Sunday, September 24, 2006
Sunday September 24th
Well let me backtrack and fill you in on Saturday. Saturday was a roller coaster of a day. I went from feeling really sad to really happy and then back again a couple of times. I guess the homesickness is still there. I mean, it will never really go away and I just need to find ways of dealing with it better than just trying to stifle it. Later in the night I talked with both Andrew and my Aunt Theresa and that was really helpful. I think that being sad is fine and normal, but my problem is that I try to keep it all inside and that is no good. That just makes it worse...plus it makes my back hurt. I really need a massage right now...
But anyway, on Saturday morning I went with my friend Amanda to Santa Maria Maggiore, a beautiful church, one of the four most well known basilicas in Roma. I took some cool pictures, but I don't think that they will do it justice. The ceiling was this incredibly ornate gold leafed monstrosity and there were numerous chapels and such that were just as fancy. But the greatest and most impressive thing, which unfortunately I was unable to get a good picture of, was the huge mosaic on the ceiling of the central dome. It was so beautiful, I think that I stared at it for at least 10 minutes. All of the little pieces were glittering in the light that was filtering through the stained glass and it looked like there were metallic pieces as well. Oh also, there was a crypt that supposedly held pieces of baby Jesus' crib which was pretty cool to think about. Then we went to a second church, Mary of the Angels and Martyrs that was a different kind of beautiful. This one was not a ornate but it still was very grand simply due to its size. The Baths of Ciocletian were also incoporated into this church and so we were able to check out the remains of that. They were so out of place though that it was difficult to imagine what the bath was actually like. Okay, then we went to one of my favorite gelato places for lunch...its called Blue Ice on Via Sistina (in case anyway is planning on visiting Roma ever).
walnut: This was an interesting choice and I didn't know what to expect. It was very creamy and distinct, but I wasn't wowed. 2.5/5
Pinenut and Almond: This was actually very good. It was a vanilla base with nuts and caramel in it. I really enjoyed it. 4/5
After that I just went to the school and did some stuff on the internet. When I got home I cooked dinner, which was an adventure worth mentioning. Here is the situation- all we have in our room is silverware, a strainer, a cutting board and 2 pots. I tried to cook chicken in the pot and it was a big mistake. What happened was that the chicken and the oil that I was cooking it in actually burst into flames. I put the cutting board over the pot to quench the flames but I soon realized that since it is wood it might also catch on fire. So I removed it and pulled the pot off of the burner. thank god the stupid chicken was cooked by then.
Oh, and then before I went to bed I watched Love Actually with some friends and let me tell you that that movie is great. It was a real pick-me-up, just what I needed.
And that leads me to today...which all in all was a much better day emotionally for me. I went to the Porta Portese market with Ivona, Rachel, Amanda, and Kristin. It was kind of hellish actually. Imagine a street with tents on both sides plus people trying to sell things in the middle of the street and then add about 80,000 people trying to shop. It was very difficult to try to stay together and I was stressed most of the time. But, I think that it could have been fun if I were by myself or with only one other person. I will probably go back and actually do some shopping another time. We didn't even get to see the whole thing, only the clothing and shoes section.
The other major thing that I did today is go for a run. Now, you are probably all thinking that I am lying right now, because as you know, I hate to run. But...I wanted to relieve some stress and I thought that that might be a good way. Now don't go telling people that I ran a couple miles or anything like that. I just jogged for a bit around the gardens at Villa Borghese. :P
So thats all for now, I have an intense class schedule tomorrow 8:30-3 and 6-9. I hope that you are all doing well wherever you are and know that I am thinking about you and anticipating when I can see you again. Oh...and good luck to my Uncle Tom. He is defending his amazing dissertation on the 26th. I wish that I could go and support him but I'll be there in spirit. Love! Ciao
But anyway, on Saturday morning I went with my friend Amanda to Santa Maria Maggiore, a beautiful church, one of the four most well known basilicas in Roma. I took some cool pictures, but I don't think that they will do it justice. The ceiling was this incredibly ornate gold leafed monstrosity and there were numerous chapels and such that were just as fancy. But the greatest and most impressive thing, which unfortunately I was unable to get a good picture of, was the huge mosaic on the ceiling of the central dome. It was so beautiful, I think that I stared at it for at least 10 minutes. All of the little pieces were glittering in the light that was filtering through the stained glass and it looked like there were metallic pieces as well. Oh also, there was a crypt that supposedly held pieces of baby Jesus' crib which was pretty cool to think about. Then we went to a second church, Mary of the Angels and Martyrs that was a different kind of beautiful. This one was not a ornate but it still was very grand simply due to its size. The Baths of Ciocletian were also incoporated into this church and so we were able to check out the remains of that. They were so out of place though that it was difficult to imagine what the bath was actually like. Okay, then we went to one of my favorite gelato places for lunch...its called Blue Ice on Via Sistina (in case anyway is planning on visiting Roma ever).
walnut: This was an interesting choice and I didn't know what to expect. It was very creamy and distinct, but I wasn't wowed. 2.5/5
Pinenut and Almond: This was actually very good. It was a vanilla base with nuts and caramel in it. I really enjoyed it. 4/5
After that I just went to the school and did some stuff on the internet. When I got home I cooked dinner, which was an adventure worth mentioning. Here is the situation- all we have in our room is silverware, a strainer, a cutting board and 2 pots. I tried to cook chicken in the pot and it was a big mistake. What happened was that the chicken and the oil that I was cooking it in actually burst into flames. I put the cutting board over the pot to quench the flames but I soon realized that since it is wood it might also catch on fire. So I removed it and pulled the pot off of the burner. thank god the stupid chicken was cooked by then.
Oh, and then before I went to bed I watched Love Actually with some friends and let me tell you that that movie is great. It was a real pick-me-up, just what I needed.
And that leads me to today...which all in all was a much better day emotionally for me. I went to the Porta Portese market with Ivona, Rachel, Amanda, and Kristin. It was kind of hellish actually. Imagine a street with tents on both sides plus people trying to sell things in the middle of the street and then add about 80,000 people trying to shop. It was very difficult to try to stay together and I was stressed most of the time. But, I think that it could have been fun if I were by myself or with only one other person. I will probably go back and actually do some shopping another time. We didn't even get to see the whole thing, only the clothing and shoes section.
The other major thing that I did today is go for a run. Now, you are probably all thinking that I am lying right now, because as you know, I hate to run. But...I wanted to relieve some stress and I thought that that might be a good way. Now don't go telling people that I ran a couple miles or anything like that. I just jogged for a bit around the gardens at Villa Borghese. :P
So thats all for now, I have an intense class schedule tomorrow 8:30-3 and 6-9. I hope that you are all doing well wherever you are and know that I am thinking about you and anticipating when I can see you again. Oh...and good luck to my Uncle Tom. He is defending his amazing dissertation on the 26th. I wish that I could go and support him but I'll be there in spirit. Love! Ciao
# posted by sarahconcannon @ 9:23 AM 
