here's my life for the past # of days..

HELLLLLO PEOLE! How is everyone doing? I’m doing really well. I’ve been in a rocky state of mind/mood for awhile now but today I am great! J I’m sorry this didn’t come up earlier, but it’s a long guy and they turn the internet off on Tuesday’s here! So, if anyone is on facebook, you have probably seen some of my pictures and such and you know that before I went on the 10 day pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, Hannah and I took a best friend trip to Interlaken, Switzerland (only 6 hours out of the way!) which is like the capital of the world for extreme sports! Here we participated in PARAGLIDINGGGGGG! It was amazing. The view, the rush, the peacefulness! It was TOTALLY worth every penny. (Hannah now doesn’t get a Christmas gift.. oh well!)

Anyways, besides paragliding over and around the Alps, Hannah and I just basically enjoyed ourselves in Switzerland. My suitcase broke as we were just climbing the steps from the train station in Interlaken.. so buying a new suitcase was not really in my budget.. but it’s okay! Now I have one of those fancy hard cased suitcases! And it’s lime green, just for you Mary Kantoski! Thank you for helping me find it!!

So we just walked around and hung out until I surprised her with the paragliding adventure.. our pilots spoke real good English and they were so fun to be around. It wasn’t even that scary, really! It was so peaceful, just sitting there in the little mesh seat type thing, soaring through the alps! To get better air at one point in time, my pilot took me in circles real fast, that was like the coolest part, besides landing which was also really cool! I got to steer the parachute thingy for a couple minutes, too! SO EPIC. It took about 20 mins total. After recovering from our adreline rush, we went to Gimmelwald, a very small little town which is legit nestled in the alps.. but since it wasn’t like open season.. all there was to do there was to swing on swings.. we did that for like 10 mins and then went back down to Interlaken for the best meal we’ve had so far: MEXICAAAAN. I swear, I am learning to eat so many different foods over here! I apparently like refried beans now? Yeah.. I don’t understand myself either, but I do! I got this chicken stuff w/ Mexican rice and refried beans and I literally cleared my plate. Yum yum yum! And then we got these crepes w/ alcohol on them and our waiter lit them on fiiiire! We went to bed and got up in the morning to train down to Rome to meet up w/ the school!

Nov 6^th: We got to Rome around 4 PM , met up w/ the TOR’s in the metro and got to the hotel .. we were both exhausted so we just crashed until dinner and then after dinner.. we crashed some more.

Nov 7^th: This is where Rome really started for us! Hahaha (: We had breakfast at the hotel and then headed over to the Vatican before high (Latin) mass at 10:30. I waited in line for a real long time to get into the tomb of the Popes, where I got to pray in front of a bunch of the Pope’s tombs, including JPII! :D I then waited in line for confession in the Basilica of St. Peter’s for 45 mins.. and like right before I got up there the priest said he was done taking people.. bumma! But then we had mass at 10:30, where there were at least 50 priests, deacons, bishops, and I believe a cardinal or two! Very epic.  Hannah and I metroed back to the hotel after this to eat the food we brought for lunch. (we like to save money, yupp) there was a tour of St. Peter’s that afternoon which was neat to hear all about the frescos and such in more depth, seeing the incorrupt body of Pope John 23^rd, and the Pieta! Which is beautiful by the way.. I just love Mary. We had dinner, which was the best of the meals throughout the 5 days or so we were there, and then we had a Holy Hour at the convent close by—dedicated to the Sacred Heart, yup!!—where I received the most amazing confession from my main man, Fr. Ron. I just adore the little turtle of a priest. He’s like a grandfather, friend, and priest all in one.. jolly really.

Nov 8^th: Today the rain started.. and it just never ended for the rest of our time in Rome.. we had a tour focused on Ancient Rome/Early Christianity.. so we obviously started at the Colosseum! I just love our faith, you know? Like.. we have been persecuted so much.. and still are.. and people are still so steadfast in their faith. AMAAZING! We also saw the Arch of Constantine-he was super-the Roman Forum, and a bunch of churches that included: one holding St. Peter’s chains that held him in prison (there were 2) and they miraculously fused together when they were being investigated! We saw Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the 4 Basicalla’s in Rome, this one containing what is believed to be what Christ was born in! very cool. We also saw the crucifix that St. Bridget received words from, and part of the column that Jesus was whipped on.. moving. We also prayed in front of about a million martyrs throughout the day, no exaggeration. Right before our break for lunch we went to a church that has 3 levels.. the bottom is like a living facility used a real long time ago w/ a stream running through it, the 2^nd level is a pagan church/temple, and the 3^rd(top) is a Catholic church! It was quite cool. Just so you know.. I wasn’t as moved in Rome as I was in Assisi, so this will be just a fly by for the most part! We had lunch and stuff and then we had free time, which to be honest.. I completely forget what I did for this time.. I apologize. We were to have mass at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.. I went to the church, which was beautiful-I got to pray in front of St. Paul’s tomb!! This is the 2^nd of the basicalla’s.. and I

