A room with a view….
I live on the 4th floor of a student hall in Milan. Out of my window I can see the backyard of a church with a football field. The area is managed by the church itself as a way of providing facilities for local people to gather. There're people playing almost every evening: kids, teenagers, grown-ups, with families and friends watching the game and supporting the players. There're also regular sport classes for disabled people and occasionally festivals with music, food stalls etc.
I like seeing all this. It gives me the idea that there's a real local community here despite the fact this is still Milan, a city with about 1,300,000 inhabitants (foreigners account for about 16% of this figure). It's a big change for me, used as I was to Leamington Spa with its 45,000 dwellers.
However, on the left side of the football field, behind a wall, the picture changes. There's in fact the rehab centre for drug-addicts and at the back of it a centre run by nuns providing hospitality for teenage mothers and women experiencing difficult situations. From my room I can see them, with their kids among endless lines of clothes hung to dry outside.
The nuns run also a daily canteen for the homeless and poor. Weekly I can also see these people gathering in the central yard to get used clothes donated by more fortunate people. It looks a bit like a market with clothes displayed on tables but people have not money to buy....
It's a sad viewing but it really reminds me not to complaing about those things in my life which are not really as I'd like them to be.
08 May 2011 21:21
| 
Comments (5)
| 
Report a problem
Loading…
Sue
After a prolonged period of disinterest induced by such things as William Shakespeare and Silas Marner I remember the thrill of having my imagination well and truly sparked by E M Forster. “A Room with a View” and, then “Where Angels Fear to Tread.” I loved them both they were so atmospheric and sensual. Your photo also reminds me of my daughter’s painting of the Duomo in Florence and of her fearlessness when embarking on an adventure in a foreign country alone. I guess you know what that feels like. I’m fascinated by the views people have from the place where they live. Yours looks very foreign to me as I guess Leamington Spa must have looked to you.
08 May 2011, 22:54
Sally Ballard
Great blog. Very visual writing. You are good at using few words to describe a lot. I also like the way you use the comparison with Leamington Spa to give your reader an idea of the difference between the two towns in which you have lived and are living in.
08 May 2011, 23:25
Sue
I forgot to mention Rudolph! He was someone I met in Rimini once who was from Milan.
09 May 2011, 07:21
Sally Ballard
Hi Giulia, I am posting a message on most students’ blogs to remind them that tomorrow we start Week 21. However, by the end of Week 25, I need to have all students’ assignments to mark.
Therefore, if you have any queries or questions about the end of term assignments, then please do email me.
One idea I thought you might like to consider is either a 60 second interview with an artist (living or dead – eg Michael Angelo)> I am sure you have read this sort of interview in the Metro in the UK where a one-sentence question is written in to the article with a short answer following on. There are about 15 questions. This can be a fun read and the questions can be serious or silly (eg.when was your first kiss – this would be a good question to put to Rodin!). I have suggested this idea to Angela who lectures in Egyptology…as it could be a good marketing idea or a good teaching tool if she ‘interviews’ one of her dead pharaohs!!
Anyway – get back to me if I can help or if you have any queries…
15 May 2011, 14:47
S.E.E
I didn’t know you are blog writer. Nice blog :)
23 May 2011, 07:50
Add a comment
You are not allowed to comment on this entry as it has restricted commenting permissions.