it. When I'm by myself at a restaurant or somewhere, I think I actually try to use it more than when I'm in a group -- because I think then I rely more on those with me to help me...I'm not sure. And then when I was in a restaurant with Jody & Lil the waiters/waitresses would hear us talking in English, most times they would talk to us in English. I will learn though - I'm determined to learn it! It just might take me a bit more time...not the 6 weeks I originally said I hoped I would know it in!



This weekend was Jody & Lil's last weekend in Italy & we had a great time (as always). They didn't get into Rome until Sat. afternoon and we just planned for me to meet them at their hotel. I looked up the directions online before I left & it seemed easy enough to get there from the metro stop. So I'm doing good & am ahead of schedule until I get to the Forum and thought I couldn't go through it, so I had to take a different route (I learned last night that I could have gone through it). I'm still pretty much on track & ahead of time until I stop to make sure I'm going in the right direction & realize the map I have doesn't have the street with there hotel on it at all & I can't remember what streets it was between. So I go the way I think I should go (I should know better because I've never been good at directions!) & end up spending the next 45 minutes or so walking around this neighborhood trying to find their hotel. By this time Jody was already at her hotel so her & I are emailing back & forth on our blackberries and she's trying to get directions for me on how to get there from my current location. At the same time I'm walking next to this couple that are speaking English & I finally just ask them if they happen to know where this hotel is & by some miracle it was the hotel they were staying at & said I could walk with them the rest of the way (which was probably a 5-10 minutes walk). So I ended up at their hotel, just an hour late. THEN later that day I realized that the hotel was only about a 5 minute walk from the place I stopped to look at the map - so instead of my 45 minutes walking around if I would have chosen the other street it would have only been about 5 minutes! Live & learn, live & learn!


On Sat. Lil & I also climbed the dome of St. Peter's - which to me is the best view of Rome! It's a bit of a trek to get there (over 300 stairs I believe) in a very narrow stairwell, but to me it's worth it. And it was so exciting for me to be able to take her up there because I love to see people's expressions and them in awe when they see that for the 1st time. The 1st time I went up there it was for me, but any other time I go up it's for the other people...just to see them experience it! (Of course I still enjoy it too!) The weather was perfect too - nice and clear and not too hot! We could see forever from there it seemed!


Sat. night we went to a restaurant called Ristorante Piccolo Abruzzo - a more traditional Roman restaurant. They have no menus & the same meal is severed to everyone that comes in. But it's TONS of food. We had several plates of antipasti, 2 different pastas, veal and potatoes, fruit salad, wine, a glass of grappa and of course water. And then a group at the other table had some type of cake desert so we asked for that too! I think we were there for several hours...but the time just goes by so fast! I was so stuffed when we left there!



Sunday was yet another adventure trying to get to Jody & Lil's hotel. I was going to bring them some of their bags they left with me when they went to northern Italy and figured I'd just call a taxi to pick me up & it would be no problem at all. Well that is me being very naive on how simple the taxi business around here is! I had several numbers for taxi companies. I tried several and it just ringing & ringing and messages would come on but no one would answer. I finally get a hold of someone and gave them all my information and they come back on and say sorry we don't have any taxis in that area right now, so you will have to call back later to check. There are no taxi stands around the residence I'm staying in and unlike places like NY, you don't waive down taxis here. So I decide I don't want to wait around, so I will just take the bus. And I knew it would be a load to take on the bus, but figured I could do it. So I take the suitcase (which was about 50 lbs...not saying you are a heavy packer Jody...just trying to paint people a picture of this...and we did actually weight it and it was almost 50, right?! ;-) ), a gym bag of stuff, and my computer bag with my computer in it, and my purse. So I take all this stuff and head to the bus stop, which is about a block away. I get to the bus stop & wait...and wait...and Jody & I are emailing back & forth but being the stubborn person I can be sometimes, I tell her I'm fine & can handle it all and will just take the bus. So about half an hour passes and I see all the buses go by...sometimes 2 of the same bus...all except the one I want. So finally I give in and ask Jody if she can get her hotel to get me a taxi and I carry everything back to my residence. And I wait there as Jody's hotel tries to get me a taxi. They end up having the same problems I had. So the only way I could get a taxi is if one of them took a taxi from their hotel to come pick me up & then go back -- so that's what we did. Thank goodness it was about a 10 minute drive away! But just like Sat., it ends up taking an extra hour just to get to their hotel! Good thing we didn't have any reservations anywhere!


