3 countries. 10 days. Let's go.

One presentation done. One midterm tomorrow. Spring break. I cannot even wait for a whole week and a half of relaxation. As I am trying to study my Italian verb tenses.. I am finding my attention diverted to packing and excitement. I have been so busy planning out every detail of this trip, that it has finally just hit me.. I leave in less than 24 hours. Well, now the hostels are set, the flights are booked, and my suitcase is packed.. kindof. (I cannot believe the amount I am bringing.. or not bringing for that matter.. getting so good at this 'packing light' thing!) I get to experience and see things that most people only dream of seeing in their lifetime. I will be strolling the gardens of Paris, seeing the colorful sights of Barcelona, and laying on the beaches of Lisbon. These next 10 days are going to be amazing. Ciao Roma, I still love you.

Truth and Grace.

Staircases and alleyways. I have come to the conclusion that alleys are considered the "safe zones". They are the peace amongst a busy crowd. They are the relief within chaos. Occasionally, you will see the old Italian man, smoking his cigar up against the wall. Alleyways are a destination, unlike a crazy street where the options of pizzerias and bars are endless. The staircases are the polar opposite. I take in a breathe of air before attempting to squeeze myself up the crowded stairs. These landmarks are more comparable to your life that just the hectic lifestyle of Rome. As Christ followers.. we are called to live in the stairwells.

"I need both: truth, so that I cannot hide from him, and grace, so that I do not wish to hide. If either were lacking, his severity might seem heavy without the one and his gaiety frivolous without the other. Truth without grace is bitter; and without the restraint of truth, devotion can be capricious, immoderate and over-confident." - Bernard of Clairvaux

Another great weekend.

How is it Sunday night again? Even with an extra day added to my weekend.. it goes by too fast. I am officially moving to Italy. I have only said that a good 100 times now..but it's true! The more I see, the more it captures my heart. I love living in the hustle of the city all week long and then leaving on the weekend to explore more. The life of trains is something I would never expect myself to be liking, but hey.. get me some coffee and I will get up early to board a train. My weekend started with a trip to Orvieto, the most beautiful country side I have ever seen. Honestly, to judge Italy based on Rome is like judging the United States based on New York. There is so much more to see all within hours of my reach. The day I got here, Patrick and I, (as jet legged as we were) walked around Rome for hours. Up and down the cobble stone roads, not even caring that we did not know where on earth we were going or how we were going to get back. This is something we still do at least once a week. Saturday we got on a bus, did not even know where it stopped at, and traveled until something appealing was out our window. This city will never cease to amaze me.

"Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God." - Kurt Vonnegut

Lift me up.

Saturday marks the day of living in this place I once called "foreign" for one month. It seems as though up until this point I have been getting "acclimated". I have been using the excuse, "Oh, I'm new here" as comfort. I can tell the difference this week. I am beginning to feel the pull of the excited student studying abroad to creating an actual home here. To think that I am 1/3rd done with my journey is such an eye opener. I have found places that I consider myself a "regular" at.. cafes near my convent, pizzerias, or even the grocery store. The best way I can define the difference between a "traveler" and a "tourist" is the way they respond to things. I have found that when I walk in somewhere and the first word spoken to me is in English.. a wave of annoyance overtakes me. Give me a chance please, I am learning your language. Let me use it. When there is a bus strike (which is about every other day), calling a taxi does not even cross my mind.. scenic route all the way home. I love becoming the traveler. I love evolving into the person I am suppose to be in Italy. Tonight I went exploring with Patrick, and had the best tiramisu I have had here so far. My favorite translation from Italian to English is the word, "tiramisu".. it literally translates to "pick me up". Who couldn't use a little slice of that a day? :)

Grosseto.

Interesting weekend. I went to Tuscany to escape the snow of Rome.. and it followed me there. However, I learned some very valuable lessons this weekend:

1. Things are never going to go according to plan. Ever.
2. Rome is my favorite city in Italy. The people are the best you will ever meet.
3. Ask questions. Nothing is ever given up front.

I sat in the most beautiful church I have ever seen, in complete serenity. I traveled like a true traveler would and made the most of every situation. I walked in what I like to call, 1/4 of a blizzard, to get to a shopping center. I met a man from South Africa in a pool that made me wear a swim cap. Carlo, we'll never forget you and your stories.

In a nutshell: I had the time of my life, doing the exact opposite of the plans I had made.

World wind.

I have been living here for three weeks now. Weird. It feels like I have been here for months. Today we visited the catacombs of Rome. It was probably single handedly the most amazing sight I have ever seen. They are huge and go on for miles and miles, leaving my mind with 500 questions. Of course throughout the day my brain has been jostling with the confusion of how they were built. However, the more I thought about it.. I found myself getting frustrated with so many concepts, not even directly related. Life is really funny to me. The things people get so wrapped up in, confuse me, and I will never make sense of it. I do not understand those that choose to categorize themselves by religion. Yes, religion was an amazing concept. Was. It was legalized so that the government and the church were separated. We live in a time now, where they could not be more set apart. My question for anyone that intertwines their identity with their particular "church" or "religion".. is WHY? God saved prostitutes, adulteress', murderers, and those that did unthinkable crimes. Not once did he ask them, "What is your religious denomination?, because if you are ____, I can't save you." No. He said, "Now, Go in Faith." I don't know about you.. but my religion is Jesus. When He was here on earth, he did not give us a set of rules to attain to on Sunday mornings. Live outside your box of fears. Give yourself a break. Befriend someone that believes something you don't. Agree to disagree.

Matthew 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Snow.

It has SNOWED. It is so beautiful and out of context to see. I feel so lucky to experience such a sight. It has been 26 years since Rome has seen snow. Walking around today, there was so much energy amongst the people. I am really happy it did not snow on Friday, because we went to Pompeii for the day.. would have been a little cold outside all day in that! Pompeii was so incredible to see.. I can't believe I was standing in front of monuments that I have learned about in all my History books growing up. To see the volcano that effected so many lives and to stand on the ground which was once a home to a family. Being in Pompeii put life in so much perspective for me. I knew since being here I would grow in unexplainable ways, but I never expected to understand so much more in just 3 weeks. To see the last prayers being said before these families died makes me think about how much is taken for granted in life. Living in California the past 2 years has been really difficult for me. I can never quite put my finger on why there is so much conflict between the way that I was raised and with those that were raised in that state. It is because many people assume that it is THE world. That is all there is. A lot of the time I get comments made towards me like, "no wonder you came to California" or "Wow, this must be SO different for you." Yes. It is different. That doesn't necessarily make it better. We are all so self absorbed.. we assume that our lives are the reason why the sun is shining up above. It is such a newsflash being here. There are MILLIONS of lives out there.. why focus on just my own? It is hard being away from home and out of my comfort zone, I have really started to realize the amount of people that put forth effort to care about your experience or stay in touch.. let me tell you, it is very few. There are so many lives. The sun does not shine for just one person. And the day it does, Jesus will be back on this earth.