0:00:29.293,0:00:31.759
Spring 2017,[br]in the province of Florence,

0:00:31.759,0:00:35.699
life in Poggio alla Croce is turned upside[br]down by the announcement of the arrival

0:00:35.699,0:00:37.319
of a group of migrants.

0:00:37.319,0:00:40.939
Between fear, anger and indifference,[br]inhabitants are looking for a solution.

0:00:40.939,0:00:44.939
(Background music and kitchen noises)

0:01:56.660,0:02:05.189
I AM BECAUSE WE ARE

0:02:19.357,0:02:23.464
Piera, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

0:02:31.385,0:02:33.452
In these last few years a lot has changed

0:02:33.823,0:02:36.923
Things were different before

0:02:36.923,0:02:37.923
people were different

0:02:37.923,0:02:41.308
They often came into the centre.

0:02:41.308,0:02:44.658
Now they stay at home,

0:02:44.934,0:02:47.684
the village is less lived in.

0:02:48.398,0:02:52.231
Before we were all in my shop.

0:02:53.382,0:02:54.672
Most of the world,

0:02:54.672,0:02:57.107
most of life took place around it.

0:03:00.105,0:03:02.995
A place to meet, to understand each other,

0:03:02.995,0:03:05.405
maybe argue with different opinions

0:03:05.405,0:03:08.705
but still have a dialogue. It was easier

0:03:10.615,0:03:13.785
it was life... I mean it was life

0:03:56.082,0:03:57.880
Andreas, project creator

0:03:57.880,0:03:59.550
Poggio alla Croce could be defined

0:03:59.550,0:04:01.090
as “a small Switzerland”

0:04:02.235,0:04:04.875
Located in a beautiful spot

0:04:04.875,0:04:07.085
between Chianti and Valdarno

0:04:07.085,0:04:10.449
Residents are active and cooperative

0:04:10.449,0:04:15.589
In summer a nice festival is organized

0:04:15.589,0:04:18.373
attracting people from both valleys

0:04:18.373,0:04:22.373
When problems arise, like ice in winter,

0:04:22.373,0:04:25.583
informations flow over the internet.

0:04:25.583,0:04:28.979
Looked like and ideal place

0:04:28.979,0:04:33.769
Then in April 2017 the “bomb”:

0:04:33.769,0:04:37.161
thirty migrants coming in the “palace”,

0:04:37.161,0:04:40.881
a former hotel middle of village

0:04:40.881,0:04:43.681
It sounded as if a spaceship full

0:04:43.681,0:04:46.706
of little black men was about to land

0:04:46.706,0:04:49.120
(tense music)

0:05:15.806,0:05:18.686
Black men are coming, black men are coming

0:05:18.686,0:05:21.846
We are all with our hairs raised,

0:05:21.846,0:05:25.392
very worried, me too to be honest because

0:05:25.392,0:05:27.712
Even if you hear a lot of good

0:05:27.712,0:05:30.822
but also bad about these youngsters

0:05:30.822,0:05:33.959
The strongest reaction, intense and wide,

0:05:33.959,0:05:36.680
was an immediate refusal,

0:05:36.680,0:05:41.434
a “belly” reaction that caused

0:05:41.434,0:05:45.434
an immediate decision

0:05:45.434,0:05:47.764
to collect signatures against,

0:05:47.764,0:05:50.034
in less than three days

0:05:50.034,0:05:51.904
230 signatures were collected

0:05:51.904,0:05:54.022
even if we are some 190

0:05:54.022,0:05:55.886
Attilia, a teacher in migrants school

0:05:55.926,0:05:57.146
A first meeting was held

0:05:57.154,0:05:58.674
one and half year ago in summer

0:05:58.674,0:06:00.643
before the migrants arrived,

0:06:00.643,0:06:03.053
so we did not know them

0:06:03.053,0:06:06.018
They had no face for us, they had no name

0:06:08.939,0:06:10.649
I don’t live in Poggio alla Croce,

0:06:10.649,0:06:12.429
I come from a nearby village

0:06:12.429,0:06:14.723
During the meeting there were

0:06:14.723,0:06:18.834
some very aggressive people,

0:06:18.834,0:06:20.824
I guess they were sincerely scared

0:06:20.824,0:06:22.569
Martin, parson of Poggio alla Croce

0:06:22.569,0:06:24.963
Their reaction was not due to being bad.

0:06:24.963,0:06:28.213
Behind there was also a reality

0:06:28.213,0:06:30.513
that must be told. It must be told that

0:06:30.513,0:06:34.753
none was pepared because none

0:06:34.758,0:06:38.758
had been alerted that these foreigner,

0:06:38.758,0:06:41.842
these migrants were coming

0:06:41.842,0:06:45.842
Noise of iron hammering

0:06:49.393,0:06:51.303
Paolo, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

0:06:51.303,0:06:53.473
Someone started collecting signatures,

0:06:53.473,0:06:56.002
and I agreed only because I wanted to know

0:06:56.002,0:06:59.372
where would these kids be hosted,

0:06:59.372,0:07:01.872
what did they come for then it became

0:07:01.872,0:07:04.072
clear that this was not the reason

0:07:04.072,0:07:06.410
they did not want to welcome them

0:07:06.410,0:07:11.233
So I said my signature was extorted

0:07:11.233,0:07:13.863
and was not in agreement any more

0:07:13.863,0:07:15.713
Luana, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

0:07:15.713,0:07:16.443
They told us

0:07:16.443,0:07:18.573
in a year time we’ll remind you of this..

0:07:18.573,0:07:19.663
we are scared..

0:07:19.663,0:07:21.903
I have an 18months old little girl

0:07:21.903,0:07:24.903
who won’t be able to walk outside anymore

0:07:24.903,0:07:28.903
They asked us to sign against

0:07:28.903,0:07:30.503
but I refused

0:07:30.503,0:07:32.307
and became the black sheep...

