Servizio Volontario: a book?

A pic taken by in Firenze, because... amore!

I have 3 surprises saved for the end of my Servizio Volontario in Italia. 

This one was supposed to be saved until the last day, but I cannot hold it anymore, after so many months of processing this alone.

So... everyone was asking me "You're going to write a book about your experience as a volunteer, right?". Even a publisher asked me if I was interested in writing about my life here and publish a book on that. But I was like "hmm, no, that is too obvious...". So I decided that I would not publish (in a book) a single word about what I've been writing on my personal notebook... and living here as a volunteer.

And in January of this same year an ideia hit me. But really hard. It was a normal day. It was the end of another day in the Centro Educativo where I'm a volunteer. I was in the hall preparing to go home, when I saw the mother of one of the kids entering to pick him. How this gave me a powerful dose of inspiration? It was in her eyes. They spoke to me. All the love. All the tenderness. All the hapiness of seeing her kid in the end of the day... to take him Home. 

It was something completely normal, nothing irregular. But on my way home so many ideas started to pop up on my mind. For days, nights, I couldn't stop imagining a very original story about a kid and his mother.  

How can you not get inspiration in this place? [ Il Centro Educativo ]

And yes, my next book was born on this amazing place, on this amazing experience. Exactly when I was not even searching for it. I can't tell you much. It's fiction, total fiction, nothing based on my life here; it is not based on someone I've met here. But it is really based on so many feelings that I learned to appreciate here. And of course that working with these kids gave me many new ways to express my... inspiration. 

It is something that was born when I was reborn in Italia as a volunteer.

It already has a title. I love it, I really love it! 

And it will be published totally in english. I started writing it in english! Yes, as a first language. And then of course I will do the portuguese adaptation. But I chose english because it will be easier to reach people abroad... and because this language really became part of me in these months.

I had many plans regarding my future books, but I never saw this coming. This changed everything. And this one will be something HUGE, I can assure you.

It's my favourite story already. And it feels like it was given to me, like a gift. 

It is the tale of an autistic boy and his mother. It is the story of the struggle to raise a special kid in a tough world. And many chapters are told within the view of the kid, which is completely amazing, being able to express with my words the very unique world that he has inside. And something will take place in a very special city of Italia.

And that's all for now. I want to tell you everything, for real, but I can't. I just had to say this. 

I came here to change my life.

And oh boy, my life was taken to new levels of magnificent.

I'm writing this and crying of joy because I can't even really thank enough for all the things I've got here.

As I said, I have 3 surprises. So... now... 2 more to go.