CasaScalabrini 634

Casa Scalabrini 634 is a 2nd reception/camp which brings refugees from the 1st reception centers to help them prepare to go out into Italian society to live a full professional and personal autonomous life outside of a reception center.  This complex is downtown Rome.    We are touring the complex with the Director Emanuele and Francesca who is from MEDU and introduced us to this organization.  This is their chapel, and they are part of the Catholic church, but they respect all religions, even having a special room for the Muslims to worship.

One of the 'trades' that is taught is how to use a recording studio.    Dad was in his element.

This house is actually private apartments that CasaScalabrini subsidizes for those who can't afford the full rent.  It is on the same complex as the refugee house.

A sewing classroom.  Those who take this course have been hired out on the economy.   This 'classroom' is highly sought after for the goods they make b/c while they are being taught they sew theatrical costumes which are sold, so they actually turn a profit from this classroom.

One refugee was a sculpture in his home country.  Here are a few of his pieces of work about his experiences crossing the Mediterranean.  You probably can't tell, but all the pieces are still 'in process', meaning they were wet and still being worked on.  They were quite good and he was working towards having enough pieces to hold an exhibition.

This one is actually a trilogy of a sequence: almost to drown, thrown a life jacket, being saved.

Tour finished.  We just got our project approved here.   LDS Charities is going to help provide food, some kitchen furniture, and help with their transportation expenses.  Hooray!

Home in Rome

Ok, this is a tour of the outside of our house and complex.  This is the brown door of our garage.  Mind you, FOUR cars must fit into that garage.  FOUR!!!.  Our space is #3 and it's a very tight turn to get around the corner and not hit car #2.  Tom is amazing.  Truly amazing.  But backing out of this garage is a trick.  It's much better if some of the cars are gone and we can turn around inside and drive forward out.  You may also note how the apartments seem to be built one on top of the other.  They are!  Now keep your eye on the brown garage door....

The gate to our complex.  The driveway gate and the pedestrian gate just to the right of the gate.  Oh and when you drive out of the driveway, you can't see if there are any cars coming down the street b/c your view is completely blocked by the brick wall.

Further down the street.  Notice that to drive into the driveway gate you have to be sure not to hit the car that is parked practically in front of that gate!

As you first enter our street.  This street is very typical.  Two way traffic in which it is impossible for two way traffic to flow, no sidewalks.   You can still see the brown garage door at the end.

Our street.  Via Villata!

If you make it out of the driveway without getting hit you still have this challenge:  This is at the end of the street.  You can see the street sign on the left hand side.  Tom loves this intersection.  Not!  You take your life in your hands everytime you are here.  The stone wall on the left blocks the view of the oncoming traffic completely.  There is a mirror but as you can see the van in front covers that.  Not too helpful.  So you nose yourself out into traffic and hope and pray you don't get mowed over.  Oh, and don't forget that there are buses, scooters, pedestrians with no sidewalks to walk on, parked cars, sometimes double parked cars making it impossible for two way traffic to flow.

This is the street that goes beyond our driveway. (brown garage door on the right corner)  Straight up and it's a two way street.  We count our blessings that at least we don't have to deal with this!  We only have to make sure we don't hit anybody flying down the road as we leave our garage gate.

Inside the gated complex.  Yes, note all windows are gated.  There is no robbery here b/c it's impossible to break in.  So we feel safe.  They do keep our little complex very clean.  The lemon tree is just outside our terrace.  We are on the 2nd floor.  So we have somebody below us as well as above us, but it's mostly quiet. 

Second floor is ours.  We have TWO air conditioning units.  I praise God for that blessing.  It's hovering between 30C and 33C mostly every day now.  38C is not unusual.  In F that ranges from 85 to over 100.  You need A/C (but our poor sisters don't have it!)  The Elders are on the first floor, not under us, but to the left...you can see their door.  We like to eat breakfast on the terrace and 'hide' behind the lemon tree.  Our landlords live above us.  Two young girls live in the tip top attic part (no A/C).