So once we finally got going on Sunday, we went to the Treasury in St. Peter's and then to the outside of the Colosseum. The Treasury has all kinds of relics and gifts to the popes, and gold & gems...just unbelievable. The one thing Jody & I were talking about that I still don't understand is how do they know what they have in the things that they are saying are pieces of the cross of Jesus or some bones of this Saint or hair from this Saint is really that? Did people really go and grab stuff like that? How do they know that's really where it came from? There were about 3 or 4 things that said it had pieces from Jesus' cross -- did people just go & grab pieces of the cross and then hang on to it for years!?! Most things in museums and stuff I take it as is, but that part I'm just a bit skeptical about because I don't understand how and why they have it. Not saying it can't be true, just makes me wonder.


Last night we had our last meal together in Rome at the restaurant on the roof of their hotel. So we ate outside in the fantastic weather looking out over Rome. It was very relaxed and as always...great...great weather, great food, great wine, great company...just great.


It was very bitter sweet to have to leave them last night. I know they can't stay here on vacation forever, but it was just so great to be able to have them here to spend time with them! They weren't here the whole part of there trip, but at least part of every weekend. So during the week I was busy with work and other stuff anyway & would look forward to when they would be back in Rome so we could go do more things together.


So today I think might have actually been one of my toughest days in Rome so far because as they were flying back home, reality really did set in that now I am really here alone and I'm not on vacation but here for a long time. I will be okay and still don't regret my decision, but it's just one of those stages you have to go through when you move away I suppose. And again I just count my blessing that I had people around here that I could hang out with when I first got here for the first couple weeks - for that I am so thankful!


Oh and the one thing I am REALLY looking forward to this weekend is that the sales in the clothing stores starts this weekend & goes on for several weeks! It's very exciting because in Italy there are only 2 main sales times a year - in July & then in Jan or Feb. The rest of the year you will rarely see any sales. So during this time (and different cities have different days they start), all the stores from Gucci to your little boutiques will have sales...I've been told sometimes like 50 -60% off. So I've been waiting to buy hoping I can get some good deals during the sales period. Everywhere I'm sure will be packed, but it will be worth it I hope!



Okay - well it's taken me forever to write this because I've been doing several things in between, so I better close. I'll leave with a some of my random thoughts:



1) I've finally figured out the equation for distance here when an Italian tells you how long it will take to get somewhere walking:


Amount of time the Italian tells you it will take
x 2
+ at least 5 minutes to look at the map to make sure you are on track
=
Amount of time it will actually take you to get there




2) Even though Rome is a big city, it really ends up being a small world -- just in Sat. afternoon alone I ran into a girl I meet from the PwC office & then a couple that I sat next to at a restaurant the night before and talked to for a bit. And then right after ran into the couple that showed me to the Jody & Lil's hotel.



3) I forgot what taking public transit is like. I will have to remember to breath out a lot so I don't have to smell some of the nasty smells & find some good hand sanitizer! And remember that when people start telling you there sob story, although a bit rude most of the time it's best to act like you don't even hear them. This weekend I was on the bus & this lady starts telling me something in Italian, so I figured I would be able to get her to stop by telling her I don't speak Italian (in Italian). So I told her that & then she starts going on in English & telling me how she quit drinking & she hasn't used the restroom in 3 days and she could die in 4 days...I finally just stopped listening but was asking myself why is anyone telling me how long it's been since they urinated!! I don't want to know!




4) Most Romans are never in Rome on the weekends during the summer. I've come to realize that most people who live in Rome will go to the beach or somewhere in the South almost every weekend during June - August. I guess I will have to make it to the beach soon if I want to really live like a Roman! :-)

For more pictures you can go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34800&l=422ea&id=800405227

Ciao!







