"So... how was Rome?"

As we prepared to leave Rome, we all knew this question was coming. You get home and your family and friends want to know all about it. What was the best part? Where did you go? What did you see and do? 

After a full semester growing as a person and gaining 28 new siblings, this isn't a simple question to answer. There is no real way to share everything I got out of Rome, so here are just a few things I've learned/gained:

Learning About Myself

One thing I was excited for when I left for Rome was to learn more about myself. As someone always close to home, it was a new experience being away from home for months. I learned so many things this semester. 

--I learned what things are most important to me. 

--I learned that I am capable of good time management. 

--I learned to make decisions when faced with multiple options: homework, hang out, etc. 

--Figuring out how to feed myself was wonderful too. 

--I really think I matured as a person both in learning to look out for myself and in learning to let others look out for me (letting them in). 

--I learned about the interesting balance I have between being an introvert and an extrovert.

--I learned more about what brings me joy and what makes me tick.

--I learned about fears that have held me back from doing things in my life.

--I learned more about what things affirm me and what things make me self-conscious.

--I learned that I can be my crazy self in front of a group of people, and, if it's the right group of people, they'll still love me.

--I learned about my limits as well as my capacity to do things.

--I learned to love and to be loved (especially by Our Lord).

The Community

When people ask me what my favorite thing about Rome was, my honest answer is always, "The people I lived with." Seriously! I lived with a wonderfully diverse group of people. 

--We got to experience each other's quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. 

--We got to see that having a love for God in common is really all you need. 

--It was wonderful watching people open up throughout the semester (this includes myself) and learning that sometimes the people I thought I had very little in common with were actually the people I had the most in common with.

--The laughter, love, faith, and solidarity (Dr. Heaney would like my use of that term ;) ) were truly the highlights of my semester. We got to experience so many new things together. We grew through each other. Our stories of our faith and our experiences strengthened each other. I really think we all looked out for each other. We opened up to each other lovingly.

--The thing that brings me the most joy leaving Bernardi is that I can truly say I developed a personal connection with every single one of my brothers and sisters at Bernardi. We didn't just coexist. We really got to know each other as friends. (Some people I may know better than others, but I got to hold at least one conversation with each fellow Bernardian throughout the semester, and I can honestly say that I love all of them equally.)

--Seeing the witness of other people's faith - especially through the Seminarians' total gift of self to God - was truly moving for me and gave me strength to do the same. The beauty of the experience of seeing men (and women) give themselves to Christ is/was truly inexpressible. THANK YOU!

Spiritually

My faith experience throughout the semester was very personal but very beautiful. While I won't share all the details, I can definitely say that:

--Never before have I had the courage to open myself up to the Lord as much as I did this semester.

--I learned to converse with the Lord genuinely. I learned to ask Him for me to want, to pray for, and to accept His Will regardless of what it might be and for Him to help me to love and embrace His Will. [He answered all of my prayers in the most beautiful, even if not painless, ways!]

--The biggest changes I experienced in my approach to my faith while in Rome were learning to: 
(1) Ask God for me to want what He wants
(2) Tell all of my fears to the Lord. He already knows them and is there to listen.
(3) Through the grace of God, find joy and PEACE in God's Will --> realizing what a huge burden is taken off of my shoulders when I put my life in His hands. I may not always be able to trust myself, but I can trust Him.

Culturally

Culturally, Rome was an adventure. I'm glad to be back, but it was cool experiencing a different way of life. Having been in the center of Rome, I won't exactly miss the calls of the selfie-stick vendors or the sound of fake ducks quacking at me (though I might experience some sentimental deja vu from those experiences). 

The Italian way of life is different in a number of ways. They move at a slower pace. I like this (except for when I am walking to class behind a couple moving at 0.5 MPH). People are really nice in Italy overall. I appreciated the kindness of Italians who looked out for me: on multiple occasions I dropped something and was helped by a kind European. I will miss the times I was mistaken for being an Italian too. And I will miss the Sisters!

I will miss the lay of the land in Rome. It may have smelled bad and have been crowded, but picturing a map of Rome just reminds me of all the wonderful, long walks I went on with my fellow Bernardians to classes and Churches. I won't miss the traffic. Well... actually... maybe a little. Sometimes it's exciting when you come within inches of being hit by a car. But I'm sure glad I never had to drive there!

I'll miss being within walking distance of St. Peter's. I didn't realize until towards the end of the semester just how much that meant to me. 

