October 14th, 10 p.m.
Dear Claire,
I’m here, in my bedroom. I really need to tell you something sad that happened three days ago, here in Vicenza.
That morning I woke up, I got dressed and then I went to the kitchen to have breakfast like every morning and Lucia, immediately, told me that the school was cancelled. I was so happy about this because I could relax listening to music or going shopping along Corso Palladio, Vicenza’s main street. My host mum, however, told me that I wasn’t going to school because a violent earthquake was expected. The Bianchis had been informed by the town authorities the evening before.
At those words, I was so frightened that my legs were shaking, but Lucia hugged me as my mother did when I was in Barcelona. During the morning my host family and I tried to keep ourselves busy playing on the Wii, we had a lot of fun and we forgot what was going to happen for a while.
At around midday we were having lunch. We had left the TV was on to see if there was any news when we felt the first sign of the earthquake. The earth kept shaking like this for two long hours, then the final shake was the most violent one: we ran out of the house screaming with fear, everybody was crying and the children didn’t realize what was happening. Some houses were falling down as if were made of paper. This terrible scene lasted ten minutes. After that we entered the house again and we were quite happy because the earthquake did little damage that could be repaired soon. We turned on the TV; the natural disaster was in all the news. We got to know that a lot of people had died and the rescue teams were working to help the casualties and the survivors.
After that, the Bianchis’ telephone rang for three hours: my family and my relatives were all worried because they heard the news on the TV. Instead, my friends sent me e-mails. They asked me if I was okay and what was the situation like. I reassured them saying that I was feeling well even if I was a little scared, that several houses had been destroyed because of the quakes, but I told them that the worst was over. They also asked me how was my host family and what I had been doing these past three weeks. They were so happy to know that I’m feeling well with the Bianchis and in this fabulous city that they almost forgot the reasons why they had called me. I was happy, too, because I could talk with my family after a long time.
This week there was Andrea’s birthday, too. That day everything was perfect: the place where the party was held, the cake, the candles, also the guests. I didn’t expect. In fact when he asked me if I would go to his party I was very excited: it was my first Italian birthday party and I wanted to see what an Italian boy did.
We arrived in a kind of disco. All Andrea’s friends were there. He introduced me to the other guests. We danced, we had a few drinks , we had a lot of fun and when I returned home I was satisfied with myself, happy because the Bianchi family considered me as a member of the family.
Sorry Claire, but I’m going to bed now, I’m very tired. See you.
Gessica Zarantonello
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