Come ti chiami?

Mi chiamo Amanda.  This first of classes has been so great!  It's so cool that we get to use Rome as a classroom.  Most of my classes take place in the city visiting different churches and exploring the city.  This week has been so much about attempting to learn and speak Italian, drinking wine, going to the beach and visiting churches!  

The Pantheon!

Jeremy and I at the Trevi Fountain

My italian class at Italiaidea has actually been really great.  I am learning so much in a short amount of time.  I have it three times a week for two hours each day.  Everyone in the class is a beginner, so we are all learning together.  Our teacher Letizia only speaks to us in Italian.  At first it was very difficult to understand her, but its become much easier.  We get to play a lot of games, which is helping me learn.  The class is different than any other language class I have ever had.  In most of my classes in middle and high school we learn how to conjugate verbs and talk in different tenses.  At Italiaidea we are learning how to have conversations and to practically use Italian.    

The food has continued to be amazing!!  Everything from veggie pizza to pesto gnocchi (my favorite so far) and prosciutto to nutella.  This week we came to the realization that sometimes it is hard to eat pizza, pasta, and panini's all the time, so we ventured out to have Chinese food.  One of the boys from CUA Jeremy is Filipino and has been craving rice, so he literally eat every bit of his three heaping plates of shrimp fried rice.  The best part of the meal was that it was so cheap!  Only 5 Euro!  Deal!  We have also been having a lot of wine!  I definitely love wine!  At first I wasn't so sure about it, but it make that meal!  

Happy Feast Day St. Monica!

Relic of the manger at Santa Maria Maggiore

My favorite part of being in Rome has been the incredible religious sites and experiences I have had here.  It crazy that I have only been here for a little over a week and I have been to the burial sites of the relics of six saints and relics of the manger from Jesus' birth.  We saw St. Paul last week at St. Paul's Outside the Walls, in my Liturgical Art and Architecture class we went to the Church of the Apostles where Saints Phillip and James relics are buried.  For my Christology class we went to Santa Maria Maggiore were St. Jerome's relics are and where the relics of the manger are.  Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four Papal basilicas in Rome and it was gorgeous!  We also went to St. Augustine's on the feast day of Saint Monica and celebrated mass there, where here relics are buried.  And finally on Sunday we went to Saint Silvestre where the relic of St. John the Baptist's head is.  It has been a week of Saints on Saints on Saints!  

On Saturday we went to the beach-each (thank Nikki Minaj).  We took a regional train to Santa Marinella about and hour outside of Rome.  It was really cloudy and overcast, but Rylee and I decided to make the best of it and nap on the beach!  The town was so quant, so I'd say it was a success!

Santa Marinella

Ry and I at the beach

This week coming up should be one full of excitement as well!  Tomorrow we are going to St. Peter's Basilica (more saints on saints) for my Liturgy class and its Rylee's boyfriend Tim, who is also study abroad in Rome, birthday!  Happy 21st Tim!!  This weekend we are going to Castelli Romani where the Pope has his summer home!  We also have gotten our tickets and hostel for Cinque Terre in two weeks!  I will keep you updated on our Fall Break plans and Roma!  For more pictures check out my Facebook page!

Much love!