0:07:32.791,0:07:36.791
They are simply black

0:07:36.791,0:07:41.191
and this is not easy to accept

0:07:41.191,0:07:44.381
Integration is not easy, not easy.

0:07:44.381,0:07:47.231
Also on their side

0:07:47.231,0:07:50.361
There was a bad feeling around,

0:07:50.361,0:07:51.896
an awful atmosphere

0:07:51.896,0:07:53.846
My legs trembled, really.

0:07:55.570,0:07:58.437
I recognized kids that I knew

0:07:58.437,0:08:00.578
when they were little children.

0:08:00.578,0:08:02.954
And now as grown ups they were scared

0:08:02.954,0:08:06.386
and said they did not want the migrants

0:08:06.386,0:08:09.589
because their life would change,

0:08:09.589,0:08:11.423
it would not be possible

0:08:11.423,0:08:13.444
anymore to go quietly around in Poggio.

0:08:13.444,0:08:16.920
No more walkabouts but they shouted

0:08:16.920,0:08:19.103
all this in a really aggressive way..

0:08:19.103,0:08:22.123
and I started to tremble and was unable

0:08:22.123,0:08:24.543
to tell what I meant,

0:08:24.543,0:08:28.874
that I felt very sorry to see children

0:08:28.874,0:08:31.892
who had grown up together and were

0:08:31.892,0:08:34.750
used to share… and I remember

0:08:34.750,0:08:37.090
there were also coloured children

0:08:37.090,0:08:39.090
in our classes and all played together

0:08:39.090,0:08:41.390
and had now become so

0:08:41.390,0:08:43.240
And now I was more scared of them

0:08:43.240,0:08:45.940
than of the incoming migrants.

0:08:45.940,0:08:48.110
I could sense a rage and violence

0:08:48.110,0:08:49.747
that really frightened me

0:08:49.747,0:08:53.747
(laundry noise)

0:09:50.465,0:09:53.577
When the spaceship with the little

0:09:53.577,0:09:56.974
black men had actually landed

0:09:56.974,0:09:59.544
we managed to organize

0:09:59.544,0:10:02.005
a first circle in a room under

0:10:02.005,0:10:04.769
the church that our parson Martin

0:10:04.769,0:10:06.923
put at our disposal

0:10:06.923,0:10:08.836
for the rest of the story

0:10:08.836,0:10:10.896
we organized a first circle

0:10:10.896,0:10:15.866
where we played,

0:10:15.866,0:10:18.200
by arranging ourselves on the chairs

0:10:18.200,0:10:20.241
in a completely random way,

0:10:20.241,0:10:22.071
so mixed up, a little bit of them and

0:10:22.071,0:10:23.234
a little bit of us.

0:10:23.234,0:10:25.974
We sticked a piece of paper on the wall

0:10:25.974,0:10:28.384
and each and one of us started to write

0:10:28.384,0:10:31.664
Andrea Formiconi, italian, speaks italian

0:10:31.664,0:10:35.439
Then casually pointed the felt-pen towards

0:10:35.445,0:10:38.340
one or the other and they wrote in turn

0:10:38.340,0:10:41.920
Each and one of us wrote his name,

0:10:41.920,0:10:44.980
which country he came from,

0:10:44.980,0:10:46.780
which language he spoke,,,

0:10:46.780,0:10:49.920
This simple game basically opened up

0:10:49.920,0:10:51.661
a whole world, a universe

0:10:51.661,0:10:54.101
because it turned out that with

0:10:54.101,0:10:56.461
fourteen-fifteen of them there were

0:10:56.461,0:10:58.731
twelve-thrteen languages spoken

0:10:58.731,0:11:02.331
Then we discovered illiterates,

0:11:02.342,0:11:04.992
you could tell by the unlikely way they

0:11:04.992,0:11:08.761
held the marker...

0:11:08.761,0:11:10.878
In fact they did not write the name but

0:11:10.878,0:11:14.599
drew it. At the same time

0:11:14.599,0:11:16.547
some of them attended school

0:11:16.547,0:11:18.735
and to one extreme there was a guy

0:11:18.735,0:11:21.585
that had escaped while in his fourth year

0:11:21.585,0:11:25.192
of mathematics at university.

0:11:25.192,0:11:28.922
This helps understand the enormous

0:11:28.922,0:11:36.022
range of stories and different human

0:11:36.022,0:11:42.288
situations hiding behind this stereotype

0:11:42.288,0:11:45.498
which we call with univocal names:

0:11:45.498,0:11:47.396
the migrant..

0:11:47.396,0:11:49.366
which prompts the image of the

0:11:49.366,0:11:51.486
little black man, always the same, and his

0:11:51.486,0:11:53.366
standard story.

0:11:53.366,0:11:54.676
Absolutely not!

0:11:54.676,0:11:58.676
(gentle music)

0:12:47.016,0:12:52.506
(kitchen noises)

0:13:17.157,0:13:17.873
Malò

0:13:17.873,0:13:20.267
I think that the spark that triggered

0:13:20.267,0:13:22.215
all this craving for school

0:13:22.215,0:13:25.041
was a Malian boy, Ali,

0:13:25.041,0:13:28.931
who had spotted me because

0:13:28.931,0:13:30.850
we had spoken a little French

0:13:30.850,0:13:34.714
and one day I saw him arrive at my house

0:13:34.714,0:13:37.252
I don't live in the village,

0:13:37.252,0:13:39.081
there is about a mile of dirt road.

0:13:39.081,0:13:44.522
he arrived alone, with paper [br]and pencil, telling me:

0:13:44.522,0:13:46.701
«Io voglio imparare l'italiano».

