A Dystopian Reality

People Goes Crazy Without A Warning 🙃

I got off the train at Catania central Station around 1:15 pm exhausted after almost two days of traveling, 2 melt downs and with 100 euros less in my pocket.

In that moment though, I was hopeful, happy almost, I thought that once I met with the host family again who for better or worse was quite affectionate during the exchange year it would all be okay, that I'd feel... Safe?.

HAHA yeah right...

Waiting for me, behind the yellow gap at the train station were V, the oldest son of the family, J the youngest and only girl, the one with whom I did the "exchange", but funny thing, she actually went to Thailand and not Venezuela. And finally, with them was a very cute girl fallowed by an even cuter jack Russell.

She was this petite, bournet with huge green eyes and by the way she was holding hands with V I assumed she was his new girlfriend.

We jumped and screamed and hugged each other for like 15 minutes, I was genuinely happy to see them, happy I finally arrived and well I realized that I kind of missed them a little.

Yes, I'll be honest, it was just a little because it might sound bad but by the end of the exchange year I was truly excited to go back home and leave Sicily.

It was a very special year, maybe one of the best years of my life. I loved the people, the food and the beautiful places, but I was never really that compatible with my host family. Even though they were very nice to me, I just felt it, but also never thought about it too much.

Of course, I would always be glad to visit, I cared a lot for them, I just didn't want to stay longer, a year was enough.

We walked to the parking lot making small talk about food (like every small talk in Sicily ☝🏼)  as we made our way to Nonna's old WW Polo.

Just as I remembered the car still smelled like sweat and really strong perfume, and of course, being the car of a very devoted catholic granny, there HAD TO be a rosary hanging from the mirror and several pictures of saints scattered around.

During the 30 minute ride home we started catching up with each other;  V had a new job, j was on her 2nd year of law school, the girl was in fact V's girlfriend, ile and her doggy pongo. She was a psychology student.

They also told me that every one alse was finen; A, the middle brother had a baby, G the Dad was "the same old", S the mom had a job now, (she used to be a housewife) and also the Nonna was "the same old". They would all be waiting for me he said.

When they asked about the trip I just made a short version without going into detail with most stressing parts.

After a couple minutes I was feeling so tired tired I almost fell asleep hugging my backpack on the backseat.

Just as I closed my eyes V announced that we were home.

As soon as as got out of the car I was greeted by S, she hugged me, telling me how she missed me, G was was there too he just hugged me not saying much and the Nonna was just complaining about how sick skinny looked.

I'm pretty she had a point after that trip, I must have looked how I felt 😵

Anyway, I was finally there...Home?

Okay so, home. The fantastically anonymous town of BELPASSO  😬🎉

Now, Belpasso was this "nice", clean, very quiet, full of "quiet" people small town (80% old people) but at the same time, it was cold as hell, boring as hell, full of old fashioned beliefs (the good and bad ones) and totally disconnected from the world.

Like literally, starting from the lack public transportation and ending with the fact that people were so closed minded that sometimes you'd feel as if the town got stuck back in the 1950's, something just as fascinating as terrifying.