3 Days After (I Wish I Had A More Creative Title)

So much has happened…each of the days here feel like they are a week long, and I love it. We all love it. Everyone keeps talking about how it feels like we’ve known each other for a long time, not just one week. I pray that the time here continues to move this slowly, because I never want to leave this place. Each cobblestone street has a winding character all its own, each building holds enough broken textures on its façade to last me a week’s worth of examination, and there are lines, lines everywhere, lines that catch the eye and dance it down each darkened corridor or sunlit piazza. Walking along and getting “lost” is one of our favorite pastimes here.

Tuesday was, as some of you may know, Fat Tuesday…in the States we commonly call it Mardi Gras, because of the orgy that is New Orleans on that day. In central PA, it’s the time for those amazing, artery clogging donuts. Fat Tuesday, if you didn’t know, is called that because it is the day before Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent, and it’s the last day that (traditionally) people eat meat before fasting from it. Not many actually stop eating meat anymore, but the day is still observed. We were pretty excited for it, because this is the closing day of Carnival, which we all know about from Venice’s masked infatuation with it. We watched the movie Luther in the afternoon (first time I’d seen it…I liked parts, but on the whole I thought it kind of lacked cohesiveness), and then headed out into the streets.

In Orvieto, and in much of Italy, most of the people go out and walk in the early evening, around 17.30 until the evening meal begins at 20.00. Tuesday, however, even more people were out, and some were dressed up in costumes (and, of course, masks). We got the impression that this was their version of American Halloween, since all of the bambini were dressed up (animals were the common theme). The rest of the youth did not so much dress up as they did run around throwing bags of confetti everywhere and spray silly string and shaving cream on themselves and buildings. We had a good time walking around through it, stopping in shops to look at different things. My friends here, Jake and Jenn, love shoes and are always dragging me into different shops to look at them and try them on…it’s fantastic. After dinner, however, there was not a whole lot going on, which disappointed us; I guess all the parties that we heard about were deep inside peoples’ homes. Our food that day was the best so far, though…and this is out of many excellent meals at Locanda del Lupo, the ristorante at which we eat. Who can refuse steaming bowls of mushroom risotto and platters filled with bread, cheese, and slices of prosciutto and capocola? When we finished dinner, the ristorante owner, Mauro, let us stay and watch the football game; it seemed like every Serie A club from Italy was playing every English club in several games all at the same time. We turned on the Roma – Arsenal game, Mauro brought out vino tavolo, I ordered a digestivo, and we sat back and watched the game and had good conversation.

Wednesday morning I woke up a little earlier and walked down to Montenucci’s, an amazing café about 7 minutes away, with my friends Jenn and Allyson. I had already had their pistachio cream puff pastry on a walk we had taken a couple days prior, so I bought a cappuccino and an apple pastry and we sat down and got to know each other better. We got back to class, which was essentially another walk around Orvieto to see more historically important sites: the monastery/church in which Thomas Aquinas wrote the liturgy for Corpus Christi and had a vision of Christ telling him “well done”; the castle built by the papacy to protect its holdings over the area; a famous wine cellar where they do tastings (I will certainly be back later); and the old monastery at which the Orvieto program used to be located, which was stunningly beautiful. In the early evening a number of us went to the Ash Wednesday mass at the Duomo. We had seen it many times from the outside, as it is just up the street from us (I can see it outside my window), but this was our first time indoors…it is every bit as awing as the façade leads one to believe. We sat towards the back and shivered as the priests moved around with their incense and song chanting, and all went forward to receive the ashes on our heads. From dust you were made, to dust you will return. For most, they placed the ashes on the tops of our heads instead of marking our foreheads; we speculated that this would be in keeping with Christ saying not to show outward signs of fasting. The mass as a whole was beautiful, with different clergy from around the town taking part (including the priest from San Giovanale).

