GL 350 week 3.. Its Now or Never

This past week has probably been one of the best weeks I’ve had here in Italy so far. On Monday we went on another walking tour led by David and Emily of San Giovanni and San Clemente. I think the best church I’ve seen so far was San Giovanni. This church had a wow factor like no other. I remember walking in and just trying to take in the size of the church. Even though we could take pictures, I felt as if there was something I missed every time I turned around. Before we went into San Giovanni, we went to the Sacred Steps. There are twenty-eight sacred steps in which you are supposed to climb every step on your knees while saying a prayer or homily on each step. Although I did not personally partake in this task, watching my classmates and roommate complete the steps made me realize how much stronger we are becoming as a group. As St. Paul says in The Smiles of Rome, “ Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other (p.84).” By watching my new friends and family perform a religious journey, made me respect them even more. On both Tuesday and Wednesday we had free days. On these free days me and my roommate just relaxed around campus and caught up on sleep and homework. 

On Thursday we went to the Aqueducts after class. It was really interesting to see the aqueducts that were built many years ago still standing and transferring water today. After the first half hour it got kind of boring since the aqueducts all looked the same. On Thursday night Danielle’s parents joined us for dinner. It was nice having her parents at dinner but it made me miss my family. Its as St. Paul says, “Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying (p.84).” Even though seeing her parents made me sad, I knew I had to just keep going through the day because I would see my parents and family at the end of this wonderful experience. 

On Friday Katie B, Emily, Amy and I all left for London. After traveling through Germany and getting our passports stamped in customs (Again!) we found our way to the underground. Thankfully everyone spoke English so we were able to ask for directions to our hostel. The first person we asked sent us in the complete opposite direction of which we needed to go, but then we found directions and got back on track. That night we actively seeked out a Chipotle for a little American-Mexican food. On Saturday Katie and I explored the city on our own. We ate lunch at subway and then went into the city to find Big Ben. When we got off the underground we walked up the steps and looked up to the right and saw big Ben. After taking the very touristy pictures in front of Big Ben we walked toward Buckingham Palace. Before we reached the palace we came across the Abbey Road district. It was cool to know that the beetles took a picture right near where I was. When we found the Palace we were disappointed to find that there were no guards at the gates. 

We then took another tour of the City to go back toward Big Ben and the London Eye. We were told to get on the London eye right as the sun was setting because it was supposed to be the prettiest time to go. I would have to say the London eye which is the big Ferris wheel was well worth every penny. After the London Eye we found the Hard Rock to meet Emily and Amy for dinner. We all decided we wanted to celebrate Katie’s birthday so I told the waiter it was her birthday. She had to stand up in front of the entire restaurant while everyone sang happy birthday. It was really embarrassing for Katie, but of course we were all laughing at her. 

On Sunday we headed back to Rome. For our layover we had thirty minutes to get from our one flight to the other. We had to go through customs once again but got another stamp in our passport! The final flight home was hit with lightening making our radar system go out but thankfully we still landed safely. This was will an entourage of twenty firetrucks following the plane as we landed. All in all I’m realizing this trip is full of adventure. As Alice Steinbach says, “‘The unexpectedness of life, waiting around every corner, catches, even wise women unawares (p.245).’” Just like stepping of the metro on the very first day and seeing the colosseum to stepping off the underground in London to seeing Big Ben. Stay tuned to next week!