14 October 2014

A day in this life...

As I sit here at my table, sipping away at a chilled glass of Orvieto white wine, there sits with me a meditation in gratitude on the beautiful path that The Lord places before me.

At this point, as I am living in the ordinary sense, in the routine of my various facets of life, my reflection on life accepts not this seemingly ordinary way. Though I walk these streets of Rome with comfort and familiarity, I continue to be struck with the extraordinary unfolding of life with which I have been blessed.

It has worked out that life has developed here just has it has in the past, in my various encounters in starting anew. And, just as before, I begin again, desiring involvement with what surrounds me and groups to which I can devote myself. It certainly has not taken long to fill the hours of the week. And, in knowing myself and my patterns, I see once again how earnestly I await the next invitation.

It's a beautiful balance at the moment, one in which I trust that through prayer and openness, I can maintain. My life is filled with beautiful things, and is sufficiently free for the spontaneous invitations that arise.

This is roughly what a week looks like, in the life of Juliana, a student of life:

I have class Tuesday through Friday. Hours spent at the Angelicum are hours of what I consider paradise. I am surrounded by people of good will, who span the globe and who choose to live with joy and love. It's a reality to each day that cannot be ignored. And quite frankly, it makes for a life-giving environment. Seminarians, priests, sisters, monks, and lay alike, we each walk the university grounds in excitement for the atmosphere of study and prayer. Imagine this, you arrive to campus, perhaps you pass Father during your journey up the driveway, or you see Sister on the trek over, with Rosary in hand. And you know that they, too, are journeying to the same place as you, awaiting the proposition of their next lecture.

This morning, for example, as I steadily made my way up the driveway, there was a priest also making his way. I passed him with a "Buongiorno." He jokingly mentioned how people often pass him going up the hill. We shared where each of us was headed, I to Psychology and he to teach a Canon Law course. And off each of us went, after wishing one another a good day.

And so the day goes, filled with encounters very much alike to this one. There is no such thing as ignoring the other student who is sitting in the lecture hall before class or perched nearby, under a tree in the garden for lunch. And, each new person you encounter, you have a friend, someone you see in passing, or perhaps you pray alongside in the chapel.

There is a group of us, first years, cycle one, in the faculty (department) of philosophy, who share nearly the same schedule. This means, we attend the same classes. Our core group includes some Indian religious sisters, brothers, and priests, a group of seminarians from the Colleges of England, Ireland and Scotland, a couple of lay gentlemen from English-speaking countries, and of course, the three of us lay females. Some will go on to study theology after two years of philosophy, and the rest of us will continue in philosophy. Perhaps at that point, my third year, I may be the only lay female in the group of philosophy students. We will see. And so, our group is like a family.

From lecture to taking a caffe at the bar and so on, we continue in this melodious fashion in the company of joyful souls.

On Tuesdays, I have classes until the evening. But the other days, I am finished by afternoon. And so, there is a bit of time for prayer, studying, lunch, etc. For me, I continue on to teaching in the evenings. Wednesday and Friday evenings, I teach at the English school, and Thursdays I do private teaching at people's residences. And amongst the hours of studying and lesson planning, there is of course availability for the occasional dinner invitation or break for a drink.

The work week is balanced out by the weekend. Saturdays I teach two classes, one three-hour morning course followed by a two-hour afternoon lesson. Then, I am free for the evening. Work is often rewarded with Saturday dinner parties with friends or family. And Sunday is a restful day to do some chores at home and relax. It is another free day to venture around town and perhaps visit a new parish for Mass. No Sunday thus far has mirrored the next. Then Monday arrives, giving me an occasion for grocery shopping, laundry, and miscellaneous to-dos.

My awe in gratitude persists as I recognize further how blessed my current place of perspective is. I am here, as a new resident, who hasn't yet been trampled by the monotony of Roman life. Further, I get to experience an academic environment filled with people in like-circumstance, and yet with such vastly contrastive perspectives and backgrounds.

There's an openness that surfaces in a place of newness, an openness that is precisely what broadens horizons and illuminates life. It's a necessary condition to be displaced in some sense, that is, repositioned in a setting that provokes wonderment and curiosity.

In accordance with some wise advice of a spiritual director, my hope is that I might be open to the invitations that present themselves, or more accurately speaking, God presents, those of which appear to be good for me.

It is with trust that I continue, as The Lord has offered only affirmation to continue with His security. It is in this fashion that the Spirit is alive and works through us.

