OK... I'm still kind of in shock and I don't know where to begin... but GUYS I SAW THE POPE!! From a distance of 20-25'!
It was absolutely incredible. Jeremy and Ashley and I woke up at 5 to make our somewhat dark way down to the bus with Leo's dad-- who drove us and tried to refuse payment. When I say "the bus" it should actually be plural, as the diocese had chartered six of them. And by 6:30 we were on our way to Assisi.
After a 45-minute walk from the parking lot, we were taking our places in the square in front of Saint Mary of the Angels at 8:30. And then we waited as it slowly filled up. Francis' speeches at various chapels were broadcast live, and there were various activities to keep us entertained, but mostly we socialized-- half the youth of Todi was there! And I even got to see all of my friends from Perugia, which was an added bonus.
We had Mass at three-ish, by which time there were 40,000 youth crowded in from all over Umbria. Communion was more of a crush than ever, but it was a very friendly crush at least. The announcement that we had all been waiting for finally came: "Pope Francis is on his way!" Insane cheering.
And then he was there in his Popemobile, security guards jogging alongside. We watched on the screens as he got closer and closer (delayed on the way by all the kisses he gave to babies), and then he was there, right in front of us! I felt delirious with joy as I saw him beaming at us and blessing us... honestly, I have never felt my heart so full in my life! I wanted-- and did-- hug everyone in sight, and they hugged me, and we wiped each other's tears away.
Francis made his way up to the church, kissing all the disabled children on the way, and rested inside for a moment of private prayer, reciprocated by every teen in the piazza. And then he came out and gave us the most beautiful speech that I can't even attempt to recount, but I promise to post a translation as soon as possible. But we were all crying.
The most beautiful part, though, was the visible effect afterwards. There was a sort of fraternity on the bus on the way back that hadn't been there before, and at school the next day we all greeted each other with wide smiles and open hearts. It's official: Pope Francis has a contagious joy about him that he gives to all he meets, and once received one is never the same. God bless.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Assisi and the Pope
I don't usually like waking up early in the morning but this time it was worth it. Eleanor, Jeremy and I got to go to Assisi to see the Pope!
We got picked up by Leonardo's dad and he took us to where all the buses were. We got there and it was super-crowded with kids all over the place. After lots of searching we found our buses and loaded onto them, did the name check, etc. Finally we drove to Assisi and got off there. Then the huge group of us walked several miles to our destination. It was so crowded! It started to rain and our legs were tired from walking, but we got there and there were thousands of people already waiting in the grassy areas listening to the speaker and music that were provided. Then we walked around and hung out with friends for hours. Waiting and waiting for the big moment. I stayed with many of my different groups of friends and we played games or joined in with the dancing that was shown on the stage. There were so many people that you could not find anyone particular person from Todi after about two hours unless you called them. Finally the time came. We were all crowding, pushing up against the gates, trying to see him. Yes, the Pope. I, being short, had trouble seeing over everyone's heads and only got a couple of minutes' glance but that was still amazing.
The Pope came up to the stage and the cathedral and blessed many children who were disabled. It was very touching. You could see up on the screens how happy people were to touch the Pope or to get a kiss on the cheek by him.
After all the celebrations, etc. we headed back home. It was a great experience being there with 40,000 other people to see the Pope.
Love, Ashley
We got picked up by Leonardo's dad and he took us to where all the buses were. We got there and it was super-crowded with kids all over the place. After lots of searching we found our buses and loaded onto them, did the name check, etc. Finally we drove to Assisi and got off there. Then the huge group of us walked several miles to our destination. It was so crowded! It started to rain and our legs were tired from walking, but we got there and there were thousands of people already waiting in the grassy areas listening to the speaker and music that were provided. Then we walked around and hung out with friends for hours. Waiting and waiting for the big moment. I stayed with many of my different groups of friends and we played games or joined in with the dancing that was shown on the stage. There were so many people that you could not find anyone particular person from Todi after about two hours unless you called them. Finally the time came. We were all crowding, pushing up against the gates, trying to see him. Yes, the Pope. I, being short, had trouble seeing over everyone's heads and only got a couple of minutes' glance but that was still amazing.
