La mia prima reazione, quando ho saputo che avrei fatto uno scambio giovanile in Canada, è stata di immotivata euforia. Il Canada è sempre stato un paese che mi sarebbe interessato visitare, anche se non sapevo assolutamente nulla sulla sua storia o sulla sua cultura; nonostante ciò, aveva sempre esercitato una forte attrazione su di me.
Fin dal primo istante in cui ho messo piede in terra canadese, ho sentito di appartenere a qual posto: una terra ricoperta di boschi non poteva che essere la mia terra!
La prima sera, mi sono così ritrovata in un letto enorme di una casetta in legno circondata da alberi. E una tazza di caffè (rigorosamente lungo, solo come gli americani sanno fare). Fra me e la mia famiglia si è instaurato fin da subito uno stretto legame, infatti, ripetevano continuamente che assomigliavo tantissimo alla loro figlia ormai sposata e che sembrava di essere tornati indietro nel tempo, quando ancora avevano dei figli adolescenti in casa!
Laggiù ho avuto la possibilità non solo di vivere a strettissimo contatto con una natura davvero ingombrante -il numero esorbitante di laghi ne è un esempio-, ma soprattutto di essere immersa in una cultura completamente opposta a quella italiana, in cui l'ospitalità significa far parte della famiglia e non essere ospite, significa entrare in casa senza suonare il campanello oppure guardare un film insieme al proprio host-dad!
Ciò che più sento di aver apprezzato, è stato il rapporto che i canadesi avevano con la natura: il bosco, dal loro punto di vista non era una minaccia, bensì una quotidiana entità con cui convivere. Per noi, sarebbe inconcepibile passeggiare tra gli alberi di notte, mentre quando ero là mi sono ritrovata ad esplorarlo su di un quad!
Credo che esperienze di questo genere, aiutino ad accrescere la nostra capacità di relativizzare e la nostra tolleranza; vivere in prima persona una realtà diversa da quella in cui siamo cresciuti, infatti, permette di capire il perchè di tanti atteggiamenti, modi di vivere e di pensare spesso giudicati in modo affrettato da chi vive coi paraocchi! Per esempio, ho avuto la fortuna di conoscere una ragazza israeliana, che durante la settimana del campo ha ricevuto la notizia del bombardamento della striscia di Gaza da parte della Palestina... Seguire, quindi, il conflitto direttamente da lei è stato molto arricchente, perchè finalmente si realizza che ci sono persone vere, che vivono in prima persona ciò che noi solo sentiamo alla tv e di cui spesso ci permettiamo di dare giudizi. Non a caso, ci si rende conto solo quando si torna di quante cose sono cambiate dentro sè: anche la banale quotidianità viene affrontata in modo diverso, si iniziano ad apprezzare particolari a cui prima non facevamo caso e si innesca un particolare interesse per tutto ciò che riguarda il mondo fuori dal proprio paese, mi è capitato infatti di andare a cercare, per la prima volta, notizie più approfondite riguardo il conflitto israele-palestina, oppure di scoprire qualcosa in più sulla letteratura dell'America del sud! Questo perchè la mente ha bisogno di conoscere e di vedere qualcosa di diverso per essere aperta e tollerante.
Tuttavia, la bellezza di questa esperienza ha richiesto dello sforzo da parte mia. Non nascondo, infatti, di aver vissuto dei momenti difficili a causa della lontananza da casa e dei soliti disagi che l'essere in un paese straniero porta con sè... In questi casi, allora, continuavo a ripetermi mentalmente "sei in Canada, hai qualcosa in più che chi è rimasto non possederà mai". Non basta, infatti, subire passivamente uno scambio giovanile, bisogna prenderlo in mano e reagire a qualsiasi cosa venga presentata davanti: ogni esperienza vissuta, è un qualcosa in più che prima non possedevamo, non c'è quindi motivo di lamentarsi!
Per esempio, la settimana di campo ha messo a dura prova la mia capacità di adattamento... Ha piovuto tutti i giorni della settimana, mentre io e gli altri exchange students pernottavamo in tenda. Tutte le nostre tende erano inondate dall'acqua, comprese le nostre valige e i nostri sacchi a pelo. Se un ragazzo olandese, dopo aver notato il mio disappunto, non mi avesse detto: " il lato positivo è che sei sotto della pioggia canadese, che è qualcosa totalmente nuovo rispetto alla pioggia che hai sempre visto piovere in Italia", molto probabilmente non mi sarei tolta le scarpe (ormai fradice) e camminato nelle pozzanghere a piedi nudi per raggiungere la mia tenda col sorriso sulle labbra.
Il 26 luglio, giorno della partenza, è stato un giorno di lacrime. Mai più avrei pensato che in mese si potessero stringere dei legami così forti, con gente sostanzialmente sconosciuta.
Il 26 Luglio, però, è stato anche una promessa, quella di rivedersi ancora, per non vanificare il mese passato insieme...
Io allora ho deciso di lasciare là alcuni vestiti, come scusa per tornare e riprenderli.
Molto probabilmente adesso quei vestiti saranno in un pacco diretto in Italia, proveniente dal Canada, ma poco importa, perchè oltre ai vestiti ho lasciato anche un pezzo di me laggiù, ragion per cui ho bisogno di tornarci ancora una volta!
When I got the news I was leaving for Canada I immediately felt thrilled. I've always been attracted by Canada, even if I knew nearly anything about its history and its culture, so I didn't know what to expect from it!
I could say that it was love at first sight, since the beginning I had the feeling of belonging to it: a land of lakes and woods must surely be mine!
So, I spent my first night in a huge bed of a wooden cottage, surrounded by trees, drinking a very very long coffee (like only Americans can make).