decided instead of going to mass, I’d go outside of the city of Rome, by myself, to visit the site of St. Paul’s martyrdom because I really love St. Paul.. Not the best decision I’ve ever made. The way there was fine.. but when I finally got to the site, it was really dark out and I couldn’t really see what I was praying in front of (because it’s outside.. without lights?) and there were a lot of men that weren’t so friendly around.. I never held onto a rosary so tight in my life on the walk back to the metro, that’s for sure! I got back safely and ate dinner but then didn’t feel so hot from the dinner.. so I went right to bed.

Nov. 9^th: We started off the day w/ another tour.. more enjoyable/interesting to me than thefirst! It was pouring rain again but it was fun ( : Just some highlights for me, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and a bunch of churches that I don’t remember the names of.. but I remember the important things!! One had an image of Our Lady that saved the Romans in battle once (her eyes blinded the other side!) also in this one church was the marble sculpture of St. Teresa of Avila in Ecstasy. Talk about amazing?! The sculpture was based off of her writings in her diary I believe.. it was her being stabbed repeatedly by an angel for the salvation of souls.. as she’s in pain, she too is in ecstasy. She loves the Lordso much and she loves the suffering inflicted upon her. I just could apply this to my life so much.. my sickness that some believe to be spiritual just came right to mind and my depression/rocky past.. I just wanted to stay there and contemplate it for hours.. she was so happy and in love with Jesus!!! After that we went to this church that was decorated with Capuchin Friars legitimate bones. It was super creepy but kind of cool at the same time. There were 5 different chapels all decorated w/ around 500 friar’s bones, a couple were dressed up in habits! It was to tell the city of Rome, an expensive and fancy place at the time that no matter what you obtain on earth, everyone will end up like this. Very cool. The other church I fell in love with contained the Virgin of Childbirth.. if you know my family and I at all you’ll understand why I loved this so much. My mom had 13 miscarriages and I was blessed enough to be born completely natural of my two loving parents (in between 8 and 5). My mom obviously could not have any more children and  we were blessed to receive the gift of my sister, Riley, who was born (a miracle in itself) into a not so loving home.. and after a 3 ½ year custody battle, she’s ours! :D I just loved the Virgin and I prayed especially in thanksgiving for my own life and my sister’s.. and my mom because she’s an incredible woman to go through such things and still be so strong in her faith. There was also a statue of St. Anne, Mary, and the child Jesus.. also making me want to cry because of my family. This reminded me ofmygrandma, my mother, and myself (No, I’m not like Christ.. I just am in comparative genealogy!!) It just made me so thankful for the gift of my family, the faith passed on from my gram to my mom to me, just as St. Anne did to the Mother of God.  My grandma never gave up on my mom, who never gave up in having children, who when she received me, never gave up on me.. cool, huh? Yeah, I know.. I’m blessed. :D That afternoon was my Scavi Tour (it was not included in the price of the trip.. but I thought it was def. worth it) anyways, it’s an underground tour of St. Peter’s where excavations have taken place for the past 40 years or so on finding St. Peter’s tomb/body. It was really neat, we went real far underground and we had an awesome tour guide from America who was just a gem! After 45 mins or so and seeing lots of Pagan tombs that they uncovered, we saw his tomb! It was epic. I got to go  somewhere a lot of people do not get to see! After that I found some random Frannies and we found a bus to mass at Cosmos and Damian, which was really fun.  Dinner, holy hour, sleepy time. Next!

 Nov. 10^th: We woke up and left nice and early to go to the Papal Audience! We sat there for a good 3 hours.. waiting.. and waiting.. and waiting.. but then Pope Benedict came out and he spoke in like 8 different languages and it was AWESOME! :) Then I went shopping for some Vatican-y gifts and such.. we then had some free time and I yet again forget what I was doing but I do remember it was raining! At 2:45 we climbed the steps of Santa Scala, which are the steps that Jesus climbed to meet Pilate. It was really intense and beautiful. After that we had mass at St. John Lateran’s Basilica where a piece of the Last Supper table is! Very cool, very cool. After mass we had a tour of Santa Croce that contains relics of Christ, which was very awesome—there was a piece of the cross of Christ, a thorn of His crown of thorn, His name plate above the cross, a nail from the cross, and St. Thomas’ finger that touched the side of Christ. Dinner. Packed for leaving for the next day. Bed! : )

