The winter break had just started. It was the 14th of December and I was rather nervous. My Italian wasn’t even decent. What if my host family doesn’t understand English at all? What if we can’t get along well? What if… I was filled with doubts while packing my belongings and getting ready to meet the family that I was going to stay with over the holidays. I have never travelled much in my life. I’ve only been to Korea other than my home country and I have no idea what it would be like to live with a host family at all. I waited anxiously in the main piazza in Duino with my luggage, inspecting every by-passer to see if they might be the ones coming to pick me up. It was getting darker and darker and my brain was anxiously going over the little bits and pieces of Italian I’d learnt so far. I even began to think that perhaps I should have bought my tickets to Hong Kong after all. All of my co-years and second years from Hong Kong are flying back home…
“Ccciao? Sei Her-mione?…” I was startled by a timid little voice coming out from the darkness. It was one of the twins, Luigi, that greeted me. My home-stay Mama warmly welcomed me and they drove me home to San Martino. In the car, we started introducing ourselves, in broken Italian and English. They are a big sweet family: the cute and energetic twin brothers Luigi and Marco, the daughter, Anna, mum and dad, a golden retriever, and two kitties. I was warmly welcomed and made to feel loved and at home from the start.
There were countless little things that made my day, every single day: Luigi, Marco or Anna running to my room to say hello, calling me to join them in the sitting room to watch a movie, or going out and having fun together. Or their purring cat who kept nuzzling so I would pat it, while the dog would shake her beautiful golden tail to catch my attention. Some relatives and friends were always coming by for a dinner and I would meet some new teenager friends to talk to and fool around with. At other times, while I was playing the piano, the whole family would around and listen. I would also help little Luigi practice the piano from time to time. Whenever relatives and friends came round, mama and papa would always excitedly introduce me to everyone and talk about my talents and achievements and say how proud they are of me. I was also often invited to perform some pieces on the piano for the family parties. It really made me feel as if I was their real daughter rather than just a guest. And so day in day out, we grew fonder and closer together like a real family.
Every once in a while, we would go on some excursions and trips and visited so many interesting places together. Churches, basilicas, museums, art galleries and festivals… We always went by car and the journeys were rather long. The kids and I would doze off while mama and papa went on driving intently. Sometimes they would yawns, tired, pat each other on the shoulder and exchange a sweet smile. I was always so moved by these scenes, but being an introvert and still rather “mute” in Italian, I couldn’t do or say much, yet these memories are deeply imprinted in my heart. At times even the relatives and friends of the family would also offer to take me on an outing. I was both surprised and very grateful for their generosity: I was just a young teenager who can’t even express her gratitude in their own language! This made me reflect and think really hard what I could do for this most beloved host family of mine.
Time flew by and it was soon Christmas. We were decorating the house, doing Christmas cleaning and shopping. Meanwhile, I was also up to something. I started painting a picture of a raging sea on a big canvas I had brought along – I had figured out that the family is rather fond of the sea. I knew my strengths lie mostly in the arts and that probably this was the best way for me to express my appreciation and love for them. During Christmas, there were lots of family gatherings and visits from friends. I was surrounded by so many loving people, hugs, blessings and gifts. To my astonishment, my host family bought me a whole set of colour pencils and an Italy guidebook in English. They gladly accepted my little token of love, the painting, and immediately hung it on the wall!
My family and I had so many unforgettable experiences together that are unique and invaluable. There were the time where Anna and I would read an Italian children’s book together and we struggled so hard to translate them and express ourselves in a language we aren’t familiar with. We went out together with friends at midnight to see the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. There was also a time when we went skating in Gorizia. But I also remember when I had an ear infection and my host papa went to a pharmacy and bought me the eardrops and printed out an English translation of the instructions for me. Another time we went together to watch the movie “Lion” in Italian without subtitles in Kinemax and afterwards had sushi and struggled with chopsticks together.
This Winter season was one of the most memorable times in my life and yet it passed so quickly… The three-and-a-half week were over sooner than I expected. All of a sudden it was the last night I was staying with my family in San Martino, the tranquil and picturesque little village in the Carso hills outside Trieste. After dinner and they asked me to stay a little while in the sitting room and papa showed me a website about Aquileia and its ancient Roman ruins. I wasn’t aware that they were planning something until they gave me a letter and some gifts they had prepared for me. I could hardly hold back my tears. I hugged them over and over and I felt really sad that this would the last time I’d be with this beautiful and sweet family. The letter was in Italian and with their help I managed to read it and understand it. It was the sweetest letter I’ve ever received in my life and ended in “be sure that you can always count on your family in San Martino. Our home will always be open for you…”.
That wasn’t the last I saw of them. Today, it is the 5th of February. I am just back after spending a weekend in the Dolomites weekend with my host family. We visited a picturesque snowy town nearby, dined in some nice restaurants and had a nice day skiing and playing with the snow! I built the first snowman in my life and called it Marshmallow. Again, my sweet host family never fails to surprise me in countless unexpected ways. They hired a skiing coach to teach me how to ski downhill and bought me a cute little skiing doll, a gigantic poster of the legendary Dolomite mountains and some delicious desserts and cakes in a café under the mountains. It was a long drive of around 3 hours. We were all exhausted and I couldn’t help falling asleep. It was pitch dark outside, and the night was thick with snow and rain. In the front seat mama was driving intently. Papa yawned wearily, they patted each other’s shoulders and exchanged a sweet smile. Knowing we’ll be together again brings a smile to my face too.
Hermione (Wan Yee Yim), UWCAD 2016-18
Hermione and 15 other College students were kindly welcomed into the homes of local families over the Winter Break. The host families were invited to Duino for a concert on February 9th (see pictures below).
