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Published: January 16th 2018
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Yesterday, under blue skies surrounded by green grass, we were able to give back to the city we just met. Florentines show prominent pride for their beautiful city, which is why the Angeli del Bello, a volunteer organization, was formed. They provide volunteer services that reduce the amount of litter, graffiti, and degradation within the streets of Florence in an attempt to preserve the beauty of this historic city.
Florence is filled with historic monuments and buildings, each representing a part of the city’s rich history and culture. The renaissance architecture creates beautiful scenery on every street. With these historic buildings comes responsibility to preserve them as they age, not only by restoration but protection from damage and degradation. By doing simple things like cleaning up litter, covering up graffiti, and planning landscapes, the Angeli del Bello improves the preservation of the city’s beauty.
We met members of the volunteer organization at a park along the river, located right outside of the city. The sky was a clear blue with fresh green grass lining the river that reflected the bare, winter trees. Our simple job was to paint over graffiti on a wall within the park. Though it seemed
simple, it took a group of us to complete it. We swept the ground, removing leaves and dirt, and painted the whole wall, covering every mark of graffiti. We had a lot of fun working together, and we had many people acknowledge us within the park. Some took photos of us in our bright orange vests, while others thanked us for contributing to their beloved city. It was nice to take part in the preservation of the city we are calling home for three weeks, even if it was in a small way. Florence has exposed me to historic pieces of art and buildings, helping my appreciation for the beauty grow, and I was glad to be able to help preserve it. Florentines appreciate their culture and history by continuing and preserving traditions and celebrations, something I don’t think is as prevalent in the United States.
I will say, during my time in Florence, I have discovered my appreciation for Kentucky’s scenery. Though I have loved the towering buildings lining the streets of Florence, I have missed green grass and blue skies and the sun. Within the city, it is hard to for the sun to make its way through the massive buildings and crowded streets. During our volunteer hours in the park, we were able to appreciate the nature, reminding me more of home.
Today we listened to a discussion led by Dr. Sarti, regarding the current state of Italian families. The discussion was geared toward insecurities present within parents nowadays, and how this affects the development of the child’s behavior. He mentioned many things I had never considered, for example, how parents rely on books written by other people to raise their child, when they have the ability to do it on their own. I understand what he is saying, that parents today are too protective and stressed about being perfect. They stress about everything; germs, their child’s happiness in all situations, what their child is doing at all times. This over-protective environment creates an unrealistic world for the child, ultimately reducing the child’s chance for success in the future as an adult.
He discussed how parents primarily avoid any unpleasant situations regarding their children. They want to avoid the crying and the temper tantrums that follow any parental action the child may dislike. He gave us an example using Nutella. He described Nutella as a “trash food” but it is obviously loved by the Italians (it is in most pastries offered here). He explained that when you feed a child Nutella and then shut the lid, they will throw a tantrum because they will continue to want more but you cannot feed them too much because like he said, it is a “trash food”. So to avoid this unpleasant reaction from the child, the parents decide to never introduce their child to Nutella so they don’t know what they are missing. He explained further by saying that by doing this, the child will miss out on all the Nutellas of the world, obviously meaning they will miss out on opportunities for learning and growth.
By depriving the child of these opportunities, they will never learn how to react to difficult situations, living in an unrealistic world where there is never frustration or adversity. These children will not be able to adapt to real-life situations as adults and will never learn to control their desires and actions.
This is relatable to America and the extreme pressure parents put on themselves to create the perfect world for their children. This is obviously done out of love, wanting nothing but the best for the child. But in order for the child to gain independence and learn from experience, they must actually experience the “Nutellas” of life, despite the consequences or adverse effects.
In conclusion, there is obviously no perfect way to raise a child. But Dr. Sarti emphasized the importance of developing independence within the child and allowing them to learn from their negative situations. Overall, I thought it was an interesting topic, especially how we can relate it to child development within America, another way of showing how connected the world is.
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