The next day(Nov. 11^th) we boarded the buses and were off to Assisi!! :D We got to Our Lady of the Angels, the city sort of underneath the hill of Assisi.. this is where the Portiuncula is! It was BEAUTIFUL. There was so much to see and so little time (which is why I went back later).. there was the Port, of course! And then the site of St. Francis’ death called the Transitus Chapel.. there is a statue of St. Francis that’s been there since the construction of the church and magically there are 2 doves that live in a basket attached to St. Francis’ arms-real doves! Just hanging out and living there.. so beautiful, such an example of his spirituality. There was a rose garden where Francis was tempted by the devil to roll in the thorns and when he did angels came down and miraculously made the roses never bear thorns anymore (still seen today!) After our 45 mins there, we went on a bus up to Assisi,it seriously looks like you went back in time.. it’s all made of stone, just so beautiful!!!! We  checked into our gorgeousssss hotel, where Hannah broke a door stopper, so funny. We explored a bit, and then went to mass at San Rufino. We went back to the hotel for dinny din, explored some more, had a holy hour, and went to bed.

Nov 12^th: We went to mass at Santa Chiara, St. Clare’s Basilica! This is where the San Daminao cross that spoke to Francis is located. Anyways..  I just fell in love with St. Clare. She was so intense and dedicated to Our Lord and Francis.. and just like left her family for Jesus, giving up all she had.. amazing. Anyways, after mass, we went down and saw a bunch of her and St. Francis’ relics (habits, books, etc) and then we saw her body and I got to pray in front of her all by myself for a bit.. it was so intense.  We had a tour of Assisi led by our TOR sisters!!!  This included a trip to San Damino church where St. Clare had her convent, there was a beautiful and intense crucifix, and she died there, too..so great.Woohoo! We had lunch and then we had a pilgrimage walk to Francis’ hermitage.. very physically demanding, but awesome. There was this gorgeous and peaceful statue of St. Francis just looking up into the sky. We had dinner and a FOP at like the smallest church.. ever but it was really good and probs one of my favorite FOP’s ever. (I’ll attach the emotions/spiritual stuff after the facts and figures!)

Nov. 13^th: We got up and went to the Basilica of St. Francis, where his body is located and numerous famous paintings! We had mass right in front of his tomb.. sooooo sick! And then we had a tour of  the church and surrounding areas of Francis’ life. After lunch me and some others walked down on a pilgrimage path back to the Port to pray and have some more time (: We then had mass at the tiny church where the FOP was.. we packed our bags, Jen and I drank some wine and enjoyed some Italian cartoons before heading to bed, and we awoke around 4:30AM to have breakfast and head back to the Kartause!

  

So as I’ve talked about this before, but it’s been made much more apparent in Assisi. I’ve only felt truly peaceful twice this semester.. once in Poland, where I had my first ‘attack’ or felt my sickness and the other time in Assisi in the Port.. that day/night/whole time there I was just awful. I not only skipped lunch once because of my physical illness but the spiritual and emotional torment I experienced was more than I thought I could handle. I thankfully was alone so I could work it out myself and I just asked Mary’s protection over me and she took care of it. Assisi was incredible and it taught me so much about myself. The whole 10 days really affirmed my spirituality of suffering. And instead of being upset about it anymore, I just embrace it w/ a smile. So many saints were stricken with things a million times worse, and I am no where close to being as holy as saints.. but I’m striving.. and that’s enough for the devil to dislike me. The day after I got back to the Kartause, we had off school.. I slept in and then went to mass about an hour early.. where the Lord honestly just took my heart and held it and put the biggest smile on my face ever. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around the difficulties of this semester. Everyone back on main campus rants and raves about Austria.. don’t get me wrong.. I’ve been so blessed and I’ve felt the Lord in so many different, beautiful, and holy places..but I’m ready to go home. I didn’t learn about myself through joy and happiness.. I learned more about myself through pure suffering.. some of it I inflicted upon myself through dumb mistakes and such.. but it’s mostly been a test of some sort from the Big Man upstairs.. and as hard as that is for me to understand, I’ve come to accept it and be happy about it.

Hannah and I are going to Amsterdam today just for the 2 day weekend.. we won’t even be sleeping there! Just in trains haha  (: We’ll see Anne Frank’s house and such and do NOTHING illegal, just so you know.. and then the weekend after that I’m surprisingly going to London, England with a group of girls I haven’t traveled with this semester.. so I’m pretty pumped about that!! ( : We’re going to see the Harry Potter premiere, too! Even though my obsession with Harry died about 7 years ago.. it’s still pretty awesome.

I love and miss all of you. Thank you for your continued prayers. I’ll see you in 20 days!!! :P

Erin