Friday, 26/02/2010 at 14.00
Floor invade the service center for volunteering to Modena, home of the social point-we 14 Modena, the 3 girls of Imola and many friends to say goodbye ..
Finally we go! The weather is beautiful, everyone laugh, this project has involved many people, so much energy. Let's go in Africa
la la la ...
14.30 ... we sit in a circle in the meeting room, large but too small to hold us and our emotions, the Vale Points: guess your pass phrase, a t-shirt for each traveler Modena . "Where's my phone?" For Tilde, "if I wake arrival" Angel gets up ... "Yes yes yes no no no" Patty smiles. "Vibra join social joint .. in Tanzania, "laughs the perp and the" King of Gossip "Luca. "What do you think of sunflowers? We ask for Emanuele and "is always the fault of Bruno" for him of course, Bruno. "I want you for one hour (this time really leaves you ..)" for psicologona the group, Michi, and "everyone has a mentor who deserves" for the small Vale trainee to Social Point. "You are peaceful and do not break ever ..." slogan for respective Point and Manu ... the sentence longer and designed for the great Gilberto "Part A Walk Along Zuzzurellando emotions and are not afraid" to ... which is "we've broken the bongos for Alle .. and the mythical Maurino that "national Nanni goes global" because Carlo "Radio Free not so freely is actually a dictatorship." And Marco, who no longer wants to go, "We will miss you" on his jersey ... and we'll take him with us, in our hearts as we all friends now greet .. Now, let's start at 14.45 with three coaches led by Giuliano, Lucio and David welcome you to Verona, where some friends of the Day Centre by P. Harris to greet us. Only then unroll the banner "do together" and we gather with Parma, Bologna, Imola behind him.
Son and the plane gets up at 19.00 ... We're going la la la .... But that laughter, Charles argues that it is quiet in a very long and stressful journey, and is a little 'a dictatorship because you have to stand still .. has not been silent for a moment.
at 22.45 flying over the Sahara and the Vale curses for jeans soiled with chocolate Emanuele, The Patty walk through the air, the perp drank 2 beers and Bruno clings to the seat. The Tilde apostille "are too many in here and you can not sleep ... we are in trouble we're in trouble ..." in fact, who would have said that we were on the flight to Africa for Muyeye. All quiet and serene, happy to be together ... but it will be nice to never sleep so why then are out there - 40 ° C and is warm in here crazy.
But the trip is passing and we're finally landing in Mombasa ... Charles broke the silence "Ciambellini otitis me coming back!" And they all laugh until you cried: are this Saturday, 27/02/2010
... ... How many thoughts crowd How we will we? What are you waiting for the village? Failure to meet their poverty, to live without too ill be there?
... The fear of flying, for some, the first flight, the fear of how it will be Africa, eating insects ... if we will be able to sustain the anxiety, the concerns of some of
us ... ... After a flight of eight hours and several hours in a rickety bus we could touch our fears, our expectations .. The dawn that illuminates
Mombasa, the journey by bus from the dirt roads, africa .. the race in front of our eyes, already awake at 4 am: entire streets occupied by vendors of fruit, objects, people running, people pulling carts, kids yelling hello there ... the heat ... you start to feel overwhelming. We passed through several villages between Mombasa and Malindi: their damaged facades, roofs thatched rickety, the walls often devoured by a thick vegetation .. sometimes in obvious lack of collection services, many waste accumulate in the streets, drawing armies of flies, insects, and poor people in search of food .. A
"Jambo!" Awakens us from our thoughts .. We arrived at the hotel where we were welcomed with great enthusiasm and where it slowly - pole pole - we arranged .. After we rested
spend the afternoon in the streets of the old town .. all who follow you trying to sell you something or convince you to follow ... a little 'lost we rely to a young boy who led us through the streets of Malindi. ...
every corner shop, necklaces, combs, fruits, purses, sandals, eat pancakes, african pizza, chapatis, .... Fruit beautiful and colorful. In many
they spoke in Italian, small phrases, learn here and there ... hello, how are you? Flour? You give me money? safari? ... A smile does not fill the belly, not feeds but we had promised ourselves: we do not give anything to anyone if not triggered the riot.
