Angie and I have completed our first two weeks at L’Arche and they have been a unique experience. The first week was the most difficult because it took a few days to fully learn our roles as volunteers. The rigazzi (members of L’Arche community) also had to learn to adjust to someone new who does not speak their language. Trying to communicate those first few days was difficult. Often the language barrier can be difficult when you don’t understand what you need to do or the rigazzi want to talk, but Angie and I are picking up Italian quickly. We can understand some because some words are similar to Spanish. My Italian accent needs lots of work though!
A typical day starts by getting up and going to breakfast. When I get there the residents are finishing eating and I help clean up. After breakfast, we head to the Saloon where all assistants, volunteers, and rigazzi sit in a circle and pass around a sign that says “buon giorne” on it. When someone gets the sign, the person has it you say “buon giorne ___(name)”. This good-morning ritual is a good way to start the day before we start our other activities. We have workshops, which is a time where everyone is assigned a task. The first week I worked with the bunnies and chickens and cared for them. This second week there were a lot of changes in the structure of how workshops were to be held and it was very mellow because the changes needed to be explained to the rigazzi. Typically, we all eat lunch together and after I clean up after lunch, Angie and I have our 2 hr daily break.
Angie and I like to either go walk into the small town where we are located or a nap is always a good choice. After our break there is an afternoon activity. Each day the activity is different. This week I helped cook dinner, did laundry, supervised an art project, and went on a walk. Some rigazzi do different activities like Special Olympics practice, help pick vegetables, go to the supermarket or horse back riding. After activity time we eat dinner, clean up and end the day with evening prayer which ends at 9:15 PM. It is a long day but very rewarding.
Some of the days have been long, but some go by very fast. Overall, I am learning lots and cherishing my time with the rigazzi. One of the most fun events we have done is participating in the annual Bologna festival. All of us went to town to celebrate and have fun. Some of the rigazzi got up and sang and danced. It was so much fun to see them so happy and excited. We are only two weeks in but I can already tell this will be an incredibly memorable experience.