L'Arche Bologna

It’s the end of our 5th week as I’m writing this and I can’t believe our time at L’arche Bologna is almost done! In just one month I’ve learned how to speak Italian (kinda?), how to cook pasta (the right Italian way), memorized an abundance of recipes that deal with zucchini, and how to use the bus and train lines around Italy without getting lost (well, almost). 

Life in L’arche for me has been slow. But, I don’t want you to connotate the word “slow” as something boring or tedious because the “slow” pace of life here has actually been quite relaxing and different in a good way from my busy life in Portland. I’ve learned to appreciate and eventually like the “slow” pace of work and life in the community. I work in Manna, one of the three houses where the community members live. Manna houses the older people in the community so the activities, work, and overall vibe in the house are more open, relaxed, and calm. In Manna, we like to listen to music together, read books, and do many group activities. On Fridays, we love to watch films while we munch on salami and relax together as a house.

I’ve gotten really close with two members of Manna house because we share the same love for music and art. As my Italian is limited, it doesn’t hurt to pull out Google Translate to interact with them. It may seem scary at first to talk in straight Italian to a local, but trust me, they appreciate and love the effort. When I make mistakes with my Italian or my pronunciation is not understandable at all, we manage to communicate by hand gestures or acting.

It was scary at first that Alessandra and I were placed in different houses because how could I survive without my only American friend in all of Italy by my side? As the days and weeks went on, we started to feel more comfortable in our respective houses despite the somewhat impossible language barrier. I love talking to Alessandra about what she does in Grano because it’s different from my assigned job in Manna. We like sharing stories about the community members and our favorite aspects and characteristics of each person.

It’s a Friday night here as I’m editing this post and I can’t wait for this weekend (we are definitely lucky to have the weekend as our break days). We have three more weeks left and we are trying to make the most out of it. I will use these next three weeks to strengthen my bond with the community members and practice my subpar Italian. I’ll see y’all in my next blog post. Ciao ragazzi!

Throughout my time here in L’Arca, I have learned what it is like to live as a part of a community. Working together and knowing how to communicate with others is vital. In L’Arca, there are so many activities happening at once that it can get overwhelming at times and knowing how the community works as well as understanding the schedule helps a lot. During my first weeks here, I found myself frustrated at times because I felt like I was out of place and there would be times where I wouldn’t know what I should be doing. I have learned that I don’t always need to be doing something. Being in the moment, sitting, and spending time with the core members is just as important. At first, being a new volunteer to the community, I wanted to be able to help out as much as I could. For me, that meant always keeping my hands busy, running errands, or helping clean. I think this is because in the US we are so used to doing something all the time. Our schedules are busy with things to do all throughout the day that we lack to embrace the importance in stopping and appreciating the life we live now. In L’Arca, I have definitely learned how to appreciate time more. I have learned to take the time to pause, admire the present and the people I am with. 

This past week, some of the core members and assistants left for a week-long vacation to Piobbico, a city by the mountains. I came to realize how close I have gotten with the core members and the assistants because throughout the week I found myself missing them and thinking about what we would be doing during a certain time of the day. One of the core members I missed was Robbie. He and I have gotten close during my time here. I think it is because we both find happiness in helping others. Robbie and I always work together in the kitchen, helping cut vegetables and fruit for merenda (snack time). He helps me clean the dishes after and puts them away in the dishwasher. Further, we also usually attend mass together during the weekdays. I didn’t realize how close I have gotten to several of the members until they left for a week and my work schedule felt different without them. I am also getting close to one of the assistants here, Katia. She speaks English very well and I think we have been getting close because she wants to practice her English and I want to practice my Italian, therefore we help each other. She invited me to her home last weekend where she showed me the river and parks she lives close to. Because I have been spending my days off usually in the city, it was nice to have a change of scenery because it reminded me of Oregon! She showed me around her town, Casalecchio di Reno. We went shopping and she took me to one of her favorite Italian restaurants (did you know that Spaghetti with Meatballs isn’t actually Italian?!). It was truly a nice day spent with her. I am finally finding my place in the community and am getting close to everyone here! 

-Alessandra Coro

We made it to L’Arca! It has been about 4 weeks now since we arrived, and Amanda and I have learned so much. I remember being so nervous to meet everyone and start heading to the community because I still wasn’t entirely sure on how I was supposed to approach the community. When we reached the community, about a 25-minute drive from the airport, Alessandro showed us to the house, Cedro, where we were going to be staying for the two months we were volunteering. We met several of the other volunteers and we started to unpack our things and settle in. We had some time to rest and collect ourselves, but soon Daniela, the woman in charge of the volunteers in the community, called us in and gave us a tour of the community. It was all a little bit overwhelming because there was so much to remember, and the language made it even harder to understand and follow. At this time, she also gave us and explained our schedules. Since there are three different houses in the community, Amanda was assigned to work in Mana while I was placed in Grano. The first two weeks were difficult for me because it was hard to adjust to the community’s flow and learn a new language. Italian is still difficult for me and I am nowhere near being fluent, but I am able to understand when given instructions. I have also learned some phrases and words along the way which have really helped to communicate with the people with disabilities as well. 

