A Counselor's View of Italy 2015: The Italian Schools, Sex Trafficking, Vallombrosa, and Ristorante Archimede

Today we had two lectures AND an outing. This was the first day doing both, so needless to say it was quite a long and fun day. Our first lecture was about the Italian school system. I found the information about the differences between public and private schools to be particularly interesting. It seems that public school have difficulty with access to resources, much like in the United States. What amazed me was the lack of professional support. For example, the presenter explained that there may be one principal who supervises 4-6 different schools. Therefore, it is not likely that a teacher is able to consult with a principal or send a child down to the principal’s office because nine times out of ten, he or she is not at their school. It was unfortunate to hear that there are no school counselors in Italy. The presenter explained that there might be a psychologist for students, teachers, and families to consult with one morning a week for two hours. Apparently next week there is an election that could benefit the public school system, so I am excited to hear what happens!

Katie, Dr. Michel & Nancy Bailey

The second talk was about sex trafficking and prostitution. The women that presented were government employees who worked to ensure the health of the women and men working on the streets. It was obvious how much passion the ladies had for their career, and they were incredibly knowledgeable. They explained that they approach the individuals in a soft manner, and provide condoms and resources to get their health checked.

Kety Bonci & Mada Gavra - Trafficking of Women

After the talks we took a bus to Vallombrosa. Some people chose to hike, others chose to eat pastries and gelato. Katie and I both got pastries, while Gigi took the hike! There was a gorgeous monastery and we were able to observe 30 minutes of the evening mass. There were no pictures allowed in the monastery, which we thought was a form of respect to the people who attend regularly. Although we could not understand the words of the preacher, it was still a very holy experience.

Our final event of the evening was a big group dinner at Ristorante Archimede. I lost track of how many courses there were in the meal, but some of the delicacies were: mushroom risotto (my favorite), pasta with wild boar sauce, spinach ravioli, chicken, and beef. We ended the meal with cake and grappa, which is a very strong alcoholic beverage. The rest of the evening was spent chatting and playing games at Casa Cares. Until next time!