NINA - Week 3: The Natural Disaster

                                                                        October 14^th, 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                               

                                                                                           

DARK-WEEK 3: THE DISASTER

Yesterday I was glancing through a magazine when some words from the television in the kitchen drew my attention: On Tuesday- schools-closed. I tried to hold back my happiness, first of all I had heard well.  I ran to the TV and  I understood why the following day I was not supposed to go to school. All the images from the TV news were about water, but they were not at all postcard pictures of the beautiful   Australian Ocean . That was water mixed with mud, it was the water that had destroyed cities and killed more than one hundred people. In fact, because of the heavy rain of the past few days, rivers have swollen and there have been floods  all over New South Wales. 

Now I’m not so happy about this unexpected vacation. I have been watching for hours desperate people who have lost their relatives and their properties in the flood  This is the only news on TV and the country is with bathed breath. Volunteers from all over the country are arriving to help  shovel the mud.

As soon as she saw the news , Jennifer started crying  . She grew up in Bourke, one of the cities that has been destroyed, so she’s really sad. She saw part of her life, the streets where she  used to played as  a child, completely swept off by the flood. She’s also worried about her friends who live there: she hopes they have been rescued.

I’m going to make a Krovrizka, a Russian cake, to cheer her  up and I’m sure she’ll love it.

The news has done the tour of the world. My parents immediately called me asking if everything was ok and if I had more detailed  news. When they heard about the floods in New South Wales,  they got frightened. They phoned when here it was five a.m. because Aleksandr couldn’t wait to know if I was fine (what a sweet brother I have!). I reassured them,  and also my friends,  who had been sending  worried mails to me.

 Luckily there isn't bad news only.  At school we’ve started an group.activity  Each group has beek asked to create a country with its physical geography, type of society and economy. After presenting their  work to the class, the groups will start to trade with the others countries and to have diplomatic relations with them. When we were proposed  the  project,  I thought it would be boring, but I was wrong. We are having fun, that’s incredible! There are four of us: Judith, who I had never noticed  because she looks (but only looks) very quiet and shy. When she’s with her friends she’s full of life like a volcano. Then there's Oliver, a brilliant boy , very good at sports; Paul, a bookworm that knows everything about history, and myself.

Our “invented”country is  called Daisland, a place where natural resources  only are employed  without polluting the world, in other  words the country where I wish I could live! It’s the first time that I have looked  forward to doing  a school project and it’s also my chance to make new friends…I can’t waste it!

Marina Picardi

LYUDMILA - Week 2: Getting Around

This is only the second week I have been in Sidney,  but I feel it like home. The subway, the difficulties with the new city, the language, the new school and the new classmates don’t terrify me like a week ago. In addition, the family is so friendly and in these days I’ve  started to get more familiar with their daily life. I really like living here because in the morning things are so different from Moscow, because of the school and the new activities I do, (and I love new experiences) and in the afternoon I love watch Jennifer helping Mark with homework stay with Amber!! I'm  so happy with  this new friendship.  The first half of the week has been perfect, except for Friday, which was a totally disastrous day!! At school I've met many classmates and  they are really friendly with me, except for one girl. Her name is Greta and she is the captain of the cheerleader team of the school. She is one of the most popular and beautiful girl in the school and obviously she is a close friend of James’, the guy of my dreams!!   Greta  doesn't to want be only a friend to him...she wants more! Like me she wants to be her girlfriend  and for this reason she does everything  to discredit me. Friday morning was terrible because she made fun of me all the time and James was there, too !

When I got back home I was quite sad and a bit nervous! I sat to the sofa and I watched the television all   afternoon!! Even when Mark  arrived (he wanted to to play with his new play station)  I didn’t let him use the TV and so he ran off crying!!

After dinner I apologised with him for my behavior,  but he sulked  until the following day. Christopher and Jennifer saw that I was a bit sad because of my argument with Mark and they also saw that something at school had  happened ;   for this reason they decided to take me to around the city at the week end and  to show me some of the major tourist spots.

First of all we went to the Opera House. It was fantastic and I took a lot of photos. Then we went to Darling Harbour; it is a nice neighborhood full of shops and nice restaurants. After a lot of shopping and a substantial lunch,  we visited the Sidney Aquarium and the Sidney Zoo, with fish and animals from all over the world.  

                                         

On the way back home we went to Port Jackson, the largest harbour in the world and finally to Bondi Beach, where people surf all  year round.  There I saw something unforgettable:  James was surfing and when he came ashore,   he waved me helllo. I'll never forget this!! The most poupular boy of the school   greeted me, the "beetroot"!! That's incredible!! I definitely love Australia:)  

                                                                                                  

                                                                  

Matteo Fontana

IN BETWEEN- WEEK 2: GETTING AROUND

June 30th, 00:30 p.m.

