Eventually

I promise that one of these days I'm going to get my act together and blog in real time and not weeks after the fact....ok maybe not in real time, but somewhat more timely than I am now. Sheesh! However, in my defense I've barely had time to think much less write! The last month or so since I last posted has been insane. I feel like I say that all the time, but it's so true! I blink and weeks have passed amidst constant activity. So...for now....here's a rundown of the last three weeks:

April 9-11: Bulgaria. Yep. I said Bulgaria. Lynda and I jetted off to Sofia, Bulgaria for the weekend. Why Bulgaria you ask? Well...let's just say it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. We flew in on Friday morning, checked in to our hotel, and went out to explore. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't disappointed. Sofia is a city that's trying to attract tourists, but it lacks many of the mainstays needed to attract tourists from the West...like restaurants, public transportation, and an alphabet that is recognizable to Westerners! :) (The cyrillic alphabet makes navigation fairly difficult) Nonetheless, we had a good time. We visited the Alexander Nesvick Memorial Cathedral (beautiful!), ate dinner at a traditional Bulgarian restaurant with traditional Bulgarian dancing/singing (yummy and fun), and saw many other sites. Plus! There was a Starbucks! I am still kicking myself for not buying the Sofia city mug...what was I thinking?!

April 14-17: Venice: We returned to the city of canals for 3 nights/4 days with students. Yep. Venice remains my favorite city in the world. And it was even better this time because 1) I didn't sprain my ankle, and 2) I celebrated my birthday on the 16th!! Woo hoo!!! The big 3-ahem in Venice. Hey, if I can't be with friends and family....why not be in Venice? We had a really great trip with gorgeous weather. Lynda and I explored areas of Venice that we'd never been to before and I took lots of great pics with my new camera. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) For my birthday I was serenaded by my students outside of the Peggy Guggenheim museum (which despite a little mishap involving the men's room, a lamp, and a student's jacket is still standing) and then they surprised me at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. What more could a girl ask for?! Although...the time in Venice was overshadowed a bit (no pun intended really) by a large cloud of ash that was preventing flights to and from Europe from operating after a volcano in Iceland erupted. There was some concern that the students' flight 10 days later would be affected by the ash cloud.

April 21-28: Last week: The last week of the semester arrived in such a fashion that I had to pause for a moment and really ask myself where the semester went. Seriously, this semester FLEW by. I do not remember a semester before this ever going so fast in my whole life. It was as if we blinked and it was over.
   There were lots of "lasts" that students wanted to squeeze in before they departed Rome for the US. We managed to get a lot in there...including finishing up our Office marathon of the first 5 seasons. Whew! My RA managed to hold his last event: Icelandic Volcano Explosion Sensation. Ha! Take that cloud of ash. It was a great event. Then, on our last night together we all went to dinner in Porta Pia and afterwards I went with several students to what's supposed to be the best gelateria in Rome: Oldbridge. Well, let me tell you...I was not disappointed. Delish! So yummy that I plan on spending some time there after I drop friends off at the Vatican museum. (You didn't think I'd go there again without students did you? Heck no!) Then, the next morning Lynda and I escorted the students to the airport and stayed with them until they got thru security. Again, where did this semester go!?

All in all it was a great semester. I so enjoyed spending time with the students and getting to know them. God blessed me so much with the relationships that I developed with them and the experiences that we shared. He truly answered my prayers and poured out His grace upon me and our students this past semester. I give all praise and glory to Jesus!

There's so much going on the next month and 22 days before I head home. (Yep...started my countdown!) On May 11 a group from another college arrives for about 14 days. Then, my good friends Anthony and Jill  are coming to Rome to see me and check out Rome and Italy. They leave and 2 days later my former student, Josiah, comes to see me. Not sure what we're going to do yet, but so excited! Then, while he's here my friends Gabe and Amber are popping down to Rome from Prague for  a weekend. Finally, Brady and Heidi arrive in mid-June for 2 weeks. I cannot wait to introduce my friends to my life here and to Rome. It's going to be amazing and I am so blessed to have people who want to spend their hard earned money to come and see me....granted they get to visit an amazing city, but I know a lot of why they're coming is also to see me...and for that I am so thankful. I have incredible friends.