Now a tour of the inside.  Yes, that's Anziano Herway.  But we are at home, and we just had a very busy activity.  We deserve to wear comfy clothes and relax.  And you wear summer clothes because it's so hot!  This seat is the coolest place in the apartment b/c it's right under the A/C unit.

Our living room, which doubles as an office, which will double as a guest room if anybody is desperate enough to stay with us.  We bought most of the furniture at IKEA and assembled it ourselves.  The kitchen table we moved  in here b/c it was large enough to use as a desk.

Our bedroom.  Nice new mattress that is awesome.  Barred windows.  And there is a reason for that.  It's a poor area.  But the bars do make it safe.  We haven't been robbed yet!

Our foyer.  I love it.  Nice and roomy.  The only place in the house where I can do yoga.  So the foyer doubles as the yoga room!

The European kitchen.  We bought an outside table to put in here b/c it's so small.  But it's functional.  Gas stove.  Again barred windows.  Outside on the terrace is where I hang my laundry.

Front door!  Welcome to our missionary home!  (barred windows!)

We love having the missionaries in our building.  We have the Elders.  Just one building up the street are 4 Sisters.  We interface with them almost daily.  It's a welcome sight to see them.  I was out taking these pictures when I hear "Hello Sister Herway!"  It's the best part about where we live for sure.

Service Project in our Home Ward, Rome 1

Just who can you always count on to come and be there and support you with a smile and continuously ask, "How can we help?"  You guessed it, the missionaries.  They are awesome!

This hygiene kit activity was for the young single adults and about 10 showed up.  This activity was prior to Seminary/Institute graduation.    But again, thank goodness for the missionaries!

You might recognize her:  Barbara Ventura.  I can never say it enough, one talented lady.  To repeat, she has been out of work for 2 years but she just won her suit against her employer and is back at work.  She doesn't plan to stay long however so she is taking a course at the Red Cross and hopes to land a job there.

This smiling sister we met in Pescara and she is from Costa Rica, but now she is in our ward.  Hooray! The other sister is Italian and now serving in our ward and this is her first assignment.  

Loading up the MEDU van with the completed hygiene kits.  And it's hot.  Over 30 degrees celsius.  Those poor Anziano were sweating up a storm.  But they smiled, they worked hard, they were happy to do anything we asked, they were essential!

Well done crew!  Another hygiene kit activity completed, check!

Meeting new People

We went to church in Torento Italy.  Very small branch.  The Branch Pres drives from Switzerland which takes him 3 hours.  He comes for the whole week-end!  He was called just as he was going to retire and build his home in Switzerland.  He had a stroke and told the Lord he would do whatever he was asked to do....the Branch Pres call came and he accepted.  This sweet girl and her daughter were fun to talk to and hang out with.  She only spoke French.  Her baby loved my glasses case.  'Selfies' are never flattering, but sometimes that is the only choice you have.

Meeting with an organization called 'Melting Pot' in Padua.  It was hot and steamy outside but their office was under renovation so this was the next best option.  Not clear how best to help this little group.

Dinner on one of the squares in Padua.  This is Moreno Giannotti and his girlfriend Bianca.  Moreno is the Stake Public Affairs director for the Milan West Stake.  Bianca lives in Siena and she is from Albania, but getting her PHD in teaching Italian to foreigners!  She is also a professional basketball player and her mom played for the Albanian Olympic bb team!  They both teach others how to fly airplanes.  What talent!

The square in Padua where we had our meal.  Very beautiful.

Next stop was in Vicenza to meet Alessandra Balestra and she is the Venice Stake Public Relations Director.  We actually visited her in her home b/c she had a very tight schedule to go to her daughters school that morning for a school program.  Her husband is the Bishop.  She said nobody wants her calling b/c it is so much work and you feel all alone doing it.  She was happy to meet with us and get a little 'boost'.

