Enough on that now. My last blog was a day-by-day update, so that one will be a subject-by-subject update. First impressions of Rome? Let's go!
School
Before coming to Rome, people told me that while here there isn't really homework and your entire grade for a class comes from your final. Perhaps this was true for them, but it is certainly not true to spring 2016 Bernardians.
Dr. Lev and Dr. Heaney have given us some pretty fair chunks of reading to do throughout the week (to put it lightly). I struggle to know when we have homework and am definitely behind. I'm trying to decide if it's worth trying to catch up or if I should just start were we left off. How important is this reading homework? Aka, how much do our quizzes, tests, and papers depend on it?
I love studying in groups, but people have only done that a few times here. Reading is easier for me when we're doing it as a team. Lizzy has taught me how to have my computer read to me, so that helps some. I am blessed to have such a wonderful, thoughtful roommate.
Food
The food here is basically what we think of as "Italian food" back in America. Most meals consist of pasta or pizza. For breakfast we have continental breakfasts at Bernardi. I usually get some cereal, yogurt, a piece of fruit, a pastry, and a roll with honey. I find it is helpful to scavenge some food from breakfast for lunch. Otherwise, lunch can get expensive; plus, I've found that panini aren't very filling for me.
I'm getting by ok, but with all the walking we do, I could use more food. Group cooking is the best, though I haven't done a ton of that yet. We made a good size dinner for everyone yesterday in honor of Tasha's birthday. That was fun. Tasha is precious, and I loved her expression when she walked into our surprise party.
Food-wise, we get most of our food at the grocery store down the street. I have tried gelato twice and learned from my second experience that getting my own gelato is just way too much food/sugar for me. Gelato has twice the sugar that ice cream does. It didn't leave me feeling that great though I must say it was filling.
Household Life
I love my Bernardi family. That doesn't mean that no one ever annoys me, but these people are great nonetheless! The seminarians are obliged to say the liturgy of the hour throughout the day, so it's nice to join them for many of those. Community dinners are special. I look forward to our first "official" community dinner next Wednesday.
Living in a household lets you learn a lot about yourself. I've discovered many of my own faults through others. For example, I long for attention, and I can see many other Bernardians calling out for attention too. We're a really boisterous bunch.
So much has been going through my head and heart lately, and I find myself pretty reserved around my fellow Bernardians. That said, I appreciate their presence and those moments when I can tell people are really looking out for me.
Extra Adventures
We've gone on a few adventures while at Bernardi. There were, of course, the guided ones to see Padre Pio and the Colloseum, etc.
On Friday the seminarians went on a trip to Venice (which sounded amazing). Most of us lay folk went to spend the day with the Lay Center. I expected our outing to take about two hours but it took five and a half. Because of this, it ended up being rather stressful for me, being out and about when I just wanted to get back to Bernardi to do my laundry and homework. I learned from this experience that I am more of a home-girl than I thought.
Schedule
My sleep schedule has been "on fleek!" God is so good. Back home in America, I always have trouble falling asleep and getting up. I end up going to bed at midnight and not falling asleep until 4am and then I nap a lot during the day. Basically, it's an insomniac disaster.
God has been WONDERFUL in this regard here. I usually get to bed between nine o'clock and ten thirty and get in a good nights rest before the next day. God has been so good. I usually fall asleep within minutes once my head hits my pillow. I think part of the reason I sleep so well is because days are hectic. Thankfully, I made it through the days without naps. I've learned to prioritize a good sleep schedule over homework. If I went with my American-schedule, I would be up until 2am reading for class, and everything would be an avalanche from there due to sleep problems.
I have to be careful not to loose this great sleep schedule by going out late with people. I went out with a group last night and discovered that, after a certain hour, I should probably just stick to Bernardi. When I go on outings I expect them to take an hour or two. Other people enjoy more spontaneity which is fine but can be stressful for me when I know I have stuff to do (like hold into this sleep schedule).
Taking care of myself and my needs takes self-control in cooperation with the grace of God.
Lent
Oh my, guys! It's Lent! Lent is pretty cool. I've been offering up a daily Divine Mercy Chaplet or Rosary. I have also given up interrupting people in conversation (something I have often found myself guilty of) and trying to dominate conversations (my attention-seeker self tends to get pretty desperate when the conversation doesn't include me as a central part).
These are wonderful offerings. They are helping me to grow as a person. Then again, it's almost too easy for me. Going into silence is comfortable for me (though I do tend to long for attention from others). I have found lately that when people actually do talk to me I'm both honored and caught off guard. If I'm forgetting how to socialize with people, that's not good.
That said, the reason for my silence is that I usually evaluate my words before I speak them, and if the motive of my words would be to get attention or to put someone else down, I tend to not speak them. This results in my rarely speaking to people. I've been offering up the loneliness of this. God's grace has been good to me. As long as good is coming from this, I can continue to offer it up and accept God and Mother Mary's embrace in my loneliness.
There we go. That's a shorter post than usual. Hope things are going well for everyone back home. Your prays are ABSOLUTELY appreciated!
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