June 22, 2014
Good morning Vatican City! My time in Tuscany was so rich with life and food but I really cannot wait to venture around the most sacred lands of them all today! Amongst all the planned destinations for this trip, Vatican City is going to be more of a serious stop. I look forward to exploring my religious history and learning more about my faith. I hope to explore St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, both of which I hear are must sees. Along with site seeing and going to mass, I hope to grow spiritually and find a new meaning of life. As a young girl I used to go to church with my grandparents every sunday followed by a sunday breakfast. It became so routine that once I hit the age of making my confirmation, I lost the meaning of what religion meant to me. As I grow older I longed to make amends with myself and reconnect with God. I come here to Vatican City in hope to find myself and blossom into a new person religiously.
"Aiutati che Dio ti aiuta"- Help yourself and God will help you.
Bella
June 22, 2014
Woah! Today was one the longest, most fulfilling days I have had in quite some time. My feet hurt from all the walking I did today. I roamed the grounds and took a tour of the Vatican. The purpose of this tour was not to spend long periods of time at each site but to see everything you possibly could in a short amount of time. My tour guide was peppy and full of energy. She wanted us to see as much of the grounds that we could. We went through the gardens, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square, the Sistine Chapel, and the Porta Santa. I have learned so many news things that I have never known even existed. For instance, I never knew that the Vatican City has its own currency, postal service, newspaper, radio stations, and army. Also that the Swiss Guard is and has been responsible for the Pope's security since 1506. Walking around much of Vatican City in one day was amazing, but I am so excited to finally stay at one exhibit for a longer period of time. Being a tourist and site seeing was fun for the day, but now it is time to get serious!
"Dio volendo lo faro"- If God wills, I shall do this.
Bella
June 23, 2014
What an intense day this has been. I have been to three masses today and besides that I have done nothing else. I woke up today thinking that it is about time that I go to church and pray. I thought that I would be going to an hour long mass and then be free to go take a look around the cathedral, but boy was I wrong. I should have known that being in a foreign country meant that the mass would not be in English, nor that it would just be an hour long mass. So not only was I lost throughout the entire service it took a total of two hours for it to end. After the mass had ended I tried to find someone who could explain to me the schedule for the masses in english and if they could help me find a pamphlet to follow along in english. After a couple hours of roaming around the church I finally found this little old lady to help me out. Though her accent was thick I could understand her just enough to figure out that there was another mass at noon. She proceeded to tell me the reason why the morning service was so long was because every morning it is a special mass dedicated to those who have passed away. As I sat in the pew for the noon service I started to pray. I wasn't just sitting there thinking about what I was going to do after this was over, I really prayed. And for the first time, in a long time I cried. The emotions that I experienced were like none that I had ever felt before. I am not sure if it was just a mix of being in such a holy place or if it was the memories that came flooding back of being a little girl at church. All I do know is that power of prayer is a very magical thing.
"Breve orazione penetra"- God listens to short prayers.
Bella
June 24 , 2014
The only word that I can think of to describe the Sistine Chapel is beautiful. By far it was one of the most astounding pieces of art work I have ever seen. Seeing artwork that was done by Michelangelo himself, was breath taking. One of the most astonishing things that I learned about the Sistine Chapel was that conclave is held there. Conclave is held after each successive pope, meaning they are in the process of finding a new one. This process that many know of is when the chimney releases smoke and depending on its color you know if a new pope has been choosen. This is because while the College of Cardinals are in conclave they cannot talk to the outside world. Seeing the work that Michelangelo created literally blew my mind. It is crazy to think about the time and dedication that went into that masterpiece. If only everyone had that much perseverance with work and religion in their own lives.
Bella
June 25, 2014
Talk about a moving experience that I had today. I was able to be in the same room and pray by the place where the one and only St. Peter's is buried. St. Peter was one of the apostles and one the first Bishop of Rome. I am just astounded that I had the chance to be in such a cherished and sacred place in my life time. For the next 48 hours I am going to go to different churches around the Vatican City and work on my own personal prayer. I won't be writing in my diary until the 48 hours are complete. I hope by the end of this time period I can come to terms with what faith and prayer are in my life and what I would like them to be in the future. I really hope that I can become closer to God and find myself through prayer.
"Dio mi conceda la serenità di accettare le cose che non posso cambiare; il coraggio di cambiare le cose posso; e la saggezza di conoscere la differenza."
