Città Eterna!

Buona sera! Come va? :-)

I am now safely sequestered in Collegio St Paolo (St Paul's College) on via Torre Rossa. It's the place where priests under the study scholarship in Rome stay. The other place where this kind of stay is offered is at Collegio St Pietro (St Peter's College). It just so happens that I was sent/assigned here.

So, this is the first entry since I arrived here some three days ago. The trip with Qatar Airways was rather long with a transit of about 2 hours in Doha. I spent the next two days after arriving here recuperating and slowly getting use to the people and environment. First thing you will notice is that the time difference is 6 hours behind Singapore. So the time post you see on this entry is one of evening. Hence 'sera' :-D You were probably sleeping away when I was writing this! :-)

The residents here speak Italian and their own language from where they came from. We have Africans (the most), S Americans, Chinese, Koreans, Indians (just as many), Myanmarese, Vietnamese, Thais, Indonesians and of course your own Singaporeans. I am in the midst of a cosmopolitan group here in this college. I am not that alone though. My classmate from the seminary is here, Fr Stanley Pang. He just finished his second year of Canon Law. He has been 'baby-sitting' me for this week, helping me to familiarise with the place.

I shall have to go for a 3-month Italian language course at Terni (up north) beginning next Monday. A group of us will be heading there and will spent that time to pick up and learn to speak Italian as it is meant to be ;-) During that time, I shall have to do with io, tu, lui, lei, noi, voi and loro. It's back to school for grammar! :-P Hopefully when I return to St Paul's after that stint in Terni, I can order a good cup of kopi and a nice plate of mee pok ta in Italian without blinking an eye! :-D

I shall post up some pics later and there will quite a few as this place and area around here is HUGE! :-) Meanwhile, I had the fortunate time to goover to the Vatican for purpose of opening a bank account there. Being there for the 1st time and looking at the place in all it's realness was quite a breathtaking experience. Unfortunately I did not bring a camera but I should be able to get some pics later as I would be passing by that place now and then. ;-)

So, till the next one, ciao! a presto!