High Mass and seeing the Pope!

I didn't get a chance to update yesterday, but it was SO much fun! Well, maybe fun isn't the right word, but it was incredible. Ashley and I met Royce, Adam and Daniel (hereafter known collectively as The Three Stooges) downstairs at 8:20 so we could catch a bus over to St. Peter's to attend High Mass with KG. We actually ran into Stephen and Vicki at the bus stop, and all rode over together. We had half an hour to spare when we got there, so Ashley, Royce and I got cappuccinos in the Vatican City!

St. Peter's Square is beautiful, OMG. Ashley's inner (well, and outer) Catholic was just having all sorts of freak-outs, haha. David and Bhargav were late so the rest of us went on ahead through security and into the Basilica itself, and I was just blown away by how incredible it is. I haven't really considered religion in a long time, but I'm pretty sure experiences like that are what converted me in the first place; I kept getting chills all throughout Mass itself.

After Mass, we waited around for like ten minutes with the throngs of other people... AND SAW THE POPE! Yeah, he defs blessed me and was like, "Hey girl heyyy!" Okay, not really, he spoke out of his window way high up, but it was still pretty cool, haha. Then KG took us all out to lunch, which was super nice to him. I bet he's like one of those doting, indulging godfathers and Dar's daughter Emilia just gets spoiled rotten.

Ashley and I went back to mail our postcards, but we couldn't get the stamp machines to work, so we went wandering around the Vatican City instead and got gelato before hopping a bus back to Tritone. We were pretty proud of ourselves for navigating so successfully by ourselves and without a map, haha. We decided to go back to the Vatican on Friday so we can actually mail our postcards, and visit the Vatican museum and see the Sistine Chapel. I can't wait!

I actually have a midterm in 15 minutes, which I'm not too stoked about. We were already given the prompts and so Ashley and I got together and outlined them last night, but I really just can't be bothered to sit the stupid exam and write all of that, haha. We got cappucinos and reviewed some at Glass Bar this morning, though, and after midterms, we want to get cocktails before dinner at the American Academy. I still have my two papers to write, but I'm not terribly worried because they're due Wednesday this week instead of Tuesday.

Now that we're officially past the halfway point of our program, it's making me really sad. Vicki and I realized that this morning and were like, "OMG NOT THINKING ABOUT IT." Also, I'm really starting to miss friends from home, and dislike how little communication I'm able to have with them. That's okay, going back to the Vatican, getting cappuccinos and croissants at Tazza d'Oro and roaming the fresh fruit markets at Campo di Fiore this weekend, and then Greece with Stephen and Kristin after Roma!