The mystery of life is evident in many ways. My explanation, for example, for why I prompted conversation with my friend Ester after Mass some weeks ago, lacks sound logic. A mere sense of excitement for encountering a Spanish person gave thought to offering a greeting. And now, she and I are journeying in these Roman adventures as close friends. There would be no reason for our paths to cross, aside from our rare encounter after Mass at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Such invitations are not mere occurrences of luck or good fortune, they are living encounters along God's path.















07 October 2014

An Anointed Occasion

Today, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and my dear brother Matthew's birthday, marks the realization of a dream come true.

I awoke in agreement with the early alarm, in great excitement for the day ahead. I had an early cappuccino, packed my bag, and headed out the door.

Daily at the Angelicum, the Dominicans offer their morning prayer in the university choir chapel. That's followed by Mass in Italian. I arrived in time to celebrate the Eucharist. Today's feast day is especially revered by the Dominicans, as it was to St. Dominic that Our Lady of the Rosary appeared.

Two Religious Sisters from India and I joined the twenty plus Dominican priests for Mass. It was beautiful to experience the Mass that way. After the Italian Mass there is a morning English Mass and later in the afternoon another English Mass. This, of course, is one of the many amazing traditions of the Angelicum. And quite uniquely, we are the only Pontifical University to have daily Adoration, morning to evening. This is a tradition that was begun by a student nearly twelve years ago. The university community signs up to be guardians of the Blessed Sacrament and offer prayer through the day.

After morning Mass, I made my way to our first lecture, Psychology, where my fellow first years and I awaited anxiously the first class of our careers at the Angelicum. Sadly, the professor missed the lecture for reasons unknown even to the Dean. So, we took a caffe and awaited the next course.

Many of the same students gathered once again in another room for History of Ancient Philosophy, where we were introduced to the birth of philosophy and the Greek context that we will study more deeply. This professor will also be teaching us Greek syntax and terminology, as well as Logic. This should make for a cohesive study of Greek tradition and philosophy.

After that, I had an extended break for lunch. At this time most students make use of the very inexpensive bar and caffe and enjoy the break in the university gardens. I joined my friend Hannah, a lovely young woman from Sweden. She and I ate our lunches and relaxed in conversation.
Hannah and I have all of the first year courses together. We made acquaintanceship during orientation and have hit it off beautifully. She converted to the Catholic faith last year, coming from her secular Lutheran, Swedish background. She has a peaceful spirit and expresses her self gracefully. We can be seen around campus laughing, as we share the same sense of humor. Hannah lives her life with great love and compassion. It's a blessing that God has placed her in my life that we might accompany one another as the path unfolds. I am certain we will grow together in this journey.

Ongoing through the day, we both found ourselves in awe of this place that the Lord has brought us. Each of us with a unique journey of arrival, feel immense joy, excitement, and gratitude to be in this setting. We laughed about how it feels like we are on retreat walking the halls of the Angelicum and how splendid it is to be in such pleasant company. It's like being in a different world. Amongst the hustle and bustle of Roman life lies this treasured haven.

I have been trying to accurately formulate what it feels like to be studying at the Angelicum. The best analogy that I can come up with is this: It's like the fulfillment of a dream for a studious American student who wants nothing more than to attend Harvard. And finally, one day, he finds himself among the population of those who he aspires to be like, professors and students.

Here I am, walking the grounds of this historical place, in the company of men and women, young and old, lay and religious, who are passionate about discovering and living in truth. I loved my experience at UCSB, the diversity of students and ideologies. And now, I have the joy of sitting among people who hope to serve the world in love and grow intellectually. It's incredible.

On just the first day, I was introduced to seminarians from all parts of the United Kingdom, priests and sisters from Latin America, India and Africa. Among our first year group are South Africans, people from New Zealand and all parts of Europe and Asia. We span the world, and here we are together in aspiration to grow in our understanding of our faith and the world in which we live.

Hannah and I admitted to being Catholic nerds, as we scanned the shelves of the bookstore, in excitement for the titles that await us.

From ancient philosophy, we made our way to Latin. As an introduction to the language and in honor of October being a month devoted to Our Lady, we began the class with praying the Sign of the Cross and Hail Mary in Latin. After putting my linguistic background to good use in learning case markings and declensions, we then made our way to Introduction to St. Thomas. There we were greeted by our professor, a German Dominican, who devotes his research to St. Thomas. In his brilliance, he reviewed with us the importance of knowing Thomas Aquinas as a person in light of studying his great works.

