The last time I woke up at 6:45 a.m. was when I was a Senior in
high school, so getting out of bed was a challenge. But I was
excited; I was going to see the Pope…again. It was smooth sailing
from Wagner to Yonkers; the only thing we had to do was wait till
Pope Benedict XVI arrived. I’m not going to lie, if it weren’t for
my iPod and being with people I knew, I would probably would have
gone insane – the 2 ½ hour lines for food wouldn’t have been
bearable if I wasn’t with my friend in line.
It was a nice bonus to see Kelly Clarkson and hear some of my
favorite songs. It was about 4 p.m. and I was laughing
everyone for being pink and when I removed my watch I realized that
I had tanned as well. When the Pope arrived in the seminary, you
could feel it in the air. When I saw him being affectionate with
the children, it actually made me tear, it was so touching.
When he finally arrived on the stage the energy level was
unbelievable. Everyone was cheering and screaming in their native
tongues, “Viva el Papa! Benedetto! We love you!” Even I found
myself screaming in Italian. I think he was very touched when we
sang “Happy Birthday” in German. When he realized that he
accidentally forgot to say his Spanish speech, he was actually
funny.
I have seen him before and I really didn’t have an impression of
him. But this time around, I realized that he is kinda of a funny
guy. If I got any of this experience, it was that he has a sense of
humor. I was in his presence for about an hour and it was more than
enough to me. It was worth the wait, even when it was all over and
we were trying to go home.
When I got home, I realized that I had seen the Pope three times
in a year. Wow, what luck! Most people don’t even get a chance to
see a pope in their lifetimes but I got to see him three times at
such a young age; in the Vatican and here in New York. This is
something I won’t be forgetting anytime soon – especially when I
have the pictures to remind me.