Monday, February 4, 2013

Wow, I Live Here Now

Well, here I am in Rome, Italy.  It has been a surreal experience and it is hard to believe that I am actually here.  Quite frequently, I say to myself "Wow, this is Rome.  And I live here.  This is nuts."  But it has just been an unbelievable time.  We arrived Saturday morning and spent most of the day unpacking and getting orientated to the house.  We live at what is called Bernardi, a house located on the beautiful (not really) Tiber River.  I will post about the house in a bit.  But it has just been a super blessed time.  Sunday, we had orientation for the house and went to the St. Peter's Basilica, which was just incredible.  While I had been there before, I had such a more moving experience this time and I really look forward to spending quite a bit of time there.  Monday,we had orientation at the Angelicum, the English speaking university in Rome, run by the Dominicans.  We were divided into teams and raced to the school, even though none of us knew the way.  Thank God for Google Maps.  While my team did not win, it was a great time and we ran into some super cool things on the way.  The opportunity to study at such a historic school rooted in Catholic Tradition is an incredible gift and I very much am looking forward to studying there.

The highlight of my time so far was easily the dinner I had on Monday night.  Paul Solomon, a Joliet seminarian studying here in Rome, took myself, Mike McMahon, and Max Behna out for dinner.  And to be honest, it was just an awesome time being with Paul.  I had not seen him since the end of my freshman year, so the fact that I was with him was surreal.  There was just so much goodness to be back with one of my seminarian brothers.  As the psalms say "It is good when brothers live in unity."  There is a deep bond between the Joliet seminarians, and it brought great joy to be able to be with Paul again.  Even though we may not see each other frequently, the common mission and vocation unite us in a way that cannot be put into words. So it was just a fantastic evening, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be with him.  Also, the food (and wine) was delicious.

So it is here that I will wrap it up.  And I will promise that I will post more pictures in the future, but here is my first, proof that I am actually here.    

 

1 comment:

  1. So excited for you! Know that you are in my prayers everyday and I'm kinda living this Rome experience threw you. Be safe and savor every moment . I know you will. God bless.
    Carol :)

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