My family and I, felt instantly united by a strong bond, infact, they used to repeat that I was so similar to their already married daughter Robyn, that they had the sensation of being back in the past when they still had young guys at home!
There, I had the possibility of living very close to Nature- which is overwhelming-, but above all, of experiencing the kindness and the hospitality typical of Canada, that means being part of the family and not a guest, entering a house without ringing the bell or watching a movie with my own host-dad!
Actually, the aspect that I appreciated the most was the relation that Canadians had with Nature: the wood wasn't a menace, but a common place to live in! If In Italy it would feel uneasy by walking through it during night time, there, instead, I explored it on a quad and a motorbike.
I think that this kind of experiences help to improve our tolerance and sense of relativity, because, living in a different reality for a while, gives us the opportunity to understand the reason of some behaviours or traditions, which we might have wrongly judged as silly or incomprehensible. For example, I had the chance to meet an Israeli girl, who during the camp week received the news that Palestine had bombed Gaza... Following the conflicts directly from her was so impressive! I could realize that behind some news, which we normally just hear from the tv, there are real people with real life and it is unfair of us to cast just a simple judgement about such situations.
That's why, when I came back I discovered how many things had changed inside me: I faced everyday troubles differently. Now I tend to give more notice to little details and I'm developing a greater interest in everything concerning the world. In particular, I happened to google some news about the conflicts Israel-Palestine or to look for information about the literature of South America. That's because our mind needs to see something new and different in order to be open and tolerant.
However, the infinite beauty of this experience required an effort from me to deal with all the difficulties, (such as homesickness), which a period spent on your own in a foreign country brings along. So, I kept repeating " I'm in Canada, I have something that people who stayed at home will never have". Infact, living passively a youth exchange is not enough, we need to face actively every experience and always remember that everything is something new that we didn't have before... So, we're not allowed to complain about anything!
For example, the camp week was the hardest challenge for me, because we spent an entire week in a campsite under heavy and constant rain. Our luggage, clothes, everything was soaked and our tent was floating on the water, due to a cold wind.
It was thanks to a Dutch guy, who said to me "that's Canadian rain, something completely different for you, who have always seen Italian rain", that I took off my shoes (already wet) and walked with bear feet under the storm with a smile on my face.
July 26th, my leaving day, was a day of flowing tears. I would never have thought that I could build up such a strong friendship with unknown people, in only one month.
July 26th was also the day of the promise of seeing each other again, in order not to make vane a month spent together.
That's why, I decided to leave there some items of clothing, as an excuse, to come back again and fetch them. Probably, they are now in a parcel shipped to Italy, from Canada. But I don't mind, because I left there a part of me (which is much more important than some clothes), so I'm definitely going to come back again in Johnston street 17, Wyevel, Ontario, CANADA.
I could say that it was love at first sight, since the beginning I had the feeling of belonging to it: a land of lakes and woods must surely be mine!
So, I spent my first night in a huge bed of a wooden cottage, surrounded by trees, drinking a very very long coffee (like only Americans can make).
My family and I, felt instantly united by a strong bond, infact, they used to repeat that I was so similar to their already married daughter Robyn, that they had the sensation of being back in the past when they still had young guys at home!
There, I had the possibility of living very close to Nature- which is overwhelming-, but above all, of experiencing the kindness and the hospitality typical of Canada, that means being part of the family and not a guest, entering a house without ringing the bell or watching a movie with my own host-dad!
Actually, the aspect that I appreciated the most was the relation that Canadians had with Nature: the wood wasn't a menace, but a common place to live in! If In Italy it would feel uneasy by walking through it during night time, there, instead, I explored it on a quad and a motorbike.
I think that this kind of experiences help to improve our tolerance and sense of relativity, because, living in a different reality for a while, gives us the opportunity to understand the reason of some behaviours or traditions, which we might have wrongly judged as silly or incomprehensible. For example, I had the chance to meet an Israeli girl, who during the camp week received the news that Palestine had bombed Gaza... Following the conflicts directly from her was so impressive! I could realize that behind some news, which we normally just hear from the tv, there are real people with real life and it is unfair of us to cast just a simple judgement about such situations.
That's why, when I came back I discovered how many things had changed inside me: I faced everyday troubles differently. Now I tend to give more notice to little details and I'm developing a greater interest in everything concerning the world. In particular, I happened to google some news about the conflicts Israel-Palestine or to look for information about the literature of South America. That's because our mind needs to see something new and different in order to be open and tolerant.
However, the infinite beauty of this experience required an effort from me to deal with all the difficulties, (such as homesickness), which a period spent on your own in a foreign country brings along. So, I kept repeating " I'm in Canada, I have something that people who stayed at home will never have". Infact, living passively a youth exchange is not enough, we need to face actively every experience and always remember that everything is something new that we didn't have before... So, we're not allowed to complain about anything!
For example, the camp week was the hardest challenge for me, because we spent an entire week in a campsite under heavy and constant rain. Our luggage, clothes, everything was soaked and our tent was floating on the water, due to a cold wind.
It was thanks to a Dutch guy, who said to me "that's Canadian rain, something completely different for you, who have always seen Italian rain", that I took off my shoes (already wet) and walked with bear feet under the storm with a smile on my face.
July 26th, my leaving day, was a day of flowing tears. I would never have thought that I could build up such a strong friendship with unknown people, in only one month.
July 26th was also the day of the promise of seeing each other again, in order not to make vane a month spent together.
That's why, I decided to leave there some items of clothing, as an excuse, to come back again and fetch them. Probably, they are now in a parcel shipped to Italy, from Canada. But I don't mind, because I left there a part of me (which is much more important than some clothes), so I'm definitely going to come back again in Johnston street 17, Wyevel, Ontario, CANADA.