0:13:46.701,0:13:50.000
We are three guys who embarked on this

0:13:50.000,0:13:52.736
'little school' adventure [br]in Poggio alla Croce

0:13:52.736,0:13:55.446
without really knowing what to expect.

0:13:55.446,0:13:57.246
We felt the urge to do something

0:13:57.246,0:13:58.429
to help these guys,

0:13:58.429,0:14:00.459
and we thought that teaching them

0:14:00.459,0:14:02.676
italian language was the thing to do

0:14:02.676,0:14:06.097
also to improve their trust in themselves.

0:14:06.097,0:14:07.708
As we are scared of them blacks,

0:14:07.708,0:14:09.050
they are scared of us whites

0:14:09.050,0:14:11.692
This has to be understood.

0:14:11.692,0:14:14.175
They are afraid, they are afraid of us.

0:14:14.175,0:14:16.075
The funny thing is that a lot of people

0:14:16.075,0:14:17.975
were involved who had nothing .

0:14:17.975,0:14:19.325
to do with teaching.

0:14:19.325,0:14:21.075
People like Marcie who is canadian

0:14:21.075,0:14:24.455
with very little italian but

0:14:24.455,0:14:29.097
she taught italian.. and Willy[br](a Peruvian resident)

0:14:29.097,0:14:33.097
who is still with us who reads

0:14:33.097,0:14:35.158
and does dictation

0:14:35.158,0:14:37.335
and anything else with them.

0:14:37.335,0:14:41.335
I teach in primary schools

0:14:41.335,0:14:44.167
on Tuesday when finished

0:14:44.167,0:14:48.167
With my class, often very tired like last

0:14:48.167,0:14:49.634
year when I taught in first

0:14:49.634,0:14:51.894
I sit in the car and say to myself

0:14:51.894,0:14:54.704
“why do you do it ? I'm crazy...

0:14:54.704,0:15:00.893
you should go home to rest or make dinner”

0:15:00.893,0:15:04.893
then I close my eyes and think

0:15:04.903,0:15:06.925
“if it is the right thing to do I'll find

0:15:06.925,0:15:08.955
the missing energies” and there I go

0:15:08.955,0:15:10.945
and afterwards I am happy because you get

0:15:10.945,0:15:13.624
there and see those smiles with white

0:15:13.624,0:15:16.093
teeth, peculiar of black people

0:15:16.093,0:15:20.093
those happy eyes...

0:15:20.093,0:15:23.198
I see Ajan, I see Dedo, the Kurds...

0:15:23.198,0:15:24.858
waiting for you who thank you for

0:15:24.858,0:15:26.928
being there, thanking you for being there,

0:15:26.928,0:15:28.258
looking forward for you

0:15:28.258,0:15:29.888
to teach them something.

0:15:29.888,0:15:31.988
(Car noise...)

0:15:31.988,0:15:36.728
Laura, Andreas' student

0:15:42.992,0:15:44.993
I arrived here a bit by chance,

0:15:44.993,0:15:47.236
I got to know this experience

0:15:47.236,0:15:49.961
thanks to Andreas, his stories

0:15:49.961,0:15:52.383
in university classrooms and I decided to

0:15:52.383,0:15:54.303
to come and have a look.

0:15:54.303,0:15:58.015
The question I get asked most often

0:15:58.015,0:16:01.525
is why I'm doing this, especially because

0:16:01.525,0:16:04.435
what strikes me about me is the fact

0:16:04.435,0:16:06.355
that I come from almost 90 kilometres

0:16:06.355,0:16:08.421
almost two hours by car anyway

0:16:08.421,0:16:10.467
just to get here.

0:16:11.536,0:16:14.195
It's not easy to explain,

0:16:14.195,0:16:16.752
because the reason

0:16:16.752,0:16:19.081
lies in so many little things:

0:16:19.081,0:16:23.081
gestures, looks, emotions,

0:16:23.081,0:16:26.319
the feelings you have when

0:16:26.319,0:16:29.357
you get in touch with these people

0:16:29.357,0:16:33.357
which in the end are lives

0:16:33.357,0:16:36.597
are experiences, are worlds

0:16:36.597,0:16:38.751
with which you come into contact

0:16:38.751,0:16:40.908
and of which you often know nothing.

0:16:40.908,0:16:44.908
(Traffic noise...)

0:16:44.908,0:16:48.908
(Country noises, chirping...)

0:16:58.317,0:17:02.317
(Squeaking bicycle...)

0:17:04.669,0:17:06.319
(Background music...)

0:17:06.319,0:17:08.855
Madou, student of the school

0:17:08.855,0:17:10.976
I go to school in Figline Valdarno

0:17:10.976,0:17:13.439
every day, On Mondays and Tuesdays

0:17:13.439,0:17:15.777
I go by car but the other days

0:17:15.777,0:17:20.212
I ride my bike. It's not difficult to go,

0:17:20.212,0:17:22.103
but it is difficult to return

0:17:22.103,0:17:24.753
because it takes an hour and thirty

0:17:24.753,0:17:27.441
minutes, it's difficult, It's tiring.

0:17:27.441,0:17:31.441
When I was in Africa I didn't go to

0:17:31.441,0:17:36.060
school and fortunately I found myself in

0:17:36.060,0:17:39.570
Europe and met the people who

0:17:39.570,0:17:43.072
are helping me

0:17:43.072,0:17:46.073
and enrolled me in school.

0:17:46.073,0:17:51.624
My goal is to learn the Italian language

0:17:51.624,0:17:54.350
I would like to stay in Italy,

0:17:54.350,0:17:57.234
I would like to work to help

0:17:57.234,0:17:59.834
my family in Africa. Therefore

0:17:59.834,0:18:02.472
I have to concentrate on studying,

0:18:02.472,0:18:06.044
it's my goal.

