after a few days in Zagreb for New Year’s Eve, I’m here again!
Yes, it was really Zagreb, in Croatia…and as everybody know…it’s not European Community…so you need to have “kune” or a valid credit card to go there and survive…everyone but me!!!!
This is obvious to everybody, as other things are…things linked to the event I was there for…the European Meeting of young people of Taizè….
What?? You don’t know it??
Well, it’s an ecumenical community composed by brothers of several nationality that all year long welcome young people looking for meaning of their life.
At the end of every year they organize a meeting somewhere in a big European city, as they‘ve already done for the last thirty years.
Obviously the city should be big enough to welcome the thousands people coming…As much as possible they are hosted in host families found in the parishes of the chosen city which give them a bed or even a little place where to open a sleeping bag…
This is the best way to share, for a few days, moments of life and friendship with people from other countries….
This year we were just a few less then other years, but not less then 40.000…not too bad, what do you reckon?
And the meeting, above all for me, who left not really convinced about, has been wonderful, a great experience!
No doubts! I could stay with very beautiful people...beautiful inside…starting from the family who hosted me to the people I shared time in parish or hanging around Zagreb…
They have been so nice!
IN FAMILY
In family I learnt the meaning of “donate”, I found out how it’s completely true that if you have nothing you give all…that it’s possible to be happy even in nothing, in the little things, in the warm of the family…and also without D&G or Trussardi or what ever, the children were living the same, without Play Station or Nintendo or the Pc they were more active, more invite to grown up in an intelligent way, more interested to try things, to experimented….
And the fact to be around alone wasn’t a problem at all, they were absolutely able to look after them self and organize everything in the house and outside.
And above all, at 9 and 13 years old they were speaking English in a good manner, thing absolutely unthinkable in Italy for children same age.
IN THE GROUP
Also in the group I found interesting meditation ideas …meeting other people, other ideas is something really stimulating me…so, I practiced my English a bit and I had the possibility to look at the world with another pair of glasses, different from those I normally have…A way to understand there are several opportunities, stories and ways I haven’t walk yet and maybe never do, but I would have known about them at least!
I’ve also see how my English has to be improved and this lighted a “new fire” in me…a new idea…about leaving again!
In particular I shared my time with 2 English boy and a Lithuanian girl…no words to tell about the nice experience….
THANKS
Now it’s time to thanks someone…
1. the host family, really special! Also for the quantity of food they were always preparing and offering…( always meat and eggs with lots of ketchup even at breakfast, but it was ok) and for the wonderful Croatian football team t-shirt received by the father the day I left
2. the English friends Richard and Peter and the Lithuanian Eva…for all the laughs but also serious moments we had together in the simplicity and “peace of heart” of those days
3. all the people in the group and in the parish, all the other 40.000 praying together
4. the Italian friends who, in the moment of no sureness before leaving, pushed me to leave...and they have been right!
NEXT DATE
Well, now it’s time to invite you all for next time, at the next meeting that is in Ginevre (Swiss) from the 28th December to the 1st January…or directly in Taizè just to taste the environment…and the special feeling to be there!
Well, that’s maybe just the beginning of a long life trip…who can say…
To all of you, wish a 2007 in the simplicity and “peace of heart” as used to say Brother Roger, the community founder