I will miss the Bernardi terrace, co-cooking in the kitchen, chatting over meals in the dining room, and running up and down the stairs of Bernardi with greetings from those in passing. I will also certainly miss the chapel where I learned to put my life in the hands of the Lord and LET Him give me His peace.


This may have trailed off from a "cultural" aspect, but I really will miss Rome. I hope that the spiritual life, self-growth, and friendships/familyships that I gained in Rome will come home with me and stay with me all of my life.

I now look forward to reminiscing with my fellow Bernardians and seeing what life has to offer, because life isn't over. Life has just begun.

The Last Few Golden Weeks

Food Tour

Thanos planned some wonderful adventures for us to help end the semester with good memories and not just tests and papers. A ton of us signed up for a food tour. We took the metro to a town filled with nice shops and restaurants. The food we had was pretty epic. It included deep fried zucchini, tiramisu, bruschetta pomodoro, parmesan cheese (only made in that part of the world), and other amazing, mouth-watering things! We finished off the day by learning how to differentiate real gelato from "the fake stuff." It was an epic journey and a well-spent day. :)

Zoo!

May Day! May Day! Kyle's 21st birthday came around, so Ben B. planned an epic, surprise celebration for him at the zoo. The crew included John B., Cassie, Patrese, and me. We had trouble finding Kyle and Ben, but when we did that was pretty epic! I would like to share with you that the exotic animals at the zoo included guinea pigs galore and a cow!!! But there were other cool creatures including peacocks (Ben, Kyle, and I actually got to see one in full bloom), sassy chimps, the cuddliest-looking grizzly bear, super majestic tigers, and so many other awesome creatures! That was a day well slept, and it was delightful to see Kyle's face light up when he saw us. The day ended with a wonderful May crowning (though I was too exhausted to go).

Churches

I got to see St. Mary Major the last week in Rome with Danielle and Patrese! When I first went to confession, the priest opened up in Italian, but thankfully he switched to English when I did. Patrick and I may have taken a few wrong turns on the way back, but eventually we found our way back to the Ang. on time for our last class with Fr. Murray.

Sports Days

Thanos planned an event for us to go see a real ROMA soccer ("football") game! Unfortunately, the tickets sold out at an oddly rapid rate, so we weren't able to go. But I think our alternative was just as fun. A whole group of us including Kyle, Reed, Alex, MK, Danielle, Risa, Liz F, Tasha, Ben B, John M, John B, and Cassie went out to the park to get in our own sports games. We had some pretty epic and close games, starting with Ultimate Frisbee and ending with Football.  It was my first time learning these sports. TONS of fun. The only downside to that day was John M's sprained ankle. Someone was bound to get hurt :(

Another event we had to end the school year (our last Thursday) was "Sports Day at the NAC." This took place after our Final for Fr. Murray's class. A bunch of people were studying, so had a small group show up, but it was a blast! Ben B, Reed, Josh V, Michael, Alex, Liz M, Lizzy, and me alongside major sems Joe and Aaron. Lizzy was so kind as to join me on the tennis courts. After an hour of playing there, we transitioned to watching the others playing soccer and ultimate frisbee before we joined them for a game of basketball. Basketball was way fun, even if my arm did almost get twisted. :)

Beach Day

To follow up sports day, our last Friday in Rome was "Beach Day." This is my favorite of the events Thanos planned of us. I'm so glad I decided to go and was provided with car sickness meds from Liz M. Most people went on this trip. The bus drive was an hour or two to get to the sea. I have never tasted salt water again. As beautiful as it is, I hope to never "taste" salt water again. It was my first time body surfing and for the first portion of the time I felt like I was drowning. The salt water wouldn't stop going up my nose and in my mouth. So many of the waves were huge, so you had to constantly be holding your breath and just take quick gasps for breath. Recovering from face slaps of water was interesting. Once I did get the hang of this though, it got better!

Before swimming, we got to get a ton of BEAUTIFUL pictures by the blue seashore, and Thanos treated us all to an epic, four-course meal. The day ended with gelato, provided by Thanos. We truly are spoiled. What a fantastic way to end the semester! Body surfing and playing on the beach with my fellow Bernardians!

Finals Galore

Amidst all of this fun, Finals were a thing too. Most people had more to deal with than I did, as I decided to simply audit one of our classes. The two Finals I had our last week were Fr. Murray's and Fr. Giertych's. I actually enjoyed taking Fr. Murray's final. I studied a lot the day before, using storytelling as a memory device: "15 Themes of St. John of the Cross." I was delighted when that Final was over, but I will miss Fr. Murray who is a living saint with such a gentle voice and disposition.