0:18:06.044,0:18:08.191
My name is Madou Koulibaly, I come

0:18:08.191,0:18:10.813
from Guinea and I'm 20 years old.

0:18:10.813,0:18:14.359
I arrived in Italy a year and

0:18:14.359,0:18:18.229
two months ago, it was a very

0:18:18.229,0:18:22.054
difficult trip, I can't forget it,

0:18:22.054,0:18:24.482
It was very dangerous.

0:18:24.482,0:18:26.812
I sacrificed my life

0:18:26.812,0:18:32.068
to seek my fortune in Europe

0:18:32.068,0:18:35.709
and thank God I entered Italy

0:18:35.709,0:18:38.096
on 13 June 2018

0:18:38.096,0:18:40.442
and I was transferred

0:18:40.442,0:18:43.614
to Poggio alla Croce.

0:18:43.614,0:18:47.259
I met some very good people who

0:18:47.259,0:18:51.052
treated me like one of their own,

0:18:51.052,0:18:54.681
they are like my parents here,

0:18:54.681,0:18:57.523
not only me but all the Africans

0:18:57.523,0:18:59.617
who live in Poggio alla Croce.

0:18:59.617,0:19:01.762
I would like to continue studying,

0:19:01.762,0:19:03.413
if there is a possibility,

0:19:03.413,0:19:07.413
I'd like to study and learn

0:19:07.413,0:19:10.878
a job, for example a welder.

0:19:10.878,0:19:14.878
(Noise spring water, chirping...)

0:19:44.445,0:19:46.861
Italy saved me in the sea,

0:19:46.861,0:19:49.258
in Italy I went to school

0:19:49.258,0:19:51.674
and I would like to continue studying,

0:19:51.674,0:19:54.594
I don't know what will happen afterwards.

0:19:54.594,0:19:57.700
Poggio alla Croce is my village.

0:20:01.090,0:20:02.675
The path is chaotic,

0:20:02.675,0:20:04.673
one cannot expect to follow

0:20:04.673,0:20:06.540
a preordained thread:

0:20:06.540,0:20:08.958
it would kill this kind of school.

0:20:08.958,0:20:15.289
So you have to follow the wind.

0:20:15.289,0:20:17.847
An example would be when

0:20:17.847,0:20:20.403
Samba had written the curriculum

0:20:20.403,0:20:21.744
on the computer,

0:20:21.744,0:20:24.511
then of course you try to help:

0:20:24.511,0:20:26.010
"Samba, what does this mean?

0:20:26.010,0:20:27.054
What's this...?"

0:20:27.054,0:20:28.404
Then we read:

0:20:28.404,0:20:32.404
"driving experience", so I ask:

0:20:32.404,0:20:34.429
"Samba, what did you drive?"

0:20:34.429,0:20:36.839
He light up immediately and says

0:20:36.839,0:20:39.663
"Cow!"

0:20:39.663,0:20:41.204
and a whole other discussion

0:20:41.204,0:20:42.206
started from there

0:20:42.206,0:20:43.892
about how things change over time,

0:20:43.892,0:20:45.162
how they change in Africa,

0:20:45.162,0:20:46.224
how they change here.

0:20:46.224,0:20:48.234
This is an example of digression.

0:20:48.234,0:20:51.800
It's a people-centred school, essentially

0:20:51.800,0:20:55.800
(Soft music, dialogue in the background..)

0:21:55.321,0:21:57.571
We all have attics full of old computers

0:21:57.571,0:21:59.521
and we don't know what to do with them.

0:21:59.521,0:22:01.380
It's a problem because we have to take

0:22:01.380,0:22:05.790
them to the eco-center and so we've been

0:22:05.792,0:22:08.178
spreading this information:

0:22:08.178,0:22:09.589
"Do you have an old computer?

0:22:09.589,0:22:12.469
You don't know what to do with it,[br]is that a problem for you?

0:22:12.469,0:22:15.379
Instead of giving it to the[br]recycling centre, give it to us,

0:22:15.379,0:22:20.302
we install a free software operating[br]system, i.e. Linux

0:22:20.302,0:22:24.018
a lightweight version of Ubuntu

0:22:24.018,0:22:27.409
that fits into old computers

0:22:27.409,0:22:29.487
and easily "resurrects" them.

0:22:29.487,0:22:32.254
The Ubuntu operating system

0:22:32.254,0:22:35.665
is so called because it is a concept

0:22:35.665,0:22:37.983
from southern Africa and

0:22:37.983,0:22:40.952
Nelson Mandela in a beautiful

0:22:40.952,0:22:43.304
video that we used[br]for a work with the students,

0:22:43.304,0:22:46.539
describes it with a little story:

0:22:46.539,0:22:48.809
"Once upon a time, when a traveller

0:22:48.809,0:22:51.228
arrived in a village and he was

0:22:51.228,0:22:53.383
tired, thirsty and hungry, no one would

0:22:53.383,0:22:55.508
ever ask him any question,

0:22:55.508,0:22:58.089
they simply brought him something to drink

0:22:58.089,0:23:00.036
and food. This is Ubuntu, that is

0:23:00.036,0:23:02.787
thinking about the other being aware

0:23:02.787,0:23:04.976
that this creates a community

0:23:04.976,0:23:07.716
that lives well if we all do that."

0:23:07.716,0:23:10.346
Ubuntu is a great African philosophy,

0:23:10.346,0:23:14.480
a great African thought...

0:23:14.480,0:23:18.480
that before getting to the help

0:23:18.480,0:23:20.812
it starts with the fact that we're all

0:23:20.812,0:23:23.704
brothers, if I help one person

0:23:23.704,0:23:25.830
that person can help

0:23:25.830,0:23:27.748
another person close to me,

0:23:27.748,0:23:29.746
therefore a general connection

0:23:29.746,0:23:32.632
of society in that we all consider

0:23:32.632,0:23:34.622
ourselves brothers and sisters.