Here and electricity cables, but hard to understand if the "houses" next to it .. not to mention benefitting water. On either side of the road where several small fountains in line to wash, kids playing soccer, sellers, ...
The Patty gets emotional here is amazing seeing people there is the reality of things.
Sunday, 28/02/2010
We had a planning meeting this week that will see us working every day to the village, on Tuesday (for those who want all day) to the reef, on Thursday, for those who want to safari. Appointments to the village with the whole group will be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while the other visits are "free."
The first meeting with the village of Modena us we had this afternoon, when some of us went.
We went through some streets of Malindi, the market, then take a dirt road full of potholes, contrasting with the oleanders on the margins, high, almost to protect the villas of the Italian residing there, and that leads us to Muyeye, the courtyard of our school.
the center of the square in the shadow of a huge baobab two iron signs indicate that we are there too: Itaka and words found.
What a thrill to see it! There really is. A building with five laboratories, a kitchen, a space where we will eat together, the house for the caretaker.
is Sunday, no one is at work and Alex takes us to visit the village and his house. Alex has a young wife of 26 years and three children, then Catholics are in church on Sunday are all ...
An oppressive heat every step you take ... but above all corners draws our attention: huts of mud and cow dung serve as homes , roofs of millet stalks forked straight from timber containing small shops. ... a few brick houses, including that of Alex. Every year during the monsoon season many homes disappear before being rebuilt.
not see old men in the village only so many small children ... and Manfred, the wise Tilde .. certain that the physical appearance has little to do with the actual age: the early ages to live this life, the same Alex, who is 28, seems to have many more ... Alex
leave his family to achieve the other hotel, we ended up with Alex around 14 for a trip to Marafa depression, spectacular. We did it, helping us along, risk of falling, swaying, holding hands across the canyon we are happy to have accomplished together!
Monday, 01/03/2010 7:30
dawn of the Michi, the Vale and Manu are raised to go to buy stamps to stick to the more than 400 postcards to send to all citizens who believed in us!
... The village where we came back this afternoon welcomed us in a totally different way: thousands of children, can not count them, they say 1760, will be .... All who follow you to ask for something a bit .. 'of flour, one euro, a pen ... a boy who has known the perp Sunday brings you a bracelet with the words MAX, a small gift moves us to give the euro the day before ... everyone has a child by the hand, impossible not to at least give him that .. and everyone is enjoying the people ... Patty, a few tears on her face, so sad to see so many children, barefoot, poorly dressed. The Tilde - Manfred who knows the little Thomas.
But this is their life and if you look at them for a while you realize a peace that goes beyond that. That it is difficult to understand but that makes you say that it is a poverty of dignity. Some of us reflect on how certain problems here would go into the background .. Perhaps the anxiety does not exist, perhaps the "Mauri" to emerge from Maurino always gets excited a lot ... At
when signing the register for the Modena group that collects the mayor of the schools "here I found a joy that in Italy there is no" next to his sentence and a thank you, and your signature. Very nice. Past fears, past the stomach ache, anxiety passed. On the one hand ... on the other side of Africa that shows the less we like, what did try to take advantage of those who, like the mayor .. € 200 that requires us to make the snack with all the 1760 children ... and we bought bread and juice at his shop .... Tuesday, 03/02/2010
is the thrill of Manfred - Tilde - which tells us that he had never seen anything so beautiful, the white and the atoll reef full of colorful fish that come at you, a fabulous bathroom with colorful fish that we were close by. ... a beautiful hike, but the attraction Muyeye is way too strong ... so that this afternoon some of us have found
... we have not seen adults in the village ... with his white shirt, the shirt of words found, jeans Alex with young people who work with him, the mayor, the head janitor and the mythical are the only adult with whom we have compared .. eyes of the children are lively and serene, and there is greatness in their simplicity, we think.
Despite everything we were good, the impact with the children school has been positive even if they ask us all the time ... medicine and aid. The meeting with the Muyeye children, who did not want to leave it alone, we had two or three clinging to each hand was once again a strong emotion .. and we left with a promise to meet again tomorrow to eat together.
