Reflections & Farewells (GL 350)

     This blog marks our final week here in Italy. I can't believe I'm saying that. It seems only yesterday I was packing my suitcases with my cat trying to sneak in it, or saying goodbye to all of my friends and family before leaving. These past eight weeks have been amazing and I've had the time of my life. Within the past two months, I've had so many firsts and I can also check off numerous things on my bucket list, which makes me very excited.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

     Last Wednesday was definitely one that I've been looking forward to since we've arrived in Italy and can easily be one of my favorite experiences here. We saw none other than His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI at the Papal audience. The night before at dinner, Danilo had told us we didn't get good tickets and might not have a good view of the Pope, only to find out later that he had gotten VIP tickets which allowed us to sit in the second row. People from all over the world and of all different ages and backgrounds come to see the pope, which is amazing. It was an unbelievable experience and even though he spoke in seven different languages, I listened to every word. At the beginning of the papal audience, different groups who are in the audience are announced and I'll never forget the moment when Walsh University was announced. We all stood up and cheered, very happy to be a part of the ceremony, if only for a moment.
     Last week, we also took a train ride to the town of Nettuno. This city, by the Tyrrhenian Sea is home to the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial. It was a beautiful day and very cool to visit this cemetery. It felt like we were in America, with the names of Americans on gravestones and American flags waving. It definitely made me realize how proud I am to be from America and I'm glad we got to see the cemetery. In Nettuno, we also visited the church which is dedicated to Saint Maria Goretti and had class on the rocks on the beach.

American Cemetery in Nettuno

Amy, Aimee, Sydney and I in London 

      For our last weekend in Europe, Amy, Aimee, Sydney and I decided to travel to London, somewhere I had always wanted to go. It was incredible. We got to see Big Ben, London Bridge, Shakespeare's globe and a British production of Wicked, rode the London Eye and ate fish and chips. It was great. Then, on Sunday, our journey home turned out to be rather frustrating. First of all, we slept through breakfast at our hostel (which is never a good sign). After being kicked off of a bus to take us to the airport because we didn't have online tickets, we had to rent a taxi which was 3x more expensive, but it was our last resort since we could not miss our flight. We did end up catching our flight and returning to campus on time for dinner though. And though we had a slight mishap in our returning journey, it was a great weekend and I definitely would want to visit London in the future.
     As our reading of The Talented Mr. Ripley comes to an end, I found it to be quite interesting. While reading about the places he's been, and having been there also, made the reading experience more enjoyable. I also found the reason that Mr. Ripley is so "talented." "His stories were good becaus he imagined them intensely, so intensely that he came to believe them." He lies and makes up stories so detailed and precisely that he believes them himself. But, as we know, Tom Ripley lives on.
Ciao!