Day 2 and 3

I do apologize for being a day late in my entry so I will be adding yesterday to the blog entry for today! Yesterday we visited the Pope in St. Peter's and got to see the Sunday Papel address (Angelus). The basilica is massive and there were many thousands of people which made the experience quite brilliant.  Several country's flags were draped around shoulders and during the service, when the prayers were said, the response from the crowd took my breath away.  The experience was unlike anything I've ever seen and it put into perspective how inclusive religion can be in a world so plagued by war.   Even with the language barrier, I understood some of the Pope's message and I could follow the prayers.   After the Angelus, we made our way back to the house for lunch and after we went on a walk around the neighborhood! It was Sunday which meant that nearly every business was closed but it was interesting being able to compare the emptiness of the sidewalks to the business of the Vatican.   Later, I had my first real Italian Gelato and got to order in Italian which was quite difficult but amusing for the server.   I had limone e fragola which means lemon and strawberry--it was perfect! 

In the evening, we visited the General House and saw the magnificent view from atop the building. The view rendered me speechless which, for anyone who knows me, is not a common occurrence.   The sunset over the mountains and the entire city is something I highly recommend for anyone who comes to Rome because there is nothing like seeing the combination of nature, ancient structures and modern architecture.  The Romans have figured out how to live and it starts with what they choose to look at.   For dinner we had Pizza just to top off the magnificent day! 

Location: St. Peter's Basilica, Roma, Italia

Word of the Day: Papa- Pope

Today we had our first day of Italian and Art class! The Italian class is located in a building outside of the Vatican and when we arrived, we were showed into a room and introduced to the staff.   After the staff left, we were greeted by an Italian man, our teacher Alessandro, who told us that from then on we were not allowed to use English.  For the next two hours, all questions and most answers were in Italian.   Let the immersion begin!! I personally loved every second of it because it was engaging and challenging at the same time.   We learned how to say basic greetings and the differences between the informal and formal ways of greeting others.   After lunch, we had our Art class in which we spoke about music, art and the time periods surrounding the Renaissance. I am very excited to see what the next few months will bring because most of the class is taught on-site at the historic sites and museums!!

Location: Roma, Italia (Italiaidea)

Word of the day: Ciao- informal version of hello and goodbye, at anytime!