Time to go back home

Hi friends,
How are you? Yesterday morning I said goodbye to all my friends. They are all a bit sorry I’m leaving them. This part of Italy is wonderful and people are very nice. I hope I’ll visit them again.
Anyway, I hope you’ll make my favorite Greek dishes because I really miss them. I’m leaving tomorrow so I should be there in four- five days.
Miss Andriulo and her pupils have also bought two presents for your lovely teacher, Miss Athanasia and some sweets for you.

I’m looking forward to hugging all of you,
           Yours,
                 Odysseas

Easter with Gabriele Carvignesi

Dear friends,

How are you?

I’m so sorry for not writing to you before, but I’ve been very busy lately.

I spent Easter with a new friend, Gabriel. When he took me home I was welcomed by his mother, his father and his sister Francesca. They are very nice!

Gabriele is a very sporty boy, he plays football so one day he took me to  the football pitch because he had to play a match. I met Raffaele and Stefano, two of Gabriele’s classmates. I was so excited to see them playing.

I also tried to play for some minutes... my role? Goalkeeper, of course :-)

On Easter Day Gabriele’s family invited their relatives at lunch. We were a lot of people: Gabriele’s family, his uncle, his aunt, his cousins, his grandmothers and me, of course!  The Lunch was very good.

Gabriele’s mum had prepared a lot of local dishes, like meat rolls with sauce. They were really tasty.

Aunt  Valentine had brought an Easter egg for her nephew and it was lovely to open it and to look for the surprise inside it.

I played with Anna and Thomas, Gabriele’s cousins. Francesca (Gabriele’s siter) told me the poem about Easter she had learned by heart.

On Easter Monday we went to Leuca, a lovely city in Salento. We spent the whole day in the countryside where there was a strange shelter made in stones which was used in the past by farmers when the weather was bad. It is called “pagliara”.

There was no bathroom, no roof. We played many games: hoverboard, soccer, we climbed the trees. Suddenly it started raining so we all ran to uncle Santino’s house. Late in the evening we came back home.

When Easter holidays were over Gabriele and I went back to school again. It was fantastic to meet our classmates.

 The best moment was when Miss Andriulo brought us a yellow envelope with your Easter cards. We were all excited and I was also a bit moved because I miss you a lot even though everybody here is very friendly.

Yesterday morning I left Gabriele to meet another friend, Giulia. Gabriele’s sister was so sad I was leaving. I think I’ll miss her a lot. 

What about you? Did Daniele like the way we celebrate Easter at school?

                                                          Hugs,

                                                              Odysseas

MY DAYS WITH CHIARA M.

Dear friends,

I've spent some beautiful days  with Chiara. Her family is composed of 5 people (her father Danilo, her mother Antonella, her elder brother Francesco and her younger brother Daniele). As soon as we got home, Chiara showed me her room: it’s small, but cosy and what I like most is the ceiling full of plastic stars that light up in the dark, so when I go to bed I imagine to be under a starry sky. I also like all her soft toys.

Chiara is very sporty and her favourite sport is dance. She goes dancing from Monday to Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m., so one day she took me to her dance lessons. Her friends and her teacher are very nice and enjoyed themselves taking pictures of me and Chiara while she is dancing.

 When she gets home I usually help her with her homework and then we play with her dog.

One of the most beautiful days spent with Chiara was last Sunday morning because her family took me to the sea. The sand was golden… .  Then, at lunch time we went to Chiara’s grandmother’s.

Last Saturday Chiara and I went to school because  our friends Sofia, Ginevra and Rebecca  were taking part to a play, The Canterville Ghost .

They had to act in English and to tell the truth their performance was excellent.

At the end of the play a special guest gave a speech. Her name is Antonietta Pignataro, a kind woman from Mesagne. She is the founder of an NGO Association, Huipalas

She talked about the terrible conditions of life of some children from Gorokochu (Kenia). I was so moved that I cried all the time. She told us that  we could help these unluky children buying some special pencils. Chiara and her classmates had a great idea: they decided to buy these pencils and to send them to you as Easter present. 

On Tuesday morning they all wrote Easter cards to send to you together with the pencils. I hope you will like them. 

I can see that Daniele is having a great time with you. I'm happy you're showing him all the best places of our wonderful Greece. 

I miss you so much,

                   love,

                        Odysseas

My experience on a farm

Dear friends,
i spent one week with my friend Gabriele. He lives on a beautiful farm full of animals: horses, donkeys, cows, pigs, eggs, cocks, turkeys, ducks. Thye were all friendly to me. I also met my Italian cousins, the peacocks. They were happy to know me, they told me that they love Gabriele because he is generous, he always gives them a lot of good food.
Every morning Gabriele went to school while I preferred staying on the farm ato help his father. They have got lots of farm machines like many tractors. You can see me in the pictures while I'm driving them.

Gabriele is very nice because he let me ride his motorbike.

Yesterday Gabriele took me to school and I helped him during the Art test.