Class has been really fantastic so far, even if a lot of it is review for me. We are learning about the Reformation, and the consequences it had for Europe in particular…I love being back in a historical theology class, and our professori, Tal and Agnes Howard, are great, very knowledgeable but also very clear and down to earth. Our classes have been filled with lively discussion, as well. I really love being back in school, especially amongst others who want to learn so much.

Yesterday, Thursday, we ended class a little early so that we could go down to the open market in Piazza del Popolo, which apparently comes through every Thursday and Saturday mornings. In the afternoon, a portion of us went on a hike out and down from Orvieto, into the valley, and up the side of one of the surrounding hills to visit a Capucin (Cappuccino) monastery. We didn’t do a whole lot there other than walk around the grounds and take in the beauty of the landscape, but we had perfect weather for long walks, and I enjoyed just walking through the sunny countryside, smoking my pipe and talking to friends. Our program director, Matt Doll, and his wife and their children came along, so it was fun watching their antics and keeping them out of trouble. We also had some worship and devotional time, before dinner with other students, and afterwards with our guide and friend Alessandro and his guitar. It was nice to get a taste of that again, and the Italian worship songs Alessandro taught us were pretty cool.

The music didn’t stop there, though…a small group of us headed to Café Cavour around 22.00 to see an Orvietani band play. Everyone was crammed into this small space, and it was pretty loud, but such a great time. We got some beers, took the seats of these two gorgeous Italian girls (woops…they actually turned out to be pretty cool, I talked to them a little bit afterwards), and grooved along with everyone else. The band was amazing, some of the best guitar, bass, and drum playing I’ve seen in a while…they played mostly instrumental blues/rock/jazz fusion stuff, and a cover now and then. A couple of their friends from the crowd got up and sang along with them or played flute or something, which was really cool, I love it when the music is that intimate. I was talking to Bernardo, one of the band’s friends, and he said that every Thursday they have live music there, and that it’s the best thing to do in Orvieto. I agree, it was a blast, and reminded me of home…we will definitely be back.

Today we don’t have class, so I slept in and started writing this when I woke up. Didn't do a whole lot today, which was nice, but tomorrow we wake up super early to go to Roma for the day. It will be great going back there. Right now I'm sitting in one of our favorite cafés, the Café del Corso, sipping a gin and tonic and taking advantage of the free, slightly faster internet.

Here are some pictures, finally! Walking on our way up to the Cappuccino monastery:


A view of Orvieto across the vineyards...our monastery (San Paolo) is on the other side.

An Actual, For Real Update

I apologize for the horrible “update” I gave you the other day upon my arrival in Orvieto. I hope that this will help bring you up to speed a bit.

The past two days have been filled with scrambling to construct a rough orrery of the various spheres of our lives here in the cliff-top town. If a sun must be named, it is our food around which (so far) our days mostly are measured and charted. We take our meals at Locanda del Lupo, a restaurant about a 4 minute cobblestone walk away from the monastery. The meals, served at 12.45 and 15.45, are delicious and filling. Every morning we all gravitate out of our rooms (all located along the long third story hall of the monastery) into the tiny cucina, where we make espresso, eat fresh apples, and scramble eggs for our light breakfast. I’ve discovered today that my tolerance for caffeine is not what it once was; tea and espresso within several hours has made me jumpy and augmented the acid in my stomach. Thanks for the Zantac, mom!

Each night a group of us has gone out after our evening meeting to walk around the town and share a bottle of wine. We are already beginning to get to know the town landmarks; where the clocktower and town center are, the Duomo right up the street (I can see the back of it right now as I sit in my room), the post office, bookstore, and gelateria.

The monastery di San Paolo is beautiful and simple and cold. We are all adjusting to our surroundings fairly well, in spite of the cold, flooding showers and reluctant faucets. This is a great place to learn about conservation in a very practical way, instead of just talking about it, as happens so often in America. We cut corners wherever possible; window shutters are opened and doors closed so that the sun can assist the all-too inadequate radiators, which are turned off at certain times in lieu of warm showers. “Warm” showers. While the individual arrangements are more spartan (exception: the bed is surprisingly warm and comfortable), I do not foresee any problems. All my clothes and books and shoes are in order, and the power adaptor is working fine. It is nice to have a room that is not necessarily intended for being the main living space, as it pushes us out into each others’ company. I will say, though, I definitely miss the soft, warm futon that Nathan and I shared in our room last semester.

