I'm sorry that the last batch is just now being uploaded. As I'm sure your pilgrims have told you, the final few days were rather hectic, so please excuse my tardiness!
If any other pilgrims are like me, they were ready to wake up at about 6 am today. I hope everyone got enough rest and is ready to go back to school/work/real life! Remember to take these past two weeks' worth of experience, lessons, and enrichment in faith with you as we return to our daily lives. Personally, I'm excited to see the results!
Signing off,
Collin
Title: Adventure Time With Becky Pt. 3
Hello families back home! Well we are just ending our fourth day here in Madrid and I gotta say it's been a great and interesting time. It is very hot so we do our best to stay in the shade. Also I'm doing my best to find a person from every country and I think I'm doing a great job… my count is at 12 different countries!
Well let's see what did i talk about last… hmm well I will just talk about the last 2 days! Thursday we went to our usual dance party, talk, then mass. Our special guests that we had were two people that Olivia and i have met at NCYC. They talked about chasity and it really hit everyone in the stadium. After mass we went to lunch then had some free time to ourselves. After lunch we made our way to the site where the pope was arriving to. It was so crowded and hot I couldn't sit down! I did find some friends from Grosse Ile though! It gave me a great chance to go around and find new people! It was really fun talking with people you can't really understand and trade items with them. My two favorite countries are Australia and France! Finally the pope was cursing down the street in his Pope Mobile! Everyone was going crazy watching him on the big screens. At the last minute the police had to change the route of the pope mobile because of protesters so we did not get a good look at him. Then we went to the hotel and died in our beds after a long day.
Friday! That's today! Also it was Colin's birthday! well we woke up and we had a wonderful breakfast as usual! Some of us didn't feel good so they had to stay behind. Then we took the bus to the city and went to the dance party, talk, and mass again. Our group really go into the dance party today i was very proud of them! we made our way downstairs to the mosh pit and started dancing! Olivia even tried crowed surfing after a nice push from some Australians and I. I even got up to the stage and got on the big screen! It was so fun!! Then after we went out to eat then had some free time again. After that we headed towards the spot for the stations of the cross. It was crowded yet again! We found a good spot in front of the screen but the opposite side of where the pop was driving down but Amanda got some good shots! OH JUST WAIT IT GETS GOOD FROM HERE!! on the way back to the bus I thought i was gonna punch someone in the face! We were all holding onto to each other so we don't lose anyone and people kept punching and pushing us! I got punched in the stomach by this woman! The whole group was getting beat up! it was insane but now we are back and we get to sleep in tomorrow!! yayyayyyyy!!!
well im tired! and the Vigil is tomorrow where we sleep outside so i need to good rest tonight cause i wont tomorrow! I LOVE YOU MOMMY!! okay bye!
Becky Holubka
Title: Finally Blogging!
After twelve days abroad I've come to a few conclusions:
-the bus drivers are fearless here, even when driving into on-coming traffic on the expressway and taking our tour bus off-roading
-the ratio between American suitcase widths and European elevator widths is slightly ridiculous
-a scoop of coffee gelato can turn my whole afternoon around
-imagining being in a crowd of 2 million people is completely different than being in the middle of crowd of 2 million people
-the difference between waiting in the blazing sunshine and waiting in the coolish shade is that between misery/panic/mental breakdowns and patient excitement and a few games of euchre (maybe even a nap on a good day)
-both the Italians and the Spaniards have yet to discover the wonders of ranch, mustard, or pepper
-some have also yet to discover the modern marvel of deodorant...
-the Americans could learn a thing or two from this whole Siesta thing!
-my high school Spanish vocab is really coming in handy
-when my high school Spanish vocab fails me hand gestures and a panicked look will get the point across
All revelations aside, I think I can speak for all of us pilgrims when I say we're truly having an amazing pilgrimage so far. I'm used to having my faith be fairly personal and private aside from church every Sunday, seeing hundreds of thousands of young kids like me come here to experience this together is really moving and something that everyone should experience if possible! We went to the Stations of the Cross today with at least a million other pilgrims and the Pope (no big deal), it was so cool to be sitting there in silence with so many other people all thinking about this amazing thing and what it means to us. I forgot to mention that a few of us were lucky to be experiencing the stations from a rock bed, literally sitting on the rocks surrounding the fountain. It was the only area big enough for us to play euchre! We kept rearranging them every 5 minutes to get more comfortable, Kendal was feeling really optimistic and kept insisting that they were almost tempurpedic…sure K-man whatever you say!
