Hello hello!
Well, what an eventful two days it has been! I am no longer living with Francesca, Dario and Allegra in their home, and will be having a new family for the final 4 weeks of my time in Italy. The following blog contains some very dramatic and frustrating things, but no worries, it has a happy ending! I'll start at the beginning...
Thursday evening, I asked Allegra to translate for me. I asked if it would be alright for me to go and meet my Australian friend Natalie for lunch for the next two days as she was leaving on Saturday. I said that I would be fine going only once, or not at all, they just had to tell me what they wanted me to do. After Allegra translated, Francesca said I could go out with no problems.
Friday I went for lunch with Natalie, came home and just went about our daily life, nothing out of the ordinary.
Then the drama comes. Saturday morning, I was home alone with Allegra, and I asked if she remembered that I was going out, if it was still alright for me to go out, and if she wanted to come with me. She said that she'd forgotten, messaged her mum and said "yes yes you can go out no problem". So at 11 I said goodbye to Allegra and Dario, said I'd be back by 3, they said "bye jenny see you soon".
Then, just after Natalie and I finished our lunch, I checked my phone and had a text message from Francesca, basically saying she came home at lunch and I wasn't there, she didn't know I was going out, she has no time for me and sees no sense in me staying with her, and that I had to call Ferraro and be out that evening. I was completely shocked, thinking everything was alright (as she had told me it was). I rang Francesca first, and asked if I could come and talk to her, that I didn't completely understand, and what she responded was "no I see no sense in you staying, I don't want to hear an apology and I don't want to speak with you" (that is the shortened version, but you get the idea). I then rang my Local Coordinator, Maddy Ferraro, and when I received no answer, I called another contact at the company, who yelled at me and wouldn't hear my side of the story, saying Francesca had said that as I was going out, Allegra said "Jenny, my mother doesn't want you to go out" and I said "okay" and walked out anyway. Which is a complete and utter lie, and I have no idea how it began but I was very very frustrated and upset.
I then headed home, saying a very quick last goodbye to Natalie (who is now back at home in Australia), and only Allegra was there when I arrived. I asked her what was going on, and she said she had no idea and it had nothing to do with her, that she tried to tell her mother not to send me away but failed.
So, I packed my suitcase, Ferraro picked me up at 5, and Allegra and Dario were both there to say goodbye and said that they didn't want me to leave. I wrote the family a note thanking them for their hospitality, and for the memories they gave me, and left
After a long chat with Ferraro, we established that Allegra is the one that most likely began the lie that got me kicked out, that Francesca was most likely sick of having a student and looked for the smallest excuse to get rid of me, and Francesca, for the past month, had been writing Ferraro complaining about every little thing I did, every thing that didn't fit into her high expectations of a perfect exchange student that was exactly like her.
Ferraro listened to what I had to say, and agreed with me that I hadn't done anything wrong, and that Francesca was to blame. I stayed with Ferraro that night, and after some very emotional phone calls to home, things were starting to look up when Ferraro said she'd found a new family for me to stay with already.
Sunday afternoon I went to meet with Catarina, my new host sister, who is in the 4th year of high school at a Scientific school called Marinelli, she is 16 or 17 years old and seemed so so so lovely. I will be living with just her and her host mum, and am moving in tomorrow evening. I will be starting at Catarina's school on Tuesday and I can't wait. This whole weekend, Ferraro, with whom I'd previously disliked and had problems, was very very good, gave me a place to sleep and found me a new family in a matter of hours.
So for my big happy ending, I am very very positive that these last 4 weeks are going to be the best yet, with a sister my age and a much less dramatic host mum! I am in high spirits and very excited...who knew Italy had so many dramas! But I have definitely discovered how strong I can be, and how nothing is bad enough to give up!
On another note, Natalie, who has become my best friend and my biggest supporter has gone home, and I am left to take on the streets of Udine without her! No doubt I will see her soon!
That's all for now, I'll post again when I've move in with the new family!
Love,
Jen
