Home :)

I arrived home Saturday evening around 5:30 and have been so overjoyed! As much as I have loved my adventures in Europe, I have realized that my home will forever be in the U.S. Wow, three months. I can hardly believe that I was gone that long! Last week I was standing in front of St. Peter's Basilica and now I'm sitting in my house, all cozy, while sipping hot chocolate. Unbelievable.

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As I bring this blog to a close, I wanted to share one last story with you all. On my second to last day in Rome, I had an experience that about sums up the entire trip. After our school work was accomplished for the day, a small group of us followed our Professor to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, which was the first Christian church built in Rome, as well as the church of the Pope. Immediately, I liked it because it did not smell, look, or feel at all like a museum. A lot of churches and basilicas in Rome are more of a tourist spot than they are a place of worship, but this one was not so. It was spacious but not intimidating. I was intrigued by the history behind the construction of the building. To begin, the mosaic in the apse(front) of the church was one of the first artistic attempts to represent Christ. Additionally, the gorgeous bronze doors at the entrance of the church were taken from the Roman Senate House as a symbol of transfer of power from the Roman State to the Church. 

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But after leaving the basilica and venturing across the street to the original Lateran Palace, the more meaningful event of the night took place. The Lateran Palace contains the “Scala Sancta” or “Holy Stairs” that lead to the “Sancta Sanctorum”(Holy of Holies.) These marble stairs were originally from the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, but were brought to Rome by St. Helena(the mother of Constantine.) If historians are correct, these would have been the same steps that Jesus would have climbed before standing trial before Pontius Pilate. The steps themselves have been a place of pilgrimage for many early through modern day Christians. Because they are deemed sacred, an individual cannot walk up them, but must go up on their hands and knees.

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For awhile we simply stood and stared. It was one of those places you could feel the presence of God. I could tell that many in our group would not go up them, after all, it is a really humbling act. But I could also tell there were a select few who did want to, but did not want to go alone. Finally, I asked my Professor if we had enough time because I wanted to go up. She urged us to go and five of us moved forward and slowly lowered ourselves to our knees.

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Crawling up those steps was one of the most humbling yet intimate moments I've had this whole trip. Recently God has been reminding me that we are to be humble. Always conscious of our need for Him. Always conscious that He is ultimately in control. Whether the history behind the steps is accurate or not, it was a powerful reminder of what a Christian's life should look like: Humbly crawling toward God for the span of our lives, until we are finally reunited in eternity.

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Thank you all for your encouragement, prayers, and support of me on this adventure. The past three months have been life changing and I want to thank you for sharing in this experience with me. May God bless you all, and have a wonderful Christmas!

Sincerely,

Maria

Danelle

Smith

Venezia

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0wT_ltJPg0

Venice was a quiet and beautiful city, and even though we left about as swiftly as we came, our five days in the unique city were well spent. Everything, from sipping a latte macchiato at Cafe Florian(one of the oldest cafes in Italy) to intensely studying a series of tapestries portraying the story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, to the gondola ride through the streets of water, I admired Venice most ardently. It is one of those places everyone should see, if given the chance.

Sincerely,

Maria

Tale of a musician, a nutty professor, and a Swedish Opera singer...

This whole weekend was a perfect picture of what I imagined Italy would be like. It's true, I based my few expectations off of the quirky small Italian villages as portrayed in movies(Under The Tuscan Sun, Only You.) which probably aren't the most accurate depictions of Italy either. Finally, after getting a full taste of the fast pace of Italian city life, I have encountered the quiet small Italian village.

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We arrived in Vernazza (the fourth town that comprises Cinque Terre) around mid-afternoon last Friday and it was raining. Though it was raining, it enhanced the experience by giving the Ligurian sea an attractive eeriness that the sun just couldn't capture. Aside from the cute and quiet appearance of the town, a few other events happened that made the experience, well, an Italian experience.

