I've been meaning to conduct some ethnographic research for quite some time in Rome and today was my last free day to do so. I also promised my parents that I would check out at least one church service while in Rome, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I initially went to find Santa Pudenziana with Kate and Bennett, but we came across a different church that was barricaded from the front. Kate and I then patrolled the nearby vicinity in hopes of landing an interview with a Filipina migrant worker. And by chance we did. We actually ran into a couple of Filipina nuns who were already en route to Santa Pudenziana, and they were willing to guide us. Along the way, these nuns (who had surprisingly great English) gave us their personal life stories and shared the interesting historical aspects of the church. Compared to the other cathedrals and basilicas in Rome, the architecture of Santa Pudenziana was more simple and the environment was significantly more intimate. The service was done in Tagalog, so I understood a bit of the liturgy. I had a great time.
We had dinner at Magnolia, the local bar on Campo de'Fiore. We've been watching the World Cup games here attentively ever since we arrived in Italy, so it seemed like the perfect [air conditioned] place to watch all of the action come to an end. Like the patriotic American I am, I was rooting for USA until their loss to Ghana. I also wouldn't have minded to see another 2006 repeat with Italy as champions, but that didn't happen either. So in the finals, I decided to root for Holland, as I would be studying abroad in the Netherlands within two months. After a game full of chest kicks, behind-the-knee hits, and yellow cards, Spain and the Netherlands went into overtime. Unfortunately for me and the rest of the "Hup Holland Hup" fans out there, Spain scored at the last possible moment, granting them their first World Cup victory.
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| Iconographic mosaic piece above the altar. |
We had dinner at Magnolia, the local bar on Campo de'Fiore. We've been watching the World Cup games here attentively ever since we arrived in Italy, so it seemed like the perfect [air conditioned] place to watch all of the action come to an end. Like the patriotic American I am, I was rooting for USA until their loss to Ghana. I also wouldn't have minded to see another 2006 repeat with Italy as champions, but that didn't happen either. So in the finals, I decided to root for Holland, as I would be studying abroad in the Netherlands within two months. After a game full of chest kicks, behind-the-knee hits, and yellow cards, Spain and the Netherlands went into overtime. Unfortunately for me and the rest of the "Hup Holland Hup" fans out there, Spain scored at the last possible moment, granting them their first World Cup victory.
[It's currently 2:30 am and I am still working on my final presentation for tomorrow's class on migration. I have to present my magazine project, for which I am an editor. Wish me luck.]
"The service was done in Tagalog, so I understood a bit of the liturgy."
ReplyDeleteWow...that must have been incredible!!
Good luck with your presentation! I know you'll do fantastic!
That's so interesting that you're getting in touch with people who share your heritage all the way on the other side of the world!! So cool!!
oohhh very cool! about the church service! that's so awesome!
ReplyDeleteand i'm pretty sure you guys in rome have been following the world cup wayy more than any of us here in the us haha.
thats cool... wounder how many personal stories you have listen too thought out this trip? never care much about the world cup its not a sport that i really like anyhow besides that your doing pretty good so far....
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