Wednesday, 03/03/2010 This morning we Modena us a bit 'scattered in Africa ... one of us in Malindi, the Patty has been with the crew to take a gift for Mark, Luke has gone to shopping with Emma and the mayor for 1760 ... While the children were Manuel and Gilberto with the architect, Michael Tilde and have cooked with Joy, the wife of Alex ....
Luca said that he enjoyed himself, who ate and drank the coconut ... then have bought bread, soft drinks, candy, cutlery, plates ...
And Michi '... We had lunch at Muyeye. Reconcile the different ideas and expectations of the groups, referents, from the village and the individual was really hard and probably also the exchange deficit in some places, but the lunch was done and I personally have had the great opportunity to participate in the preparation of lunch and shopping.
Together with Alex, Manuel, Gilberto Tilde and I went to buy flour for polenta, beans, spinach, potatoes and coconuts, which served for our lunch.
E ' been interesting to shop in their stores that do not exactly corrspondono to our concept of the supermarket, are located in a room in the house and on display there are goods in small quantities in contrast to the wide variety (medicines, vegetables, sand, eggs .. .) each way to shop for many people in a village so small, even with the knowledge to have, at least this time, increased revenue, it was embarrassing because during this time we were surrounded by children asking for money and candy and we were buying a quantity of food that's probably a local family consumes in a year in one solution, and of course it was unthinkable to buy something every child, and did not want it. Especially since Emma and Luke were buying, accompanied by the Mayor (in his shop), bread and juice for snack thicket of children. After purchasing
Manuela and Gilberto have reached the architect, we have moved to Alex's mother's house where Alex and his wife to other women of the village and I Tilde we shared a few moments of preparation of the meal.
We clean and cut the spinach, they do not have boards on which to rest and then do a roll of spinach leaves to be cut into tiny pieces with very sharp knives.
I must admit that my good will was much higher than the performance obtained, although the ladies I have watched patiently for my clumsy attempt to imitate them, moreover, that the spinach for them has always seen only in the frozen food department of Coop pace was not so quick with the onion ... but I've gotten much much better.
E 'was great to communicate in different languages, and above all the international language of signs and facial expressions. For me it was a valuable experience because I learned, in part absolute minimum, something about their habits and their lifestyle in a direct comparison with mine. A
Muyeye there is no gas for not cooking on the stove, but on bundles of wood in front of the site surrounded by stone houses. I think this was the part more satisfying because of the day was the time when I had the feeling of a more effective exchange where the confrontation, speaking at length without words, two different worlds, and as this is born a good experience to do together.
For lunch we were joined by the group and here's my point of view is a bit 'changed, we were not ospitatati from the village but by the family of Alex, and it was pretty special being at the table to eat things that just before I clumsily cooked together with their group members to serve as the restaurant by the owners intent to serve and revere, instead of taking part with us at lunch so that we can still share feelings and spare life.
But the most disappointing, however, was that of a snack when the bread and fruit juices were allowed out for us, certainly do not need the afternoon snack, quarreled in front of the kids who are able to get a little 'and teachers who punished them with a stick to fit them back.
At this point I have to admit that I did not right and I left the field.
As a little 'whole group we expected that the snacks were distributed in classes in an atmosphere of relative peace.
I admit that this experience made me reflect on our need to export our habit, snack, in a place where we often do not even have money for lunch and do one-off.
The misunderstanding arose from many factors but certainly also by the fact that another approach can not always ask ourselves how those who can give but also to understand what we can learn and in this case our indelicacy cost is free to any child beatings .
Thursday, 04/03/2010
Rise early, at 4, for some of us: Angelo, the Allies, Patty, Maurino, Bruno, Emmanuel, the Manu, son of the village and some went to the safari .... A huge red bush, and many animals to take your breath away. Friday, 03/05/2010
Last Day .... But Africa does not want to leave ...
quiet morning, Malindi, and afternoon Muyeye .. . There was the village party, football match between local classes, dance competition ... citizens of the world, all at par.
Some of us have a brief recitation of the story of Pinocchio and the excitement grew for the football game ended in a deserved draw 1 - 1.
... and after red colored our region we are back to the hotel, with a little 'in the heart of sadness but certain that it is only a goodbye ..
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