apathy |ˈapəθē|
noun

lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern : widespread apathy among students.

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The sentence the dictionary gives is perfect.

Laughter and joy

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face” — Victor Hugo

And since I’m always laughing, it is always sunny and summery in my head.

This summer, in particular, has been full of smiles and laughter. If I try to think of just one word in order to start describing the last three months of my life as an au pair, I can only think of contentment.

Happiness is found among the simplest things that life has to offer, it is often said, but it wasn’t until this summer that I was finally able to appreciate this myself…

The sweet perfume of coffee brewing out of the moka.

The laughter of a child as you pick him up and spin him around the room.

Going up and down the slides at the water park all-day long until your feet hurt and your ears are soaked.

Pushing your little raft all the way to the ‘boe rosse’ (the red buoys) and seeing how little the people look at lido from where you stand.

Swimming 300m deep into the sea as you realize the water is too high for your swimming abilities.

Enjoying pesto, pasta, pizza, focaccia, gelato, caffè, grissini, gnocchi, piadine, barolo, nebbiolo, dolcetto, moscato, barbera, pesche ripiene, marmellata della nonna, pain maison, formaggio, genepy, arancino, acqua frizzante, gianduoitti limonata, James’ honey, Puglia olive oil, ramassin, albicocche, rubatà, lampone, prugne… and realizing the bounteousness of the Italian land and of the Piemonte region.

Cutting wild blackberries and making a delicious cake with them afterwards.

Climbing up to the top of a mountain and having the distinct satisfaction that comes with this feat.

Going down that same mountain, falling, and laughing at your own clumsiness.

Getting soaking wet under the pouring rain and sleet.

Rediscovering film photography.

Lunches and dinners that seem to go on forever as the food keeps coming and the wine keeps pouring… with friends that linger around for that second cup of coffee long after the gathering is over, keeping the celebration forever alive. 

Drinking one too many mojitos… and going in the pool fully clothed with the rest of your friends.

Laughing at dinner table for no apparent reason… the ‘ridarella’, a fit of laughter.

Going for a mellow ride on a sidecar along the streets of Cuneo. 

Going for an adrenaline-charged, 150 km/hr motorcycle ride to Milano.

Going for an impromptu swim in the Stura river in your underwear… the proceeding to cover your entire body with clay found in the banks of said river. 

Buying your Castelmagno cheese from the old man with old van on the side of the road… to then use it to make a delicious polenta for dinner. 

Running for one hour along the cornfields and then realizing you have to run for another hour to go back home. 

Sounding your horn as you go under the ‘gallerie’ and make a wish. 

Seeing the full moon from your bedroom window as it beautifully illuminates the dark skies and the mountains behind it.

Going rock climbing and reaching the silver ring at the top. 

Eating delicious carne alla brace, salciccia, salame, and agnello and realizing that it is okay to not be a vegetarian from time to time. 

Learning just how spacious a Land Rover Discovery can be as you pack it with 6 people, four bikes, and your equipment for a weekend of camping.

The taste of mountain water as it gushes out ice-cold from the source.

Watching the full moon all-night long and staying up long enough to see the sun come out.

Learning how to ride a road bike while traversing beautiful valleys and rivers. 

Living in the Passera household, (some of the most extraordinary people I have met in my life) and sharing with them their incredible passion and love for life.

Love. 

Being filled with awe as you witness the beauty of Italy, and in particular, of the Maritimes Alps and the Piemonte Region… one of the most stunning places in the world.

Italy 2011, always and forever in my heart.

The beauty of children

A party took place yesterday with all the children at Andrea’s summer field. As we all sat together on a grassy soccer field to enjoy a picnic dinner, all the little ones (mostly all friends of Andrea) slowly started to flock towards me, fascinated by my accent and my background. “So, where are you from, Giulia?” “Do you have any siblings?” “How many languages do you speak?” “Oh, you speak Spanish? You know, I can count to ten in Spanish, want to hear it?” “My father speaks as many languages as you!” “Rosso si dice rojo in spagnolo, vero?” These children were all fascinated with me; I was greatly enjoying their honest attention and the sound of their little voices as they curiously kept posing questions. 

A quick sketch of all this beautiful children:

Elisa, Andrea’s 6-year-old cousin, and also my Italian guide. She will ALWAYS correct my grammatical mistakes and my pronunciation - this little one is my capo. With smooth-as-silk brown hair and big brown eyes, it is almost impossible not to want to eat this little cutie pie.

