Arrivederci, Louise!

After nine months of volunteering here at Caritas Jesi, Louise's project has come to an end. However, she wanted to say goodbye to you:

It's strange to think that it's already over. As I write these lines, I'm already on the Flixbus, but I find it hard to believe that in a few hours I'll be in France!

If I had to sum up my experience here in one word, I would say: encounters. I've learned a lot in 9 months: speaking a new language, opening up more to others, learning how to cook pasta properly 😅...but none of this would have been possible without the people I've met. Whether it was the other volunteers, the beneficiaries of Caritas, the people who follow us on our ESC journey, and above all the friendships I made along the way! Thanks to you, I decided to extend my experience, I gained confidence in myself and, sitting on this bus, I'm already thinking about when I'll come back to see you!

So thank you very much, everyone, for everything, and welcome to all the future ESC volunteers... I hope your experience is as wonderful as mine has been! 🌞

Having spent the first four months of my ESC project with Louise, I want to take this opportunity to thank her for everything. From my very first day, I understood how precious she was for Caritas due to her dedication and her passion for helping others in the course of her volunteering here. No matter in which service, people were always happy to see and work with her. Impressively, she even managed to become fluent in Italian within a few months without any prior knowledge. But even though her vocabulary was really good, her favorite word remained a very simple one. Together, we truly perfected the pronunciation of "boh" (The Italian version of saying "I don't know") 😅

Louise and I in the old town on my first day in Jesi

Louise was truly able to do anything. On one hand, she said she wasn't a good cook, but on the other hand, she prepared a very tasty Quiche for us. I was even initiated into the secret of her grandma's cake (which was a bit of a challenge with a recipe only mentioning the ingredients 😆)

As you said on your very last day, Louise: When one door closes, another one opens. I'm sure you'll find your way and I wish you all the best. It was a pleasure having you as a roommate and sharing this experience with you. Wherever the future might take you, be prepared for my visit!

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