Now that we have had about a month in the community, I feel like I have the flow of things around here. Every morning after breakfast, everyone goes to a large room in Mana to greet other community members good morning. That was extremely helpful in learning everyone’s names. I have learned that on Mondays, Amanda and I help out with physical therapy. On Tuesdays, we form groups and we go on a day trip outside of the community before lunch. Wednesdays can be very busy for me because it is usually cleaning the house and takes up all the time before lunch time. On Thursdays and Fridays, I usually help in the kitchen. That means either helping to chop fruits and vegetables or cleaning the kitchen. Getting the hang of the schedule makes it easier to work and allows for a smoother transition because then we don’t end up wasting time. Overall, my experience here has been eye-opening, and I can’t wait to learn more Italian and be able to communicate better with others. Being with the disabled members of the community has also allowed me to treasure the small things and appreciate time spent just being present in life.

-Alessandra Coro

There is so much I want to say about my experience at the L’Arche community in Bologna, Italy but I will never be able to describe the reality of my experience or fully express the appreciation, gratitude, and love I have for it.

First and foremost, I would like to thank God for calling me to serve and leading me to L’Arcobaleno. Before applying and after getting accepted, there were so many times when I was so nervous and unsure about going. Two months, in a city I’ve never heard of, in a community where I didn’t know anyone (not even my co-volunteer from UP), working with groups of people I haven’t really had much experience working with before, and expected to speak a language I’ve never learned, I was terrified. But regardless of all these factors, I knew I really wanted to do this. Not just because it was an excuse to go back to Europe, or solely because of my interest in learning more about and working with intellectually disabled peoples, but because something bigger and unknown kept drawing me to go, to not worry, and to trust in God.

Fast forward to one month in and I was already devastated that I had only one month left. Then the next thing I know, my time came to an end on the 22nd of May, the last month going by in a blink of an eye. And now, it has been over two months since I left Arca and I miss the community and the life I had so dearly.

There are so many things I have come to love about living in community with the ragazzi, or core members. Life was simple. We woke up, ate breakfast together, went to morning greeting and prayer together, participated in some kind of morning activity together (such as physical therapy, art, music, etc.), ate lunch together, took breaks, helped prepare food or the dining table together, ate dinner together, cleaned up together, and then prayed together before going to bed. The house where I was assigned to workr, Cedro, we loved to listen to dance music so a lot of times we would even dance together. Also, before and after every meal, we would sing songs of grace together. Even though this lifestyle sounds mundane or monotonous, I enjoyed every bit of it because I got to share it with some truly amazing people. Everyone had their own pasts, stories, differences, and quirks but we all lived together humbly and enjoyed each other’s presence. The simplicity of our routine made it easier to understand and get to know the ragazzi better. From their seats at the table, to their preferences of music, to what exercises they had to perform during physical therapy, and observing their little quirks, we had come to know them and use these observations to help strengthen our relationships with them. It was a constant struggle not being able to fully communicate with them, but regardless of the language barrier, we were able to build genuine relationships. Through lots of nonverbal communication, being able to anticipate specific needs after some observation, and just merely being present, we became friends and family with these core members, and that was priceless.

During our second week at Arca, we went out for gelato with a few assistants and other volunteers. While we were all getting to know each other, we would also talk a lot about the ragazzi. One assistant made a comment about the ragazzi that resonated with me since and he said, “they are just like us”. That was the biggest lesson that I learned while living life with these disabled adults is that in many ways, we are the same. We all have our good and bad days, our stories that makes us who we are, our vulnerabilities, our weird quirks, some sass and attitude, our own preferences, and most importantly, our yearn to love and to be loved.

Overall, I made the best decision of my life to spend my summer at Arca in Bologna. My experience was very eye-opening and life changing to say the least. It gave me a chance to be completely immersed into Italy’s beautiful culture, the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, to be able to live and work with disabled adults, to learn a new language, to eat Italian food every single day, to have time and space to grow and reflect, to build meaningful relationships, and to be a part of something bigger than you. I was so lucky to have been given this opportunity through UP’s Moreau Center and L’Arche. I also could not have done it without the constant support from my friends and family. Now, I am back at UP and not a day goes by without missing the Arcobaleno community or wishing I was back in Bologna. But being in the present, I hope that as I go through my clinical experiences as a nursing student and building community in my dorm as an RA, I can reflect the love and patience I have received at Arca.

I am ending this final blog with a few of my favorite quotes from Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche:

“We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. ”

“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”

The other week, I had the privilege of celebrating my 20th birthday here at Arca Bologna. Right when I woke up and walked into the kitchen, I was sung to by the core members of Cedro. Throughout the day, I felt so loved by the community with every greeting and hug I received. I was blessed to have had a homemade pizza and cake for my birthday dinner made by my family here in Cedro. And to top it off, I was given a birthday card signed by all the members of Cedro and a tortellini magnet that has Bologna written on it. I did not expect anything at all for my birthday here and I thought I would be sad not being able to spend it with my family back home, but in reality I was not sad at all! My heart was filled with so much love given to me by the family I have come to make here.