Joining Together at Casa Cares - May 21, 2015

On Thursday, May 21, 2015, the “Counselor’s View of Italy” participants and faculty members met today at the Rome airport and traveled together by bus to Reggello, Italy.  We stopped half way for lunch and enjoyed pasta, salad, and fresh squeezed juice. There was a small store and many of us picked up essentials for the trip (bottled water, milka chocolates, nutella). It was the first purchases for several people in the group, and the store clerks were quite forgiving of our broken Italian.  

As we walked to the bus, several people stopped to get a glimpse of some Italian children and Raney playing in the small park adjacent to the café. It is amazing how open children are to having fun together. Play has no language barriers.

Once we got back on the bus, one of the faculty leaders reminded everyone to try to stay awake to fight off jet lag. Within 10 minutes, most of the group was sleeping as the rest of us listed to Andrea Bocelli and enjoyed the beautiful drive through Tuscany.

The Tuscan countryside is breathtaking. There are vineyards spanning as far as the eye can see, mountains reaching to the sky, and small towns tucked up in the hillsides.  Surrounding most of the towns is the remnants of a magnificent stone wall that reminds us of the times when the cities and towns in this region would battle one another before the unification of Italy. If you are lucky, you can spot a Tower House still intact – which served as a look out point for warring neighbors. This long history still impacts how Italians see themselves today. There is less much less nationalism than in the US – instead, people have pride toward their city or town (Siena, Pisa, Lucca, etc.) Many Italians will be born, live in, and buried within the same region – just as their families and neighbors have done for decades.

As our bus came to a slow halt, we hiked up a winding hill through the mist and finally arrived at Casa Cares - our new home for the next two weeks. 

Our gracious hosts carried our bags up the large stone steps as we curiously searched for our rooms within the large guesthouse. Excitement buzzed as participants met their roommates, claimed their beds, and looked out in amazement at the spectacular scenic views outside their windows.

The evening began with introductions in the gathering room. Dr. Paul Krieg, our host, briefly shared his journey to arrive at Casa Cares. Born and raised in the U.S., he was called to serve as the guardian for Casa Cares several decades ago. A trained counselor himself, Dr. Paul invites the group to share their name, affiliation, and what inspired them to travel to Italy to join the institute.

Our group is quite diverse. There are bachelors and masters level counselors in training, doctoral students, counselor educators, and faculty members in other disciplines that span across age, race, geographic region, and ability.  While women greatly outnumber the men (a trend within the counseling profession), our willingness to travel here and venture outside of our comfort zones binds us together in a way we will only come to understand as the trip unfolds.

After introductions, we continue conversations and budding friendships as we share our first dinner together at Casa Cares. There is a general sense of wonder and excitement about what the next two weeks will bring. 

The 2015 Counselor's View of Italy Group