Keep Up with Parco

7 April - 20 April

Heyyy,

Are you ready to hear about the last two weeks, which for me felt kind of like a roller coaster ride?

On Monday, April 7th, it was my fifth month since I arrived here.

As you may already know, Mondays are for our speaking club. Everyone had a small homework: to research a famous person from our country and present them. We talked about men and women from different fields and time periods—some we already knew, while others we just discovered. For me, the most interesting was learning about famous people from the local area.

In the next days, our team started preparing spaces like the hostel and dining room for an upcoming event. It wasn’t just about cleaning—smooth event organization also meant planning the logistics in the background.

On Tuesday evening, we were invited by the volunteers from Bergolo to hang out, have aperitivo, and play board games. The table was full of food, and we had so much fun playing Mafia.

I also met some of the Bergolo volunteers the next day during our Italian lesson. We played a game called “Guess what object I'm thinking about” to practice speaking Italian, asking questions, and learning new words.

Thursday was kind of a chill day for Karla and me. On the other hand, Ebru started her training in France, and Pablo—the new volunteer—was on his way from Spain. After a long journey, he got a warm welcome in Bergolo, where he’ll be staying, though he’s a volunteer for Parco.

On his first day, we went on a photo shoot in Vesime, Cessole, and Loazzolo. In Vesime, we explored castle ruins; in Cessole, we visited a two-story church; and Loazzolo showed us its many vineyards. After the photo session, we returned to Bergolo and joined a knowledge-sharing in the garden focused on using our senses while blindfolded and barefoot. The second part was about taking care of a plant while having conversations on different topics.

Then we closed the week and headed back to Monesiglio, where the Mu Dance workshops began.

Our role here was to create content—taking photos and videos for social media promotion.

Mu Dance continued through the weekend with more workshops, which took place at gym, but some activities were also held outdoors.

During the day, we helped with lunch breaks and dinners, which we also joined. It was nice moment to get to know the dancers better.

The next week started with a lot of rain, but also another speaking club. This time, the topic was books, and we got lost in some of the craziest storylines we’ve ever read.

Another day, we cleaned up the hostel after Mu Dance and went through the photos we had taken.

Slowly, the week passed as we worked in the office.

Some team members went to support the Bergolo project “Lifestyle,” while others joined another photo shoot.

After a full week of rain, we finally got a bit of sun during our visit to Castelletto Uzzone, Prunetto (with its beautiful castle), and Levice.

All these places were surrounded by beautiful nature—so green after the rain, even when the rain had caused some damage.

Now, my time to go to Spain is getting closer. My excitement has turned into a bit of stress as I wonder if I’ll manage to pack everything. But deep down, I can’t wait to start the Rurality Fest project, which will be full of art and creativity.

- Natália