The Pope came up to the stage and the cathedral and blessed many children who were disabled. It was very touching. You could see up on the screens how happy people were to touch the Pope or to get a kiss on the cheek by him.
After all the celebrations, etc. we headed back home. It was a great experience being there with 40,000 other people to see the Pope.
Love, Ashley
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Genius revealed
Time for a Saturday haircut...after deliberation, we thought that it would help Alby to be able to see where he was going. Solution? Cut off his fringe.
He looks even more like his namesake than ever!
Love,
Alexandra
Love,
Alexandra
Scarpia was one bad dude
Last night, Michael & I had the opportunity to go see Tosca. The children were not invited this time, because the tickets were unusually expensive (30 euros each); on the other hand, I expected an even better production than usual.
Our evening schedule went something like this:
8:00 Went to get Michael from work
8:10 Started dinner (soup)
8:20 Changed into clothes
8:27 Left the house
8:29 Were seated in 6th row (center aisle) seats
And, of course, we went home during the intermissions.
The production was really first-class. The Cavaradossi (tenor, which I often don't enjoy) was fantastic. If he's not already well-known, he likely will be. Now, I'd be happy to tell you who he was, but I didn't pay attention to the playbill. Tosca was lovely and very controlled & unshrill. Of course, Puccini did a good job in this score of not really slamming us with the high notes that make some of us ache.
And Scarpia? Evil. I was thrilled to see the end of him. Which of course means that he was played well.
The sets were really nice, and took advantage of the height of the stage. The costumes were period (some seemed a bit older than the 1800s setting, but at least they hadn't tried to reduce costs going the "minimalist modern" route that some productions do).
The theatre can hold about 800, I think. We did not have a full house (the top row of boxes is under renovation at the moment), but we were well over half full. Every box had at least 3 people in it (holding 6), and the floor seats were full. The fun part? We got to see a pile of people we knew & catch up with some we hadn't seen for a while. The other fun part? The audience was at least one-third "young" people...which doesn't just mean I'm getting old. I mean teenagers, in school, young. I saw some of them on dates, not just along with their families! It was really neat to see the next generation of opera-lovers in the making.
Oh, and the children? Leo went to pick them up from swimming (Florence) and the train-station (pilgrims). James stayed home and watched All Creatures Great and Small.
Love,
Alexandra
Our evening schedule went something like this:
8:00 Went to get Michael from work
8:10 Started dinner (soup)
8:20 Changed into clothes
8:27 Left the house
8:29 Were seated in 6th row (center aisle) seats
And, of course, we went home during the intermissions.
The production was really first-class. The Cavaradossi (tenor, which I often don't enjoy) was fantastic. If he's not already well-known, he likely will be. Now, I'd be happy to tell you who he was, but I didn't pay attention to the playbill. Tosca was lovely and very controlled & unshrill. Of course, Puccini did a good job in this score of not really slamming us with the high notes that make some of us ache.
And Scarpia? Evil. I was thrilled to see the end of him. Which of course means that he was played well.
The sets were really nice, and took advantage of the height of the stage. The costumes were period (some seemed a bit older than the 1800s setting, but at least they hadn't tried to reduce costs going the "minimalist modern" route that some productions do).
The theatre can hold about 800, I think. We did not have a full house (the top row of boxes is under renovation at the moment), but we were well over half full. Every box had at least 3 people in it (holding 6), and the floor seats were full. The fun part? We got to see a pile of people we knew & catch up with some we hadn't seen for a while. The other fun part? The audience was at least one-third "young" people...which doesn't just mean I'm getting old. I mean teenagers, in school, young. I saw some of them on dates, not just along with their families! It was really neat to see the next generation of opera-lovers in the making.
Oh, and the children? Leo went to pick them up from swimming (Florence) and the train-station (pilgrims). James stayed home and watched All Creatures Great and Small.
Love,
Alexandra
Friday, October 4, 2013
Only the Beginning...
Well, this is now our third week of school and I'm already wanting my summer break back.