0:23:34.622,0:23:36.683
What happened in Poggio alla Croce

0:23:36.683,0:23:38.932
is Ubuntu, it's definitely

0:23:38.932,0:23:40.732
authentic Ubuntu.

0:23:40.732,0:23:43.952
(Chorus of African children...)

0:23:43.952,0:23:48.336
I think that following a principle

0:23:48.336,0:23:53.387
where helping someone will help me

0:23:53.387,0:23:55.668
in turn is good for both, better than

0:23:55.668,0:23:58.043
fighting with each other,

0:23:58.043,0:24:00.530
even though in fight wins may be

0:24:00.530,0:24:04.120
happier than the loser.

0:24:04.120,0:24:06.575
This principle guides my whole life

0:24:06.575,0:24:12.005
since I started reasoning I have always

0:24:12.005,0:24:19.995
used the time I had available [br]in social activities.

0:24:19.995,0:24:24.069
But not for “goodism”, not because

0:24:24.069,0:24:27.713
I am good and consequently must do good,

0:24:27.713,0:24:31.544
help others, help beggars, no.

0:24:31.544,0:24:34.758
Maybe I am led by selfishness,

0:24:34.758,0:24:38.056
I think I earn something this way

0:24:38.056,0:24:42.956
and so live a better life, be serene.

0:24:42.956,0:24:47.118
You get a lot of rip-offs, but not like

0:24:47.118,0:24:50.318
those you get when fighting and losing.

0:24:50.318,0:24:56.172
More like opportunities that leave

0:24:56.172,0:25:01.891
a bitter taste in our mouth [br]but do not create

0:25:01.891,0:25:07.288
big problems. (Opportunities) [br]that I know I must seize.

0:25:07.288,0:25:13.702
There were problems of an almost racist[br]nature in Poggio alla Croce, so to speak,

0:25:13.702,0:25:17.030
and I stepped in for that too.

0:25:17.030,0:25:19.508
It was my way of doing things.

0:25:19.508,0:25:22.032
I'm a migrant myself in Poggio alla Croce,

0:25:22.032,0:25:23.942
moving from town to the country.

0:25:23.942,0:25:26.231
I choosed to and almost from start

0:25:26.231,0:25:29.589
And I tried to integrate [br]myself into the association.

0:25:29.589,0:25:31.669
here in Poggio alla Croce,

0:25:31.669,0:25:35.050
because it was natural for me.

0:25:35.050,0:25:37.119
It is a way of living,

0:25:37.119,0:25:42.939
no heroism, it's normal[br]I think everybody

0:25:42.939,0:25:46.539
can understand this.

0:25:46.539,0:25:48.079
Marcie, canadian teacher

0:25:48.079,0:25:51.429
When I hear the word Ubuntu[br]it strikes according with me

0:25:51.429,0:25:54.112
because it means “humanity”.

0:25:54.112,0:25:57.370
And in hebrew religion we have a word

0:25:57.370,0:25:59.400
which I just learned

0:25:59.400,0:26:03.400
“tikkum olam”, which means

0:26:03.400,0:26:05.410
healing the world.

0:26:05.410,0:26:07.745
So I see how they connect together

0:26:07.745,0:26:09.752
and it's really quite beautiful,

0:26:09.752,0:26:13.752
because slowly slowly people are[br]one by one

0:26:13.752,0:26:17.780
healing the world and show humanity.

0:26:17.780,0:26:20.134
We must concentrate on this positive part

0:26:20.134,0:26:22.424
of the world because if we don’t,

0:26:22.424,0:26:25.114
if we do nothing, we are doomed.

0:26:25.114,0:26:27.800
So for me, coming here is a small small

0:26:27.800,0:26:31.174
thing but it has a lot of [br]meaning in my life

0:26:31.174,0:26:39.619
This idea of Ubuntu, this idea [br]of refurbishing computers,

0:26:39.619,0:26:42.578
objects tools that were doomed to be

0:26:42.578,0:26:46.344
thrown away, is what inspired also

0:26:46.344,0:26:49.769
this community to act and slowly to

0:26:49.769,0:26:57.738
re-generate itself. This is what actually[br]means our motto “We need you”.

0:26:57.738,0:27:01.778
That motto, in fact, means just that.

0:27:01.778,0:27:05.778
Our local community was re-generated

0:27:05.778,0:27:09.210
by your arrival, thanks to your spaceship

0:27:09.210,0:27:11.611
with you, little black men, [br]because it generated

0:27:11.611,0:27:16.608
into us a new need to [br]co-hoperate, to leave

0:27:16.608,0:27:20.608
our homes and our sofas, [br]forget about tv,

0:27:20.608,0:27:23.597
get out trying to solve together a problem

0:27:23.597,0:27:26.607
for the benefit of the whole community.

0:27:31.778,0:27:34.148
Samba, student

0:27:34.148,0:27:40.198
(words from a malian rap song, [br]music in headphones)

0:27:51.570,0:27:54.430
I am Samba and I come from Mali,

0:27:54.430,0:27:57.996
I am an artist

0:27:57.996,0:28:02.709
but before when I sang with my friends

0:28:02.709,0:28:08.162
my family was against me making music,

0:28:08.166,0:28:11.305
but I love it so much.

0:28:11.305,0:28:15.521
In 2016 I went first to Algeria

0:28:15.521,0:28:21.173
then also to Libia

0:28:21.173,0:28:24.963
Then I arrived here two years ago.

0:28:24.963,0:28:27.698
I have a complicated life,

0:28:27.698,0:28:36.149
I would like to be an artist

0:28:36.149,0:28:44.457
a rapper like many italians [br](Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta..)

