Today was actually a big bummer :( We went up a windy mountain road which was very scary and our bus driver almost killed all of us at least 4 times. (Coach Burks was planning on grading our tests on the way back, but he was too busy holding on for dear life...so it wasn't just me. Also one of my friends is like mom in that she gasps and throws her hand out to grab ahold of something when he would get too close to the edge of a cliff or almost hit another car and have to slam on the brakes.) I was looking forward to the Fransican monastery/church thing that we went to up on this mountain. It was pretty cool and there were some cool sights, but it was really bad rainy weather, so we couldn't really see any of the beautiful sights like the valley it overlooked, because it was all covered by pretty clouds. Also during the free time I went back to one of the chapels we had gone in and I just sat and prayed for a while, which was good and much needed. Apparently had I stayed in the main chapel, I would have been able to see some of mass, so I was kinda bummed I missed that. I met a few nuns and saw a priest who couldn't have been more than 18 years old. That part really struck me as true dedication because he would have had to go through a lot of preparation to have entered the brotherhood so young and that's now his whole life.
Then we went down the mountain and then jotted back up this other road to try to see a hermitage village thing in Camaldoli, but it was closed. But luckily this little building with pictures of what it was like inside was open and we went in there. There are 7 or 8 monks who live there permanently and some space for other people to come and go. We walked around outside here in the woods and sunshine. I got a little something for Grammie here :) I hope she'll like it. Then we traveled back to the villa and I was glad to be back and off that bus!
Then after dinner few of my friends wanted to go into Florence and invited me, so I decided to be social :/ but it ended up being very fun. We happened upon this band/drumline thing playing in the space around the Duomo. We think it was to promote people voting yes on something about water on June 12th and 13th. It was really cool. Then we found some really cool little inexpensive shops :) Then it was time to come back and get some studying done for our Hum quiz and read for IES.
Then I crashed bc it was a really long, weird day. Love you all!
I hate it when I try to post a comment and lose eveything I've just typed.
ReplyDeleteI think your comment about the young priest is particularly insightful. Think of the magnitude of the decision he made at such a young age: not only was he choosing to pass up the typical experiences of late childhood and early adulthood, he was making a lifelong commitment to a life of service.
ReplyDeleteBrain skip...
I can'thelp but point out that whn you took a chance on being social, that you enjoyed yourself and had a unique,life-experience that you would otherwise have missed.
Sending all my love long-distance, I remain your envious
Dad