- God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Bella
June 27, 2014
The last forty eight hours have been the biggest roller coaster ride I have ever been on. I started off praying by kneeling in front of my hotel bed with my hands clasped together. I did not even know where to start. Should I start by telling God about how I have betrayed him and lost faith in myself and him? Or should I start by telling him about all the good and bad things that have happened in my life since I went to my last sunday mass? I knelt beside the bed for about two hours until I realized that sitting there is not going to make me any closer to God. If I cannot connect with God through praying there, then I must try something different. So I tried laying down on my bed and closing my eyes. This way worked for all of about twenty minutes before I fell fast asleep. So then I woke up the next morning and realized that day one of the prayer session was a complete fail and I now wasted almost 24 hours without any successful prayer time. I decided to take an early morning stroll through the streets of the Vatican. As I walked around and looked at all of the statues and famous pieces of art, it suddenly hit me. God is not just prayer. God is all around you. All of the magnificent sites that tourists come to see every day are filled with the power of God. Growing spiritually is not just about praying to God and hoping that he will hear you. It is about experiencing God through life and learning about your self. Yes, prayer is a major part of religion and growing as an individual, but it truly is so much more then just prayer.
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”- Pope John XXIII
Bella
June 28, 2014
I shed a tear today because today is the day that I have to go home. The Vatican City was such a rewarding experience. I learned so much about myself and who I am. I had a revelation about God and that religion can be apart of my life in more ways then just prayer. This entire time I have spent in the Vatican City has been very moving and will be apart of my the rest of my life. My experience here in Italy has been spectacular and it has met every expectation I ever had for this trip. I learned and experienced so much about life that I had never known possible. I learned how to take adventure into my own hands and ride on the gondolas in Venice. I fell in love in Rome with the wonderful Vincenzo, who has made me feel like a teen again. In Tuscany I learned how to cook and enjoy the richness of Italian food. I will miss working in the bakery so much! Hopefully I will get to go back one day and bring more American recipes to share with Mauricio. Then in the magnificent Vatican City I learned and experienced so much about my own religion and the power of prayer. This past month in Italy has been a trip of a life time and I cannot wait until the day that I can come back!! But until then it is back to the states.
Arrivederci Italy!!!
Bella
Good morning Vatican City! My time in Tuscany was so rich with life and food but I really cannot wait to venture around the most sacred lands of them all today! Amongst all the planned destinations for this trip, Vatican City is going to be more of a serious stop. I look forward to exploring my religious history and learning more about my faith. I hope to explore St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, both of which I hear are must sees. Along with site seeing and going to mass, I hope to grow spiritually and find a new meaning of life. As a young girl I used to go to church with my grandparents every sunday followed by a sunday breakfast. It became so routine that once I hit the age of making my confirmation, I lost the meaning of what religion meant to me. As I grow older I longed to make amends with myself and reconnect with God. I come here to Vatican City in hope to find myself and blossom into a new person religiously."Aiutati che Dio ti aiuta"- Help yourself and God will help you.
Bella
June 22, 2014
Woah! Today was one the longest, most fulfilling days I have had in quite some time. My feet hurt from all the walking I did today. I roamed the grounds and took a tour of the Vatican. The purpose of this tour was not to spend long periods of time at each site but to see everything you possibly could in a short amount of time. My tour guide was peppy and full of energy. She wanted us to see as much of the grounds that we could. We went through the gardens, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square, the Sistine Chapel, and the Porta Santa. I have learned so many news things that I have never known even existed. For instance, I never knew that the Vatican City has its own currency, postal service, newspaper, radio stations, and army. Also that the Swiss Guard is and has been responsible for the Pope's security since 1506. Walking around much of Vatican City in one day was amazing, but I am so excited to finally stay at one exhibit for a longer period of time. Being a tourist and site seeing was fun for the day, but now it is time to get serious!
"Dio volendo lo faro"- If God wills, I shall do this.
Bella
June 23, 2014
What an intense day this has been. I have been to three masses today and besides that I have done nothing else. I woke up today thinking that it is about time that I go to church and pray. I thought that I would be going to an hour long mass and then be free to go take a look around the cathedral, but boy was I wrong. I should have known that being in a foreign country meant that the mass would not be in English, nor that it would just be an hour long mass. So not only was I lost throughout the entire service it took a total of two hours for it to end. After the mass had ended I tried to find someone who could explain to me the schedule for the masses in english and if they could help me find a pamphlet to follow along in english. After a couple hours of roaming around the church I finally found this little old lady to help me out. Though her accent was thick I could understand her just enough to figure out that there was another mass at noon. She proceeded to tell me the reason why the morning service was so long was because every morning it is a special mass dedicated to those who have passed away. As I sat in the pew for the noon service I started to pray. I wasn't just sitting there thinking about what I was going to do after this was over, I really prayed. And for the first time, in a long time I cried. The emotions that I experienced were like none that I had ever felt before. I am not sure if it was just a mix of being in such a holy place or if it was the memories that came flooding back of being a little girl at church. All I do know is that power of prayer is a very magical thing.