1:30am Rome/ 6:30 pm Houston

July 4, 2007

10:55pm Rome/ 3:55 Houston
So today was my first American holiday in another country…felt a bit weird being in the office today after I realized what day it was. I guess it wasn’t that bad though since I had off last Friday for a Roman holiday. Everyone back home told me it has been raining all day, so guess I wouldn’t really be celebrating if I was at home anyway. As one of my friends reminded me – I will have more holidays to celebrate here!
I did have a bit of disappointing news today. I finally decided which apartment I wanted after talking to more people in the office and notified the agency…sure enough I took to long to decide and it is already taken! I was originally interested in 2 of the apartments, but after looking at the area and talking to several people in the office and other contacts I have in Rome (friends of friends etc.) they all seemed pretty unanimous that none of them would live in the area that the other apartment was in. So now we go back to square one and the agency is going to try to find some more apartments and set up some appointments for me, but this time in the area of the one I liked (which is in the center of Rome). Hopefully I’ll find something soon…I’m ready to have a place to settle down in so I can start feeling like I have a “home”. Maybe something will come up that I like even more & will work even better for me. This one just wasn’t meant to be & I have to leave it at that. Now I think I’ll be after to be able to make a decision quicker since I know more about Rome, the transportation, etc.
At work I still don’t have any real ‘work’ to do (meaning no client work). I spent most of the morning doing apartment stuff & then this afternoon I just watched US webcasts that I had missed before I left home (4 hours of watching PowerPoint and listening gets pretty boring, but stuff I need to know). I met more people in the office today, but I’ve been meeting so many new people that I have a hard time remembering names. Hopefully I’ll get it all straight! I had lunch with about 8 of the “foreigners”. Because of the way the table was I didn’t get to talk to all of them, but it was nice to have someone to go to lunch with – several days already I’ve just gone to lunch by myself. The way the office is set up it is hard to just go around meeting people. Plus since I don’t know much Italian, I just don’t feel comfortable just going up to people & start talking. Many people probably think I’m rude since I don’t talk to them when I see them, but I just don’t know what to say! I haven’t put forth the effort I need to in order to learn Italian either…my assuming I will pick it up by having the TV on and being around it in the office is not working!! Last night I was watching the Italian version of wife swap & that was pretty interesting, but I’m not sure how much Italian I really picked up. When I get home I just don’t feel like looking over it & they still have not set up my classes for me yet. I need to learn soon though because people are going to get tired of having to speak English to me or me asking people to talk to people for me (like the bank) just because I can’t speak Italian.
A couple of Italian things I’ve already learned to appreciate – going to the bar for coffee breaks, espresso after lunch, and wine. The espresso is actually starting to taste good to me! Today I bought 2 bottles of wine at the grocery store and was going to have a glass with dinner…unfortunately I forgot to check if they had a corkscrew in my room and they don’t, so I have no way to open it (believe me I tried to open it with several things but nothing worked!)
Oh & just want to send out a special thanks to Lindsey for making me laugh so hard via webcam tonight! Definitely needed a good laugh & you made me laugh so hard I was crying!
Well I better close! I hope all of you had a very happy & safe 4th of July!
Ciao!
11:20pm Rome/ 4:20pm Houston

Way to go Biggio!

Okay - I know I said this blog was going to be for my experiences in Rome, but I just have to give a shout out to by guy Craig Biggio for getting to 3,000 hits last Thursday! Biggio has been my favorite player for as long as I an remember watching baseball & when I think of the Houston Astros I think of Craig Biggio. I'm so happy for him - he's such a great guy & it is fantastic he has reached 3,000 in his career and will be in the selected club of hitters to reach this number... and all with the Astros!

My sister e-mailed me with the news & when I read it about at day later I had to go online and watch all the videos & the press conference right away (even though it was after midnight here!). I was a bit sad that I didn't see it live & that I can't go to the game where they will commemorate his hitting record with my sister. I'm the type of person that would be wearing my Biggio jersey while watching the game & jumping up and down (in my living room or at the game) when he made the hit! ;-)

I figured since I'm in Rome & can't do that I will at least share my excitement by writing this blog!