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First off, right after we settled into our rooms, most of the group went out to find some cheap food. Finally I had a chance to be alone, and I did just that. I walked outside, camera in hand, and started taking pictures of the mountains covered in vineyards. Soon I wandered down a walkway near where the beach was and as I came around the bend I stopped, and speechlessly stared out into the abyss of sky and sea. It was beautiful. I walked up closer and found a dry rock to sit on. And I sat there and simply let my eyes take it all in.

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It started getting darker and I meandered back to find my groupies. Eventually I found them and we went to a bar(which is a cafe) and I got a cappuccino with an artistic design in it. I love cappuccino, coffee, and all that good stuff, so it was a great moment of the day!

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Later on, around 7pm, we decided to find a place for dinner. Randomly we found a little restaurant that looked like it might have seafood, so we promptly went in and sat down. Shaila was the only one who actually got something even remotely seafood related, but I had the best ravioli I have had yet in Italy. It was molto bene! We finished up by sharing some Tiramisu, and as we savored the sweet dessert, the restaurant owner got out his guitar to play for those of us in the restaurant. It was such a delightful moment! The owner and his friend sang some Italian songs for us and then in his limited English, asked if anyone in the restaurant could also play. My friends were all sitting there pointing to me and as he came near me with the guitar I objected hastily: But it was too late. So there I was in this restaurant, with this guy's guitar, and all of these strangers were watching me in anticipation. Shaila, Jess, and Chris agreed to sing along with me and I began to play the only songs I have memorized for guitar, worship songs. Talk about culture making! Here we were, American students, singing “Blessed Be Your Name” and “Amazing Grace” in a restaurant full of Italians and other internationals. We actually sounded good, as the four of us lifted up our voices, blessing those around us. They may not have known what we were singing about, but God gave us a moment to minister to them despite a common language. I strummed my last chord and the place filled with the sound of clapping. The owner, Piva, resumed his place behind the guitar and continued playing some other Italian pieces. He liked us a lot and invited us to pull our chairs over to his table, he even gave us free Limoncello. We spent a good hour or two singing with Piva, a nutty professor from Arizona, and a Swedish Opera singer! It was so ridiculously crazy, but it was the best night we've experienced in Italy.

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After we left the restaurant we walked around some more before running into the nutty professor from Arizona again. Charlene(the prof) expressed to us how she had been traveling alone and how it's been a little difficult thus far. She shared her story with us and thanked us for the experience at the restaurant, but before she finished, Piva and his friend walked by us and stopped to talk. Piva, in his sweet Italian accent, as if a line in a movie, says “Come, let us look at the sea” and we all walk together back to the bay. The sea at night is almost as majestic as it is in daylight. It made for a nice little reunion.

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It is getting late by this point, and since we have an early start in the morning, we head back towards our hotel. That is...until we run into a group of ladies(who were also in the restaurant)and they invite us to come with them. Three Italian men were leading the way and before we know it, we are walking into a random guy's wine cellar! His name was Jacamo, and he kindly showed us how he made wine for a living. He also showed us how he makes his own vinegar. We are all sitting around this table with a candle in the middle, sipping authentic wine, and I turn and ask Shaila how we got to be here. She just laughed, because the whole day was so random that it felt like a dream.

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The next day we woke up early, enjoyed a quiet reflective time at the bay, and had a filling breakfast. We packed up our backpacks and then began the hike, the whole reason I came. It was intense but amazing; we hiked a few miles through the mountains along the coast. I am so thankful that my parents took my siblings and I on many camping and hiking excursions throughout my childhood because it is now one of my favorite pastimes. Backpacking might very well become my next new passion. We only hiked to one town before catching a train back to Rome, but the hike, along with the other stories I mentioned, I will never forget.

Sincerely,

Maria

PS: By the way, I am spending five days this week in Venice! News on that experience will be coming soon!

