At the beginning of this week, I was told some really horrible news. I am not entirely comfortable talking about it nor do I really want to voluntarily focus my thoughts on it as it is deeply discomforting and there are people who it affects much more than it affects me. The nature of what happened truly brings me nothing but sadness, pain, and confusion. When I think directly of it, it hurts my heart. I can feel it in my head and in my gut. But even so, I am grateful I am in a position where I can forget, it does not consume my every thought. It may have at first, but with time I will be truly okay, others will not be. So, this week, I have been in contact with my loved ones, my friends, and filled my thoughts with the people that I love. To know that I am loved is also something so special. I am blessed to have a life full of beautiful relationships, knowing this was crucial to my emotional health this week. I also had my roommate Lorena. We focused our time on things that reminded us of humanity. We cooked sopa de fideo together, a soup both of our moms used to cook for us when we were children, went on walks, and surrounded ourselves with each other and people who make us happy.
Something I actually found incredibly helpful and probably my favorite part of the week was service learning on Wednesday. We essentially did the exact same thing as last week, receiving and completing orders for clothes, linens, and such. But this time, we had a birthday! It was the 29th birthday of one of the other volunteers who had been working with Sant’Egidio for a very long time. You could tell he had strong connections with many of the refugees and homeless populations that visited Sant’Egidio. We sang the happy birthday song all together in Italian and then in English, then passed around treats to the refugees. Towards the end of our shift, some of the refugees wanted to meet us individually and introduce themselves. There was this really special moment when I met one older man named Mohammed and saw him wearing the jacket I put in his “kit”. I shook his hand and tried to use my Italian to the best of my ability, using “piacere” for the first time finally. He thanked me and the rest of the volunteers, and once he left, I cried (just a very little bit). I think sometimes because we are more useful working behind the walls of where the actual refugees wait, we forget that there are real people that we’re doing this for. Watching the smiles and the excitement from the introductions and the birthday festivities was an incredibly centering and happy experience. We also got a selfie with Mohammed and another refugee!
This week we also learned about natural disasters, global warming, torture, malnutrition, and how these topics affect migration patterns and refugee health. I found myself very disturbed when discussing torture, especially when we were shown an interview of a refugee patient. You could immediately tell he was feeling extreme discomfort due to the injuries he sustained from being tortured. He was incredibly stiff to the point that it looked almost statue-like. I started to feel a sort of restlessness in my own body imagining the pain and general lack of mobility he was experiencing. I also found the information we learned about malnutrition to be super interesting. Nutrition is everything. We rarely think about all the nutrients we receive from our daily diets, but it is what allows us to function and our body’s physiological functions to operate.
In addition, for Honors 284, we visited two historical sites of Rome. The Colosseum and Caracalla’s Baths. I found the Colosseum extraordinary and was shocked to know that it took only nine years to build. Considering its size, I would have believed it if I was told it had taken 30 years to build. The concept that foreign and exotic animals such as elephants and lions were brought to the Colosseum to show off Rome’s power and push the image that Rome defies nature actually made a lot of sense but is definitely a bit theatric. I also found the walk around the Caracalla’s Baths very peaceful. It was a beautiful day out, the grass was bright green, and the varying marbles were gorgeous as well.
Overall, this week was full of hurt and reflection, I am glad to know there are people in my life who are always willing to be there for me as well as the other way around. I hope every day that those more heavily impacted by this week’s events are surrounded by love and support. I hope they will be okay.
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