July 1 Blog

July 1, 2007

7:30pm Rome, 12:30pm Houston

I can’t believe I’ve been here for over a week now! In some ways it feels like I’ve been here for weeks & then it also feels like I just got here yesterday!
I left the last blog with me starting my apartment search…and those appointments continued all week long! In addition to the appointments I had on Monday, I had appointments on Wednesday & Thursday. I looked at 8 apartments in all. Out of the 8, there are only 2 that I actually liked the inside of the apartments and those 2 are in different parts of Rome. Both have their pros & cons, so I’m still trying to decide which I like better. Yesterday (Sat.) I spent several hours during the day & at night walking the streets around both trying to get a feel for the neighborhood, but I still am not sure which I like the best. I need to get some more information from the agency about them and talk to some more people in the office about them, and then maybe I will be able to make a decision.
On Thursday the girl from the agency also took me to the post office to apply for my stay permit. It ended up not taking as long as we thought because the line at the post office wasn’t all that long – thank goodness! I won’t actually get the permit for 2-3 months, but this was the first step. I think next I will get a call that I have to go to the police station to get fingerprinted and some other stuff. The other thing I have left to do is set up a bank account of which I think I will have an appointment to do that on Tuesday. I’m so glad my company has an agency helping me with all this stuff because I wouldn’t have the first clue what to do & it would be even more difficult since I don’t speak Italian!
My work week was very light, first because I was out on the appointments mentioned above most of the time & second because I haven’t received any client work yet. So when I was at my desk, I was reading some of the PwC auditing guidance booklets my office mate lent me and then just sent e-mails and did other misc. stuff on the internet to pass the time. I’m not sure if I’m suppose to be doing anything else because no one told me anything and since I don’t know who I will be working with I don’t know if I’m suppose to ask anyone. I know to enjoy this transition and down time now because once I start working I probably won’t have that much down time! And despite popular belief, the people in the office here work more then 8 hrs days! When I was thinking about doing the assignment here, many people made comments about how they only work 35 hours a week - but that is not true. When I didn’t have appointments in the evening, I left at 6pm and was the only one leaving...and the others didn’t even look like they were close to packing up. One girl told me many prefer to work later during the week to let traffic die down and also because they typically don’t eat dinner until around 9pm because they want to let the tourist eat and then they eat. Seeing the traffic during rush hour - I understand why they wouldn’t want to leave at 6!
Speaking of traffic - one thing I have determined is that I definitely will not be driving here (or at least not a car)! After riding around town in a car and watching people drive there is no way on earth that I could learn to drive like that in 2 years! On many streets there aren’t even any lines on the street separating the lane (they have 1 to separate the 2 directions but that’s it). And people just create their own lanes between cars and all kinds of crazy stuff. Plus you have to search for parking forever and then once you do park you may have to walk blocks to find the machine to pay for parking. Even when we were looking at apartments the girl showing me around told me it was best if we took the bus or metro to some of the places because the parking and traffic was so bad. So I’ll stick to public transit…even though it is a bit dirty and not always on time. I’ve already gotten a bit better about using the metro & the bus system after the girl with the agency told me a website you can go to see what bus routes you can take. Of course patience is key to using the buses too! On Thursday it took me about 1 ½ hours to get home from the center because I had to wait for the bus for a long time and had to switch buses and had to wait for the 2nd one as well (probably should have taken maybe 30-45 min max). I will just have to learn to allow at least double the time that I think it will take to get to/from anywhere. And then sometimes the metro lines will be closed when I didn’t expect it. Like Friday I was trying to get to St. Peter’s and took line B to my stop with no problems and then I went to get on Line A & it was closed – I still have no idea why! And the metro closes so early (sometimes between 9-11, still don’t know the exact time yet) and most buses stop at midnight (some earlier). If you need to get home after midnight you have no choice except to take a taxi. Another thing I have already learned