I have just started going to the language school and I have French, English, Latin, Spanish, Italian, Math, Science, Religion, History and Geography, P.E., and I think that's about it, but I'm still not sure. There are 19 of us in my class but I already knew seven of my classmates before it even started.
I have don't have any teachers who teach me two different subjects this year (except history and geography), but for some subjects I have more than one teacher. For example, I have a French teacher who always brings her young assistant and they give us tons of homework and we do many exercises with them in class. Then I also have a French teacher who just comes and talks to us only in French. Yeah, sometimes it does get a bit confusing...
My easiest subject would be English, of course. I have an Australian teacher and she seems to really like me. I think mostly because I seem willing to help her when she wants me to. I am her assistant. I write a ton of phrases and words on the whiteboard for her, I read out passages to the class, I answer harder questions that the class doesn't understand, I pronounce words to everyone about a billion times with my American accent, I help plan out homework and activities when the teacher asks me what I think would be best, etc. Other times I nearly fall asleep from boredom.
I love the P.E. lessons. Well, actually so far I've only had P.E. twice. The first time we practically did nothing because it was the first day for that subject and we each had to introduce ourselves like we did with all our teachers. My teacher is great though! He is strict and would not put up with anything joking or just teenage humor, but that's not why I like him... I like him because he makes us work but he knows what is the right amount for each of us. He knows the techniques and sports well too. In my last lesson with him, we went up to the gym at the other school (the one that Eleanor goes to). We had to go through town and there were people trying to take pictures of our class ( I'm really not sure why) but he didn't pay much attention to them. Then we changed and practiced some volleyball movements and passes etc. He corrected me when I did it wrong or didn't understand, but he wasn't mean or rude. He was understanding. Anyway, it's hard to explain exactly but I think he's a great teacher so far.
Spanish is difficult but I like the language. The teacher is nice, when the class is behaving, but she loves to interrogate us constantly so we have to know what we've been studying. If you don't know what you need to have memorized or just in your head, she isn't as nice. My Spanish teacher is an animal lover and I personally think she kind of looks like a cat. She's short and skinny, tan and has curly dark-red hair. I think she's a pretty good teacher.
I don't really like math, science, history and geography, or Italian though. Math, science and history are my worst subjects, by the way. Anyway, I don't really care for the teachers and I just don't like the subjects and never have. Geography would be fine except for the fact that I have to do it and history almost like one subject because that's how my teacher teaches them.
Latin is the one I can't tell you about though and that's because I still haven't had any Latin lessons. We usually get a free hour, in which we do nothing in class, or we get our an hour earlier when we have Latin because the teacher is out of town. I'm not sure why, but all I know is that it's something important and that I don't even know the teacher yet. I'll update you all when I start my Latin!!!
Religion is also another subject that I like. I have Father Ricardo as my teacher and he is awesome!!! He's great with everyone and understanding, good at acting, and funny when he wants to be. So far I've only had him for one lesson because he couldn't come the first time, but I know him from other activities out of school and I really like him. Also the great thing is that he mostly knows my Italian speaking level. He knows I'm not fluent but he speaks slowly and if I don't understand, he is good at explaining stuff. I'm sure I can learn a lot from him this year.
So far, I like my school, but mostly at break time. After the second period we have ten minutes of break and that's when I can go around and talk to my friends and see some of my old classmates from last year too! It's not much time, but at least I can get out of my chair and have a bit of break from working my brain. I bet most of you already know this but, yes, I am a total extravert.
Well this is only the beginning of school and I'm sure I'm going to get loads more homework and tests as the year goes on, but hopefully it won't be too hard. I've already had an Italian test and on Thursday I have an English test. Then next Spanish lesson my teacher is going to start interrogating people more and grading them.
I have just started going to the language school and I have French, English, Latin, Spanish, Italian, Math, Science, Religion, History and Geography, P.E., and I think that's about it, but I'm still not sure. There are 19 of us in my class but I already knew seven of my classmates before it even started.
I have don't have any teachers who teach me two different subjects this year (except history and geography), but for some subjects I have more than one teacher. For example, I have a French teacher who always brings her young assistant and they give us tons of homework and we do many exercises with them in class. Then I also have a French teacher who just comes and talks to us only in French. Yeah, sometimes it does get a bit confusing...
