My time at
home came and went very quickly after San Francisco – as expected. However, I had a few more days, for better or
worse. Hurricane Sandy rolled in on the
East Coast and delayed our flight for 2 days.
Though it was two more days spent at home, I was eager to go to Trevi,
Italy for the VIDES International Conference.
When the
time came, I boarded the plane and went from Louisville to DC then to
Italy. I sat next to a man who worked
with the CIA and I spent much of the flight listening to the stories he’d
experienced in his 25 years of service.
He was very level-headed, and for lack of a better word, normal in the
sense that he was eager to get to Italy for a vacation of his own and not have
to worry about work.
Upon my
arrival in Rome, I made my way to the train station, with all my bags and began
the 3 hour journey to Trevi. I had very
little sleep the night before and it was catching up with me. My eyelids felt heavy and I soon drifted off
to sleep only to be woken by the ringing bell with a voice announcing the next
stop: Trevi. I hurried to gather my
bags, but one must be ready to enter and exit a train. The train took off for its next destination
with me still on it and I began to panic a little. Luckily, there was a stop 4 minutes further
and I decided I’d take my chances and get off at that place. After exiting the train, I decided that my
options were to get a taxi, call Sr. Gloria, or to catch a ride back to the
station. My first plan failed when I
tried calling Sr. Gloria and found that her number was not activated in Italy,
so I decided to hop back on the train and hope that I don’t get checked. Without incident, I got on the train and
exited at the correct station this time…only to be confronted by a new problem.
Imagine getting off a train at a deserted platform in a rural town with only a few houses around. On a Sunday (which means that if there should be any services offered in that town, they will not be open on Sunday). So, I stood at a fork in the road wondering where exactly I was supposed to go. I tried calling Sr. Gloria and the hotel, but could not reach both. It was the late afternoon and I began to wonder what my next move was. A car drove by and I decided to try to ask for directions. I tried speaking both English and Spanish, but could not communicate, so instead I pulled out the directions to the hotel I had written down and pointed to denote that I did not know how to get there. The woman pointed up the road and said, “20 minuti”. So, without further ado, I began walking down the road with no sidewalk with my baggage and the sun setting. As I walked, I would stop and ask people for directions to make sure I was on the right path, and each time was the same answer: “20 minuti” in the direction I was heading – down a country road with no sidewalk dragging along my baggage.
To start, I
must share a couple embarrassing stories about meals with Italians, the kings
and queens of cuisine. Besides the fact
that our unlimited table wine was comparable to $20 or $30 wine in the United
States, we also had 5 course meals for lunch and dinner, which I was unaware
of. So, during my first lunch we started
with a salad and proceeded to the pasta course (the primo), which consisted
of a simple pasta with bits of ham. I
noticed that many people at our table served themselves relatively small
portions. I followed suit at first, but
finished the first plate and went for a second, assuming this was the main
course. After I finished my second plate
of pasta, then came the main dishes with sides (the secondo and the contorno)
chicken masala with sautéed vegetables and roasted potatoes. I realized I had made a fatal mistake with
the second plate of pasta, but knew the food was too good to pass up. Then, of course, following the main course
they served a fantastic tiramisu that I could not pass up. Again, I must mention that this was our lunch
meal (though, in many places in Europe, it is the biggest meal of the day) and
I felt as though I had eaten enough for the rest of the day. Later on in the week, after I learned about
the meal structure, I made a second mistake.
I had noticed that they always served fresh parmesan cheese with the
pasta, but promptly removed it from the table after the primo course. I boldly took it upon myself to save one of
the small bowls of cheese to sprinkle on my main dish because I saw we were
having a dish with chicken breast and tomatoes.
After I was served and started to sprinkle the savory cheese on my plate
only to be interrupted by an Italian girl gasping and asking if I knew what I
was doing, from across the table.
Confused, I replied with a simple, “Yes”. She then smiled, following up her question
saying that she just wanted to make sure as she had not seen that before. I tried to explain that it was similar to
having chicken parmesan and she kept giving a rebuttal that the dish was not
chicken parmesan, but it was ok if I wanted to have it on my dish. Realizing the difference in cultures, we
called it what it was and laughed it off.
 |
| Not that kind of CIA guy, but still. |
 |
| There's Trevi. Now how to get there. |
Imagine getting off a train at a deserted platform in a rural town with only a few houses around. On a Sunday (which means that if there should be any services offered in that town, they will not be open on Sunday). So, I stood at a fork in the road wondering where exactly I was supposed to go. I tried calling Sr. Gloria and the hotel, but could not reach both. It was the late afternoon and I began to wonder what my next move was. A car drove by and I decided to try to ask for directions. I tried speaking both English and Spanish, but could not communicate, so instead I pulled out the directions to the hotel I had written down and pointed to denote that I did not know how to get there. The woman pointed up the road and said, “20 minuti”. So, without further ado, I began walking down the road with no sidewalk with my baggage and the sun setting. As I walked, I would stop and ask people for directions to make sure I was on the right path, and each time was the same answer: “20 minuti” in the direction I was heading – down a country road with no sidewalk dragging along my baggage.
