I forgot to figure I couldn't put pictures on my iPad from my camera so if you would like please enjoy the photos on Facebook. Rome has been the most perfectly wonderful place in the world! On mondaywe saw the colosseum roman forum etc plus discovered the Jewish ghetto crossed the Tiber several times wandered through piazzas full of street performers and street vendors and beautiful neighborhoods with crawling vines on warm Mediterranean stucco walls. The weather has been ideal, the company has been ideal, the location is more than ideal and I love errything! I have now seen 3 Italian gingers...one of them twice in two separate locations so it is clearly fate that I find the Italian gingers It is magical. We visited pompeii yesterday and the strangest thing ( the brothel) spawned and incredibly deep conversation with the girls in the group which pulled us all together really quickly. We were already close and getting along famously but now we have connected in a much more meaningful way and I can't believe how lucky I was to get this amazing group of people! We got to partake of a very important cultural experience on wednesday after visiting the catacombs and appian way (which I plan on owning a villa on someday) and were heading back to take a bus into the city for lunch and then some wandering time. We arrived at the bus stop at 1 and were enjoying ourselves when it chose that moment to downpour. We didn't think much of it because the bus would be there shortly and we would jump on and soon be dry...an hour passes, we are soaked and starving but still in good spirits and enjoying each others company. Another hour passes but the rain had let up so we were just starving and exhausted but never fear we were laughing and singing and having a jolly old time. Cinzia (our director)had called the bus company twice now to make sure they were coming and they said yes but after 3 hours had passed with no buses and food becoming a priority we finally called a taxi. The taxi ride was the most enjoyable ever! The driver was so funny driving next to another car just leaning out the window talking to him and scaring us all to death. This was entertaining and an cultural experience but not the one I speak of, the cultural experience I was most impressed by was that we had been victims of a bus strike!!!! Just for a few hours that day just because they can, in the Italian way! I was so pleased...I feel quite induced into the culture. The men here are quite lovely but quite sketchy in a funny way and they are all friendly. The worst part is when I tr to speak in Italian but they respond in English and wont let me try... So if I come back no better it's not even my fault. We got to go to a YSA activity tonight with the Roma ward and all the people were so friendly! Being a Mormon certainly did not diminish the boys lovely faces at all...in fact I believe the holy ghos accentuated them. Anyway, it was such a fantastic experince because they are all such good people living in a very different society than I ever have and most of them are converts, I was so impressed that they went out of their way to find the truth and completely lleft their culture for the gospel. The branch president after told us what a big impact it had for us to be there so I was so grateful we had that opportunity. Wow this is really long I'm sorry...I just want to keep going but I'll stop now and just be more consistent about writing in the future. Vi voglio tanto bene.