Sorry all of these posts are a little bit boring to read,
we’ve been so busy and tired, and I don’t know much information besides the
facts of what we did! Hopefully soon I will be learning about the history and
the culture and be able to explain more about that!
Every last Sunday of the month the Vatican Museum is free
admission before 12:30 PM, so my roommates and I all made the journey over the
Vatican City with the large group of AUR students that were going as well. It
was kind of a hike to get there, but it was absolutely worth the walk! We
waited in a line that wrapped around three walls and up a hill, then through
airport-like security, and finally made our way into the museum.
I could honestly spend days and days inside that museum. We
joked that you could spend an entire Pope-hood in there and still not see it
all! There is just an incredible amount of artwork, and I want to know the
story behind every single piece. Even the floors are art. We wound our way
through what seemed like an endless showcase of some of the most beautiful
sculptures and paintings I have ever seen, until we finally stepped into the
Sistine Chapel. At first I didn’t quite realize where we were, but then I
looked up.
I stared, and spun in circles, and tried to take in
everything. I believe it took Michelangelo eight years to complete that whole
room, whereas I might be able to paint one wall panel in that time (with not
nearly as much beauty, obviously). It is just unfathomable the amount of talent
that man had.
THEN WE MET THE POPE! Just kidding… but at Noon, he stood in
his window and gave a speech to the crowd in front of St. Peters Basilica. Even
though it was in Italian and I am not a very religious person, it was still incredibly
moving, and I am so grateful for stumbling upon that opportunity.
Afterward, we had to go to the bookshop that sells all of
the textbooks AUR requires for my roommate, and it was just across the river
from the Vatican so we headed that way instead of going back home to take the route
we actually knew a little bit. It was an adventure of sorts for us because
there was about a 90% chance we would get lost and a 10% chance we would find
it without wandering completely out of the way. We stood at a map on a sidewalk
for about ten minutes trying to figure out first where we were, and second
where we should go. We decided to follow this narrow street that kept branching
off into more back alleys, until we finally came out on Via Trastevere (the
main road) on the side of the river we needed to be on. Since we knew we weren’t lost, we found some
food to eat for lunch. IT WAS MY FIRST PIZZA IN ITALY. I just got a regular
margarita pizza, so I’m going to be very honest and say it didn’t taste any
better than pizza in America. I’m going to have to try some other kinds and go
to an actual sit-down pizzeria to get the good stuff!
We intended to go to the grocery store on our way home, but
both the bookshop and the grocery store were closed – oops! We’ll just have to
go tomorrow after class!
And that brings me to class. WE START TOMORROW! That’s both
very exciting and very grounding. Right now it still feels like I’m just
visiting, and the culture shock hasn’t really set in yet. I think having
classes will feel like I have an actual purpose to be here and bring me back to
reality – or as much as it can in Rome!
Observation of the
Day: Passion is passion. Everyone has something they are passionate about.
I myself am extremely passionate about leadership, film, and a combination of
the two. I certainly do not share the same passion with almost everyone I meet,
but I can respect theirs, and appreciate that all of these passions combined is
what makes the world keep spinning.