A Universal Reminder

When I look at a sunset, it's as if I'm peering into the eyes of God: Piercing light and surging iridescence. Tainted eyes allow me to see a spark of God's full glory. Towering mountains remind me that I am only one life amongst the innumerable, a vapor quickly fading. Yet these same mountains awaken my heart to the greatness that I am a part of. It amazes me that I didn't choose to live, someone else chose that for me. I have the power to choose many things, but it was out of my control to choose to be born. Isn't that beautiful? The repetition of life pulses on. Decade after decade. Century after century. Constant moving motion; it is God's heartbeat propelling life.

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It's amazing how God can ignite the heart. Passion. Purpose. Life is worth living passionately. Really, I can't imagine how useless and boring life would be without it. Passion by definition is: “any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.” So passion has the power to either compel love and goodness, or it can promote hatred. Which one will we be remembered for?

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When I think of passion, some of the big world changers come to mind: Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., or even the charities started by the wealthy. God used them to accomplish great things but it begins by being passionate about the little everyday things. Anyone can feel passionate about big things: sports, an award-winning book, politics, etc., but it is the little things that are often forgotten. Little things like a weekly visit to a nursing home, spending time with your siblings, giving someone a sympathy card, or making an effort to be friends with someone who has few. To care about the little things of life as if they were great causes, that is love, and that is beautiful.

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I'm a firm believer that God puts us where we are for a reason, to accomplish His purposes, in the little things of life. If I am at home, my purpose is to help and encourage my family. If I am at school, my purpose is to honor God by doing my best in school and by encouraging friends at school. We are called to do everything with excellence: Be a neighbor, with excellence. Be a mother, with excellence. Be a big sister, with excellence. Be a friend, with excellence. I know I don't do everything with excellence because it is so easy to find shortcuts and do things to just get by. But God is awakening me and giving me strength to change. It's the small things that I really see God at work in.

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I often wonder, if I did everything with as much passion as I have for traveling, writing, watching a football game, or making art, how might the world be different? How might my life and the lives of those around me be different? Even if it's just a little difference...it's better than nothing. Shouldn't it be worth a try?

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The most specific thing God has been teaching me, is that I'm free. Faith is freedom but many people never fully experience that freedom because we are too afraid to trust God. We are too afraid to jump! Instead, we live our faith in black and white. Complacent and comfortable, we miss the call. Our faith is supposed to be bursting with color and light! We are chromatic creations, and fully alive.

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So the next time you see a sunset, think of the honor we have to spread that color. Think of all the dark places that are in need of light...and don't be afraid to shine!

(This post was produced on a bumpy night train ride. As always, inspiration comes at odd times.)

Sincerely,

Maria

Quand, à Paris

It has been a dream of mine to see Paris since my seventh grade year of high school. I remember the day quite clearly: we seventh graders and our parents packed into Union's little out-dated cafeteria for orientation into high school. I spent most of the meeting day-dreaming(and hoping my mom was paying attention to everything)until the club advisors got up to share about the new opportunities that high school offered, and that is when Paris was mentioned. Suddenly, I hung onto every word about the French club like a puppy anticipating a treat. My mom shot me a glance as if to say, “Don't even think about it.” Four years later I found myself a member of the French club and with two and a half years of French under my belt. Of course, I let go of the whole thing once I felt like the class was turning into more of a chore and less of an enjoyment. Regardless, I ended up in Paris apart from the French club and while it was indeed a good experience, it was very different from what I expected.

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Point 1: So Italian men are the ones who have the reputation for being outrageously flirtatious, but I'd like to inform you that that stereotype is wrong. It is actually French men who are too flirtatious. Everywhere, from passing men on the streets, to sitting next to them on the metro, Paris men were not shy about showing their interest.

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Point 2: The French are stereotyped as hating Americans. That is untrue as well; they really actually love Americans. I didn't meet one Parisian who was not excited that we were American. Additionally, from what I saw, the culture of Paris seemed to try to mimic that of the U.S. So I didn't see the French dislike of America like everyone claims.