Dear Diary,

this is my second week in Melbourne with my new family. Everything is ok but

yesterday I had an argument with Eliza because I forgot to clear the table and to

tidy up my room. She was right because I should have done it, but I think she

had been too aggressive with me, I didn’t deserve it! At home I’m not used to

doing the housework because we have a cleaning lady, so she can’t expect me to

do everything by now. As a punishment for that, I have to

clean the stables for two weeks . She is too strict and she should employ a

cleaning lady!

Two days ago I went for a walk with Nerissa along the beach; there we met some

friends of hers. Among them I saw a handsome, tall, sunbathed, muscled boy and

I asked Nerissa who he was and she told me that he was her brother: unbelievable!

She introduced me to him and we talked for a while, I think there was a great

feeling...

At school I have also met other guys; I hope they’ll become my friends: Neha,

an Indian girl who attends the biology class with me, Paul, Jesse and Mark,

who play tennis with me in the afternoon, and Keira a nice girl who lives in my

neighbourhood. They are very kind to me and with their help everything is easier!

In fact living here is amazing and I really like it because it's like a new life; I love

the climate, the beaches, the Australians , my new family.- Nevertheless it is not so

easy for me. Starting off a new school is difficult for everybody and sometimes I

feel a little unwelcome, especially last week when those rude boys were pulling my

leg, but with my new friends' help I feel more comfortable .

As I had never been in Melbourne before, my host family took me on a

sightseeing tour of the city. So yesterday morning we went to Queen Victoria

Market, a huge open-air market full of traditional and ethnic stalls. We spent there

one and a half hour and then we walked as far as the public zoo which is a 150-

year- old zoo were there are several animal species. I really enjoyed seeing the

penguins because it was the first time in my life, they are so sweetie and funny!

At lunch we had a sandwich at the zoo café and in the afternoon we went to the

Immigration Museum.I loved visiting it because my host family told me their

story: they are the descendants of British immigrants, it means that we have the

same roots! That's why they are so understanding with my cultural shock!

Later on we went for a walk in the harbour and we had dinner in a restaurant in

Federation square which was not far from the market. Everybody was pretty tired,

so we called a taxi to go back home. On our way back home I saw something that

I will never forget: injured kangaroo in the middle of the street. The taxi stopped

and we got off the car. The animal had a major wound on its right leg and it could

not move at all. Adam called the vet and we waited for him for twenty minutes.

At midnight we eventually got home and everyone fell asleep immediately!

It was a beautiful day, I discovered a lot about my new city and my host family,

I'm so happy to be here...

Federica Bertagnin

IN BETWEEN: WEEK 3. A NATURAL DISASTER.

This is my third week with my new family in Australia. Last week we had fun visiting the city and I also met some new friends at school. But this week an unimaginable disaster has happened! Suddenly a tsunami raged the city and many  people were killed. On Monday at 2 p.m., while I was doing my homework, my host family was watching the News and I heard they were broadcasting videos about a flood in the Australian coast near Melbourne. I ran downstairs and I asked Eliza and Adam for more information because I was really scared, but they told me it wasn’t so near us. They also told me that it is a quite common phenomenon on this coast, and it causes a lot of damages, but usually on a small area. I was a little reassured but I continued watching TV because there were a lot of frightening images  about the victims of the tsunami and I hoped I would not hear them call my friend’s names. In the evening the flood had definitely ceased but, as a consequence, a lot of people had lost their homes, so the local council gave them shelter in a large hall. On the next day my parents called me up: they wanted to get information about me and my host family because the news of the tsunami had reached England. I reassured them saying that we were completely safe. After that, I checked up my e-mails; there were many letters from my English friends asking me what had really happened. Obviously, on that day, the local authorities decided to  keep all schools near the coast closed. On the following days, it got better and better. The streets were cleaned of the debris and the beach  was also cleaned with the help of many volunteers. Some days later there were organised some activities to help those who had become homeless. Some school bands played concerts to raise money and which was donated to these unlucky citizens. Also clothes and other useful items were collected among the residents and given to them.I was really astonished by the generosity of the  people and the effectiveness of the authorities  Also, Melbourne town hall have decided that one particular day would be  devoted to remember and honour the memory of those who had lost their lives in the tsunami. It's been an extraordinary week, full of events. I will never forget it.

Carolina Rossi

NINA - Week 2: Getting Around

                                                                                                                                 October 7^th, 10 p.m.

Dear Claire,

How are you? Is the school going well?

Here everything was great but, on Monday afternoon, I had a brief argument with my host family. I came out of school and I ran home because I knew that the wedding of Juan Carlos  Borbon’s son,  Felipe, was going to be broadcasted at 3.00 o’clock. I was interested in seeing his bride, her   wedding dress  and if   they had invited  any celebs. When I got home, however, I saw seven men glued to the TV watching a football match. I absolutely hate football matches!! I immediately thought: it’s just like home; when there’s a match, my brother invites all of his classmates to watch it.  So, I come close to   Francesco and I reminded  him that I had told him a week before that I would have liked watching this wedding. Nevertheless, he said that he hadn’t noticed it written  on the calendar. I had forgotten to do it. But I didn’t want to give in so, like a tiger, I ran to the TV and turned it off. As soon as I did it,  they all furiously shouted at me to turn it on. So my host mom arrived and she   proposed going her friend’s house. I turned the TV on and followed her. Over  dinner I asked my host father if he was cross with me but,  surprisingly, he wasn’t.

