05/22/2009

Class time! This morning's presenters were 2 social workers who work with immigrant prostitutes. Boy, was I wrong when I saw that on our syllabus! They addressed a universal problem: trafficking in human beings. The driving force, naturally, is economic: families get money (thinking their daughter is going to a better life), and the traffickers get money from the families and the girls. The poor girls, because of their cultural values, have no say-so in the matter; it would dishonor their families if they refused. And, most families are not aware (or willing to be as ware) of the situation.

Italy has a law stating that if the girl comes forward and reveals the group oppressing her, she will be given a green card (the authorities want the traffickers, not the prostitutes). The 2 SWs this morning are the liasion between the law/authorities and the prostitutes. However, they have a problem: the government changes every five years, and with it, the laws. So, what is the law under this administration may be illegal under the next!

Another problem, for the girls, is the multi-level of oppression: both SES & gender. (Italian machismo refuses to acknowledge GLBT and male prostitution).

During break, I asked if there was any advertising (TV, billboard, radio, etc) to help spread the word about the law-unfortunately, the only way the word can be spread is word of mouth. Overall, a fascinating class.

HEALING HANDS

After lunch, we had a choice. About 1/3 of us went to Prada, another 1/3 into Regello, and the last 1/3 stayed home. So far, Italy has been an explosion into the senses, and today was no different. The food has been cleaner and tasted better, the blooms of flowers and trees have had a stronger perfume, the sounds-when Italians talk, they talk at once in a language that flows like the Arno River. Today, I learned that touch, too, is an explosive expression for Italians. The gardener here at Casa Cares gives massages. Not quickie backrubs, not painful manipulation, but a 1 hour-long, gentle, soothing massage. Heat was on, but it was not uncomfortable; soft, , instrumental music played on a CD. I closed my eyes, and allowed my mind to close and my senses to absorb. I could feel his hands literally pulling the tension out of me. Just another difference between here and home.

NOTE: We now have a facebook page: Italy Institute 2009. To view pictures (from all participants!) go there! (For another sensory explosion, take a look at the Tuscan sunset off our sala balcony!)