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Point 3: I expected Paris to be more classic and well...clean. Instead it was really dirty and really touristy. Lot's of unpleasant smells and sights...totally saw a few people publicly urinating. However, I do realize that cleanliness is an issue for any big city, so I can't say Paris was any worse than any other city.

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There were many aspects of Paris that I also really enjoyed. We saw the view of the city from L'Arc de Triomph and the Eiffel Tower, walked through THE Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle Chapel, went street shopping, and found THE Moulin Rouge(in daylight of course.) One night we packed a picnic dinner and had dinner in the park by the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower at night is worth seeing because every hour it lights up and right before it closes, it puts on an impressive light up show. It was a great way to spend the evening. Some of my favorite moments were the art museums we walked through. Yes, I was able to lay eyes on THE Mona Lisa, among many other works of art in Le Louvre. I also went through the Musee d'Orsay, which displayed the original works of Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Van Gogh! I never imagined I would see the actual works of art that I had attempted to replicate in my high school art classes, but I did, and I am so blessed and thankful for the opportunity.

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Now that I'm traveling on my own, I am starting to see how exhausting traveling can be. The stress of buying tickets for public transportation and the effort it took to figure out some public transportation systems often made me feel like traveling wasn't worth it. Of course, now that break is over, the stressful adventures have turned into good stories, my roommate and I can only look back and laugh at the hilarity of it all.

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Well that has been my life recently. I love my life but I do miss so many things about home too. I hope you all are doing well and will be excited to see everyone when I get back in seven weeks.

Sincerely,

Maria

Zurich

When we first arrived into Zurich, I wasn't too excited. After a night of hell on the night train, I was ready to go back to Rome and scratch this whole mid-semester break. We wandered around the train station trying to get our train connection to Paris, buy a Zurich public transportation pass, paid to use the bathrooms, and then walked around with all our luggage in search for a pharmacy. Finally we were re-directed back to the train station where a pharmacy was hiding just around the corner. We bought cold meds and put the rest of our luggage in a locker for the day before walking around the town in search of some lunch. A chinese-ish restaurant caught our attention and we enjoyed a shared meal of strange pasta-something and chicken wings. The rest of the day we walked around in the rain, rode the public transportation in the rain, but got a good view of the city nonetheless. Eventually we ended up in a Starbucks, a STARBUCKS!! And Jess and I treated ourselves to American-ish beverages. Hot Mocha=warmth to my soul. We sat in Starbucks for hours just talking about life, and I learned so much about Jess that I didn't know before. I guess it was our first time of roommate bonding. But it was also on the comfy Starbucks sofa that I had my most homesick feeling yet this semester and I felt like this whole break would be miserable. Of course, being sick played a huge part in my negative attitude. Head congestion, fever, aches...I just wanted to be home eating chicken noodle soup and watching Winnie the Pooh. Finally, we realized it was after eight and headed back to our shabby train lockers, and with luggage in hand, we preceded to follow our handwritten directions to our couchsurfing host's house. Surprisingly we did not get lost at all, we found it with ease, and actually arrived a little bit too early. So we chilled outside of the apartment building until it was time to go in. Jens was extremely nice, and any hesitation about couchsurfing that we had quickly disappeared. (Our host is a health conscious marathon runner and thankfully not a scary guy like we were afraid of encountering.) The night was spent talking and sharing stories while eating peanuts and drinking orange juice. For the first time that day I was finally feeling like this trip was going to be enjoyable and not a huge burden. Meeting people always enhances an experience! Our first night sleeping in a different city and in the home of someone we just met, went extremely well. Jess and I both slept better than we usually do in the convent, it was so comfortable!