0:28:44.457,0:28:47.957
I would like to do what they do

0:28:47.957,0:28:49.327
Luana, a resident

0:28:49.327,0:28:51.027
I don’t really know what happened

0:28:51.027,0:28:52.808
but we have all changed

0:28:52.808,0:28:56.022
I found out they changed in relation to us

0:28:56.022,0:28:58.503
in the begining they would just pass by,

0:28:58.503,0:29:00.718
just give us a little smile but when they

0:29:00.718,0:29:02.510
realised we really liked them…

0:29:02.510,0:29:07.197
I cannot speak for all, [br]but for people like me.

0:29:07.197,0:29:09.474
When we see a new one we stop him

0:29:09.474,0:29:11.840
with a “ehi”, and if he is tall tell him

0:29:11.840,0:29:14.564
to bend down or we can’t reach him, and he

0:29:14.564,0:29:17.454
calls us and we say [br]“grandmas and grandpas”

0:29:17.454,0:29:19.614
and he replies “grandpa,grandma”,

0:29:19.614,0:29:23.614
We speak italian so we try to make

0:29:23.614,0:29:26.840
ourselves understood and when we see

0:29:26.840,0:29:29.119
they reaaly don’t understand we gesture

0:29:29.119,0:29:31.676
like this..to make them bend down

0:29:31.676,0:29:34.695
And so they learn and when they pass

0:29:34.695,0:29:38.396
they ask “nonna, need help ?”..

0:29:38.396,0:29:40.319
”no, not today, tomorrow”.

0:29:40.319,0:29:46.781
Some know some english and so I tell them

0:29:46.781,0:29:49.965
“tomorrow” and they understand.

0:29:49.972,0:29:53.984
Yes, but if you knew the story [br]about "tomorrow"... Bloody hell!

0:29:53.984,0:29:56.492
I always said I have no room at home but

0:29:56.492,0:29:59.424
if I did I would happily take one or two,

0:29:59.424,0:30:01.333
depends on how many I could take in

0:30:01.333,0:30:03.273
If the house were mine,

0:30:03.275,0:30:04.955
because in my view

0:30:04.955,0:30:07.412
they also need to be understood

0:30:07.412,0:30:11.253
they need to feel the good

0:30:11.253,0:30:16.907
not just through a smile...

0:30:16.907,0:30:21.397
There are other essential things in life[br]of all, especially in their case,

0:30:21.397,0:30:23.998
they leave their families and flee from

0:30:23.998,0:30:28.480
very bad systems, suffer hunger...

0:30:28.480,0:30:33.367
...many things... to come in Italy [br]they faced... and so on...

0:30:33.367,0:30:35.233
Maybe we are able to give them this

0:30:35.233,0:30:37.250
things, we are just two or three that

0:30:37.250,0:30:39.250
are really fond of them straight from our

0:30:39.250,0:30:40.731
hearts not just from our mouths

0:30:40.731,0:30:42.691
And they can feel it, as soon as they see

0:30:42.691,0:30:49.054
us they come for a kiss, for some food,

0:30:49.054,0:30:52.184
for biscuits, as with a little child that

0:30:52.184,0:30:54.594
needs to be taught to speak.

0:30:54.594,0:30:58.682
With those we see more often,

0:30:58.682,0:31:05.226
we got this contact, so we spend time

0:31:05.226,0:31:08.432
but it's not wasted time, it's good time

0:31:08.432,0:31:13.825
Therefore... people who saw us doing that

0:31:13.825,0:31:15.825
in the beginning were critical

0:31:15.825,0:31:17.979
but now they say “it is true they make

0:31:17.979,0:31:23.714
themselves loved, but how did you do it ?”

0:31:23.714,0:31:25.675
How ? Well we talk to them!

0:31:25.687,0:31:29.687
Sooner or later they understand…

0:31:31.060,0:31:34.413
Slowly things got more stable,

0:31:34.413,0:31:36.493
these guys are very nice

0:31:36.493,0:31:38.809
they don't bother anyone, [br]they greet everyone,

0:31:38.809,0:31:42.995
they pass they call you, we reply,

0:31:42.995,0:31:46.260
at least I do, others won’t.

0:31:46.260,0:31:48.389
The village is quiet now,

0:31:48.389,0:31:50.751
it showed the worst of itself because

0:31:50.751,0:31:54.634
misleading informations help produce

0:31:54.634,0:31:58.243
bad reactions. I mean...

0:31:58.243,0:31:59.983
Then you learn things, you see them,

0:31:59.983,0:32:02.947
you live them because in the end

0:32:03.163,0:32:05.472
it's about leaving with them, isn't it?

0:32:05.472,0:32:07.232
and it's also nice.

0:32:07.232,0:32:12.434
The way I see it, these guys where jailed

0:32:12.434,0:32:14.898
they are locked in there...

0:32:14.898,0:32:17.727
without this group of people that taught

0:32:17.727,0:32:19.597
them italian and other things ..

0:32:19.597,0:32:23.246
what could they do? I mean...

0:32:23.246,0:32:28.134
If you close thirty guys in a shelter....

0:32:28.134,0:32:31.850
What for ? What's the use?

0:32:31.850,0:32:34.505
it seems to me that it does [br]not help anything

0:32:34.505,0:32:37.806
If they are not made active, they are all[br]young, 20 years old guys

0:32:37.806,0:32:39.578
what are they supposed to do ?

0:32:39.578,0:32:42.268
If they do something, if it is possible

0:32:42.268,0:32:45.791
to make them do something, work, play..