My easiest subject would be English, of course. I have an Australian teacher and she seems to really like me. I think mostly because I seem willing to help her when she wants me to. I am her assistant. I write a ton of phrases and words on the whiteboard for her, I read out passages to the class, I answer harder questions that the class doesn't understand, I pronounce words to everyone about a billion times with my American accent, I help plan out homework and activities when the teacher asks me what I think would be best, etc. Other times I nearly fall asleep from boredom.
I love the P.E. lessons. Well, actually so far I've only had P.E. twice. The first time we practically did nothing because it was the first day for that subject and we each had to introduce ourselves like we did with all our teachers. My teacher is great though! He is strict and would not put up with anything joking or just teenage humor, but that's not why I like him... I like him because he makes us work but he knows what is the right amount for each of us. He knows the techniques and sports well too. In my last lesson with him, we went up to the gym at the other school (the one that Eleanor goes to). We had to go through town and there were people trying to take pictures of our class ( I'm really not sure why) but he didn't pay much attention to them. Then we changed and practiced some volleyball movements and passes etc. He corrected me when I did it wrong or didn't understand, but he wasn't mean or rude. He was understanding. Anyway, it's hard to explain exactly but I think he's a great teacher so far.
Spanish is difficult but I like the language. The teacher is nice, when the class is behaving, but she loves to interrogate us constantly so we have to know what we've been studying. If you don't know what you need to have memorized or just in your head, she isn't as nice. My Spanish teacher is an animal lover and I personally think she kind of looks like a cat. She's short and skinny, tan and has curly dark-red hair. I think she's a pretty good teacher.
I don't really like math, science, history and geography, or Italian though. Math, science and history are my worst subjects, by the way. Anyway, I don't really care for the teachers and I just don't like the subjects and never have. Geography would be fine except for the fact that I have to do it and history almost like one subject because that's how my teacher teaches them.
Latin is the one I can't tell you about though and that's because I still haven't had any Latin lessons. We usually get a free hour, in which we do nothing in class, or we get our an hour earlier when we have Latin because the teacher is out of town. I'm not sure why, but all I know is that it's something important and that I don't even know the teacher yet. I'll update you all when I start my Latin!!!
Religion is also another subject that I like. I have Father Ricardo as my teacher and he is awesome!!! He's great with everyone and understanding, good at acting, and funny when he wants to be. So far I've only had him for one lesson because he couldn't come the first time, but I know him from other activities out of school and I really like him. Also the great thing is that he mostly knows my Italian speaking level. He knows I'm not fluent but he speaks slowly and if I don't understand, he is good at explaining stuff. I'm sure I can learn a lot from him this year.
So far, I like my school, but mostly at break time. After the second period we have ten minutes of break and that's when I can go around and talk to my friends and see some of my old classmates from last year too! It's not much time, but at least I can get out of my chair and have a bit of break from working my brain. I bet most of you already know this but, yes, I am a total extravert.
Well this is only the beginning of school and I'm sure I'm going to get loads more homework and tests as the year goes on, but hopefully it won't be too hard. I've already had an Italian test and on Thursday I have an English test. Then next Spanish lesson my teacher is going to start interrogating people more and grading them.
It pays to be a member
My first stop this morning was to the Cantina Tudernum, our local wine shop in Ponte Rio. I am a member of the "frequent buyers" club. It's always been unclear to me exactly what it was worth to me, but I had the impression that at some point I'd get a discount on a future purchase.
At checkout, the lady told me that it was time for my "premio" (reward). Expecting a discount on the bottle I'd purchased, I asked what the premio actually was. The response?
At checkout, the lady told me that it was time for my "premio" (reward). Expecting a discount on the bottle I'd purchased, I asked what the premio actually was. The response?
No, these aren't the standard "gas pump" wines. These are the premium labels for the most part.
hic
Alexandra
On the road again!
Then again, maybe not...my hair's not quite as long.
But the good news is, I now have my driver's license!!!
Guess what I'm going to do today?
Love,
Alexandra
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