Rome - What to See

Okay, this is a points entry. I'll be heading to Rome later this week, and I'm looking for advice on what to see & do, what to avoid - 100 points for all suggestions, 200 points if I actually go where you suggest and like it.

For reference, I will arrive late April 2 and I will leave late late April 14. I will stay with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery about 2 miles from the Vatican. I'm sure they will have information for me about transport, etc. Also, a friend in Leuven lent me a map and travel guide. I already know that Bus 870 will get me to the pope's house.

I'll try to report from there, but I wanted to put this out to see if folks have ideas / travel advice, etc.

Peace,
Amy

Stop this madness!!!!

Not sure what it's all about, but this is a student town and we're entitled to our demonstrations. So there are apparently two groups, a right wing group and a left wing group and they are demonstrating tonight. "Manifestatie" as they call it here. And each group has their folks to keep order, and there are TONS of police to assist in this, and I suppose keep the two groups from meeting, or citizens from getting caught in the tangle. Since my French class is on the other side of the main site of the demonstration, I thought I would exempt myself tonight. So far it seems rather tame, but on advice of the locals, I brought my bike inside.
Apparently last time these two groups clashed, they were tossing bicycles at each other - nice. Well, I'm about to call it quits for the night, but I thought I should let you know. I'll post to this same entry tomorrow to give the impressions.
Peace, Amy

What are the chances?!?!?

Okay, here we are mid semester. It's the day before the feast of St. Joseph and I was talking to a guy about what my plans were (and were not) for the big day. Turns out R. Burke chose the 19th to show up and give a talk on "Mary and the Civilization of Love" - brings a tear to my eye.

Then another student piped up and said she thought all the festivities around the event were for her - as she was a Sister of St. Joseph - from New Zealand!!! NO WAY!!! What are the chances that two St. Joes show up in the same class in Belgium, each from another continent, and it takes us two months to connect. We're actually in two classes together, but we only had a short chat. We'll talk more I'm sure.

I met with Anne Rutter, an Anecy CSJ from England - we had lunch together Saturday and kicked around Brussels for a while. We almost had a plan together for her to show me a little of London and Wales - till she looked at her calendar and saw that she was booked for that time period. I will try to get to London a day or two before my retreat. I can stay with her and see a little, then head out for retreat. Then I'll be taking the train most of the way across England to North Wales, so that will be interesting as well.

Things are humming along - I'm starting to think about my trip to Rome for spring break - I'll be staying with the CSJs there, and visiting some friends and of course the sites. So stay tuned for news of that adventure. Once I get back, the pace of things will pick up for the last part of the semester and exams, etc. But for now, I can sure use the break - I'm finding it harder and harder to settle down and get anything done.

Peace,
Amy

Happy Feast of St. Joseph

Well, I haven't figured out yet how to celebrate, but I have a CSJ friend in Brussels, and we'll get together on the weekend. I could go down to the south of Leuven where Bishop Burke is giving a talk - yes, that's our friend from St. Louis. He's talking about Mary and the "civilization of love." Maybe it's better I don't go. Maybe I'll call some CSJ types back home. Or even in Gulu. We'll see.

Things are humming along - my semicolon-laden treatise is nearly complete. I'm trying to get the volume of Canon Law papers under control. We have about 100 pages to write before the end of the year. Then I'm also trying to start research on next year's thesis. I've also contacted the Judicial Vicar in St. Louis to see about using their library. There's no problem with that.

Some people have asked about the experience of the 'economic meltdown' here. I really haven't noticed much. People talk about it, but I can't say I've noticed any concrete evidence of it. But those who mention it seem to think it's pretty serious. Also, news from the States that I get is that people are feeling pressure.

I think I've put up info about my plans for the summer, but just in case: I will finish exams / thesis defense by the end of the last full week of June. The next Monday I start retreat in Wales - it is the Jesuit place that is 20 miles from where Francis Thompson wrote the poems that I'm writing about for the Theology Thesis. I get back to Leuven on the 8 or 9 of July. By then results are out. And I will pack and tie up LOTS of loose ends, then I fly back to the states July 14. I'll land at Carondelet, then see about where to go next.