I won't limit the paradisal and perfect nature of Heaven, but I will say, I feel like I'm as close to heaven on earth as is possible.

Today I pray in a special way for the Rosary High School community and for my brother Matthew, who I love so much.

Beata Vergine Maria del Rosario, prega per noi.


06 October 2014

Fall Weather


Earlier this week, during my evening walk home from the metro, I was confronted by this amazing view. The rain drew in from the dense clouds. I've been very lucky each time it rains to make it indoors before it starts to pour. Eventually I'll have to buy an umbrella from one of the guys on the street. These vendors must have some sort of special weather forecasting abilities because they manage to appear on the street side, bags full of umbrellas, just in time for the clouds to gather.

Balance of Life

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, a sign of positive expansion of life.

This week marks one month of residency. And already, I feel that the busyness of life has found itself anew here in Rome. I anticipated that it wouldn't take long to reach this point, and yet there still exists a sense of surprise.

I've completed my first week of teaching, giving me a clear idea of how much time I'll be devoting to lesson planning and grading. Though my time in the classroom amounts to a mere nine hours, the addition of classroom preparation puts me closer to fifteen hours.

Additionally, I will be doing private English lessons for extra hours of work. These lessons will take me all around the city, providing me with an increasing knowledge of these Roman streets, and will supplement my hours of classroom teaching.

After this week, I will know better how I may best manage my time among my studies, teaching, and social life with both family and friends.

I am one that thrives with routine and structure in my work. I'm looking forward to establishing that soon. But, I'm also enjoying the spontaneity of living fully in this remarkable city.

If the coming weeks follow suit, it seems there will be a pleasant balance to work and play.

This past weekend was a lovely embrace of what life here has to offer. After a long day of teaching on Saturday, I was rewarded with an evening of Roman partying. My cousin hosted an evening gathering for his girlfriend's thirtieth birthday at a local club. The Italian word for such a place is "locale." Little did I know that this hidden gem was a mere five minutes from my apartment. This locale, Club OS, doesn't perfectly translate to the "club" idea we have in America. Club OS is basically a club setting where people make reservations for parties, spanning from graduations to bachelorette parties. Friends and families (pretty much Italians only, no tourists) gather for apperitivi e bevande (appetizers and drinks). This particular locale is a beautiful setting, closed in by trees and tall walls and situated amongst the neighboring structures. And, just down the road is the Colosseo.

When I arrived at the club, I gave my cousin's name, as one can only get in by reservation. I was welcomed through the gates and met my cousins at our group's table. The evening continued comfortably and in Italian fashion, which means you enjoy hours of eating, drinking, smoking, and visiting. After a few hours, it was time for cake and champagne. Let me tell you, Italians know how to make a party special. The waiters brought the cake with big sparkling candles. With that, they carried a big bowl of champagne and flutes on ice, also decorated with sparklers. So, Francesca blew out her candles and we saluted.

From there we made our way into the dance part of the club. We found a niche for our group, enjoyed some drinks served to the group on a platter, not individually, and we danced the morning away.

The next day began, or continued, I should say, with Mass and breakfast with Ester, my friend from Granada. Then, we met some more Spanish friends at the Colosseo. Sundays are free for entrance, which is an offer we seek as hungry students. This does mean, though, that the popular site is packed with tourists, more so than any other day.

We ventured around the ancient structure with the informative guidance of one friend who studies art history and architecture. This was my second time touring the amazing monument, and this time it was accentuated with the pleasant accompaniment of Spanish conversation.
From the Colosseum we walked around the Roman Forum, deciphering the path of the ancient city and the significance of various details.

One thing I have to keep in mind is that this city will always be full of tourists. Though I'm inclined to avoid the places swarmed with people, I refuse to miss out on the incredible sites that surround me.


After Friday's new student orientation at the university, I find myself even more overwhelmed by the reality that I am studying at this place of rich history. (I will soon post about what I learned of the buildings, art, church, and gardens during our tour.)

And so now, I'm excitedly awaiting the start of my courses. Tomorrow I will journey to the Angelicum, with a heart and mind open to the world of academia.

The adventure continues...


Francesca's 30th Birthday 

The Spaniards

 Beautiful day at the Colosseum

The Spaniards and the American