What are you doing? I miss you a lot
   See you soon,
            Yours Gabriele

My week with Giorgio Pezzolla

 Dear friends,

I haven't written for a long time because I've been very busy. How are you? I hope you're all fine :-)

I spent a fantastic week with Giorgio Pezzolla. He is a good student and a good  friend! Giorgio lives in the towncentre, opposite the park, a really nice place to live in! On my first day with him  I received a good welcome from his family. At lunch we ate a typical Italian dish “Carbonara”. In the afternoon Giorgio did his homework and then we watched an Italian film, “Quo vado?” by Checco Zalone. 

my favourite armachair when I watch TV

It is a comedy film and I laughed a lot. Later, together with Edoardo (Giorgio’s brother) we watched a football match played by Lecce  team. We were happy because Lecce won the match. In the evening Giorgio’s family took me to “Pizzeria da Carlino” and we ate a good pizza.  At 11:00 p.m. we came back home to sleep.

On the other days Giorgio went to school while I stayed at home to help his mum in the kitchen. One day I made an Italian main course: Maccheroni dressed with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, ham and cooked in the oven. It was yummy! 

I'm becoming a good cook! 

In the afternoon we spent three hours in the biggest shopping centre in Mesagne. Giorgio bought a cool sweatshirt and a pair of shoes. In the evening Giorgio went out with his friends.

An unforgettable day was Sunday: Giorgio woke up at 11 a.m. and at lunchtime we went to Squinzano, a city located north of Lecce because Giorgio’s grandmother lives there. His granny is lovely! In the afternoon we had a walk to Casalabate, a wonderful seaside resort near Squinzano.

at the swimming pool with Giorgio

Another beautiful day was last Monday, when Giorgio took me to the swimming pool located in Cellino San Marco. He swims very fast! When he finished swimming he was  a bit tired so we ate a good cake. Finally we returned home and we watched a good film together. 

Staying with Giorgio is a wonderful experience, one of the best in my life: I’ve known lots of fantastic people, his brother Edoardo and his parents are very nice! I love Italy and the Italians!... But don't forget you're always in my heart! 

                                                    love,

                                                        Odysseas

My week with Ginevra Bianco

Dear friends,

at last I have a little time to write!

Well, my new Italian friend is Ginevra Bianco. I've been with her since Saturday morning when my friend Francesco took me to school.  At the end of the lessons I hugged Francesco and went home with Ginevra. Her house is  very large and cosy. I met her family: her mother Anna, her father Gianluca and her beautiful sister Marta. At lunch we ate a typical dish of Puglia,  "rice potatoes and mussels". Really yummy! In the afternoon, I studied a bit of Italian and then Ginevra asked me to go to the hairdresser's with her. Everybody there was curious about me and made me many questions.

In the evening I went out with her, Sofia and other fantastic friends. It was very funny. We also visited "Piazza Commestibili", an important square located in the towncentre of Mesagne.

 

On Sunday morning Ginevra and I went to the Mass. There are many churches in Mesagne. 

Ginevra is a member of "Mater Domini" parish. At lunch time Ginevra's family, her paternal grandparents Antonio and Angela, and I we went eating to a restaurant located on the outskirts of Mesagne. In the afternoon, Ginevra and her family took me to visit the "Norman Swabian" castle of Mesagne. 

The castle dates back to the XI century and it is certainly the most representative monument of the city. It was built as a "fortified fortress", but nowadays it is a museum. On Monday morning, unfortunately, Ginevra and I had to separate because she had to go to school, but lukely at lunchtime we met again. 

In the afternoon I helped Ginevra to study literature because the next day she had the written test on "Dante" and the "Divina Commedia". 

This evening I tasted for the first time "pizza margherita", that is a kind of focaccia topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Now it's late. It's time to sleep in my soft and warm bed. I promise I'll write to you soon.

                                love, 

                                   Odysseas

          

A wonderful journey with Francesco

Dear friends,
I want to tell you about my adventures with Francesco. On 4th January Francesco, his family and I left Italy to spend a holiday abroad. First we went to Milan by car, then we flew to Dubai. It took six hours to get there. Dubai is a very modern city with high skyscrapers. On our first day in DubaI we swam in the sea and sunbathed. We also visited the aquarium: it has got a great variety of fish. Finally we had fun walking along the promenade and we had dinner in a typical restaurant.
The following day we set off on the cruise. This is me on the wonderful staircase and in my comfortbable bed. 

Our first stop was Abu Dhabi, where we visited the mosque. Believe me! It is one of the best places I've ever seen. I took all these photos to show you how wonderful it is. 

We also visited the royal palace and a shopping centre, the biggest in the world. While I was doing some shopping I made friends with a strange cat. We enjoyed ourselves trying sunglasses on. 

On the second day we stopped in Muscat, where we visited the suk, a big market where you can buy souvenirs, carpets and typical Arabian objects. On the third day we stopped at Al- Khasab, where we saw dolphins and the fiords. I loved sunbathing while I was on the ship. 

We came back home after six days. 
It was the best holiday I've ever had. 

        I'm happy Daniele is having fun with you.
                   I miss you a lot.
                              Love, 
                                    Odysseas