0:32:45.791,0:32:51.555
then it is different. They can be useful

0:32:51.555,0:32:54.218
but you must train them, let them in,

0:32:54.218,0:32:56.610
something impossible to do [br]in two-three months

0:32:56.610,0:32:59.148
Since then you have to overcome distrust,

0:32:59.148,0:33:00.981
seeing a black man by your side

0:33:00.981,0:33:04.851
has some effects - it has to be said.

0:33:05.195,0:33:07.850
But in the end this means nothing

0:33:07.850,0:33:08.895
in the end he's like me, I mean...

0:33:08.921,0:33:11.621
You learn to know learn him, he's a guy.

0:33:11.621,0:33:14.393
But even if I'm with you, [br]who don't know you

0:33:14.393,0:33:17.809
may be we share the same opinion;

0:33:17.809,0:33:19.609
it seems logical to me.

0:33:19.609,0:33:21.659
(Car noise)

0:33:21.659,0:33:24.609
Sibghat, student

0:33:27.490,0:33:31.946
The first village I saw after [br]entering Europe

0:33:31.946,0:33:34.760
was Poggio alla Croce

0:33:34.760,0:33:36.622
I will never forget because they gave

0:33:36.622,0:33:41.630
a new life, an unforgettable experience:

0:33:41.630,0:33:44.770
the people, the joy, they [br]gave me a respect

0:33:44.770,0:33:49.160
for society, from day one when they

0:33:49.160,0:33:53.951
took me around to look for a job, to take

0:33:53.951,0:33:59.165
the driving licence, to school..

0:33:59.165,0:34:05.277
and I thought “look, these people ask

0:34:05.277,0:34:09.593
nothing of you, but give you a lot,

0:34:09.593,0:34:12.110
indeed a life, a new life

0:34:12.110,0:34:13.110
(music in the bar)

0:34:15.785,0:34:16.785
Hi anna...

0:34:17.622,0:34:18.622
Ciao Sibi!

0:34:23.821,0:34:26.541
I have to give them something back

0:34:27.531,0:34:31.244
so I thought, all right, it can be a good

0:34:31.244,0:34:34.357
thing that I go along

0:34:34.357,0:34:37.957
with them, helping them also phisically”

0:34:37.957,0:34:39.958
In my life I will never forget

0:34:39.958,0:34:44.276
this village and the people

0:34:44.276,0:34:46.157
who know me, as well,

0:34:46.157,0:34:48.125
My family,even if not in Italy,

0:34:48.125,0:34:51.305
they know Poggio alla Croce!

0:34:51.305,0:34:56.231
It is a big joy for them too,[br]and in my view

0:34:56.231,0:35:00.420
if they ever meet an italian or european

0:35:00.420,0:35:03.365
person they will respect them because

0:35:03.365,0:35:07.365
they have given a good thing, a new life

0:35:07.365,0:35:09.932
to their son.

0:35:09.932,0:35:15.678
In future I would like to help [br]with the school,

0:35:15.678,0:35:20.773
I don’t speak Italian well but [br]I could help

0:35:20.773,0:35:25.160
with the Pakistani who don’t speak english

0:35:25.160,0:35:28.505
and have not studied. I could be

0:35:28.505,0:35:31.212
an interpreter between them and an italian

0:35:31.212,0:35:34.753
explaining the rules and other things.

0:35:34.753,0:35:38.261
It would help them but also one way

0:35:38.261,0:35:45.250
to give something back to society, [br]to the village.

0:35:45.250,0:35:49.610
You are integrated in this society but now

0:35:49.610,0:35:53.358
you are teaching other people [br]to integrate in society

0:35:53.358,0:35:56.969
so that they can do good new things.

0:35:56.969,0:36:02.101
I have a lot to learn still, but people

0:36:02.101,0:36:07.798
from Poggio gave me a nice life, something

0:36:07.798,0:36:14.946
difficult to explain in words, but I will

0:36:14.946,0:36:17.596
always try to give something back to this

0:36:17.596,0:36:21.596
unforgettable, beautiful village.

0:36:21.596,0:36:27.229
This initiative (the school) helped people

0:36:27.229,0:36:32.747
who did not know each [br]other to get in touch,

0:36:32.747,0:36:38.061
collaborate, become friends..[br]Not only the migrants

0:36:38.061,0:36:43.287
have a school for italian and mathematics

0:36:43.287,0:36:47.287
but we all from the village [br]have learnt to mix,

0:36:47.287,0:36:49.541
live together and it is much better.

0:36:49.541,0:36:51.898
Another memory that I have and I think

0:36:51.898,0:36:56.748
I will never forget is the second day

0:36:56.748,0:36:59.088
that I came back to the school and it was

0:36:59.088,0:37:01.555
the birthday of the great Duccio,

0:37:01.555,0:37:05.555
our mascot. He was one year old

0:37:05.555,0:37:10.753
and at a certain point during the mini

0:37:10.753,0:37:13.316
buffet that his mum had prepared for us

0:37:13.316,0:37:18.371
the boys opened a bag and pulled out

0:37:18.371,0:37:23.172
a little wooden cart, all coloured

0:37:23.172,0:37:25.776
and you could see that it was homemade,

0:37:25.776,0:37:27.867
the kind that I could find

0:37:27.867,0:37:31.867
in my grandmother's attic.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They were pieces of wood assembled with

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this rope attached to pull the cart along

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with wheels it was really well made.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It was handcrafted by them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the gift was really appreciated by

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Duccio because among the many toys here at

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
home, fantastic toys that play, sing,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
shout, this simple wooden cart made with

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
pieces of wood and buttons... he liked it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
immediately and played with it without

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
knocking it on the ground as he does

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with other toys after thirty seconds of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of holding it in his hands and

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
throwing it away.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Also because, maybe, since when he was

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a baby, as soon as he was born, we tried,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
both me and my partner, to integrate

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Duccio together with these guys,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
without letting him live this experience

