Ciao a tutti !

So. Here we are. The time for the big departure has come. It just seems unrealistic to me since I remember very well the first moments spent in Lecce. The arrival in a new country, a new apartment, new roommates, new friends, a new life. I can still feel the excitement of the first times, the pleasure of discovering the historic center under the scorching sun, an ice cream in my hand 🍦, my "Buongiorno" which were a bit crappy but declaimed with the heart , the bike rides, the frenzy of summer ☀️, joy, music. And then the first trips arrived, my meeting with the Erasmus students, those from Casa Comune, the Knos climbing gym, the volunteers from Molfetta and those I met elsewhere, all over Italy.

So yeah, it feels a bit weird to leave. I promised myself not to cry. But how not to be moved after 6 months living together with two adorable roommates, having eaten, seen and experienced everything we could? I'm not entirely different, but I'm far from the same person as a few months ago. I feel that I have grown and that I feel more in harmony with myself. After all, I realized one of my dreams: to live independently abroad and learn to speak new languages to meet people from all over the world 🌎❤️​. But I also feel that I am no longer afraid of the future. I had discussions with people from all the paths more singular than the other, and they made me understand that life is not a linear path. Sometimes you take a road, then you take a break, you change paths, you take detours, but every part of the journey remains a magnificent experience, good or bad. And even if I have been through periods of doubt, especially in relation to my professional career, I know that no matter what is going to happen, I have the means to make myself happy and to choose what is  good for me. I no longer want to suffer things but to attract them to me. And that's how I came across this quote from Byron Katie :

"Everything happens for me, not to me"

 And as my roommate Ruken told me, positive thoughts attract beautiful things, and over time I'm discovering just how true that is 🌸

Now that I'm leaving and all the memories are coming back to me, I wanted to make a small selection of those who had made me the happiest during this trip, the salt of my life as Françoise Héritier would say. These little things that put together fill me with gratitude for this wonderful experience that I was able to live :

• The sea of San Cataldo, the first time I bathed there fully dressed 🌊
• The climbing with my friends, the courage and the motivation that we brought to each other.
• The Italian lessons at Casa Comune, Martina's good humor, Bulgarian women and Pakistani men  😊 
• The Alernanza Scuola Lavoro, links with students and seeing them evolve, gaining self-confidence   🏳️‍🌈
• The philosophical discussions with Kerem late at night
• The romantic movie nights with Ruken
• The pole dance    and talking about love with Laura
• The pleasure of eating Italian cheeses (even if I must admit that I miss those from France a little !) 🧀
• The discovery of real carbonara pasta and tiramisù
• The beauty of Italian cities, its incredible frescoes and churches: Turin, Rome, Verona, Venice…
• The pleasure of speaking Italian and showing off by ordering something
• Feel the wind on my face while riding a bike 🚲
•   Plant a small shrub that will surely be taller than me when I return to Lecce 🌱

And so many other things that brought freshness to my soul. Now I leave with my heart filled with love and hope for the future. I am no longer afraid to jump, because now I know how to fly. And I hope that the wind will take me far away, and that wherever I go I will still hear the echoes of Neapolitan songs in the distance!
It is therefore on these few words of Scylla, "Le saut de l'ange", that I leave you.

Take care, I send you lots of love  💕

Ciao a tutti ! It’s Mathilde ! I am about to write one of my very last posts because yes, it has already been 6 months since I started this amazing adventure, and my trip will end in 2 weeks. I can hardly believe that all this time has passed, sometimes it seemed like endless, while other times I felt like I was taking a TGV train without stops with a completely crazy driver at the controls. But today is the time to take stock of the last few months spent in Italy, and we can say that  these last few months have been very rich in travel  ! 🚎

As we Kerem and I were finishing our main activity, which was to raise awareness of gender equality among high school students, I was afraid of getting bored, of not knowing what to do with my time. Even though I'm more of a homebody type, the arrival of spring made me want to move to new places, so I put on my trusty Dr. Martens (10 years of loyal service) and my precious backpack , and then I started my journey  to  Roma !
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The city is in itself a jewel that can be seen from every angle. I was able to discover it with my lovely roomate for the first time before Christmas, and on my return from Italy with other friends (hello to Katya and Sacha if you pass by !). Obviously, I will not present the Colosseum, the Roman amphitheater and the Pantheon, which are architectural treasures that in no way eclipse the rest of the city 🏛. It's simple, it's impossible to go from point A to point B without marveling at the beauty of the churches and monuments, so listen to your instincts and let yourself be carried away. But still, if you can stop at Mr 100 Tiramisù to recharge your batteries, I can only recommend this wonderful address (yes, they make 100 different kinds of Tiramisu ! You're sure to find what you're looking for there 😋).

The following trip is without doubt one of my favorites. On a whim, one weekend, I decided to go to Napoli. I was very surprised by this city because it looks like a giant anthill, life never stops. . People talk loudly, scooters echo throughout the city, smells intermingle and a string of shops overflowing with bazaar follow one another in the narrow streets 🛵. It can therefore be abrupt at first glance, but it is also there that I ate one of the best pizzas of my life and slept for the first time in a youth hostel, it was an unforgettable experience 🍕🥰! The next day I left for   Pompei, a city famous for having been the victim of the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79 BC. It was amazing to be able to witness the life that was going on in those days, the remains of the city overlooked by the volcano in the distance 🌋. I also met a fellow traveler there with whom I spent the rest of the day. We enjoyed Napoli by night, singing the Neapolitan chants, our Spritz in hand, while trying to find the statue of   Punchinello   and one of   Banksy's hidden street art 🎵🍸. 
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​Which goes to show that going on a trip alone does not mean staying alone !

  While I wanted to set up an art project with one of the local associations of Lecce, I was offered at the same time to carry out a video editing project in an ecovillage not far from Ventimiglia, in Torri Superiore. Without the slightest hesitation I accepted, and here I am, going again for miles of travel discussing movies and music with a seatmate on the train. The ecovillage was lost in the mountains, nature and calm as absolute masters 🌄. I got to know a group of Italians, as well as young Polish and French people all gathered for this project. One of the most beautiful memories I will keep from this trip are the games evenings trying to learn Italian words with the taboo,   to understand the rules of the Scopa, but also   to sing and dance to Polish sounds (And believe me they are not kidding 💃🥵!). We also did an activity that made a deep impression on me. We had to exchange our cell phones, writing what we thought of each other, after looking into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Reading all the messages I felt filled with a beautiful energy, and  I regretted not having more time to get to know all these beautiful people better. But if there is one thing I have learned in these few months it is that  time is not an enemy. It gives us the opportunity to live intense moments, and it is because they are not eternal that we must cherish them more.
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​What is lacking is not time, but appreciating every little pretty things around you.

To finish the narration of my wanderings, I cannot fail to mention my stay in   Verona   and   Venezia   that I spent with my partner. What more romantic choice than  the city of Romeo and Juliet  and the city of lovers 👀❤️ ? It was a sweet week walking in the center of Verona, flirting not far from the Castelvecchio, skimming stones along the water's edge and commenting on very conceptual works in the   modern art museum    (A drop of water that falls on cymbals, how would you call it?) We also turned into Mac Gyver by cooking pasta and risotto in the kettle (even if it saves your life, I wouldn't recommend, if only for the cleaning part haha 🍝). And what about Venezia.  An aquatic labyrinth that only gondoliers have the secret to, dead-end streets that nevertheless lead to splendid views of the surrounding islands, masks each more sophisticated than the next in the illuminated windows. And finally the Basilica di San Marco,  huge and majestic and which almost makes you dizzy after having been used to crisscrossing the small streets of the floating city.