Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Pope!!!

So about Papa, wow, what a crazy day!! As I've said I've been sick and havn't been able to sleep so when my alarm rang at seven in the morning to go see the pope I of course turned it off. Getting out of bed would have been impossible!! That didn't quite change anything considering fifteen minutes later the pope's procession passed right under my window drums and all!!! Everyone was so excited that he was passing our window so we were up on our window cills in seconds! I think missed the Papa though because all I could see was the historic parade and the crazy marching bands that had been parading for every night of the previous festivals!! My roommates were very interested in the but the second I woke up all I could think about was going down to the grass to get a seat for the services, so I started getting dressed and was ready in seconds! My roommates wern't so quick to get ready so I started down by my self. There was a sea of people so I didn't really need to know where I was going I just had to let the tide carry me. We began to head down a beautiful little alleyway that I had never seen when people started taking out little envelopes with papers in them... I had no tickets or envelopes... I had nothing and I was a non Italian speaking American. For fear of looking like an idiot I decided to turn around before I got to the front of the line. I began walking back up the hill looking for someone to talk to. I got to a group of male Italian police men and asked them where I could get a ticket, one of them spoke English, sort of... Any way, he didn't quite understand how i didn't have a ticket, apparently and asked what I was looking for and asked what I was looking for and asked what I was looking for should have a ticket and I don't think they cost any money. USAC should. have given us tickets, but I guess if they had, none of this would have happened to me so I can't complain!! Anyway, after a little arguing he pointed down a deserted street and told me to go down there so I did. Half way down the street I met another man who thankfully spoke some English. He told me that I wasn't actually allowed to be there but I pointed to the ground and said "police dite me here!!!! " so he said ohhh and asked what I was looking for. I explained to and he asked the only othe people on the street, a group of Italian ladies. They didn't know so he was going to give up helping me untill the ladies went down a little alley and we were alone. He looked around and told me to follow him. We went over to the little alley on the side of the street whichnwas actually a really steep staircase down. When we got there we had to pretend like we wern't doing anything because a police man was driving by but when he was gone the man told me to go down the alley. This was where I got nervous... The alley came out onto the grass right behind the pope's alter, the only other people there were the chpire, the police, and the clergy!! Not Americans!!!! I was the only one not in a robe or a some kind of suit!! I figured the man only sent me down there so some one else could deal with me but I was determined to look confident like I knew what I was doing, so I marched down the path to the side of the stage and stood under the trees where the ladies from before were standing. One of the ladies came over to me and started speaking in Italian to me, the only word I sort of understood was permissione, so I just smiled and said, "si permissione" and the lady smiled back because she knew the truth. She brought me over to the other ladies and motioned to them and said group, so I stood with these great ladies and they protected me from the authorities. I was standing on the left side of the stage (if you are looking at it straight on) and I was to the left of the huge choir and behind the choir that was singing the part that the people sing. I was in a prime spot for seeing hearing and talking to some of the coolest people! Sitting right i front of me, behind the following choir was a school of men from Zambia, Africa!! How cool is that!! There were about thirty of them there all wearing grey robes. Some of them came over to me and spoke toe in Italian untill the figured out that I am American so they happily changed to English. These med were awesome! They all go to school here and most have lived here for many years. I'm not sure if they were missionaries but many of them were studying religion. Eventually they all wanted to meet me and take pictures with me. Being invited to sit there was a huge honor for them so they were all just as excited as I was to see the pope and be at the awesome ceremony! They ended up spending the entire mass with me asking questione and sharing their prayer books with me. It was great fun talking to them about their school and learning about Zambia!
Now for the Pope, after the Pope looked over the entire congrigation from the pope's palace, he came down off the cliff and through the isle of the seats in his crazy Pope mobile. I couldn't really see that because of the stands for the choir but that was ok, I had an amazing view of him at the alter!! Through mass he read and sang and people processed in front of him, it Was beautiful and crazy to ne so close, everytime the choir's sang I got chills, they were so close and so beautiful I felt I could have stayed there forever!! Eventually it was over and the Pope had his glorious hat placed back on his holy head and disapeared to the back of the stage. So I said goodbye to the wonderful Zambian men, exchanged some numbers and left thinking I had had a crazy day...
Little did I know that it wasn't quite over yet!
I decided to walk up a different path than the little alley just to try something new and ended up coming out right at the top of the street where the pope was going to drive away!! I noticed the streets being blocked off so I decided to lean on one of the fences and see what happens. Low and behold ten minutes later the Pope and his entourage came down the street and I was face to face with the Pope!! He even waved at me!!! How awesome is that!! So an amazing day and a crazy adventure!!! I miss you all!!!
P.s. The photo's are all on facebook sorry for the inconvinence!!!

1 comment:

  1. Um. Amazing. Befriend those Zambian men! (P.S. When I told someone that you met a Zambian men they thought I met "zombiean." Like a dead person. Haha).

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