January 29, 2011. The date of the “Inaugarazione Camplus Bologna: Anno Accademico 2010-2011.” To the Italians, it was very important and special to commence the new academic year with a celebration of education. This year the college waited for the arrival of the American students, my fellow classmates and me.
Us Americans were given headset translators in order to understand what was being said- we all looked like we were either at a United Nations conference, or Chinese people in an American museum (or Americans in a Chinese museum).
At one point in the 2 hour speeches the headsets loudly fuzzed up and all of us jumped out of our seats and tore those things off our heads and ears. From my seat I could see the translator- she looked like a young porcelain doll and her voice sounded just like on too (as if I’ve ever heard a porcelain doll speak). Her voice was quite, yet strong. Her voice was a whisper and she whispered into the microphones. Yet it was her whisper that loudly spoke to all of us Americans, loudly allowed us to silently participate in the celebration. Her mind heard Italian words, yet her voice spoke American words. I was hearing many things, and to no ones surprise I was avidly penning down the things that striked me. In order not to sit you here for two hours as I did, I will share with you my favorite quotes from the afternoon:
“The world is a book and those who do not travel cannot read all of its pages.”- St. Augustine of Hippo
“The world is a beautiful book, but of little use to him who cannot read it.”- Carlod Goldoni, an Italian playwright
Paraphrased: “Get to know the world, but more importantly you must get to know the people.”- Lord Chesterfield
“The more people you get to know, the more you grow up”- Tonino Bello
“We are water, the same chemical element, yet we take on different forms.”- speaker
“Discover many places, yet you don’t need to go to mars.”- speaker
“Mangiare il pane de tutti paneria.” (eat the bread from all the bakeries of the world)- speaker
I am not the center of the universe, I must see the universe from different perspectives. My head, my heart, and my eyes must open up. And they are opening up. I am now an international student, getting to know more people, growing up, reading the world although I do not speak all of the languages, I am learning. I am water, and I the same. I am water, and I am changing form. I am eating from the bakeries of Italy, sweet cornettos, nutella cornettos, pane dulce, and pasta! I am not afraid.
To resurrect means to discover the heart of life, the core of reality. And I must discover the center of reality, my heart.
Regardless of political differences (which I have already first handedly and personally encountered these “political differences”) there was a nature before all of this. It is the nature that makes us familiar. This word, familiar” makes me think of the word “family”- this makes us family, it makes us related, it makes us relative to each other- we can all relate to each other in some way. We are all international.
Another speak that afternoon said that each of us already has a small seed but we need others and fertile ground to grow up. Teachers, parents, friends, and even strangers are this fertile ground. Call me thirsty soil, I want to sprout. I want to grow. I want to blossom.
(Side note: the University of Bologna is the most ancient university of the world! What a place to learn, grow and blossom!)
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