"Breve orazione penetra"- God listens to short prayers.
Bella
June 24 , 2014
The only word that I can think of to describe the Sistine Chapel is beautiful. By far it was one of the most astounding pieces of art work I have ever seen. Seeing artwork that was done by Michelangelo himself, was breath taking. One of the most astonishing things that I learned about the Sistine Chapel was that conclave is held there. Conclave is held after each successive pope, meaning they are in the process of finding a new one. This process that many know of is when the chimney releases smoke and depending on its color you know if a new pope has been choosen. This is because while the College of Cardinals are in conclave they cannot talk to the outside world. Seeing the work that Michelangelo created literally blew my mind. It is crazy to think about the time and dedication that went into that masterpiece. If only everyone had that much perseverance with work and religion in their own lives. "Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."
—Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 23 August 1787
June 25, 2014
Talk about a moving experience that I had today. I was able to be in the same room and pray by the place where the one and only St. Peter's is buried. St. Peter was one of the apostles and one the first Bishop of Rome. I am just astounded that I had the chance to be in such a cherished and sacred place in my life time. For the next 48 hours I am going to go to different churches around the Vatican City and work on my own personal prayer. I won't be writing in my diary until the 48 hours are complete. I hope by the end of this time period I can come to terms with what faith and prayer are in my life and what I would like them to be in the future. I really hope that I can become closer to God and find myself through prayer.
"Dio mi conceda la serenità di accettare le cose che non posso cambiare; il coraggio di cambiare le cose posso; e la saggezza di conoscere la differenza."
- God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Bella
June 27, 2014
The last forty eight hours have been the biggest roller coaster ride I have ever been on. I started off praying by kneeling in front of my hotel bed with my hands clasped together. I did not even know where to start. Should I start by telling God about how I have betrayed him and lost faith in myself and him? Or should I start by telling him about all the good and bad things that have happened in my life since I went to my last sunday mass? I knelt beside the bed for about two hours until I realized that sitting there is not going to make me any closer to God. If I cannot connect with God through praying there, then I must try something different. So I tried laying down on my bed and closing my eyes. This way worked for all of about twenty minutes before I fell fast asleep. So then I woke up the next morning and realized that day one of the prayer session was a complete fail and I now wasted almost 24 hours without any successful prayer time. I decided to take an early morning stroll through the streets of the Vatican. As I walked around and looked at all of the statues and famous pieces of art, it suddenly hit me. God is not just prayer. God is all around you. All of the magnificent sites that tourists come to see every day are filled with the power of God. Growing spiritually is not just about praying to God and hoping that he will hear you. It is about experiencing God through life and learning about your self. Yes, prayer is a major part of religion and growing as an individual, but it truly is so much more then just prayer. “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”- Pope John XXIII
Bella
June 28, 2014
I shed a tear today because today is the day that I have to go home. The Vatican City was such a rewarding experience. I learned so much about myself and who I am. I had a revelation about God and that religion can be apart of my life in more ways then just prayer. This entire time I have spent in the Vatican City has been very moving and will be apart of my the rest of my life. My experience here in Italy has been spectacular and it has met every expectation I ever had for this trip. I learned and experienced so much about life that I had never known possible. I learned how to take adventure into my own hands and ride on the gondolas in Venice. I fell in love in Rome with the wonderful Vincenzo, who has made me feel like a teen again. In Tuscany I learned how to cook and enjoy the richness of Italian food. I will miss working in the bakery so much! Hopefully I will get to go back one day and bring more American recipes to share with Mauricio. Then in the magnificent Vatican City I learned and experienced so much about my own religion and the power of prayer. This past month in Italy has been a trip of a life time and I cannot wait until the day that I can come back!! But until then it is back to the states. Arrivederci Italy!!!
Bella
Sites used for this project:
Rough Draft Diary Entries (topics):
-thoughts on prayers before entering the Vatican City
-toured around the vatican
-goes to a mass
-saw the sistine chapel
-St. Peter's Basilica
-prayers in her hotel room
-Final thoughts after visiting Vatican City and going back to USA
Rough Draft Pictures