about public transit here is that when you don’t have every one of your limbs touching someone else – that is considered having ‘personal space’ and you learn to appreciate it. Already on the metro and on the bus I’ve had times where it was so packed I was just pushed on & off the metro/bus and you don’t have to hold onto anything because you are so packed you won’t move anyway…not really a pleasurable experience but I know it won’t be the last. I am starting to pick up on some stuff like I realized that the 1st and last couple of cars on the metro are usually not as full while the middle ones are packed, so I’ll start waiting in those areas so maybe I won’t have to be a sardine all the time. Another observation I’ve had is that people on motor scooters and pedestrians can do whatever they want on the street! At stop light, the people on scooters always just go between the cars to get to the front. And then they park their scooters wherever they want & it’s okay. For pedestrians, in most places there aren’t cross walk signs so you just have to start walking in the intersections & then the cars stop to let you go. Even when you have a light if there is a gap between cars you usually just go even though it says don’t walk. At first I was always hesitant about walking in the intersection, but now I do it without thinking.
This past Friday I celebrated my first Roman holiday (feast of Sts. Peter & Paul) & it was GREAT! As I had mentioned in previous blog, prior to leaving I had sent a fax requesting tickets to the mass that Pope Benedict was celebrating on Friday for the feast day for me, Jody & her mom. On Wednesday I went to go pick the tickets up after one of my apartment visits and that itself was an experience. My letter said “come to the Bronze Door of the Apostolic Palace...the bronze door is situated in St. Peter's Square where the right-hand Bernini colonnade begins." I start walking down the colonnade & see a sign for the Bronze Doors and it looks like it points to security. I was a bit aggravated because there were tons of people in the line & I had thought I could just go in & out. So I look around & realize I must not have a choice and have to go through security. So I pick the shortest line of course & it didn't take all that long. So I kept walking down the colonnade and get closer to the Basilica and am looking around figuring that it has to be there somewhere...but the only doors I see are the ones with the Swiss Guards standing at them & it has a barricade in front of it. I see a policeman close there smoking so I ask him where the Bronze Doors are showing him my paper & he points to the one with the guards. He said go up the stairs there! So I walk up the steps with all these tourists looking at me (a lot there taking pictures of the guards) and have to show the guards my letter. So one talks to the guard at the front desk & then tells me I could go get the tickets from him. So I show that guard my letter & he looks in a box of envelopes he has & finds mine & gives them to me. Then I walk out through the same steps & there are just tons of people there taking pictures! The policeman tells me...smile!! I can just imagine most of them were probably asking...why in the world does she get to go in there!?!?!? I almost felt like a superstar or something – of course I knew they weren’t taking the pictures of me, but still I felt special.
Then fast forward to Friday… the tickets said the doors were going to open at 8am, so I planned to get in line around 7:15 or 7:30 to get our place in line and then Jody & her mom would get there sometimes before 8. Somehow I thought if I got there at that time I would be pretty close to the front of the line. When I got to out of the taxi (because the metro line was closed) around 7:20, the line was already really long and it just kept growing and by the time they opened the doors it almost as long as the whole outside of the piazza (from on colonnade to the other). The good thing about my spot in line was that Jody & her mom could find me very easily because it was right in front of where the taxis dropped people off. Once they opened the doors and we got in, we were in the front half of the seats so it wasn’t that bad. I was just so happy we had seats inside. The mass was where over 50 Archbishops from all over the world got their palliums from the Pope and many of the people inside the church must have been from some of their dioceses (according the cheers when some of them got their pallium). It was so interesting seeing people from some many countries and speaking so many languages there. It was a reminded of how universal the Catholic Church is and how we are really one big family! I have a few pictures and some video (taken with my camera) that I took during the mass & then Jody took a lot of pictures. Some of my pictures are in the blog “Pictures from Mass at St. Peter's” and the rest with comments are at this facebook link (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32469&l=ee612&id=800405227) & I will let you know if I can figure out how to upload the video somewhere for you to see. Also when I get some of Jody’s pictures I will upload those too (she has some good ones! J )
