Chapter three: Pizza, clean-ups and stressed calves

Welcome back dear amici!

This week was filled with joy, laughter, and memories we’ll carry with us for a long time.

We kicked things off with a pizza night at ACARBIO’s office, where we had the chance to cook (well… mostly eat) and taste what might honestly be the best pizza of our lives. Huge thanks to our local heroes and walking legends, Isidoro and Raffaele! Between slices, we couldn’t stop eating, dancing, and connecting with volunteers from the Make It Blue project, who are doing incredible work to protect the sea (definitely go check them out on Acarbio’s Instagram profile!) One moment that really stayed with us was seeing local elderly people dancing and having fun alongside us. For many of us, that’s not something we experience often back home, and it made the night feel even more special and meaningful.

Even though we woke up a bit late after this never-ending pizza party, our sense of responsibility kicked in and we still found the energy to head out for another clean-up activity. We set off from Gete and walked along a long path leading to the hamlet of Novella, cleaning it along the way. Among glass bottles, various plastic waste, clothing, shoes, and vehicle tires, we collected more than 55 kg of trash in just a couple of hours. It’s hard to describe the feeling when locals approach us, curious and interested in what we’re doing, especially after all the sweat and effort we put into the project. They are incredibly welcoming and kind. After hearing about our mission, they always leave us with words like “bravi!”, “bellissimi!”, and “grazie mille!”, and this pushes us to do even more. We also made space for creativity this week, working more on sketches for a mural that we’ll be painting in the coming days. It feels exciting to leave a colorful and shared mark through art.

 

To wrap up the week, we took a trip to Naples and Pompei during our free time—an absolute dream. Of course, it wasn’t without challenges: getting lost, dealing with public transportation issues, and yes… missing our bus (more than once). But facing these moments together only strengthened our sense of togetherness.

That’s what community volunteering is really about. We’re no longer just teammates, we’ve become a small family. We support each other when things get tough and celebrate the good moments together. We share everything: the ups, the downs, and everything in between.

Stay tuned for another chapter of our privileged kids’ summer coming next week!

With a huge smile on our faces

Your beloved volunteers:)