God is good. He has proven Himself faithful time and time again this semester and this year. There were times where I stood back and asked Him what He was thinking when He led me here, but I know that this is where I am meant to be. I know this is where He wants me...and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than where God wants me. I have high hopes for the coming semesters and trust that He goes before me and that I will be used for His glory. Grazie mille!!!!

Buona Pasqua!!

Happy Easter da Roma!

It's been a good day here in Rome, albeit wet and a bit cold! Still, it was a good day.

We started the day at the Vatican for Easter mass. One of our students had requested tickets for mass and we were all really excited. I mean, who wouldn't be?! This would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, we left campus at 7:45 (shudder) and made our way to St. Peter's. We arrived there around 8:30 and found ourselves waiting in the security "line." I say "line" because it's a seemingly fluid and almost foreign concept here in Italy....lines don't exist and if they do, they exist to be cut into. It really is quite amazing. So, we waited while the rain started and strangers pressed up against you on all sides...and we all know how I feel about that.


After about 2+ hours we made it into the piazza and tried to find the entrance for the seated area. Well. We found it only to be told that it was full. Hmmm. What's the point of tickets if it's going to be full? Only seems logical. Instead of sitting, we stood and watched mass on the large TV screens they'd placed in the piazza. Despite the rain, the crowds, language barriers, cold, and everything else....it was a pretty amazing experience. How many people can say they've been to Easter mass at the Vatican where the Pope presided? Not many.

(Do you see the Pope in this picture? He's kind of hard to make out, but he's just above the red umbrella)

Afterwards we headed back to campus for much needed rest before dinner and funtivities. Lynda, myself, and some of the students did quite a bit of prep work on Saturday so we didn't have a lot to do, but enough. We planned a big meal and wanted it to be special for students since they were away from home. You can't get ham here in Italy like we're used to in the States so we opted for pork roast. You can't get cheddar cheese in Italy like we can in the States so we opted for mashed potatoes rather than a potato casserole. We also had a fabulous fruit salad and steamed veggies. For dessert we had sugar cookies, Nutella cheesecake, and Pavlova. Man I miss having my cake stands on days like this! :)

Before dinner we had an Easter egg hunt. It was such fun watching the students scramble about the convent for candy-filled eggs. Lots of laughs! After we surprised them with a new Wii system...as I sit and write this they're playing golf!

All in all, it was a fabulous day. Yes, I missed my family, ham, and cornflake potatoes, but we had a great day nonetheless. I mean really what it boils down to is Jesus. He gave His life so that I could be spared eternity separated from God. Instead, He gave Himself over to humiliation on the Cross, died, and rose again so that thru His sacrifice I can find grace, mercy, and eternity in heaven with Him. Thank you, Jesus. I love you!

Bernini and Truth

We are headed to the Borghese gallery today. It is far and away my favorite gallery/museum in Rome because it is home to an incredible collection of Bernini statues. If you're not aware of Bernini's work you're, well, you're missing out. His ability to take unformed marble and transform it into living, fluid, moving, and jaw-dropping sculptures is...well...there are no words.

My favorite, odd as it may seem, is the statue of Pluto and Persephone (above). The god of Hades, Pluto, is taking Persephone against her will to the underworld with him and she struggles with all her might. The story that Bernini's work is telling is one of an unwilling young woman battling for her freedom. The way in which Bernini is able to manipulate the marble to show the indentations of Pluto's fingers on Persephone's skin or her tears as they roll down her face is nothing short of genius. What one feels as they look upon this art work is her hopelessness, her anguish, and his brute strength. And I got to thinking. This statue represents so much in our everyday lives. For me, I feel like this can portray sin and our struggle against those things that hold us down or attempt to take us into bondage. It's a struggle for freedom and often times it feels as if we're flailing about trying to escape from that which holds us prisoner. Persephone is us wrestling with sin, reaching out towards Hope, Grace, and Mercy. I don't know. It just struck me this morning as I was thinking about going to the Borghese that this is a good representation of how I sometimes think sin is. Thankfully, though, unlike Persephone in this moment we have a Savior, one who does battle for us, who faced death for us so that we would not be dragged down by sin, dragged down into the underworld. Jesus Christ faced down sin and death on the Cross and overcame it and when we enter into relationship with Him we are set free. Though we may still struggle, we are ultimately free because of His death and resurrection. SIGH...this is good news indeed.