I woke up today feeling very energized and excited to actually go out and see the city of Zurich. Jens shared some of his yogurt/granola/fruit cereal that he makes himself and it was strangely really good. After a cup of coffee, and Jens kindly helping us get internet access, we set out for our day of sight seeing. Really we didn't have a plan, but we didn't need one either. Spontaneity is definitely my style. Jess and I simply walked where we felt like going, no busy schedule, just enjoying and absorbing the atmosphere of Zurich. We saw how beautiful the city really was as we walked the path along the river. I was impressed with the cute and clean streets and shops as well as the slow pace of the people living here. After seeing St.Peters Church we went to the Swiss market where Jess bought some old records in nice condition. Ah, the market makes me miss our little American flea markets. In no hurry, we meandered over to a bench by the lake and just enjoyed some time eating peanuts and commenting on life. It was perfect. Afterwards we bought an add-on for our ticket to ride the boat down the lake. It was so beautiful!! What a great sight!!! Being the naïve tourists that we were, we totally stood on the top deck the whole time only to find out later that top deck is only for first class passengers. Oops. We also got off too far down the lake and ended up walking a far ways back. But I can't complain, it was a beautiful day.

So...I have a confession to make: guilty pleasure #2: we went to Subway for dinner. I know, I know! Why would I go to Subway when I am in Switzerland!? Well, it sounds crazy but we miss American food quite often. The food here is great, but once and awhile we just need something from home. So we had our Subway, and it was perfect.

The end of the day was topped though when we took the train to the end of the line...at the top of the mountain. Jess and I dismounted the train and immediately were speechless. It was so beautiful!! I can't tell you how beautiful it really was to see the Alps, for the first time, at dusk. Oh my goodness, it was so beautiful! I noticed lots of people walking down from a trail, so I asked Jess if she wanted to go up and see what was up there. We hiked up this hill and with each step could feel the air getting colder. What was at the top was so much grander than what we saw from the train. It was the full overlook of the city of Zurich and the Alps. City meets creation, and they complimented each other well. I put my camera away after realizing it could not do an adequate job and just stood there. I stood there in awe, thinking there is no way someone can see this and not believe in a god. God, I can't fathom your greatness, but these mountains were singing it!

Oh what a wonderful night! Now we are hanging out with Jens and his sister and talking about so much beauty was seen in just one little day of our lives.

Imago Dei

When walking through the city of Rome yesterday, I felt completely at peace. But I also felt something different too. Independence? No, while feeling independent is true, that was not exactly it either. After a good time of silent thought, the word finally came to me, confidence. That's it! I feel confident! Suddenly, in addition to experiencing peace, independence, and confidence, excitement entered the mix! I could have thrown a party!

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So you might be wondering, why is that so important? Ask anyone who knows me, in the past, I have not been a very confident person. For so many years I have struggled with confidence issues, mostly because of my own sinfulness. I always shot down compliments instead of accepting them. In a way, I was practicing self-abuse by holding tight to a negative self-perception. It was hard not to compare myself to others and I struggled seeing beauty within myself. The lack of confidence turned into a fear of being seen: I was convinced that only my flaws would be seen, so I stopped doing activities that could bring attention to myself. I had tried to make myself invisible.

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Really it didn't make sense at all. I professed to be a child of God, the Creator of all things beautiful and good, but I couldn't see the beauty within myself. My life did not line-up with my relationship with my Creator, in whom my image is made in. I needed to believe the reality of Romans chapter eight and stop being dead in my sins. How terrible it has been suppressing my God-given abilities, no wonder I have felt so dry! The living dead is not a good descriptor of a follower of The Way. This journey has been a long one, and the story is far too long to tell here, but God has been caring for my wounded spirit for many years, and now I feel like the healing is almost complete. I am blessed. I feel like a butterfly emerging from it's dark cocoon; ready to radiate color and fly! I am so overwhelmed with God's love right now because I know that it is solely because of Him that I am so inspired and alive now. I thought I was spiritually dying, but God has revived me and it sure feels good to be alive!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

-Maria