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as if it was something outstanding

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but as if they were our relatives, our

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
friends, our brothers and he really laughs

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when he sees them, he goes towards them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
my son is 18 months old...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He has practically become the mascot

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the shelter because every time they see

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
him they call him: "Duscio, Duscio"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you can see that when there is "Duscio"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they smile and I am really

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
happy about that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a cliché, but I want my son to become

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a citizen of the world, not a citizen of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Poggio alla Croce.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So... everything's fine... and work?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Dialogues not intelligible...)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Duscio! Hello Duscio...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And bread? Bread? Bru

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Madou explains the recipe for bread,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
oil and salt in his own language)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
cocò...? bru, cocò... And oil?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
tulù bru, tulù, cocò...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
tulù bru, tulù, cocò...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So: bru, tulu, cocò!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You are good!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yeah, good.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laundry noises...)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
My name is Omar and I come from Senegal,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have been in Italy for two years.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I've arrived in Poggio alla Croce

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I'm happy, I've met many people.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they teach a bit of Italian and I became

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
friends with these people I go to school,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I did the grape harvest and

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the olive picking.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They helped me to find a good job,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I found a mother and a father,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I only miss my brothers but my mother

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and my father are close to me,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they are Paola and Gabriele.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They are very good,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
all of them in Poggio alla Croce

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are very good.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Pruning noise...)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When a foreigner comes here and leaves

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
his homeland, he still has this nostalgia,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
he believes that where he goes

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
he will perhaps find a welcome, a smile.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When he comes and finds rejection it is

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a moment of great difficulty, a sadness.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We are all foreigners to someone else,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I too am a foreigner and I arrived here

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in 2000 and now 19 years have passed

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I am here as a priest

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in Poggio alla Croce.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They give the idea that they have somehow

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
taken the destiny of their lives back

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
into their own hands.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The transformation of course,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and this is perhaps one of the

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
significant aspects,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is not just about them:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it is always wrong to focus on 'them'.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Things work when the context allows

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
itself to be changed and in this sense

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is a positive reaction

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the population.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Old ladies who were perhaps terrified

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in those famous, awful meetings

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at the beginning can now call them,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when the woodcutter unloads a ton of wood

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in front of their house and for them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there is the problem of taking it to the

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
garden, bringing it inside...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and so, as they say, they call a couple

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of these "big guys" and say

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"will you bring it inside?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and clearly these guys do the job

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in ten minutes and they maybe pay them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a cappuccino or give them some money.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In this way a normal life has been

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
recovered, it is healthy normality that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
makes up the real civilisation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of a population.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And by the way, and this moves me,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the people who are now with me and

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who have involved me in this adventure,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
two in particular, two women who started

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this adventure, are the same people

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who welcomed me twenty-six years ago

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when I arrived here in San Polo.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this is important for me, because

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it was a beautiful experience that I had

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that I want to give

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to others, to them.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What is the name of this dish? Mafe

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
How do you make it?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Just meat, vegetables...?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
How do you manage this dish?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Meat, some vegetables... tomato...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Peanut... Peanut butter Good...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
.opala...show him, show him...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Ah! Is this opala? Yes, this is opala.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
How do you do it, do you have

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to clean, cut?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yes, clean, cut... Good! Bravo!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'll let you guys work

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
while I watch and help you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What is this white thing?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In Poular: "Bantara"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and how do you cook it?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Does it take a long time?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In Senegal yes, I don't know in Europe...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because if it is fresh it cooks

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
very quickly if it is old

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it takes longer...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Music, kitchen noises...)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This sort of migrants' Barbiana

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at Villa Viviana in

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Poggio alla Croce closes.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Today there is a great silence

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
since these young people who

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
had brought life back to the

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
depopulated village two years ago

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
were forced to leave.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Music...)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They left in a hurry without warning,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
some things are still there.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Cristoforo cooperative,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which ran the centre, is leaving because

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
its budget, reduced from 35 to 21 euros

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
per migrant, has already had to close

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
5 out of 17 centres and this

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is only the beginning:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the situation is no longer

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
financially sustainable.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Some thirty migrants arrived in

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Poggio alla Croce, in the municipality

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of Figline and Incisa, two years ago

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
amidst the mistrust and protests of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the few inhabitants of the village.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The result was a unique experience

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of integration until now, when they were

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
suddenly and forcibly moved to another

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
centre in Sesto Fiorentino.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Today was the last day of study at

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Poggio alla Croce, it was a school

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where foreigners learn a lot of things,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it was the school where we learned

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
everything we needed to in Italian, in

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
English and above all Italian culture.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
At this time it is very difficult to be

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
away from the inhabitants of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Poggio alla Croce or to be away from our

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
teachers. We are very sorry but we have

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
not chosen, we tell you that we do not

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
have many words to say because living

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with you has been very beautiful.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You must be proud of yourselves for all

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that you have done and are still doing:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you have created an incredible and

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
unforgettable history in your little

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
village, a village where humanity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is respected a lot.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
For some people, living with African

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
boys is a bore or a sin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But with you it was not like that,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
always with smiles, nice words

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
without swearing or distinction of skin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We were lucky to live a moment of this

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
journey with you, after the study

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in Poggio we understood that each of us

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
must be the master of our own destiny.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thank you for teaching us a good attitude

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how to behave in Europe, thank you for

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
making us understand that we should not be

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like people who are delinquents or

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
beggars. I will never forget you,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
warm regards....

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In my opinion, this story of the Poggio,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the little school, is really a love

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
story because we volunteers love each

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
other, because we are together

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in a special way, and we with the guys,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they love us, real friendships have

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
been born, it's a love story.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It is these small gestures, these tales

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of everyday life that make our experience

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so special. It is what makes you say:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I care about you" It is the most

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
precious gift we can take home.