This is a little heavier post than normal on my blog, but as we approach Easter and as I get ready to head out to the Borghese this what God is teaching me. I love that He always finds things in our everyday lives to teach us Eternal Truths. Anyways, happy Easter from Rome and remember...He Is Risen!

Weekend in the sun

We took this past weekend to get out of Rome and head to the coast to one of my favorite towns in Italy, Sorrento.

I first visited Sorrento with my family three years ago. I immediately fell in love with this picturesque coastal town. Sorrento is located on the Amalfi Coast and is perched above the ridiculously green-blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. It's a quiet city with lazy streets and parks that overlook the sea. Known for being the lemon capital of Italy, Sorrento offers one of my favorite lemon treats---grainte. (Essentially frozen lemonade)

We spent the weekend lazing about and meandering thru the streets of Sorrento, sitting on a bench overlooking the water, getting a pedicure, and eating delicious food. Lynda and I ate at my family's favorite restaurant, Il Leone Rosso, on Friday and I ordered their divine risotto.

All in all, it was a great weekend!! Relaxing...enjoyable...and beautiful. Can we move the program to the Amalifi Coast instead??

Too fast

My mom's visit went way too fast!! The time, while great, flew by in a blur.

We had a whirlwind week that started with us having dinner with Lynda and her friend at one of my favorite restaurants. It was a lovely evening. Then, on Saturday my mom and I took the bus to Siena for 2 nights. It was such a relaxing time. Truthfully we didn't really do a whole lot of anything other than sitting in Il Campo either enjoying a gelato, a panini, pizza, coffee, or wine. We were merely imitating the locals!

We then returned to Rome where we took our time and enjoyed different aspects of the city. This was my mom's 3rd visit to Rome so we didn't have to do all of the normal touristy things like the Coliseum, Vatican Museum, etc. Instead, I got to show her some of my favorites here like the Borghese Gallery and Trastevere. It was such fun! We even managed to get a movie night with chips and dip in. It was a great visit!! Again, way too fast!

Almost there...

Last weekend we hit up Firenze. Florence for those of you outside of Italy. I love Florence. It's such a beautiful city. We had a great weekend albeit a cold one. There was rain on Friday and sun on Saturday, but a wind that tore right through you the whole weekend. We saw the David, went to the Uffizi, gazed at the baptistry, and soaked in the Florentine culture. This time Lynda and I were a bit more adventurous in our food choices as we tried some new places out. They were great and the best part is they're all near the hotel that we stayed in.

Florence was great, but what's really fantastic is...it's almost time for break. Hoorah! I need it. I do love being with students and this group's been fantastic, but let's face it...when they're here in Rome...I don't exactly get a break. I'm like a mother hen who's always concerned about where her little chicks are. ;)

Plus, my mom's coming! She'll be here on Friday and on Saturday we'll head out to Siena for 2 nights. I can't wait! We're going to have such a fabulous time...just her and me. I wish the rest of my family could come as well, but having 1-on-1 time with mom is always needed and special. And, let's be honest, it's always good to have her here cause she pays for everything. :)

Time's flying!

I can't believe how fast this semester is whizzing by! We are headed to Florence at the end of this week for the weekend and then next weekend is the start of Spring Break!! That means we're halfway thru the semester. WOW! How did that happen!?

I'm not complaining...I mean with Spring Break comes my mom's visit, May brings friends Anthony/Jill and Josiah, and then June brings Brady/Heidi and then HOME. That's a lot to look forward too. Still, I am enjoying my students. It's been a good semester thus far.