Longer than a Tourist

That is to say, Bekah pointed out yesterday that two weeks is about the longest that we would be here for a vacation, so we're hoping that the reality that we are still going to be in Rome for another 3.5 months kicks in at some point!  I think that having another week of a regular schedule will start solidifying that idea, though.

Since I last posted, we:

 - did outreach to the homeless with members of the Sant'Egidio community.  This was quite the cultural experience, from splitting the group up into cars with no organization whatsoever to being surrounded more fully by the language than ever before (only a couple people really spoke English), being driven by an Italian to walking through sketchy Italian neighborhoods, chatting with them (that is, the guy who spoke English) in a parking lot of trailers where many homeless live.  It was a humbling experience on many levels, as we got to feel what it is like to be the stranger and the one for whom they need to accommodate.  Their mission of befriending the poor was also very cool to see in action, especially since it seemed very unorganized and chaotic at first, but gradually came to make sense -- they got everyone to where they all needed to be; then they just sat and chatted in the parking lot, and that was okay. :)

 - took a day trip to Subiaco and Monte Casino.  This was both a prayerful experience (we had Mass at Subiaco -- so powerful to be praying in the very place that St. Benedict lived and prayed!) and a good community building time, what with all the time spent on the bus, eating lunch, walking around.

Here's the view from Monte Casino (the ride up was rather terrifying, but worth it at the top!):

Original statue of St. Benedict (much of the monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt many times):

(Just to clarify -- St. Benedict is the guy on the pedestal, not the guy on the ground.)

Saturday morning, Thanos and an Italian friend - Claudia - showed us around a nearby food market.  It's basically a glorified farmer's market, and so cool!  Can you spot the boars' heads in this picture?

(No, I did not bear them in hand, nor were they bedecked with rosemary - at least not to my knowledge.)

I hope that you have all had a wonderful weekend and will have a lovely week ahead!

 - Emily