Lisa Pasteris. October 2016
In the classroom, elementary school of Gorduno.
Mmmmmmh, it’s time for a coff…“Hi Lisa” “-Good morning-“ “Hello! Hey, did you see who is there? Lisa!” I can hear a few voices whispering in the background, but quite aloud. “Hellooooo.” “-Hello-” I think my coffee is going to wait. The kids are already very excited when accessing the classroom. They shake my hand. Today we have the pleasure to hear two speakers: Stefano Bolla and Fernando Ferrari, who is also the grandfather of one of them. The two men tell us about the importance of chocolate in Blenio Valley, as well as about the specific history of the Cima Norma factory. Initially, the kids sit tight on their chairs.
As stories follow one another, and the need to take notes increases, children start to get a bit more impatient. Some of them sit on the floor, using the chair as a table, others take notes on the back of their classmates, few also on the knees. But, at the end, they all opt for the pavement.
The kids pay attention and ask many questions, putting into practice what previously learned, remembering the concepts and making connections. They write nonstop, and I can even hear the sound of their pencils sketching on the notebooks. Some of them are also very proud to show me their artworks. At the end of the day, we also receive a present….and what a present! Chocolate! It’s finally time for tasty chocolate! Yummmm! We thank and say goodbye to Stefano and Fernando, leaving them to their day-to-day operations. However, despite the wrists’ pain and the long writing, we are not done yet. No. There are still things which should be done.
First of all, a small drawing. One of the stories of today was about the train to Acquarossa, the “chocolate train”.
After that, last moment dedicated to writing. “We do not have to write a lot, right?” We prepare the questions that we’ll ask the former workers of the Cima Norma factory, who we’ll meet later on, during the next meeting. The kids’minds are still full of question marks, few of which are very relevant. But…that’s another story!
One after the other, forming a single-file, the children leave by shaking my hand, again, as adults do. See you at the next meeting, which will take place on the 10th of November, at the Cima Norma factory!
