The last two months I have been in Italy getting oriented to living here for most of the next four or five years. I was in Rome for about a week of orientation before going to Assisi for a month of language study and then I returned to Rome for the last month for some more classes in Italian. Though I am certainly by no means fluent, I am impressed by how much they are capable of teaching you in that short of time if that becomes your main focus on a daily basis. After about three weeks I believe I spoke better Italian than I ever did of German and I took it for four years. I will be taking my theology and classical language (Latin, Greek, Hebrew) in Italian and a few months ago that wouldn't have seemed like a possibility. It still will be a great challenge and I will need a lot of help from the other people in my school.
Some days when I actually have time to think about it I can miss central Minnesota. It is my home and I don't intend to forget that, but keeping all my family and friends back home in my prayers helps me to never feel too distant from them; in fact sometimes I feel closer to them in that case. As great as Italy is and as great as its food is; I believe I will appreciate Minnesota all the more when I return. On a much more superficial level, two things I really miss are Mountain Dew and Chipotle, which I don't think are found in Europe at all, (though I could perhaps get Dew from a Naval Base if I have a connection.)
Without going into it much at all, I must say that the events of my interior life the last two months have been more beneficial and noteworthy to me than any of the places I have seen. I hope that remains the case as I continue my formation and that these next four or five years feature many conversions. I ask for prayers from anybody who reads this.
I have also made some very good friends here in a short period of time and have also had some good fraternity with my DBs (Diocesan Brothers) and my good friend Adam who I knew back at IHM in Winona. There are about 56 guys in my class and we are all a pretty close-knit bunch now, especcially since most of us went to Assisi for our month of language together. Minnesota is the state with the 2nd most guys here so there are also a few Vikes and Twins fans and even some fans from out of state. A few of us got up early to watch the Vikes-Saints game on the Armed Forces Network, but it didn't turn out too well for us as the Vikes lost.
One day we visited the Pope's summer residence to pray the angelus with him in a large group. The people in my class sang "Ad Moltos Annos" to him and it went really well. The link to to the youtube is: http://www.youtube.com/user/vatican?blend=1&ob=4#p/a/u/0/VkRIDtQ2ZaQ
You can't see me because I'm behind something, but you can see a lot of the other guys in my class.
And finally here's a picture of one of my DBs (Jeremy Theis) and I as we are walking to this event:
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