Mensa

On Wednesdays and Saturdays a few of us go into the soup kitchen to volunteer. We cut up fruits or veggies, wash dishes, and serve food, clean up afterward, and whatever else they tell us. I really enjoy when I get to go in because of the interaction I have with the Italians. The good totally outweighs the bad.

When I say bad, I mean the times that I get frustrated with not being able to speak Italian well. Sometimes the main chef will give me an instruction and I understand what he says, but I'm confused about the details...like once he told me to help a lady cut vegetables. I knew what he wanted but I didn't know where the knives were. He looked annoyed that I was confused and said, "Coltello, coltello" [knife, knife]. As I looked around for a knife he goes to them points and says coltello again, then points at the lady who needs help. I knew what a coltello was, and I knew what I was supposed to do with it, I just didn't know where they were. I got a little frustrated because it seemed he thought I was stupid, and he walked away with an annoyed look on his face. Other times he'll tell new volunteers off the bat that I'm American and don't speak Italian, so then they don't even talk to me. They'll just point or grab my arm and move me. It can be frustrating sometimes, but these really aren't big deals.

I've met people at Mensa who are very friendly. There are a few who speak a little English, like Sergio, Ornella, and Ricardo. They try to speak some English to us and we try to answer back in Italian. They are so patient with our broken language and they always make us feel welcome. I love getting to talk to these people. There are some who don't speak English at all and are still friendly. They speak slowly for us and repeat themselves so we can understand. There was an old lady named Anna who helped me serve bread on Saturday. She was so sweet because I didn't know the names to all of the different types of bread, so she would point them out to me and tell me the names. When the people going through the line were impatient with me or I couldn't understand them, she stuck up for me.

Not everyone who comes to get a free lunch at Mensa is so grateful. Some come through the line and are very picky. They want extra servings and specific amounts/types of foods. They don't smile and don't say thank you. They snap and just seem bitter. They are getting a blessing but don't seem to realize it. Other people that come through the line are the opposite. They are patient, they take what they're given, they smile and say buon giorno, they ask instead of demand. These people make me smile. :)

At Mensa, the people are served very well. They get pasta, lots of bread, fruit, yogurt, a dessert, and sometimes salad or another dish. It's very good food. After helping all the volunteers get to serve themselves and eat. Mensa lunches are awesome!





This past Saturday we met some new volunteers. Two young guys joined us and to our surprise, they not only spoke English, one of them was from the States. He was from Missouri and the other was from Ecuador. They are Mormons. It was great getting to talk to them and ask them about what they do. We got to tell them that we are also here to help with a missionary. We got along great with them and hope to see them at Mensa again and maybe even play soccer with them. They could be leaving soon, but the opportunity to talk, get to know them, and discuss spiritual things is so exciting!