The Last Week

My last week in Rome was straightout interesting. Minnesota interesting? Maybe. But it was such a great experience for me. I larded a lot and gained skills and confidence. I stayed at Guest House run by Carmelites for this last week. I got in the gate and checked in, though it was a bit tricky because the Sister who gave me my key didn't speak any English. I spent most of my first three days cooped up in my room, writing a paper. I got out once and wandered the streets of this unfamiliar, outer-part of Rome until I found a supermarket. I had trouble knowing how to even get out of the door of the courtyard (I learned eventually that you pretty a button), so that in itself was an adventure. It's probably good I didn't go much these first few days, because I knew I had to write a 10 page paper that was due that Saturday.

The second half of my week went much better. I actually left the Guest House twice to travel into Rome. The first time, I went to Bernardi, because the WiFi at the Guest House was almost nonexistent. It was a relief getting food at familiar old Tuodi, seeing Thanos's familiar face, and feeling the comfort of being at Bernardi. The next day I went out I enjoyed going through gift stores to get souvenirs for family and friends. (I'm one of the pickiest shoppers you will meet, heads up if you ever want to go shopping with me.) After comparing things at about ten or more different stores, I picked out a few things that I thought would be a good fit for family and friends. I also managed to get a panino and made it to an Evening Mass on Sunday.

I was so happy to get to spend my last day in Rome with Patrick, Danielle, Liz F., and Reed. The first time I ran into Reed it was totally by chance/providence. We just passed each other on the street to the Vatican, and I realized this was a familiar face that I missed. I got to meet his family which was the coolest thing ever! I did some of my own shopping and got some delicious pizza while Patrick, Liz, and Danielle climbed the Cupola. It was relaxing.

In the evening, I got my last Old Bridge and said farewell to the Ang. alongside Patrick and Liz. We met up with Danielle and Reed at the Trevi Fountain. (Side note: A guard will yell at you if you try to play cards next to the Trevi Fountain. Who knew?) We had a phenomenal last dinner, the five of us. The food was amazing and the waitress "Bre-sheila" was wonderful. We bonded over our name(s). After this we got gelato.

The highlight of my last week in Rome (also one of the highlights of my entire time in Rome) was when the five of us went to gaze upon St. Peter's. It was a faith filled experience beyond expression. We all just tried to take in the blessing of our semester of God's Love and of St. Peter's. Reed noted some great questions, including, "Why did God choose us, of all people, to be standing here, right now, outside of St. Peter's, getting to experience this?"

We said our farewells that night. The next day Liz walked Danielle and me to Bernardi where we met Patrick. Our taxi driver had to load a ton of large pieces of luggage into his car. He was a very kind taxi driver. We said farewell to Liz at Bernardi and rode to the airport with Danielle and Patrick.

It was a relief not traveling home alone. I had thought I booked a seat next to Patrick on the flight home, but it turns out my seat was next to a wonderful Sister. We had some good conversations on the flight. My screen didn't work on the plane, so I couldn't watch movies, but I'm grateful for that. I think that was God's gift to me. Watching movies me eye-aches and makes my head feel foggy. I napped for the portion of the ride when I wasn't eating delicious food (the orange chicken was incredibly good for plane food) or talking to Sister.

Patrick was very helpful at the Chicago airport. He got me my bags, and I ran to my connecting flight after waiting in some pretty long lines. People at the airport were incredibly helpful in directing me onward to my destination. I'm lucky that on the flight Sister told me where I was supposed to go for my next flight or I would have been in absolute confusion. God looks out for me like that. Thank you, God :)

On the second flight, I was just ready to be home. It was funny listening to the conversation behind me on the plane as two men talking about fishing and going out on their boats on the lake. In my mind I just said, "Yes. This is definitely Minnesota." I had been up for 21 hours by the time I arrived home. I wasn't sure were to find my luggage, so it was a relief when my dad showed up and knew where to find it.

To finish off the story, I was exhausted, sick of travel, and so happy to get in my own car and drive home. The remainder of my day consisted in pranking friends and seeing family (including 6 wonderful gerbils).


I am glad to be home to see familiar faces and familiar sights, yet Rome will forever be a special memory; and the friendships I made there, the family of 29 kids that I became a part of there, that is only the beginning :)