Marissa: September 2

So today was a very busy and interesting day.

First we had a check in session to see what everyone did over the weekend, this is always nice because I think it’s fun to hear what others did and enjoyed. We then went into the Frames of Reference Exercise. I have done this exercise in 2 other education based courses at UW Bothell. I think the more I do them the more I want to say and the more I understand my true lenses. Having been raised middle-upper class, in a catholic (nearly all white) school, and living in an all white neighborhood for the majority of my life has definitely impacted who I am today. Nearly every aspect of the list given today to refer to had had some impact on me. I hate that we were timed because once you get going it’s hard to stay focused for such a large subject, and really cover everything. I feel like no one got a full picture of anyone, but it was good to get a least a small picture.

Then next we went to The Save the Children place and we talked to Angela. She was very helpful and seemed very passionate about her job. We basically learned all about immigrant minor unaccompanied children coming into Italy and what the Save the Children Foundation tries to provide for them. They tell them their rights and the proper procedures to stick to to secure their rights and their place in Italy. It was interesting when she described the medical procedure the doctors do to determine a child’s age (within 2 years). I also found it interesting that some of the youths lie about their age because they think it is better to be older and that they will have more opportunity. I really liked the Doctors Without Borders video even though it was kind of hard to watch. The conditions these immigrants are living in are sad and disgusting. I was shocked to see how different the southern part of Italy is compared to what I have seen in the north. Prior to school starting I traveled with my mom and we drove from Rome to Venice and from Venice to Cinque Terre and from Cinque Terre to Florence and Pisa and then back to Rome and I never saw anywhere that looked as bad as where those immigrants were living. I really liked how Angela talked about how there are laws like the one about only being in a center for up to 20 days but how that never happens and some stay for up to 3 months.

After that we went back to class after a short break and talked about our group experience talking with an immigrant. It was cool interesting to hear a lot of similarities in the immigrants stories, like how a lot of them left their children in their country of origin because they don’t like the Italian system. It was also good because a lot of what we saw demonstrated was in the readings like the reading about the difference between coming to Italy as an Albanian and coming to Italy as a Pole, and the different way they are treated. Also how 2 groups talked to a Filipino and found out nearly exactly what was said in the reading, that the Italians like them and they are normally domestic workers.

Then we had a speaker, Leonardo Carocci. He seemed like a really nice guy, but his humor at times was lost in translation. I think Social Mediation as he explained it is a great way to take problems on head on. I like how he kept going back to the fact that you have to be truly in the community to understand what’s going on and help it. He made some great points and I just wish we could have understood his jokes. He seemed like a great speaker.