This meeting was really 'fun'...First of all the other guy in a white shirt and tie is Ether Simoncini.  His parents are serving a mission in our mission!  He is a counselor in the Stake Presidency in Verona Stake.  The guy in the blue shirt is Sergio Giolotti and he is the Stake Public Relations Director for Verona.  We thought he was GREAT!  The guy on the far right represented AVSI and his name is Marco Andreolli.  AVSI is the organization that we want to support fully!  They partner with businesses that need workers.  For example they work with 6 restaurant owners.  They train the refugees in the language of their business:  just what they need to know to cook or be a waiter, etc.   Rather than trying to teach them 'Italian' they just teach them what they need to know in a specific arena to get work.  It's brilliant.  They have an 80% placement in jobs!

Next stop was in Rimini.  There was a project to supply tools and supplies to a carpentry workshop.  The guy with the black shirt was a volunteer carpenter.  The other guy in the white shirt is 1st counselor in the Florence Stake:  Orazio Caramia.  The purpose of the lab was to give the boys something to do as well as to learn a skill.  Their housing unit was just a couple of blocks away.

At the carpentry lab.  Guy far right (white pants) is the director of CARITAS.  The Italian lady with the black pants is the ward public affairs director:  Anna Canuti who arranged the project.  

Simona Savian(black shirt) is the assistant to the Florence public affairs director.  She is with Anna.  Anna told us that her 26 year old son just had his leg amputated and is being fitted with a prosthetic.  At age 19 he was in a scooter accident.  They tried for 7 years to save the leg but it couldn't be saved.  Her first marriage wasn't in the temple, but her second marriage was in the temple.  She shared all this with me as we walked and talked that day.

At the CARITAS housing complex.  This complex is within walking distance of the carpentry lab.  

Discussing the needs and hopes of the CARITAS housing unit and the carpentry lab.  Next to Tom in the light blue shirt is Enrico Morelli.  He is dynamite.  Stake public affairs director for Florence.

This little guy just underwent open heart surgery.  His mom said that he has to go back for another operation.  No fun!

On the way home we stopped via San Marino.  It's beautiful!  San Marino is a country.  Like the Vatican.  

San Marino

San Leo.  Also on the way home to Rome from Rimini.  Very old and historic.

Milan East

I had my 61st birthday in Rome.  What treat did I want?  Gelato of course.  And not the small one, the big one!  But here is the lesson learned.  It's better just to get one scoop because when you get so many flavors they all wash each other out and you can't taste anything.  So next year.  One scoop....four times!

Walking home after a meeting in the Trastavere area.  Rome is more peaceful at night.

Our district.  We had them over for dinner and afterwards I put them all to work.  Each plastic bag needed the sticker attached.  We only had 600 bags to do so it didn't take long with this crew.

Pre-meeting with the Stake President, the public affairs director for Italy, the RS president, and the public affairs director for Milan East.  A meeting to prepare for the presentation of money from LDS Charities, photos below.

Raimondo Castelloni the director of public affairs for Italy,  the Milan Stake Pres, the Director for all of Banco Farmoceutico,  the director for BF Milan, and Monia the public relation director for Milan East.

This photo made it into the local news.

The givers and the receivers.

We toured San Francesco, one of the beneficiaries of the medicine donation.  

At the campus of San Francesco they have volunteer dentists and doctors from all over Milan who donate their services to the refugees.  Impressive to say the least.

The next facility we toured that benefited from the medicine donations was an organization called ARCA.  They house the girls that have been exploited.  I asked a couple of girls if I could take their photo.  They said yes and before I could snap the photo a couple more jumped in wanting to be included, and then they wanted me in the photo.  

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The cook, the doctors, one of the girls and her baby, the director, us, the driver who shuttled us all over Milan.

We had to drive from Milan towards Padua for our next meetings.  We stayed here.  Wish we could have stayed forever!