finally! updates!

Hi! So I haven't quite been able to update this due to internet problems, but here are a few blogs to finally catch things up!


May 24-25


Boy! What a crazy 2 days it's been! We have been busy busy busy and pretty much going nonstop!
The other kids on the Tuscania group trip are awesome! Still, I'm excited to go off and explore on my own too :)
I was able to find a lot of souvenir ideas at cute little shops and such in Campo d'Fiori and Piazza Navona - as well as ridiculous amounts of delicious gelato! It's gotten to the point that my new nick name is Gelata! haha! Chestnut, white chocolate, pistachio, strawberry and Noci (hazelnut) is definitely very very good -- molto buono! It was funny actually - even after we bought our gelato, the store owner was like "try this one!" and gave us a taste test of this absolutely delicious flavor that was blue. When I went to check what the name of it was, I had to laugh...it was called "Viagra!"


I can't even begin to describe the amazing intensity that is Rome - everything is absolutely beautiful - it's exactly as I imagined it and even better! 


As we were walking around, we passed by this one restaurant and the waiter picked me out from our group and was super friendly and gave me a taste test of THEIR gelato...lemme tell ya! it was the best chocolate gelato I have ever tried! I had to tell him that we'd be back later so he kissed my hand and said "ciao bella!"


Speaking of, I've gotten a lot of "ciao bellas" so far which is cool because that's what I always pictured when I thought of Rome :)


The crazy part of this whole thing is that so much has gone on in the past few days and I haven't been able to reflect on nay of it! I wish I could but time slips through our fingers like the water in any one of the beautiful fountains we've seen here so far. Life in Roma is amazing - I can't get enough of walking around and day dreaming and talking with other people. I'm seeing my map skills increase like no other (thank you daddy!) and it's great because without a map, it would be hard to find the way around the wonderfully twisty streets. I mean, I love asking the locals in broken Italian but it gets kinda crazy when I just have to nod because the locals are talking too fast! (I still love it though!)


Today was absolutely amazing! I wanted to get up and walk around on my own but I really didn't get a chance to. I did get to see the Pope though! Josh and I walked all the way to Piazza d'San Pietro to see the Pope's address to the Papal Audience and that was really cool! We walked back along the river and walked through Piazza d'Fiori to do some shopping. I found some fashion forward clothes I would like to buy hehe. Then, we went on the most incredible tour of the Vatican Museum, the Sistene Chapel, and the most amazing St. Peter's Basilica. My goodness - I can put up pictures but nothing can describe the wonder that has filled my heart the moment I saw these moments of history.  I remember walking through one of the rooms Raphael painted and being floored by the majesty of this amazing masterpiece. I was looking at the School of Athens and that's when it hit me -- I was actually standing in the presence of one of the most talented artists in history! I had read about an studied this work of art in middle school and high school but nothing could compare to the magnificence before my eyes. I let myself pause for a moment and as my eyes searched the faces of the philosophers that graced the wall, I was transported back in time when Raphael and his school of followers painted this al fresco. Learning the history behind it was perfect. This was in a room that held the values of theology, philosophy, aesthetics or beauty, and judgement/social justice -- what a perfect balance! I took some time to think about this for myself and wondered how precious life could be if you focused on these values. When I stepped into the Sistene Chapel, tears sprang to my eyes. I stood in the center, trying not to give attention to the droves of people ;pushing and chattering around me and just looked up. I almost started crying -- there was God creating life with the touch of his finger with just barely a second, he created man - man that could portray the beauty of his power through art. I just pictured Michaelangelo who didn't even want to paint the Chapel in the first place toiling away on scaffolding at the expanse of this incredible ceiling. I could feel my own back start to ache just from staring up for so long - I can't imagine what he had to go through and yet he created a masterpiece that people are STILL coming to appreciate hundreds of years after his death! If there was any such thing as human immortality - this is it. 


That inspired me right then and there to ask myself what I had done. After all, wasn't Michaelangelo human afterall? One blessed with incredible talent yes, but still a human! It made me wonder what would happen if everyone lived up to their full potential? What if everyone ignored an aching back for a while in the name of something inspirational? and yes, of course, I understand that not everyone can paint or sculpt like Michaelangelo or Raphael (I know I definitely can't!) but I do believe that everyone is great at something - whether that's art or communication or climbing mountains...and it is this that people should pursue to the best of their ability. I think that it's such a sad moment - such a shame when someone doesn't believe in his or herself -- we only have one life to live and even if we can't be the best, there's SOMETHING we can do -- and in that is the magic. If you ever find someone who loves doing whatever they are doing so much, look at them carefully. You'll see no worry, no pressure, no loss in focus...instead you'll see love. Love for their craft and everything connected to it - which is so important....which is why we should find and embrace our calling as quick as we can....who else can we find inspiration from than the very people around us?