My roommate is a nice guy named Chris (from Gordon), and while we’re fairly different we’re getting along pretty well. The whole group of students here is just fantastic, from the moment some of us met in Philly to everyone sitting together in a large circle in the Dulles terminal laughing and getting to know each other, we’ve hit it off in grand fashion. I anticipate some really great friendships being formed…it is also wonderful to be completely surrounded by people who also see creation as their entire purpose, whether it’s through writing, theatre, or art.

When we arrived in Orvieto, we hauled our luggage up a hill to San Paolo and were given a short tour by Matt Doll, our program director. The rest of that day was mostly taken up with learning where the restaurant was, cleaning up, organizing, the evening excursion to a small wine bar, and much needed sleep. Yesterday we all headed out at 9.15 for a tour of the town, led by Alessandro, a local who has been involved with the program from its inception. He led us around part of the cliff, up the clocktower, into and out of a pastry shop, and to chiesa di San Giovenale, a church directly across town from San Paolo. Here we celebrated mass between walls built just over a thousand years ago. I was surprised with how, for a high church liturgy, there was a degree of informality seen in the guitar-led choir and the involvement of the children that made the place seem very homey and welcoming. Afterwards we walked out into the newly consecrated sun and air to walk back to San Paolo.

Today was our first day of class, which will be studying the relation between Protestantism and Catholicism. It is taught by Tal Howard and his wife Agnes, and will, I feel, be intensive and rewarding. The two years of historical theology that I had in high school were fascinating, and so I am looking forward to be back in that discipline. It is great, too, that the entire group is taking this class, since we come from some pretty diverse theological backgrounds (especially the two Columbian students!).

It seems like we will pretty regularly have internet access for an hour every day from 17.00 to 18.00 (or 11-12 in the States). I know this isn’t a real convenient time for most of you, but if you want, IM or Skype me (blacklooksbest). I also (drumroll) receive texts for free! However, the cost to send them back is prohibitively expensive, so I won’t be replying. Still, I would love to hear from you and I will definitely read them, so send away! You can find out how to do that by reading the post a couple down about all my contact info.

I need to go to Italian class now…ciao ciao!

Sono Arrivato

I have arrived in Orvieto! We had a good, uneventful flight, and I am very tired but still going strong. This area is beautiful, and this convent is very cold - but the many warm personalities by which I am surrounded will help take off that edge. This is a really great group of people, I feel very welcome. Some of them are pretty wacky, which is awesome. I don't want to say too much yet, because I'm not at the mental capacity right now to be able to use adequate language. More to come.

It's really, really cold inside.

Contact Info

This is the very exciting post in which I give you all the gritty details about how to not feel as though I disappeared forever. I finally received my Italy SIM card, and sent in the information to get it registered, so it should be active when I get there. But first, I want to give you my physical address.

I would love to receive letters from home, even if it does take a long time to get here. Also, if you just happen to be in the area, look me up! (Just know that we are unable to house friends or family at the monastery, you'd have to stay in the town) I will be living and taking classes at:

Monastery San Paolo
Via Postierla, 20
05018 Orvieto (TR)

My email address is (subtract the periods...I don't want to get a bunch of spam for posting this) j.m.rayner@gmail.com. I will be able to check this at least once a day, I believe.

Ok...phone number...I will have use of my phone, since it's a quad-band GSM. However, because I need a new SIM card to use it, I will have a new number. But don't delete my old (American) number from your contacts, because I will be going back to that in the summer when I return.

Keep in mind as well that there might be some significant charges associated with calling me, even though you know it's worth it. Right?

There's one other important thing of which you need to be aware. I've made it more easily memorable through this Very Helpful Diagram, foregoing words and distracting artistic talent as much as possible so that it will stick in your brain. Probably setting it as your desktop wallpaper would be a positive thing, as well.

