Impressions of Rome

I feel as if I'm in Africa...

Garbage paves the way as the bus drives us to and from campus. Often times, the scenery appears so desolate, so barren. It's looks almost poverty-stricken and, in most cases, it is. So many other times, it just amazes me. It's nothing what I expected, rather, so much more.

The cultural change is such a shock. Suddenly, I cannot smile at every man I pass for fear of implying otherwise. Suddenly, I cannot drink from a bottle. Instead, I must pour into a glass, water, wine, beer, or liquor, otherwise it's considered rude. Suddenly, I cannot, though I rather would not, walk into a Catholic church with very little clothing like most American women would. Suddenly, I have the freedom to buy liquor.

I'm sure a few of those things would of course be different in Africa. But there's one thing on that short list that I know for certain would be different anywhere: here I have access to the Infallible. Here I can come and sit before the incorrupt John the 23rd. I can pray before John Paul the Great. I can stand in awe before the grave of St. Peter himself.

No where else can a Catholic find such affirmation in the faith they are living than in a church so large and so beautiful and so full of admiration and respect for the glory of God, a church with so many altars that a Mass is being said almost every hour of every day, a church where peace is easier to find than pigeons and cats in the streets outside of it, a church that contains those men, the Fathers of our Church...the church. St. Peter's is THE church. And what makes St. Peter's stand out the most is just that, not it's size or beauty, but the sacred remains of those men.

I don't have that in America. I did not find that in Kologne, Germany in 2005 while there for the World Youth Day events and I'm certain Africa lacks the very same thing...

And suddenly I feel as if I'm in Rome.

Well, I'm back.

Despite my very long break from the blogging world, I am back to continue blogging.... School is all that's worth writing about, I suppose. That explains my three months of nothing to say this summer.

This semester, as I venture off to start my sophomore year at the University of Dallas, I'm headed off to Rome. One of the best aspects of an education at UD is their very own Rome Program. It's just like a simple study abroad program except it's exclusive to UD students. It's part of the Core Curriculum at UD for students to study western civilization and western theology tradition, so they take us over there for a semester to study in the heart of the western world and the heart of the Catholic Church.

About seven different courses are offered of which five are necessary for graduation at UD. My schedule is as follows: Literary Traditions III (in which we read a series of Greek tragedies and english plays), Wester Civilization I, Western Theology Tradition, Art and Architecture (where the school takes us on location to study Roman art and sculpture), Philosophy of Man, I believe. (I could be wrong about that last one. It's some sort of philosophy course.)

The truly remarkable aspect of this semester abroad is the deeper study of....life, the search for Truth in Europe, on foreign ground, in other cultures and other worlds. The curriculum of UD truly prepares a student for the search for Truth and a closer and deeper faith with God. So when they take the education over seas and challenge the students to discover something more, really the student cannot help but to begin to experience this search for Truth there, in the midst of their studies. So not only are they being prepared for the daunting yet extremely rewarding challenge of finding Truth, but they are able to dip there toes in the water, to test it out...and in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

I depart for my journey on August 27th. I'll keep you updated.

Pax vobiscum.