The mass didn’t start until 9:30 so we had an hour & a half to just sit in the Basilica and try to soak it all in. But no matter how many times I got to St. Peters and no matter how many hours I spend inside the Basilica, I still can not get my head around the size of the place and all of the beautiful things that are in there! The mass itself lasted about 2 hours, but even though I didn’t understand most of it (most was in Latin) it still did not seem that long. As I was sitting there I still could not believe I was actually attending a mass in the Vatican presided over by the Pope. And when I received communion in there I just felt so blessed! (yes believe it or not they give communion to everyone there…it’s a bit interesting because you have to kind of crawl over people to receive it but it is done). Overall I just felt so blessed to experience that…never in my wildest dreams growing up as a Roman Catholic did I actually think I would be attending mass in St. Peters in Rome with the Pope! After mass he also did a greeting and the Angelus in from his apartment like he does on Sunday, so we stayed and saw him there too.
After mass and seeing the Pope from the piazza, we went to a religious store close for a while and around 2pm went to a restaurant for lunch. We ate Roman style and stayed there until about 4pm (when they kicked us out) and we enjoyed a mixed plate of antipasti, pasta, wine (the house wines have been very good here), dessert and then some grappa (btw that’s some strong stuff!). We left there & just walked…not sure where we wanted to go, but just walked towards the center. Since it was a holiday most of the shops were closed, so we couldn’t do much shopping. After a bit of walking we stopped at a bar (btw bars in Italy aren’t like American bars – they are open all day and although you can by wine, beer and some alcoholic drinks they also have coffee drinks, snacks, gelato, etc.) and had some drinks and snacks and sat outside for a while. Then we walked to the Spanish Steps and sat there a while watching all the people. From there we walked through the Borghese Gardens and went to Jody & Lil’s hotel, where we relaxed for a couple hours and all took a nap for a bit. By the time we woke up it was almost 10pm, so we grabbed a quick bite at a hotel close to them. Overall I think we spent the holiday in true Roman style and it was very enjoyable!
Yesterday I slept in late…which was quiet enjoyable after some very late nights! I didn’t do too much until late afternoon when I went to check out the neighborhoods of the 2 apartments and I got back from there around 10 or 11ish. When I was waiting for it to get dark to see the neighborhoods at night, I went to Piazza Novona for about 2 hours and walked through looking at all the artwork the artists had set up and sat on the benches and watched the different entertainers they had in the piazza (saw a on a tall unicycle doing tricks, a magician type guy, and then some break dancers). That is what is so cool in the center is that you can just walk around & find something to watch most evenings on the weekends…and if nothing else you can just people watch.
And one thing about moving to a place where you don’t know the language yet is that almost anything turns into a challenge, even every day tasks such as washing clothes. Yesterday I finally asked the guy at the front desk where the machines were at and what I needed to do to use them. I had to buy these coins to use for the machines & it costs 3 euro to wash & 4 euro to dry for each load. I thought the guy told me the machines were on the 5th floor, but I couldn’t’ find them. I checked every floor from 3 through 9 and couldn’t find them. This afternoon it finally hit me that he must have meant 1st instead of 5th (he said it in English, not Italian but I still didn’t understand). So I found them & decided I needed to wash my clothes. The machines are so different from home & had all these setting. I just tried to figure it out by the pictures and what little Italian I knew, but didn’t do so well. When I did the washers I pushed a button to skip the spin cycle (realized afterwards of course) & then for the dryer I guess I put the lowest setting possible because after an hour my clothes were still soaking wet! So I spend 8 euro for the machines to spin my clothes for an hour! Now I have clothes hanging all over my room & bathroom and I think it might take days for it all to dry! Hopefully next time I will do better!
Well I better close…this blog has taken me a very long time to write because I’ve been doing laundry and several other things in between writing. I think I will turn in kind of early today to get ready for the week.
Ciao!
9:20pm Rome/ 2:20p.m. Houston

Pictures from Mass at St. Peter's