During the second week at school I met some students from the other classes. On Thursday, after Philosophy class,  I went to the school  library to revise some notes. It is quite nice and cosy,  not crowded as the one in Barcelona. I took a seat in  opposite a boy called Tom who at once  understood that I was a new arrival  at  school so, we introduced each other. I spent a lot of time talking about my new experience in Italy:  because of that I didn’t do what I had planned. He was very fit and he told me that he had practiced  athletics up to a year before, but now because of his girlfriend, he is forced to spend all his free time with her. Romantic, I thought. On the following day I saw one of my classmates, Luisa, kissing Tom.  And it was clear to me why he was forced to give up   his passion: Luisa is the most moody, competitive and  jealous girl that I have ever met, but also the prettiest in the school. I hate her!!!! The first time we saw each other was at school and she told me arrogantly: “What are doing here? Go back to your country, we don’t want foreigners here !!!”. I would have liked to strangle her but, she was rescued by the English teacher. Apart from this episode,  I really like my classmates and I also like living here.

The following days went by very fast and my relationship with my host family has got really good. Last  Saturday they organized a sightseeing tour around Vicenza. Firstly they took me to the Olympic Theater. It was absolutely fantastic. The most interesting thing are the seven streets which represented the city of Thebes. The first performance was held during the Carnival of 1585. 

Then, we had lunch at a farm house where we ate typical food: wonderful!! I really liked    the stockfish.  During the way back, Francesco took a shortcut to show me the “Villa Rotunda” which, with the Basilica and the Olympic Theatre, are the most popular buildings by Palladio. The villa was built in 1570.  In 1591 it was bought by Capra family.

Finally, tired but happy,  we returned to the city centre for an aperitif. We parked our car not too far from the town centre. When Francesco got out,  a man dressed in black  approached  him, and pulled out a gun from under his coat. At first I thought it was one of his friend who was simply joking,  but then   I saw that he was   terrified and before the robber could say  a word, Francesco  gave his wallet  to him. The robber ran  away leaving us speechless. A few days later, we would have discovered that the robber  had been  arrested. I’ll never forget this experience, I have never been so afraid  for myself and for someone at the same time . 

Now I must go. It’s really late,

Goodnight Clare, I’ll write to  you tomorrow.

Giacomo Filippo Segato

LYUDMILA - first week:culture shock

Friday, 23 march 2012


My first week in Australia has passed and I’m terribly homesick.

Jennifer and Christopher are kind and Mark and Amber are really friendly. During this week Amber and I have become close friends: we talk about school, boys and sports. I’ve also started  school: I’ve  noticed that is very different from my school in Russia. The school building is very big, there are lots of subjects and classes. Students must know how to get organized   and how to choose different courses: it’s like university!! I don’t know what to study, I’m following Amber like a shadow and I do the same classes she takes, even if I know that it is wrong. In Russia you don’t choose because the course of studies is fixed. Here we finish classes at four o’clock p.m. and we go swimming or surfing: the only problem is that in Russia we don’t swim or surf because we almost don’t know what a sea is. In addition I often get sunburned because my skin is white and delicate,  so I am as red as a beetroot! I must wear a t-shirt and so someone has started to pick on me and call : “Beetroot, beetroot!!” I’m furious: yesterday I had a temperature and I layed on my bed crying.

Today I feel better: my back doesn’t “burn” anymore. Amber promised  she will take me to Opera House: my friends told me that it’s amazing! during this week I’ve also improved my English, even if I still have problems to understand and talk  .. Sometime I wish I could fly and go back to Moscow, just for one night: talk with Aleksandr, tell mum and dad everything about  my problems and then return back here. I know that Australia is a great opportunity for me and then here there is…..James: that’s the name of the guy of my dreams, my charming prince. I saw him at school, during lunch time and since that moment I haven’t  stopped  looking at him: he’s like a drug! He’s so handsome: he has very short blond hairs and green eyes. There’s only one problem: he is the most popular guy of my high school, the captain of the rugby team, so I don’t know what to do to conquer him. Don’t forget that I’m called “beetroot”! Today Amber is not going  to school, so I must go along Sidney alone. There is a lot of traffic and the subway terrifies me. In Moscow I take the bus in front of my house and I’m at school in twenty minutes’ time. So, if I’m not going to write anymore you should know that I definitely got lost in one of the large streets in Sidney! Now I have to go, Jennifer has cooked her delicious pancakes with syrup: they aren’t like our “palacinke” but they are really good!

Riccardo Vinci