Alice - Andrea’s other cousin, as slim as a spear and as loud siren. Sneaky like a little gazelle, is it often hard to keep track of her when she is running around a field with two hundred other children. Win the affection of this bionda and you will soon see many spontaneous hugs coming your way.

Sabrina and Lucas - These beautiful 5 and 6-year-old  brazilian siblings will first strike you with their observant character, quietness and their captivating gray eyes.

Carlotta - one of the older girls of the crew, this 12-year-old is also an amazing piano player, one of Andrea’s classmate at the school of music. A beautiful young lady with mysterious gray-blue eyes and lushly-flowing chestnut hair. 

Sandra - Carlotta’s little friend, an avid dancer and a fast talker. Sandra and I immediately bonded together when we realize that we are both found of bracelets covering the length of our arms. This piccola is no older than ten years of age, but her kind gesture last night showed me that the thoughts and hearts of children can be often bigger than those of adults.

She was thrilled at the fact that the color green, her favorite color, is also my color of choice. Immediately after noticing the bracelets on my arm, she proceeded to ask me questions about every single one of them, and I told her the special story about them all, about their origins from different regions and different countries. She showed me all her bracelets and then asked me which one of them I liked the best.

“Which one do you think is the prettiest of them all?” she asked, and I promptly pointed to the one I preferred. 

“This is also my favorite,” she said, taking it off almost immediately. I couldn’t understand why she was taking it off, and it was just then that she told me she wanted me to keep it. “A beautiful bracelet for a beautiful girl, she said as she quickly put it on my arm. I looked at her and simply smiled as she quickly ran back in the distance of the field.

Children, in spite of their rowdiness, misbehavior, and inattention that may be sometimes part of the youth, children are simply wonderful little people. Their contagious energy and their never-ending smiles and laughter are enough to make you shine with joy and smile in awe. There is no feeling that compares to that of a little hand closely clasped to yours, walking hand-in-hand and listening to your words and watching you with attention and enjoyment. And what is there to be said of the hug of a child? Two little arms wrapped around my neck are enough to brighten up my day, little smiles and laughters reminding me to find contentment in the small things of life, the once we as adults often fail to see, but which are also the most important. 

Can I stay here forever?

Yesterday, all the chaos and uncertainty brought about by the question “What will you do after Wesleyan” seemed to somehow be cleared up.

I love Italy - I love Italy even more than France, I believe. The easy-going, warm character of Italians seems to agree quite well with my cheery self. Italians really know how to enjoy the little pleasures in life, knowing exactly what joie de vivre really means. Weekday dinners are a celebration of a day’s culmination, a moment to talk and share with your loved ones, lasting for over an hour. You wake up every morning, smiling, relishing in the burbling of the coffee maker as its brewing contents slowly drift towards you and call you to gather around the breakfast table, to savor a warm cup with a slice of torta and grandma’s homemade marmelata di fragola. A Saturday lunch is not simply another meal, but a joyful gathering of family and friends, a celebration of the bounty of this great land - sweet, juicy, fragrant melon wrapped with paper-thin slices of prosciutto, creamy mozzarella, succulent beefsteak tomatoes, organic whole-wheat bread, goldenly precious olio di oliva pugliese, all washed down with a crisp, refreshing bardolino chiaretto. 

I love nature and the peacefulness that it so often brings; amidst the Italian countryside, my mind and my soul are able to find the freedom in which I thrive. Few things can compare to the feeling of wildflowers on an open prairie, soft as a plush blanket for you to rest on after a rewarding hike. The smell of the rose bushes as they gently release their sweet perfume after a warm afternoon rain. Going out for a bike ride along the train tracks, feeling the dirt and the grit splashing my legs along the way. The perfume of the jasmine and lilies slowly diffusing itself under the hot summer sun. The smell of the pasture and the farms, crossing on my bike through old villas and babbling brooks at twilight.

I’m leaving to finish my studies in the United States at the beginning of August, but this will not prevent me from coming back to Europe. If I am happy here. then why should it have to end? It doesn’t. My graduate studies in Psychology can be completed at the Università degli studi di Padova, a very prestigious and well-know institution in this field. Why not? I believe in the beauty of my dreams, in the never-ending search for contentment in one’s life - for this I am willing to work incesssantly and passionately, to finally see all these aspirations become a reality.

I’m coming to Padova.

I’m coming to Italy, following my mind and my heart wherever they make take me.

May all this beauty be forever with me.

Porca miseria

·      “It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave behind us in the past those moments in life that are over.” à The Zahir