Ciao a Tuti,

OK so the Pope Giovanni Paulo Segundo (as we Italians know him) has died ... 2 million plus people have decended upon the city. And since I live a block from The Vatican, and have to walk through St Peter's to get to and from school, there is no way for me to ecsape it. It is completely overwhelming. Entire streets will be blocked because the square is filled wall-to-wall solid with people. I feel like I might have a panic attack at times.

That man has completely consumed my life for the past week. Sam (Morgan), Bri (Briana Toms) and I spent most of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in St Peter's Square. We were with all the people holding the vigils for the pope. There was singing, praying, chanting, cheering (an Italian thing, they like to clap), tons of candles (I had mine), makeshift shrines and then moments of complete silence, which is very eerie in a crowd of 70,000 plus people. We were there when we found out he died. The whole experience was very very moving, I can't even begin it explain it.

The first time I saw his body was when they carried it through the square it to the Basicalla where he is lying in state for public viewing. I kinda got into line by mistake, and Sam met me there. There was a big crowded line to get into the square. I was herded in along side a group of Italian nuns, so I started saying the rosary with them, in Italian I must add. So, I got to be in the square when they carried him through. It was so sad. On the night he died, the Bishop of Rome said something to the effect of: "we all feel like orphans tonight," which I think is true for a lot of people here. The procession was very grand, you could tell that it is a ritual centuries old. And then after, no one really knew what to do with themselves. The people all seemed really lost.

Then Last night, Sam, Bri, Em (Emily Leithton) and I went to actually see his body inside the Basilica. We got in line around 12 a.m. and didn't get in until 11a.m., 11 hours strait of being tired, cold, hungry, and shoved around by pushy Italians. There was no way to sleep, and we stood for the whole time practically. When the line was at a standstill we kneeled or sat, but it was really dirty because we were just outside in the streets of Rome. It was pretty miserable. By 5 a.m., we were all delirious, it was kinda funny. There were some nice moments, between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. when they closed down the Basilica for cleaning. So, the line was pretty much stationary. Around 3:30 or 4 a.m. the four of us were all huddled together on the ground, when some people started to sing, it sounded really pretty actually. then Sam told me to listen, and that he couldn't believe were were part of this. He asked me "If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?" I told him "Right here." "Exactly," he said. That's how we all felt, even though it was miserable.

We were in sight of St Peter's about 9 a.m. The early sunlight was filtering through this misty haze around the Dome, and they were blasting this really epic religious music, and very dramatic prayers. It seemed like a scene from a movie. It was like seeing St Peter's for the first time all over again. We all felt really triumphant, like we had really been through something, and this was our reward. I felt like I had been on a real pilgrimage, and for a lot of people that's what it was.

Seeing the pope's dead body was really surreal, I've never been that close to a corpse before. He looked like a wax figure. It is hard to believe that that is the same man who blessed me and the crowd in the square from his window. I can't really explain it. This whole experience has been trying, but incredible and very profound. I can't believe I got to be a part of this very special piece of history.

I had class at noon. A site visit, so we were walking around looking at ruins and not in a classroom, so i had to go strait there instead of home. I got home finally about 3 p.m., took a shower and went to Sam's to say hi, and then came home to sleep. I worked it out, and I think that I had been up for about 34 hours strait or something ridiculous like that.

Tomorrow night we are going to see if we can camp out in the square so we can have a good place for the funeral on Friday. We shall see. I don't know if that is even a possibility, but we are goin to try. So many important heads of sate will be there, it is really crazy. Prince Charles even postponed his wedding for it.

I am so tired I can't think anymore. I miss and Love you all.

Baci baci,
Lauren