Some weeks ago I had a free afternoon and I was walking around Brancoveanu metro station looking for some second-hand shops, in the end I did not find anything, but I was bored and I decided to go to “Recuperatory hospital” (Centrul de Recuperare N. Robanescu) where I knew that the others had activities.
I arrived there before 5 p.m. At the beginning I was a bit lost, as usual, I tried to interact a little with everyone – “Ce taree!”, “Ce activitate frumoasaa!” As always I tried to be nice but, obviously, I felt like a “weird”. Then, I saw a boy playing with Manuel, who was playing and singing “Despacito”. They were writing their names on a sheet. I went towards them, there was a woman with that boy, I think it was his grandmother. However, the name of the boy was Vladuţ and I started to speak with him and his grandmother. Once the ice was broken, we started to talk a lot: he was there because he had a serious accident and therefore he had no more control of the body, but from the eyes I understood that he understands, and understood everything. However, talking and joking I found out his grandmother had worked in Italy, in Salerno, picking tomatoes. His grandma had tattoos, I know those tattoos, I grew up in Quartu (Sardinia). So proud of those tattoos, I carried the speech in that direction and I discovered that Vladuţ also had tattoos. After, all my pride was destroyed by the grandmother who told me that God does not like tattoos and that she believes she has received a curse because of those… At that moment, however, she did not feel resentful towards me but, rather, worried, like a grandmother would do with a nephew. From that moment I felt very involved and we started talking about a lot of things, she told me how much she wanted to bring her nephew in a better place to be treated, that I am old for not having a wife and how many brothers we had respectively. “My” grandmother kissed me, I do not know how many times in the face, wishing me the best. Meanwhile, Vladuţ listened and taught me how to make a good paper airplane and, seriously, he knew a really cool one!
This experience was not particularly profound or touching but for the first time since my arrival I felt part of something, it will be for that granny that reminded me of mine, it will be for the gaze of the nephew who made me understand everything talking hardly… I do not know… However I decided that the following week I would have liked to print our picture and bring it to him with an ice cream! I did it!
Filippo, Vitamin T17
This clinical animation program is made with great support from United Way.
Filippo’s project is financially supported by Erasmus +.
A.C.T.O.R. 