There is so much to say about today, I don't even know where to begin. But first off, I want to say thanks to Craig B., my dad, and Myra. I enjoyed reading your comments. :)
The boys began their day heading off to Patty's Market. They did a lot of shopping for their friends and family at home. I know David got a good deal on some soccer jersey's. And Brett found some boomerangs. The way they talked about it made Taylor and I decide we must go see it for ourself tomorrow!
My day began with the sound of a loud phone in my ear. Fr. Chris called at 9:00 am this morning to tell us when to meet. Taylor and I were both sound asleep when he called. We eventually got up and going and headed to our "meeting spot."
At 11:30, the whole group met in the lobby to begin our journey to see the Pope. It is only about a 30 minute walk to where our places were today. On Tuesday, we were so far away we couldn't even see the TV screen. Today was completely the opposite! We got like front row seats. Well, pretty close anyway. I could atleast see the Pope. Oh, sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself.
Once we got to our assigned places, Peggy, Taylor, Melissa, and I went off in search of food. After much questioning, we realized we would have to go all the way back to the vendor near our hotel to receive our food. This would be a long walk through lots of crowds. We made it half way before we stopped and asked some questions. A volunteer worker thankfully told us the whole town would be on lockdown in less than a half an hour. This means, we would have a very difficult time getting back into our place once we left. So, we decided that we would go without food for lunch.
Once we got back, David decided that he was hungry and would find his own food. There were food stations set up at Bangaroo (the location where we were staying), but we were told they were setting up for dinner, and we would not be able to get food for lunch here. David marched up to this place and just took a couple bags of food. Apparently no one said anything to him, because he came back with 4 bags full of food. We all chowed down on bread and chocolate/brownie bars. David has come in handy many times this trip!
In the meantime, some lady came up to Fr. Chris and complained about our flag!! What the croc?? Anyway, she was very upset and saying it was Un-Christian. So Fr. Chris told her we were the Cumberland Pirates and it was our school mascot. She didn't seem very satisfied by his answer, but she left anyway. I thought it was kinda funny!! I think she's just jealous!
After we all ate, we waited patiently for the arrival of His Holiness, the Pope! The closer it got to the time, the more we got pushed. Soon we were all getting closer and closer to the Pope. I would have to describe it as going to a baseball game and trying to get an autograph. There are people breathing down your back and pushing and shoving their way to the front. I got lucky that I was surrounded by a group of Asians, so I was one of the taller ones (surprise; I know!) and could see over some of them. We watched on the TV screen as the Pope boarded the boat and made his way through the Harbor. When he finally arrived, the crowd went wild! There were girls screaming (similar to girls screaming at their favorite band member) and boys yelling chants over and over. In a way, it reminded me of the Dawg Pound at school. But much, much bigger!
We "saw" a lot of singing and dancing from the locals. And a group of Aboriginie's perform for the Pope. That was very interesting. I couldn't quite tell what the Pope thought of it, but it was definitely nothing I had ever seen before. For those who don't know, the Aboriginie's are like our Native Americans.
After all the ceremonial things (the boring stuff), the Pope finally got to talk. He had a half an hour "speech" for us. I didn't understand his English very well. But then again, I had people who didn't speak any English behind me that were talking a lot!! So I don't know if I didn't hear it, or I just didn't understand it. But Fr. Daren said it was very good.
After this, we all left. That was the tricky part. There were so many people that were wanting to leave too. We made a little train and held on to eachother's backpacks and we slowly made our way through the crowd. We got turned around many a times, and on one occasion, we lost some people. Andrew, John Kay, Brett, and Barb failed to hold on tight enough and got separated. Fortunately, they found their own way back to the hotel. On the other end, a bunch of the St. Anthony boys, Fr. Daren, Taylor, and I decided we needed some food. So we stopped and ate dinner. Once again, David just went up to the people, put our tickets in a bucket and grabbed some food. I don't know how he does it! But I'm glad he does!
We all took the long way back, but got back nonetheless. We met at 7:30 for a Spanglish mass in Fr. Chris' room. Now we are all on our own. Most people are on the computers in the mall emailing back home. Hopefully, everyone has been hearing from us somehow or another.
Thanks for reading! And thanks for the comments! I enjoy reading them!
The boys began their day heading off to Patty's Market. They did a lot of shopping for their friends and family at home. I know David got a good deal on some soccer jersey's. And Brett found some boomerangs. The way they talked about it made Taylor and I decide we must go see it for ourself tomorrow!
My day began with the sound of a loud phone in my ear. Fr. Chris called at 9:00 am this morning to tell us when to meet. Taylor and I were both sound asleep when he called. We eventually got up and going and headed to our "meeting spot."