 |
| It was a beautiful area, especially after putting my luggage in my room. |
Finally,
after an hour or so of walking, I arrived at the hotel. Besides being a sight for sore eyes, it was a
beautiful hotel in the scenic Italian countryside. Like a refugee, Sister Gloria took me in,
gave me a warm meal, and let me catch up on some much needed rest.
The VIDES
Conference and experience in Trevi itself were entertaining in a variety of
ways, especially since this was my first time in Europe. Not only that, but there were volunteers from
over 40 different countries at the Conference, so even though I was in Italy,
it may well have been the United Nations.
To start, I
must share a couple embarrassing stories about meals with Italians, the kings
and queens of cuisine. Besides the fact
that our unlimited table wine was comparable to $20 or $30 wine in the United
States, we also had 5 course meals for lunch and dinner, which I was unaware
of. So, during my first lunch we started
with a salad and proceeded to the pasta course (the primo), which consisted
of a simple pasta with bits of ham. I
noticed that many people at our table served themselves relatively small
portions. I followed suit at first, but
finished the first plate and went for a second, assuming this was the main
course. After I finished my second plate
of pasta, then came the main dishes with sides (the secondo and the contorno)
chicken masala with sautéed vegetables and roasted potatoes. I realized I had made a fatal mistake with
the second plate of pasta, but knew the food was too good to pass up. Then, of course, following the main course
they served a fantastic tiramisu that I could not pass up. Again, I must mention that this was our lunch
meal (though, in many places in Europe, it is the biggest meal of the day) and
I felt as though I had eaten enough for the rest of the day. Later on in the week, after I learned about
the meal structure, I made a second mistake.
I had noticed that they always served fresh parmesan cheese with the
pasta, but promptly removed it from the table after the primo course. I boldly took it upon myself to save one of
the small bowls of cheese to sprinkle on my main dish because I saw we were
having a dish with chicken breast and tomatoes.
After I was served and started to sprinkle the savory cheese on my plate
only to be interrupted by an Italian girl gasping and asking if I knew what I
was doing, from across the table.
Confused, I replied with a simple, “Yes”. She then smiled, following up her question
saying that she just wanted to make sure as she had not seen that before. I tried to explain that it was similar to
having chicken parmesan and she kept giving a rebuttal that the dish was not
chicken parmesan, but it was ok if I wanted to have it on my dish. Realizing the difference in cultures, we
called it what it was and laughed it off.
The
conference itself consisted of inspiring speeches from previous volunteers,
Salesian Sisters, the founders and coordinators of VIDES, and even the Mother
General Yvonne Reugnot and the Rector Major Don Pascual Chávez (who are current
heads of the Salesian Order). The theme
of the conference was Recall, Rejoice,
Renew and it was created to remind us not only of our roots, but of our
chartered direction for the future of the organization. As Mother Yvonne put it, we are “dwarves
standing on the shoulders of giants”; which is to say that we are fortunate to
have such a solid foundation laid before us by Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello
and with it we are able to continue to grow, love, and share our gifts.
Time went
by too quickly in Trevi and we ended the Conference with in the Cathedral of
St. Francis of Assisi, where he was buried.
I felt a special bond to all the other volunteers during that mass;
coming from all over the world, speaking a variety of languages, representing
our unique cultures but all sharing in the same Catholic tradition and
faith. It was a beautiful realization
and it brought me great joy that we didn’t need to know the Italian language to
understand the Mass, we each partook in it with our spirit as a united family.
From
Assisi, I proceeded to be a good tourist and visit Rome for a week. I had a quaint little room very close to the
Vatican (in fact, I could see the top of St. Peter’s Basilica from the hallway
window) and the train station. At first
I thought I would be able to travel to many cities in Italy, but once I started
out in Rome, I realized that one could spend years in Rome and still leave many
stones unturned and stories untold. The
history, the art, the cathedrals, the food, it was all so much to take in – but
I managed.
I was able
to see many of the incredible places that one must experience in Rome: St.
Peter’s Square and Basilica, Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the
Forum, etc. Above all though, I was able
to see Pope Benedict XVI during his address on a Wednesday – a deeply spiritual
experience that I can hardly begin to describe, but also very empowering. I could write for hours about my time in
Rome, but I feel it could just as easily be told through my pictures, though
many do not do justice to the subject material.
Nevertheless, enjoy!
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