October is already upon us!
I find it hard to fathom that I’ve already been in Rome for a month. It seems like I arrived yesterday – but I also look at the calendar and realize that this sabbatical experience is nearly half-over!
This past week we spent countless hours studying Paul’s letter to Philemon. But, before you get too excited about that, keep in mind that the letter to Philemon is only 25 verses long (not 25 chapters, but a mere 25 verses)! And while there were some interesting nuances discovered during that study, my classmates and I seriously questioned whether there was enough material in Philemon to warrant a weeks worth of class. In the end, it didn’t matter what we thought – the professor felt there was, and so we studied Philemon. I hate to say it, but at one point when we were able to get the professor off-the-subject with some good Pauline and scriptural questions, classes got far more interesting; some of us wished the weeks worth of classes had been as interesting as some of the question & answer sessions we had.
I brought a very comfortable pair of walking shoes with me. I was hoping to get a lot more than 4+ weeks out of the shoes. While the soles still have some serious tread left, the uppers are already beginning to shred from the constant walking on uneven cobblestones of the Roman streets. And while the other shoes I brought aren’t nearly as comfortable, I may have to revert to them before long!
As I write, it’s Sunday evening, October 10th, and another priest and I just got back from what was going to be an uneventful afternoon ‘on the town.’ It’s been three months since Fr. Jim has had an American hamburger, so he and I walked 2.5km to the Hard Rock Cafe, Roma. Because there were no available tables when we arrived, we waited at the bar and soon were involved in a conversation with a gentleman (whom we’ll call Tom) who hadn’t used his English in two years (Tom spoke far better English than I speak Italian). A bit into the conversation Fr. Jim and I indicate we’re both priests from America – and Tom tells us he works for the Italian Carabinieri … and, although I’d prefer not to go into details in this blog … holds a rather high position in the Carabinieri. After talking 20 minutes, our table is ready – and we invite Tom to join us, and he does. Before dinner is over, Tom says he wants to invite Fr. Jim and me over to dinner before we leave in November.
When we’d finished dinner, Tom offered to drive us back to the North American College – but, on the way, he took us on a 60+ minute tour of the city of Rome (all the ins-and-outs of places that the ordinary tourist doesn’t ever get to see).
I’ve often heard it said that you want to “stay away from the Carabinieri.” But Tom is a great “ambassador” for the Carabinieri – if you will. He is a man whose faith is strong and who loves his job (despite the long hours). And it was a great day – getting to know a part of Rome, it’s culture, and it’s people that can’t be taught in any classroom or institute!
As for another video, I have about 170 pictures to review – but haven’t had time to sit with them at the computer. There’s rain in the forecast; perhaps one of those afternoons will afford me the option of staying in and putting something together.