At 11:30, the whole group met in the lobby to begin our journey to see the Pope. It is only about a 30 minute walk to where our places were today. On Tuesday, we were so far away we couldn't even see the TV screen. Today was completely the opposite! We got like front row seats. Well, pretty close anyway. I could atleast see the Pope. Oh, sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself.
Once we got to our assigned places, Peggy, Taylor, Melissa, and I went off in search of food. After much questioning, we realized we would have to go all the way back to the vendor near our hotel to receive our food. This would be a long walk through lots of crowds. We made it half way before we stopped and asked some questions. A volunteer worker thankfully told us the whole town would be on lockdown in less than a half an hour. This means, we would have a very difficult time getting back into our place once we left. So, we decided that we would go without food for lunch.
Once we got back, David decided that he was hungry and would find his own food. There were food stations set up at Bangaroo (the location where we were staying), but we were told they were setting up for dinner, and we would not be able to get food for lunch here. David marched up to this place and just took a couple bags of food. Apparently no one said anything to him, because he came back with 4 bags full of food. We all chowed down on bread and chocolate/brownie bars. David has come in handy many times this trip!
In the meantime, some lady came up to Fr. Chris and complained about our flag!! What the croc?? Anyway, she was very upset and saying it was Un-Christian. So Fr. Chris told her we were the Cumberland Pirates and it was our school mascot. She didn't seem very satisfied by his answer, but she left anyway. I thought it was kinda funny!! I think she's just jealous!
After we all ate, we waited patiently for the arrival of His Holiness, the Pope! The closer it got to the time, the more we got pushed. Soon we were all getting closer and closer to the Pope. I would have to describe it as going to a baseball game and trying to get an autograph. There are people breathing down your back and pushing and shoving their way to the front. I got lucky that I was surrounded by a group of Asians, so I was one of the taller ones (surprise; I know!) and could see over some of them. We watched on the TV screen as the Pope boarded the boat and made his way through the Harbor. When he finally arrived, the crowd went wild! There were girls screaming (similar to girls screaming at their favorite band member) and boys yelling chants over and over. In a way, it reminded me of the Dawg Pound at school. But much, much bigger!
We "saw" a lot of singing and dancing from the locals. And a group of Aboriginie's perform for the Pope. That was very interesting. I couldn't quite tell what the Pope thought of it, but it was definitely nothing I had ever seen before. For those who don't know, the Aboriginie's are like our Native Americans.
After all the ceremonial things (the boring stuff), the Pope finally got to talk. He had a half an hour "speech" for us. I didn't understand his English very well. But then again, I had people who didn't speak any English behind me that were talking a lot!! So I don't know if I didn't hear it, or I just didn't understand it. But Fr. Daren said it was very good.
After this, we all left. That was the tricky part. There were so many people that were wanting to leave too. We made a little train and held on to eachother's backpacks and we slowly made our way through the crowd. We got turned around many a times, and on one occasion, we lost some people. Andrew, John Kay, Brett, and Barb failed to hold on tight enough and got separated. Fortunately, they found their own way back to the hotel. On the other end, a bunch of the St. Anthony boys, Fr. Daren, Taylor, and I decided we needed some food. So we stopped and ate dinner. Once again, David just went up to the people, put our tickets in a bucket and grabbed some food. I don't know how he does it! But I'm glad he does!
We all took the long way back, but got back nonetheless. We met at 7:30 for a Spanglish mass in Fr. Chris' room. Now we are all on our own. Most people are on the computers in the mall emailing back home. Hopefully, everyone has been hearing from us somehow or another.
Thanks for reading! And thanks for the comments! I enjoy reading them!
7 comments:
Thank God for David, lest you all starve. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Have a great rest of the week.
Sounds AWESOME!!!!! I hope you will all share your journey with us when you return. I love reading the blog and wish I was there. A shout out to Ashley, Alex and Padre!!
Happy Birthday Padre!!!!!
Cay from CTK
Sounds like all is going well. Please tell Karmon and the rest of the Marshall gang we miss them. Also, Happy Birthday to Fr Chris...he is now 2 weeks older than Barb I...:)
I didn't realize how close you meant until I clicked the picture. Wow!
Wow..You must have connections to get so close. How exciting. Keep the post coming. We really enjoy reading them. You have fans!! I have heard comments from many at church who have been following your travels!!
Taylor,
Did we see you on TV? Did anyone tape it? I thought I saw you for a second. Am I imagining things?
Love Mom
Amazing...You must have VIP seats! Allie, you are doing a great job on the Blog...Thanks! The pixs that Fr. Daren has posted are great! Enjoy the rest of the trip, and can't wait to hear all about it.
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