Mixed: Stories and Reflections
Good evening!
I am delighted to see the number of readers increase despite my long absences. In this regard, I apologize, I forgot you, just that I was slightly busy life lately.
Today I spent exactly four months since I set foot for the first time in this house. Four months after my first encounter with this strange language, learned from the first four little words ... and now there seems to be a chasm: I can understand, speak, though committing a thousand mistakes. Exactly four months since the beginning of my life more "sporty", four months exactly from the abandonment of the dear, good and healthy Mediterranean diet.
Four months is still a goal, four months that have happened so many things that helped me to change, to improve and train more than four months of school can do, four months in which problems There have been all right, but they have failed to grasp the meaning of the experience, the reason for my choice, the joy to be here even if this means lots and lots of effort. In this regard I want to tell the thoughts that resulted from a dream I had.
One night I dreamed I was back in Palermo, at school and that, among so many things going on, I told the prof. Carbonaro that my teammates here in my Latin class, remain colpitissimi from my reading, so that for the sheer pleasure of listening to me make me read whole versions, will remark with applause when I finish, as if my ability to read more fluently in Latin, was a talented and clearly not an exclusively of, say, close linguistic relationship.
But then at some point changed the scenario and say that the core of the dream comes only now: I approached a discussion in which a teacher explaining the reason why I chose to leave, although this was from the point of a strictly school rather unwise idea. And the day after I wrote about five pages of reflections on the subject.
So I can only say, dear professors, do not condemn these experiences abroad in the trunk. Among the children who leave are those who do it to throw away a year, but there are also those who do it with the true spirit of AFS, American Field Service, those who truly want to take advantage of a unique opportunity to learn everything nothing but the experience can teach. But you know what it means to age 17 to spend such a long period away from everything and everyone? Do you understand how effectively can it mean? You know what helps open the mind, how to explore, to know? Four months have passed since my departure, and believe me when I say that even now I know I'm not wasting a year. It 's true, I had some doubts. But now I can assure you that I will not be studying the great Greek tragedians, Virgil, St. Augustine and St. Thomas, but I'm discovering, living them on my skin, a thousand new things that nobody else who was not in my position can know. I will have a background maybe a little 'less academically full, but will be rich, varied, full of little knowledge and above all new ways to approach. And these things can be read, enjoy, share, but to move from words to facts the only thing to do is act. And I decided to grow in this direction, to implement what I have long preached - open-mindedness, racism, self - sacrificing other things.
And then I close my eyes, after four months of stay, and breath.
breathe this air fresh and crisp, clean and otherwise this air, this air that smells of knowledge, consciousness, joy of my young enthusiasm, independence and the future.
breathe that air which has been able to awaken in me a vitality that I had lost in the pages of a dictionary of Latin, and a freshness of mind, a creativity that was buried under a thousand ideas.
As you can see, then, with a few isolated exceptions, are in a very positive, I'm really enjoying everything that happens around me.
First, for example ... snow!
Mamma mia, guys, it's my first snow. I feel a bit 'like a child who has just discovered the castles of sand or soap bubbles.
Obviously, you can imagine how I felt on the morning of Dec. 17 when, just wake up and look outside and everything was covered by an equally delicate, soft white coat. You should know that the area of \u200b\u200bDen Haag in which I live is the south-eastern outskirts, Leidschenveen, which is basically a building site, wherever you turn there are monsters in the process of architectural construction and disturbing rows of houses all alike . The snow seemed to have been placed on purpose to make everything equally beautiful and white, beautifully muffled. [Editor's note. the same term takes on a slightly different shade of meaning in the two phrases, I like to emphasize that the same word can have those two different senses] I could no longer see clearly the many holes in work in progress. A sense of peace and serenity almost overwhelming.
After that Thursday, I think it has snowed at least a little 'every day, up to yesterday, which has fallen much snow as my host parents did not remember ever fall in Den Haag, so much as to create a stir clearly also in the movements.
... do not tell you what has been riding in the snow!
That famous Thursday morning was only the first snow and left the house very soon, so the snow was still there, fresh, and we sometimes fail to distinguish the bike path! Let's say I risked slipping only twice, however, without actually falling. Thankfully, the snow plows have then proceeded to make the lives of cyclists and motorists a bit 'less dangerous, and even more brush drop the Christmas holidays, which involve not having to go out at 7:15 in the morning with snow still on the streets (or worse ice cold).
But I just got shut the door behind the clouds coming out of the nose and mouth, with cap pulled down over his eyes, the scarf that covers the entire ski gloves and be shaded, and mounted on a bike ride, with the sky still just a few stars and a waning crescent moon, one of the ducks walking on the frozen canals and all around a white landscape. Puts you on the day the right way.
For the rest, my host family is taking steps to make me catch up on the snow, with a battle snowballs same Thursday afternoon, and the creation of our Sven, the snowman (somewhat lame poor) in our garden after (and during) the huge snowfall yesterday. There is only one sled ride, but for what I have to wait a bit ', because there are not at home, but I think the grandparents when we try too. Oh, and of course I also felt the thrill of going into the car with icy roads, and stay in pantyhose and dress during a snowfall. And I can tell you that the snow tickles!
You probably already know all these things, but I told you, is all new to me, I'm really a bit 'like a child who has just discovered a world of games!
Clearly I can not but do not dwell on a negative note on all this snow. We come from the Netherlands in November warmest memories and now we have more snow in December. This honestly makes me One moment to reflect on climate change and will suffer damage to agriculture, given that two weeks ago there were buds and shoots, but now everything is clearly frozen.
For the rest? The Christmas spirit is heard loud and clear even in this family there is the frenzied buying gifts. But the lights, the smell of pine, the CD with Christmas songs ... all contributes, and it's a nice feeling: Will my white Christmas in Holland!
certainly no secret that there are many aspects that make a certain effect, like one meal at Christmas (I'll make the Christmas dinner, the usual sandwich for lunch!) Or not to unite behind ' tree to open gifts. But at the end of a ritual like we've already had for Sinterklaas, when we all gathered around the fireplace to Granny's house to open gifts. And then I'm sure we'll find a thousand other reasons to gather together, maybe we'll make a game, which the Dutch absolutely love to do! I do not exclude also can teach everyone to play Cuckoo and Seven and a half!
Now, however, I leave, I go to sleep, as usual, the conversation got me and I have dwelt!
The next intervention, then, hopefully soon.
Continue to follow the same affection and warmth that you gave me right now!
THANKS!
home from school Thursday afternoon 
Sunday during the snow storm from my room
Sunday during the snow storm from my room
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