Rome, Ávila, and the Beginning of the End

The end of my time abroad is quickly approaching! Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

I stayed in Madrid two weekends ago and caught up on sleep and homework. I spent a lot of time with my roommates. We went out one night to celebrate my roommate’s birthday with crepes and gelato, and we shopped at a big flea market on Sunday. On Saturday, I went with four friends to the small town of Ávila, the city where St. Teresa of Ávila was born and baptized. We enjoyed exploring the city, walking around the wall that outlines the city, and visiting the church that is built where St. Teresa was born.

Last week was the beginning of goodbyes to new friends. I have been a part of a Bible Study this semester, and we had our last meeting together. It was bitter sweet; most of us are ready to go home but are sad that we won’t be seeing each other anymore!

This semester, I have also spent time practicing English with a girl who lives here in Madrid. Adriana, my fourteen-year-old Spanish friend, is actually deaf with cochlear implants. We have spent one afternoon a week practicing English while baking, playing games, exploring Madrid, shopping, or playing tennis. Last week was my last time visiting her. It has been so fun to get to know Adriana and her family, and I will miss them!

All seven of my roommates and I finally got a picture together at one of my roommate’s dance recital last Wednesday! It was so fun to see her perform.

Last weekend, I went to Rome! It was an incredible weekend. I stayed at the St. Thomas campus and got to see a bunch of my friends from home. I arrived in Rome on Friday, had lunch at the Irish College, where some of the St. Thomas seminarians are staying this semester, and was given an awesome tour of Rome! We saw the Colosseum, the Jesu, the Basilica of St. Mary, and St. Peter’s Square. We met up with some other St. Thomas students and went to the Pontifical North American College, where my friend Katie’s brother is studying. One of the seminarians studying there gave us a tour and brought us up to the roof, where we had an incredible view of Rome and St. Peter’s. We went out for some awesome burgers, since we were all craving a good “American” dinner.

On Saturday, I got up early and went to the Vatican Museums, which were so beautiful! I saw the Sistine chapel, which was a million times better than all the pictures I’ve seen. I met up with my friends Katie, Emily, and Patrick, and we all went to a gelato festival! We got to try countless kinds of gelato and vote on the best ones. Some our favorite flavors were dark chocolate and rum, cookies, coffee, and strawberries and red pepper. I spent the evening catching up with friends at the St. Thomas campus, eating home-cooked food, and even got some candy from the States!

On Sunday, Katie and I tried to go to St. Peter’s for Mass and the Angelus with Pope Francis, but a group of thousands of people was there for a special event. Instead, we went to Mass at St. Augustine, drank Italian cappuccinos, and visited the Pantheon, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church, St. Ignatius Church, Trevi Fountain, Santi Apostoli Church, and where the St. Thomas students go to school. We had an awesome Italian lunch with Caprese salad and carbonara. That night, I went to the St. Thomas community dinner and was a part of their Murder Mystery Party.

Katie and I got up early and went back to St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday. My favorite part of the day was going to Mass at the altar of St. Joseph, on the feast day of St. Joseph. We went up to the Cupola, went to adoration, and prayed where Pope John Paul II is buried. I had gelato one last time and then flew back to Madrid!

On Tuesday, a few of my roommates and I visited some beautiful rose gardens that are just a 10 minute walk from our apartment. It was a good study break!