| Thursday, October 22, 2009 |
| Rome preparation update |
Two fun news bits regarding Rome:
1) I’ve got my information for how to get an Italian visa!!! :) My plan is to get it sometime next month (you have to apply about 90 days before, but no earlier), so then I can have that out of the way! :)
2) I just made my first Rome facebook friend!!! Her name’s Emily, and it turns out that she knows Adam! It never ceases to amaze me how small the world is, or even more specifically, how small the Catholic world can be. I’m starting to buy into the 6 degrees of separation theory. :) But either way, I’m so excited to have met (well, “met”) someone!! I’m going to pray for her now…and my other yet-to-be-met Rome-mates!Labels: pre-Rome, Rome-mates |
posted by Kristin @ 11:03 AM  |
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| Tuesday, October 20, 2009 |
| Pitt's trip to Rome... |
...is apparently a go!!!!! :-D
Though, it'll be students organizing it, not the priests. But still, it makes me happy!!! :-DLabels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 9:08 AM |
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| Friday, October 16, 2009 |
| More paperwork! :) |
I got papers for housing, classes, and roommate assignment today! :)
And it occurred to me…I should be praying not only for my future Bernardians (for whom I have already begun to pray, that we may all grow in love for Christ and for each other while we’re there :-D)…I should be praying for my specific roommate(s) especially. After all, I will be spending 4 months with people I don’t know right now. I might as well entrust them to the One who already knows them and knows them best out of anybody. :)
Especially since I don’t know anyone in the program, and it seems like everyone else will know at least one person (I think the only other people besides those from St. Thomas go to Notre Dame), I’m sort of nervous, yet very excited, to meet my fellow Bernardi residents!
Oh, and I think I’ve decided not to go to St. Paul. The money would be much better used elsewhere later in the year, so I’m saving the money and not flying. And as Maria said, I’ll know them soon enough in Rome. Speaking of Maria, she said she’s staying by the Pantheon next semester, and she’s going to visit me at Bernardi! I’m so excited! :)Labels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 4:03 PM |
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| Thursday, October 8, 2009 |
| Breakfast, baseball, bars, and Barbara :) |
I just had my first hot breakfast in about three weeks, and it was sooooo good! I bought a ham, egg, and cheese bagel from the cafeteria at work because I was somewhat in a rush this morning as I was leaving my house. Somehow, even though I managed to pick up Mini-Muffins for after Mass, the fact that I was rushing (and therefore stressed) somehow entitles me to a bagel in my mind. :-P
Though, I just realized, the fact that I’ve been eating a small breakfast on-the-go will probably help me for next semester. As I discovered last time I was in Rome, Italians eat a small breakfast of some sort of bread or muffins and juice or milk. We found that out after our first day there, when Sr. Claudia (one of the nuns at the convent where we stayed) noticed we were devouring our bread and let us know what Italian breakfasts are like. Since a nice, hot breakfast is pretty much my favorite meal (it doesn’t matter what it is-- eggs and bacon, pancakes, waffles, French toast, what have you…I love it), I’m going to need to adjust to Italian culture. So even though I haven’t made my own scrambled eggs in weeks, I guess it’s for the best in the long run. :)
…and following up on the last post—didn’t watch the Twins last night, but sad that they lost.
…and did you know that there’s a Steelers bar in Rome??? Barbara and I are DEFINITELY going there sometime!!!
Oh yeah, I should “introduce” you to Barbara! :) Barbara is my neighbor 2 blocks down from home who goes to Duquesne University. I found out this summer that she’s going to Rome next spring too through her school! Praise the Lord! The fact that she was going to Rome too, planned completely separately from my trip, was also proof to me that God was providing for me to go. At the point she told me she was going, I was terrified of being alone in my faith while in Rome (of course, we’re never truly alone, but I’ve come to deeply appreciate faith in the context of community--I know that God gives us each other so that we may remain faithful to Him and grow in love for one another), and the fact that she was going assured me that I’d have at least one Catholic friend there and encouraged me to finish my applications. Thank God for His Providence! Now, I get to share some of Rome with her too! :)Labels: pre-Rome, Rome-mates |
| posted by Kristin @ 9:06 AM |
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| Wednesday, October 7, 2009 |
| TWINS WIN!!! :-D |
THE TWINS WON LAST NIGHT!!!! :-D
I went to the Newman Center yesterday, and the Tigers vs. Twins game, the tiebreaker for the AL Central Division title, happened to be on the TV. I decided to embrace the city of my future Alma Mater of sorts and root for the Twins. I've never really followed the AL, and since there will likely be very little contact with my favorite NL team (which I hope will finish its losing streak soon lol), there'd be no problem with the Twins becoming my favorite AL team. :)
WHAT A GAME for any fan, new or old!!! You can't watch a game like that and not get into it. Everyone there was on the edge of his or her seat, especially once the game hit extra innings, even though none of them really cared which team won. (Well, besides me. :-D) I'm just glad the game ended before my 10 PM Holy Hour. In the 9th inning, I was joking that I might have to leave the game for Holy Hour. By the 12th, I realized that I probably shouldn't have joked. :-P Luckily, the game finished with the TWINS victorious, closing out their last season at the Metrodome triumphantly!
...Oh yeah, this does NOT mean I am rooting for the Vikings too. PITTSBURGH STEELERS ALL THE WAY!!!!!
