Gli Animatori: A Window into Italy's Young Adults

Working with the animatori these past few weeks, I have been intrigued to see that although many of them do not necessarily speak English fluently, their exposure to American culture is rather high. And it's not just the animatori who have shown that they are influenced by American pop culture and by the English language. When I spent a Saturday in Venezia I saw a sign encouraging people to take a "selfie" on the rialto bridge. How is it that the word "selfie" is recognized across so many languages?

Some of the first questions I am asked by children and young adults is about popular music. I am asked if I know Michael Jackson or Katy Perry. I am asked about American breakfasts and if the portions are really as big as they say. Does there really exist a supersize option in the American McDonald's?

What has been interesting to see is what filters through into Italian culture. A lot of mainstream music that I know many of us Americans volunteering at Grest would agree is not high quality. Most of the children at Grest have already learned many expletives in English either through television or the music that they listen to. Some English words are just used normally now: "okay", "top", "hi-tech". 

What is intriguing is that a good portion of the American music and television that is popular here is not necessarily recognized by Americans. I am working with two other Americans, one from Michigan and one from Connecticut. I am California and although we may have different genres of music that we listen to, different backgrounds, we all three have agreed that some of the selections of popular "American" sounds do not make much sense to us.

Where does Italy get its American music? How can a genre that is considered "American" sound so different than what it actually does in the United States? It is an intriguing thought about media, about which companies have connections to which films or songs or other American paraphernalia. 

Cavriana: Home Sweet Home

My original host-family placement for Voluntaritaly was located in Mantova. During my lay-over in London however I received an email explaining that my host-family could no longer take care of me due to an illness within the family. I was to be placed with a family in a paesino outside of Mantova, a place called Cavriana. What angels the members of this host-family have been. They took me in very last minute for the duration of three weeks. The drive to Mantova where my placement for Grest is totals to about forty five minutes each way. Luckily the daughter of the family, who lives at home, also works with Grest and has simply taken her with me to and from her work.

I am staying in the home of the proud owners of the Bed and Breakfast: Casa Pagliette. The rooms of their bed and breakfast were what once was the structure of a barn attached to the house. The husband and wife work together to take care of guests, usually only permitting bookings on weekends because they also work full-time jobs.

Casa Pagliette is only about a twenty minute walk from the center of Cavriana. A beautiful and quiet town, Cavriana offers the remains of a with beautiful panorama views of the surrounding countryside. There is also a small archaeological museum that reveals much of the history of the peoples that lived on this land throughout the ages. 

The town is quiet for the most part during the day, the center all but deserted during hot afternoons. But when there are events for the whole community, everyone appears. I was lucky enough to see one of my host-family's friends play piano in the piazza, a night of various pianists playing on a platform on a narrow and steep street that left my heart fluttering have the time out of worry that the piano would suddenly begin to move towards the audience set at such an angle.

One thing to note as a traveler is that you are especially noticed in small towns such as Cavriana. The way you dress or your accent might give it away. This is not at all a bad situation, but it is something to be aware of. All it takes to get people to open up to you is for them to see that you know the language of the country or that you are interested in a certain piece of history. The one reaction I keep getting is enthusiasm when they see a foreigner so taken with their rich culture.

Perdiqua

This year's theme for Grest is called Perdiqua, a summer encouraging kids to explore and welcome what is new and unknown. Perdiqua means "this way" and the symbol that accompanies this phrase is that of three children in an air balloon: one holding a telescope, one looking at a map, and one pointing off into the distance. Through this program, children are encouraged to remain dreamers and to explore that which might be strange or unexpected.

The four main subjects of Perdiqua are: dreamers, foreigners, travelers and guests. Each day Grest begins with one of the subjects and brings up a certain aspect to reflect upon. This subject is often reflected upon in mass or in the activities that the campers participate in throughout the day. One day for example, when they were talking about foreigners, they had students act out skits representing what they knew about various countries from around the world. Another day when the focus was on dreams, they had the children write one of their dreams on a post-it note and gathered all the dreams together in one place for everyone to see. 

The idea having such a theme in Grest is to keep campers looking beyond themselves and the daily activities. These discussions and subjects encourage reflection, however brief, on the world that exists beyond the camp. The subjects not only expose the campers to new material but aim to inspire them in self-exploration. 

Voluntaritaly: How it Works

What I had not realized when I was accepted into Voluntaritaly was that this was its first year in the making. We are the guinea pigs of this experiment and what better year to bring students studying Italian culture to Mantova than the year it is chosen as the cultural center of Italy?

What I have discovered with the program as I have spoken with various volunteers from other placement locations is that each placement has a completely different schedule and vary in their expectations of the foreign students.

I, and two other American college students, have been placed with the Grest in Mantova. We work with the older kids from ages 12 through 14. The program officially begins at 9:00 every morning and many days will only go until 12:30. Some days when we go to the pool or the forest (which has yet to happen due to rain but is schedule for the coming week) we may go until 19:30. There are pre- and post-Grest options for parents which means that they can always drop their kids off beginning at 7:30 and on regular days do not need to pick them up until 13:30. 

Our daily routine usually begins with volleyball and soccer during the pre-Grest period. When everyone has arrived we begin with the dance routines created for the campers. Afterwards we split into our squadras (split into four colors: red, yellow, blue, green) then usually head to church for the daily prayer. After the prayer, we begin our first sports competition of the morning. At some point there is a break for a snack and then daily play is performed. Once done with the performance, the second competition of the day begins. Afterwards we all file back in to find out the placements of the teams and the points they have been awarded. These points are won in games but can also be lost when a squadra particularly misbehaves during announcements or performances. They are usually lost because campers have cheated during games. The competition is fierce between squadras and the camp counselors (animatori) sometimes contribute to the pressure to win on the kids, being sixteen and seventeen year-old kids themselves. 

This is the routine for the Grest at Gradaro. When I spoke to other students I was told that some were schedule from 9:00 to 17:00. Others had certain days off every week. Yet others did not even have a third week because the kids were going on a retreat during the final week of the program. Some students had already had the opportunity to introduce English lessons into their programs while others did not even bring it up as a possibility. 

I would not say this variety is necessarily a bad thing. The two most prominent things I have heard from most of the Voluntaritaly members is that they have a) found a wonderful host family who takes them to all of the local sites and introduces them to Italian culture and b) have had students asking them about English words and if they would be willing to practice speaking English with them. I think these two points are important to discuss. Yes, we are here to bring forth more of the English language to younger generations of Italians. Yes, it is very beneficial that they have native English-speakers in their summer program to expose them to the language. But I think that the first point, that these American volunteers have been exposed to the hospitality of Italy, have delved into another culture completely, is a very important one. As much as the students can learn from us, I think what this program truly offers is a chance for us to learn and reflect upon what others have to show and offer. There is such rich culture and history here in Italy that must be preserved through the sharing of food and of friendship. 

Yes, it is important that we contribute in some way during our time here at Grest. But I think it is even more essential that we spend the majority of our time watching, listening and receiving, something possible at every Grest placement no matter how it is organized.