The CSJ Assembly is the last few days of July, heading into August. In 2009-2010, I will be still full time in the Canon Law program, but I expect that I will have ample time to get started in law practice again. Canon Law will consist mainly of Thesis writing, an internship, a few workshops in Belgium in the Spring of 2010. I'm not sure all the details, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

Happy Feast of St. Joseph!
Peace,
Amy

Semicolons

Yes, semicolons - can you believe I've actually have a running debate on the topic. Get a life! you say - ah, but this is life....

I'm coming to completion on my thesis; I'm very happy about that. The last chapter is written, but still needs polish, and the input of my faithful critics, and then to be submitted. Of course a conclusion is still needed, but that's at least up in my head. Not hard to write. I found two more books on Thompson - confirming a lot that I've already written. These were more recent biographies that have been hard to track down - but ebay finally delivered.

All the writing, has given rise to my current dilemma - I like the semicolon, it's kind of cool when you have the perfect opportunity to stick it in. Warms my heart.

Speaking of a warming trend, the weather here is starting to let up - it's almost solstice - so it's a LOT lighter which is SO welcome. It is still quite chilly, though predictions are for the upper 40s today. I'll be out for my bike ride. I get out most days, unless there is a LOT of rain, which is rare. I pretty much take the same route, about 1/2 hr round trip, usually on the way for my coffee. I have class at 2:00pm today, so I'll head out around 12:30 for a ride, then coffee, then class.

For the next several weeks, we have 'regular' classes here. Then at the start of April, it's spring break, then extra canon law seminars when I get back, then exams, then.... So I'm trying to get papers, thesis, etc settled now, while there's space to breathe.

I have had a few computer snags - lost all my footnotes (over 200 of them) and almost crashed. But thus far, I've managed to recover. I'm saving papers up to the internet, just in case, and backing up to an external disk a few times a week. Hopefully I'm covered.

Well, I better get some lunch and head out for that bike ride.

--Peace,
Amy

News Flash!!!!

Just a quick post - I had a meeting with one of the Canon Law professors about next year's program.

1. She is quite confident that they will accept work I did from 2001-2005 at LRCR for and exemption for one internship. Awesome!!! That means I get out of about 20% of next year's program.

2. For the 'judicial' part of the internship, this is the professor who taught me Marriage Law, and she is sort of 'into' that process, so I was a little afraid she would push me in that direction. She was waxing eloquent about the process, etc. Then I pulled out a Justice for Priests brochure, and she was very interested, and said that should easily fulfill the requirement. That should be more helpful to me than marriage cases. This group defends priests who are being railroaded by their bishops. Some should be removed, but this group is just providing the defense necessary to try to keep the process fair.

3. I proposed a topic for my Thesis for next year: Canons 684-685 - Historical, Sociological, Theological and Juridical Analysis. -- a real sleeper you say -- NO it's fascinating!!! It is the process of transferring from one religious community to another. I also asked to have a guy here as my promoter, he seems nice and will probably be interested, etc. I still have to check with him, he's an abbot they pulled in to do our course on religious law. If this is acceptable, I can glean what I can from our library here before I head back to the states. That will be a help.

Okay, that's all the good news. In other news, I managed to get a cold - not too bad yet, but it's the first time I've had any of the bugs that are going around, so as I told one guy, it's about time I paid my dues. Also, I took a tumble off my bike - the gears sometimes stick and the pedals slip and the pavement leaps up at me. It's all very frightening. I knocked my knee pretty bad - it is numb - if it weren't, I think it would hurt, because it is sort of swollen - skinned, etc. I need to bring my bike in to have the gears checked before I break something....

All for now.

Peace,
Amy

Strawberries in February

You've got to love a place that can manage to have strawberries in February - spring is in the air, flowers are popping up, it was still light at 6:30 yesterday when I got out of class. And people are heaving a sigh of relief that the "long cold winter" is finally coming to an end. -- I don't have the heart to tell them they 'ain't seen nothin'.

Most days in the early afternoon, I try to take a bike ride - I have a few favorite routes, but usually it is to Park Abbey south of Leuven - I know there's a photo later on on the blog. Then it's usually to the coffee shop, and on to class or library.

Last week, we had lots of extra lectures on teaching religion around the world, canon law and civil law considerations: China, Belgium, Poland, etc. We have a paper some related topic. Thankfully, I published an article a few years ago that should do nicely. I'll just have to adapt for international audience, but the research should still be good.

Thursday is the Feast of the Theology Faculty - big Mass - classes canceled - unfortunately, I only have canon law classes that day, they are still being held.

Happy Spring!!!!
Amy