I'm so excited for the vigil tomorrow and to see how we learn even more about our faith and ourselves in the last few days of the pilgrimage. I'm already looking forward to hugging my family and my dog and sharing all of our wonderful/hilarious/unforgettable stories on Tuesday, preferably over a Bates hamburger and a chocolate shake :-)
Rebecca Gidley
Title: Greetings from Europe!
When I first signed up for this trip last August, I never actually believed I would see the day that we landed in Rome and began our long pilgrimage. Yet, being twelve days in I can't believe that it's almost over.
Being in a foreign country has really exposed me to a bit of culture shock, some good, some bad. I seem to be mistook for either an Italian or a Spainiard more often than not; what do you think gives it away, the blue eyes and white skin? Interacting with others from different countries is really entertaining. Paige, Rebecca and I were talking to a French couple and when we mentioned that we were a tad homesick, the girl replied: "How can you miss America when we have McDonald's and Burger King?" Very flattering. Paige and I also acquired a new favorite game of ours simply titled "Let's go to Starbucks and see what name they will write on our cups!" For all of those who don't get a coffee fix in then morning, at Starbucks they write your name on your cup and call it out loud when your drink is finished. Paige has been mistaken for "Peach," while I on the other hand has had "Awir" labeled on my cup. Maybe they only know hieroglyphics?
Despite the cultural differences, one thing we all have in common is our purpose of being in Madrid. Seeing millions of kids from every country on the globe come together to celebrate the same beliefs is truly inspiring. I think I can speak for all pilgrims here when i say that we have all grown not only in our faith, but as people too in these short two weeks. I have learned to stay strong in my faith and ignored those that questioned my purpose, and it has truly given me a new outlook on my beliefs. I can't wait for the vigil tomorrow, it will definitely be a night to remember!
Adios for now!
-Ivy McMullen
I'm glad I can fit one more post in before we get home! I think we've all enjoyed our time here, but the consensus is that everyone is ready to be home.
Yesterday/Today (Saturday/Sunday) was supposed to go like this:
Wake up slow
Lunch in the city center of Madrid
Get dropped off and walk 1/2 hour to the vigil
Listen to the Pope
Spend all night under the stars with other pilgrims
Wake up and have mass with the Pope.
Yesterday/Today went like this:
Woke up slow
Lunch in the city center of Madrid
Got dropped off and walked 2 hours to the vigil
Got separated, got reunited, got separated, someone passed out (she's fine), found a spot. Got reunited again, at which point the general consensus was that it was not in our group's best interest to stay the night. Many people weren't feeling well, and the vigil was not very well organized. Plus, the two hour walk in the hot sun took it's toll. However, in the pilgrims' defense, everyone had a wonderful attitude. All were willing to stay or leave, whatever was best for the group. We knew the vigil was the reason we came to Spain, but we also know that our safety is more important.
Our walk home from the field was a collective effort: we helped each other carry the load, metaphorically and literally. We took care of each other, making sure we were hydrated and feeling ok. We worked together to get to the metro and get home, where pizza was waiting for us. You might call us quitters, but I am convinced that, as a group, we may have gotten more out of our "failed" experience than we may have at the vigil. As it turns out, those who stayed at the vigil weathered a lot of rain and wind, and large crowds. We all spent some time reflecting on our experience and the blessing it turned out to be. The pilgrims absolutely demonstrated Fr. Dolan's message of evangelization through charity, joy, hope and love for the church. We helped each other, kept our spirits high, believed in the group, and continuously proclaimed the love of God to each other and others as we traveled.
This morning many pilgrims watched the mass with the Pope on tv, while some of us went to a small english speaking parish in the city. It was truly a great experience, perhaps my favorite part of Madrid. It was our own personal version of WYD: parishioners come from over 30 countries and the choir was filled with instruments from all over the world. We met people from everywhere, and it was truly amazing to worship together.
This weekend's God's blessings were hidden, but certainly there. See you all very soon!
Amy Sund
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Hello everyone,
You have just read about the chaos we experienced on our journey to the World Youth Day Vigil. I think we made the right choice; even though we did not get to attend the mass with the Pope the health of everyone comes first. It was estimated that over one and a half million people went to the event. I was able to attend an English speaking mass that was warm, welcoming and a lot of fun. It is great to see people so passionate about their faith. This trip has helped me to see how big the world really is and how strong the Catholic Church can be when we are united as one.
Jenny Wakenell