Just figured I should clarify that. :)Labels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 11:36 AM |
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| Tuesday, October 6, 2009 |
| For future reference... |
Maria's awesome webpage!
http://laystudentsinrome.googlepages.com/
I posted this on here for my future reference--in case I should need to use anything in her resources.
I'm so thankful that she's going to be in Rome finishing her thesis while I'm there. :)Labels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 12:56 PM |
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| Monday, October 5, 2009 |
| Should I stay or should I go? |
I'm DYING to meet my fellow Bernardi residents for next semester!!!
But...
The plane ticket to St. Paul, Minnesota for Rome orientation will be $282 round trip. That's a lot of money, considering I could probably use that to go to London, Florence to visit Jen, or Paris to visit Caitlin and Adam about four months from now. WOW....from a mere thought in my junior year of high school to a reality. In four months. WOW.
I still feel like I want to go to St. Paul though. I'd love to see the Cathedral too, especially now that it's a National Shrine to St. Paul.
So you just got to let me knowwww...should I stay or should I goooo? :)Labels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 2:43 PM |
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| Thursday, October 1, 2009 |
| EXCITED!!! |
SUCH EXCITING NEWS!!!
I just found out that the Newman Center group may be going to Rome for Spring Break!!!! AHHH SO EXCITED!!!
Michelle and Joanna mentioned the possibility to Fr. Mike on Monday or Tuesday. They went during my senior year of high school, and they hoped to go every two or three years, but they haven’t done one since I’ve been going to Pitt. He’s totally ready and willing to do it this year, but he’s just not sure what the interest is. From what I hear, a lot of people would really like to go, and Michelle and Joanna are ready to jump on board right now. I really, really, REALLY hope more people sign onto the trip!! It’ll be one month into my stay, so it’ll be right around the time when I’m settling in, and probably right around the time when I’ll start missing Pittsburgh, so it’d be great to have a little bit of Pittsburgh come to me. :)
It’s seriously going to burst my bubble if this doesn’t happen…I mean, I’ll still have an awesome time in Rome regardless, but it’d be SO nice to share a little bit of the Rome experience with them too!Labels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 8:24 AM |
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| Monday, September 28, 2009 |
| Called to Rome |
I think it's beautiful how God has gotten rid of pretty much every barrier I've put up as to why I shouldn't go to Rome. Though I've wanted to go for so long, I found that I was scared of being there for so long in a way, so when the opportunity came up, I still rationalized as to why I shouldn't go. But God has walked me through my fears and concerns in wonderful ways, and I am now more confident that He is truly calling me there.
For example, I was so afraid of being in a secular program without a Catholic community, and I couldn't find a non-school-specific program through a Catholic school. But thanks to Maria Colonna and lots of prayer, I found the University of St. Thomas Bernardi campus! :)
When I applied, they only had one slot left for the trip. I almost got discouraged--it was supposed to be for Catholic Studies majors, which I was not. It was supposed to be for St. Thomas students, which I was not. But I applied anyway, and prayed for God's Will. And that one slot opened up to me.
Then, I didn't think I'd have enough money to go. I was making plans to dip into my savings, to extend my working hours during the school year, to get another job next summer, to do whatever I needed to do in order to pay for it. But this co-op opportunity popped up almost literally at the last moment. Now, I've got the co-op, and I've got a way to pay for the trip, praise God! And I'll have a job when I get back, too, so I can replenish the savings account, if necessary.
God has been so good to me, opening the doors for me to get here. There's only one thing which I am still concerned about--missing my family and friends back home. But as my friends have often reminded me, sometimes God has to call us out of our comfort zones, call us away from what is familiar, to get us to draw closer to Him. He has taken me so far; therefore, I go forward trusting in Him, and even though I will miss my family and friends, they will be in my thoughts and prayers constantly throughout the semester, and I know God will be with them as well.Labels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 9:52 PM |
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| Thursday, September 24, 2009 |
| From the Three Rivers to the Tiber |
From the Three Rivers to the Tiber.
That’s where I’m going to be traveling in a few months. I’m going to be going from my dear hometown of Pittsburgh to the Eternal City, Rome, the capital of my Faith here on earth, so that I may explore a city which has inspired me with awe for several years. Here I will go to learn more about Our Lord and His Church and to see those areas in which His followers have lived, died, visited, and proclaimed His Gospel for two thousand years. While I am there, I will learn about both ancient cultures and the Church alive today. I am going as a student, to enrich my mind with new information, but also as a pilgrim, eager to grow in mind, heart, and spirit. I thank God for this opportunity—He has opened this opportunity for me in such amazing ways, and I am confident that it is His Will for me to go because He has provided the means for me every step of the way.
This blog is for all of you, my friends and family, who want to follow my preparations to go abroad and my adventures while I am there. Since I want to keep in touch with so many of you and share my trip with you, this is one of the easiest ways to do so. Feel free to comment whenever you can—especially once I leave in February, I would love to hear from you!
God bless you now and always!Labels: pre-Rome |
| posted by Kristin @ 8:45 AM |
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| About Me |
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Name: Kristin
Home: Pittsburgh, PA, United States
About Me: Seeking my true Fatherland as I travel this spiritual journey with Our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope, with the help of God, to follow in the example of the saints and strive for holiness.
See my complete profile
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