December 23rd - 11 p.m.
Dear Claire,
How are you? I’m so excited, I’ve just arrived at home, my real home,
here in Barcelona. After three long months, I’m writing to you from my small
room again…You can’t imagine how I feel! I have to tell you so many things, but
I’m going to start from the final week.
The last days in Italy were fantastic. After shopping in Verona, I spent a day with my host family in Sirmione, a nice town
near lake Garda. The quietness of
that place helped me to relax and to think about all the
experiences I had done in Italy. I remembered the embarrassment and the astonishment of the
first period, the happiness when I met new friends, the terror of the
earthquake. All these things have changed my personality, I ‘ve grown up and
now I’m more responsible and self-confident than before. For the whole week, I didn’t know whether to be sad or
happy. I would have missed Italy, but
I was glad to see my family again. These thoughts were interrupted by a
beautiful surprise: my classmates told me that they had thrown a party for me. We went to Anna’s house and
there we had lunch all together and then we danced. They also gave me a book
with photos and notes as a memory of the experience. I’d
never had more fun in my life. I was
really touched by this ‘’going away’’ party because I didn’t expected it. I won’t
ever, ever forget them, they have been so amiable with me.
 |
| going away party |
That
evening, on my way to my host family’s home, I was thinking about the past
three months had spent in Italy. I started thinking about all the little things
that I was going to miss about Vicenza and the Italian lifestyle. The very
first thing that came up to my mind was coffee! When you get
acquainted with Italians, you’ll
definitely be invited to have a
“thousand coffees”, because having a coffee together is not just drinking: it is a social rite . Moreover, the famous Italian “happy hour”:
when the working day is over, between six and seven o’clock, Italians meet in bars to have a spritz together, eat
some chips and chat about their day. On Fridays, during the “spritz time”, you
can really feel the week-end is starting up! Streets are full of people and
their voices are like music: that’s the magic of the Italian language and its
harmony! I remembered when I got to Vicenza in September and I saw people
having the “aperitivo” for the first time; they were sitting at bar tables in
the beautiful frame of Piazza Dei Signori, with its magnificent Basilica Palladiana,.
I also loved Piazza San Lorenzo, Corso Palladio and
Piazza Matteotti with the famous Palladio’s masterpiece, Teatro Olimpico.
 |
| spritz time |
So many
memories and feelings: the smell of the delicious Italian pizza and genuine
tomato sauce for spaghettis when you pass by small restaurants or pizza houses
and the smell of the fresh bread very early in the morning when you pass by a
bakery. If you’re lucky enough to be one of the first customers, you will taste
fantastic just baked Italian bread! And then, the surroundings, which are
simply amazing: the colors of the flowers on the balconies and on the tables of
restaurants and bars, the lights of the small clubs that illuminate the
darkness of the night, the flavour and the simple look that make Italian meals so
special..
That
evening, when I was walking home, I hoped that all those beautiful memories
would stay for ever in my mind like many little pictures hanging on a wall.
And
guess what happened when I got to the airport and saw my family? I greeted them
with a “ciao!” and I hugged all of them crying! In my soul mixed feelings were
fighting: I was finally home with my loved ones, but a little piece of my heart
was already missing Italy and all my friends and my host parents . With may parents I talked about the Italian lifestyle, meals,
routine, things I saw, people I met.. And as I remembered all those beautiful
moments, I realized that words can’t tell how this experience has changed my
life. The only thing I know is that I’m seriously thinking about going to visit
them in summer with my family. That would be great!
Now I
have to go back to my routine but I’m aware that the world out there jas been
looking a little bigger since I got
back.
This has
been a long day: with the flight and all these emotions I feel exhausted, so I’m going to bed.. I’ll
write you soon, goodbye for now!
Noemi Beatrice Bildiroglou
Nicola Bazzan
No comments:
Post a Comment