Consider something (or someone, or an idea, or a place, etc) that you have loved profoundly. How did the act of loving impact you? What (if anything) would you do to protect it?
Throughout life everyone has a memory, which remains, which has a great impact on that individual. During my childhood I have lived in three different houses here in Italy. The first house is where I was born; this was situated in the middle of the countryside, I do not remember much about it because I was really young when I lived there and when I moved. My parents were fascinated from the countryside; in fact my second home was located outside the center of Rome. What I am considering to be something, which I have loved profoundly is my second home, also known as Casa della Ghianda. We moved to this house in June 1999 when I was two years old. I still remember it clearly because I have lived there until three years ago. This is the biggest house I’ve ever lived in; the thing I like the most about it is the beautiful entrance, there is a slight climb made of white gravel. During the summer the right side of the entrance is covered by colorful flowers, which give you joy every time you walk by.
Once there was a huge terrace; My parents were able to construct a kitchen using part of it. After a couple of years there have been some changes, we added rooms creating a type of loft on top of the living room.
I have lived fourteen years in that home and the biggest change that could have ever happened to the house and to my life was my mother’s decision to create a school inside it.
She loves that house and she loves children as well, so she thought of combining the two things together.
It started off as a small kindergarten school, though during time the parents, which brought their children there, when my mother had just opened the school, were determined to convince her to continue the education of the Casa della Ghianda until the end of the elementary school.
At the beginning of this journey I was too young to understand what my mother was creating inside our home.
When I got older and was able to comprehend her choice I was overwhelmed by emotions.
I was unsure if to feel happy, sad or angry with my mother.
To be honest, at the beginning of my understanding, like any other young child would have done, I felt angry and sad, because I was feeling like something new “conquered” my territory, invading our spaces every day, though I kept every thought inside, I was never capable of letting them out.
This feeling fortunately stayed for a short amount of time in my mind.
Children are very flexible and I got used to this new life, which my mother was creating for herself and for us.
Soon after I started feeling happy and satisfied about this choice. The act of loving this house and all what was growing inside it, profoundly had a beautiful impact on me, for which I will be grateful to my mother for the rest of my life.
The fact that I began to live in a school/home for fourteen years of my life, having other children around my house and my garden, inside my life from 8:00am in the morning until 16:00pm in the afternoon every week, made me the person who I am today.
I see this aspect of my life as an advantage, which other people might not have. I began to get involved with the association, that my mom created, I learned, therefore accepted to live in a way, which I would have never imagined. Since the school was located in my house, I felt like I was at home, I felt more secure. I would define myself as someone who has a very reserved personality, though one of the most important aspects I gained from this experience is that I became a social person already at an early age. I believe that this experience made me become a caring person, who even at a young age took care of the children around the school. They would see me as their older sister and I was glad that they had this view about me, it made me feel like in some way I was helping my mother with the school.
This has been the most wonderful experience I have ever faced; I would never be able to feel complete knowing that the house-school does not exist since it represents part of my life. For now I am sure that this will not happen, because my mom is there protecting it like she has been doing for the past eighteen years, though if it will ever happen, I will fight for it, because that house represents my childhood, that home is the protagonist of most memories of my infancy, it represents the childhood of other children who fell in love with the house-school the first day they stepped in it. And will keep like me this memory as one of their best memory for the rest of their lives.
I view it as the meeting point of our entire family, if one day we separate, I believe that this will be the place
which we will always call home, where we can get together like old times