Pre-departure Thoughts and Arrival in Bologna

When I first applied for this L’Arche Bologna program, I didn’t have much of an idea on what I was putting myself into. The posters in Mehling caught my attention since freshman year, but I was never sure if I was capable of the challenge. Freshman year I didn’t apply, but this year I did. After studying abroad for a semester in Salzburg, Austria and experiencing L’Arche at UP, I thought it wouldn’t be so out of my comfort zone as it seemed before. Leading up to my departure, there was never a point where I was certain of what was to come or if I was sure of myself in following through. Hearing the experiences of those who went before me sounded inspiring and informative but also left me with a lot of uncertainty. I have never learned italian before and I have never worked with disabled adults before L’Arche at UP, which I only participated in a total of 3 times. However, I knew I wanted to do something meaningful with my last free summer. Even though I wanted to work and earn money, especially after studying abroad, I remembered how unhappy I was last summer nannying 9hrs/day, 4days/week. I complained about the kids I nannied, the pay I wasn’t getting enough of, the gas I had to pay for, and dealing with traffic just to get anywhere. So when I reflected on L’Arche Bologna after getting accepted, I knew this would be a great opportunity for me. It was a chance for me to get out of the hustle and bustle back home and take a step back to not stress about money, traffic, or making plans with friends to make my social media account look like it’s filled with fun summer activities. Rather, I could focus on building relationships which is something I love to do. I look forward to learning from my interactions and relationships with the community members on how to be present.

A few days before arriving in Bologna, my mom and I traveled to Barcelona and Rome. In Rome, we ran into some crazy experiences. Quick side note, I’m the kind of person that believes in fate, karma, and signs for almost everything in my life. That is my way of understanding God’s plan for me and how he works in mysterious ways. Anyways, in Rome, we arrived in the afternoon knowing we missed the big Pentecost Mass in St. Peter’s Square and the papal blessing which I was wanting to attend but couldn’t because of our schedule of transportation. But after we arrived, we entered the Basilica that evening, which was a blessing itself to be there, and we got to attend a small evening mass inside the front portion of the St Peter’s Basilica. I thought, how lucky am I  to be here at the right place at the right time? It must mean a good sign in order to have God bring me here before going to L’Arche Bologna. However the following day, my mom got pickpocketed on the metro and lost the cash she was leaving me for my spending money during my stay in Europe. I thought, how unlucky were we to have a handful of cash stolen. It must be a bad sign, which made me second guess my luck for the next two months here in Italy. But later that day, we were lost trying to figure out which bus to take to the Trevi Fountain and luckily, a Franciscan priest noticed we were lost and offered his help. He guided us the way because he was fortunately going near the fountain. When I told him why I was visiting Italy and told him about L’Arche, his face lit up! He was so happy to hear that I was doing volunteering for L’Arche and fulfilling God’s work. When saying goodbye, he blessed me and offered his prayers. After a strange sequence of events in less than 24 hours, I tried to process everything that happened and what it meant. I came to a conclusion that even though I had something bad happen to me, the good overcame the bad and I learned a lesson. And whether it was a sign of good or bad luck, I think the events prepared me with the mindset that my experience here won’t be easy breezy. I’m going to have bad days where I might question ehy I’m here. But I’m also going to have some amazing days that will be the token of my summer. Regardless, God will guide me and assure me that I will take away new knowledge and appreciation.

Finally the day has come, and we arrived in Bologna. Daniela picked my mom and I up from the train station and welcomed us into the community. For our last evening together, my mom wanted to eat out around the community and get familiar with the area. We stumble upon this pizza place which is super small but was so delicious! As we were eating our scrumptious pizza, we were watching the small tv in the restaurant on a show about traveling and tasting different teas in Asian countries. Then all of a sudden, my hometown, Shizuoka, which is also home to amazing green tea, came on the screen. What a coincidence that I was here, in this tiny pizzeria just outside Bologna, and my hometown appears on tv? Thinking about all these random experiences that had happened in such a short amount of time upon my arrival in L’Arche Bologna (again), I believe it must’ve been weird messages from God telling me it’s going to be just fine here, that I’m supposed to be here.

Now that’s it’s been a few days here, I am adjusting and adapting to a different agenda, language, culture, food, and life in general. It’s been difficult mostly because of the language barrier and not really knowing what we should be doing. But, it’s really nice to have Asia with me knowing that we are both going through the same thing. I have lots of questions, and mosquito bites, but I also have a lot more peace and laughter here as well. One thing I have already come to love is how every morning during the weekdays, the entire community gathers together to pray, share announcements, and to pass a bell around to say “buongiorno” and their name to every single member. It is currently a struggle memorizing everyone’s names and just comprehending their Italian, but nonetheless I’m thrilled to be here. I’m so happy to see what’s to come these next two months!