Collin
Here are our most recent musings! I'm sorry this one took a few days. I know many pilgrims' families are anxious to hear from their abroad-bound students, so without further adieu:
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
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