As you can see, this diagram very clearly and in no confusing way illustrates the nature of the time difference between the USA and Italy (as well as some other differences). I am a visual person, but I know that some people need things written out for them, so I'll go ahead and say that my point here is that Italy is six (6) hours ahead of North America's east coast. If you're thinking "Oh, I should call Josh right before I sit down to watch The Daily Show," that is incorrect thinking. I don't like 5am phone calls.

Ok, ok, here's the number, and some instructions on how to call me:

339-5630529.

To call this number from the US, you'll need to dial the international direct dialing prefix for the US and Canada (011), the number for Italy (39), and then my number. Like this: 011 39 3395630529. If you're calling from another country (that's not Italy), just replace the number for the US and Canada with your appropriate number (you can find those listed here). If all this doesn't actually work, complain to me and I will try to figure it out the correct way.

Unfortunately, the card I have will only work in Italy, so if I am in a different country, no dice. I don't think that will be too often, though.

2 days! Time to go start packing.

The Farewells Begin.

On Friday night I said goodbye to my brother, Stephen, since he's on a skiing trip with his senior class and won't be back until Friday - after I leave. That was kind of weird, in the sense that it didn't seem honest. I don't mean that I didn't actually feel that I would miss him, but said so; the actuality itself didn't seem honest. Just like when I wake up in the morning and he and Jason are already at school, but they aren't really gone. I'll see them in a few hours. But that's not true now...I won't see him again until the summer. Until after he's graduated from high school. Until he's almost ready to leave, himself. But it feels like I'll see him in a few hours.

I said goodbye to people at church yesterday. That didn't seem as strange, because I haven't been going there for an awfully long time yet, but it was still somewhat saddening that I won't be in what has already become my refreshing spiritual home for a good while.

Today, though, was farewell to Messiah. It's surreal in the same way that it was with my brother, and I think a lot has to do with the inescapable fact that that place and those people have in so many ways become my home. I see my friends there as family, and a fantastic family at that. All my life I've had a very small circle of friends, and I'm still getting used to having a veritable city or town of them. This past semester seemed to be themed around that, though. Such strong relationships built, and hopefully that building will continue.

Unlike with Stephen, though, that's not necessarily known to the point where it's taken for granted. So I do want to say, to those of you from Messiah College...I love you. Honestly. Nathan, Sam, Evan, Chris, Doug, Larissa, Alanna, Margeaux, Devin, Emily, Kierstin, Drew, Matt, Melanie, Kelly, Kate, and others whom I can't remember right now because I'm tired (but you know) - you were my closest friends and I am humbled and honored to have shared in a part of your lives. I look up to you guys to the point of even starting to talk like you (which I hope didn't get too weird).

Everyone else I knew, though, please don't count yourselves out or think that I don't care about you. I love all of you too, and we had some fantastic times. Amanda, Meredith, Jenny, and Kathleen, those dinner parties in your apartment were definite highlights of my year. Margeaux and Jamie and the Phils and that whole group, you made every Thursday a delightful time of transparent fellowship; I can't describe how special that was. Hanging out in Wunderland with the Wunders and friends from the Restoration House was the perfect autumn experience (Jenny's pumpkin still should've won...definitely not yours, Evan); marveling at the Morandi exhibit and playing chess in sunny Central Park with Matt, Dana, and Will; visits from Jen and Jenay and Alejandro; smoking a Nicaraguan cigar and discussing The New Pornographers with Dave on a gorgeous afternoon; even the great conversations and friendships made in classes, all of these things made this year so memorable. I wasn't in an exotic location, like Italy. You made my life colorful, you made boring Grantham beautiful.

It is hard for me to let go of that.

Very Excited For Italy.

With one week left before I'll be in Italy, I can with certainty say that, yes, I am Very Excited For Italy. 7 days. I should start using that Rosetta Stone program we got several years ago.

Yesterday I bought things like toothpaste.

More to come as more happens. This is only the beginning.