Beyond

Let me help you

Anna and Thomas sat down at the small round table placed next to the entrance of my office, the one I reserved for meetings and talks; she felt obliged to reopen the conversation, in English.

"Still alive?"

"I thought worse" he answered in a complicity tone.

"If you like, I'll recap you what you need to start. No more than ten minutes, I promise."

"Good."

Anna spoke slowly, trying to give only the essential info for his school survival, like books and other things to buy, timetables, teachers; she had already thought to almost all, it was enough to sign here and there some modules, to pay the final bills and everything was done.

"Thank you, Anna" he said really grateful, a bit amazed of that welcome.

"Here it's my phone number and my e-mail; if you need something before the beginning the school, call me, no problem."

"Sure."

"If you have a half hour more, we can have a tour of the school and I'll offer you a welcome coffee" Anna finally risked.

Thomas was so happy of that proposal, he couldn't wait to exit from that office and go back among his similar.

*****

The school was located inside an old industrial site, fallen into disuse; it was composed of three buildings with rectangular plant, every one of three floors. The buildings were disposed like a semicircle, all kissed by the light; the central one contained the common structures, like secretariat, offices for headmasters and teachers, auditorium, laboratories, library and canteen.

In the lateral buildings there were the classrooms.

The central space was occupied by a well-cared grass, adorned with paths, trees and benches, spaces usually reached by the students during the breaks.

Externally the buildings conserved the original structure, a view of dark bricks and great windows. The interiors on the contrary were most modern and recently widely restructured. What impressed more of those closed spaces was for sure the great brightness, due to the light filtering from the big windows, the high ceilings, the white and light grey chosen for painting the walls.

The school was located inside a great oak park, surrounded by an enclosure made of iron and masonry, closed with a majestic and ancient gate.

Beyond the west side of the site were located the sport structures, like gym, basket and volleyball open air fields, athletics track with annexed soccer field; that open spaces were also designated to host the year-end party organized by the students.

Behind the central building there was a church which was however opened only a few times, mainly during the opening and closing of the school year and for Easter and Christmas celebrations.

The school was located out of the centre of the town, a green and calm zone, in a dominant position compared to the surroundings. For reaching the institute, it was necessary to leave the main road and take a secondary street like a tunnel crossing a thick oak wood, until to reach the parking reserved to cars and coaches. From there, a light rise to cover by foot started, the vegetation became less dense and after some minutes the entrance gate of the school appeared.

Who came by bike or scooter was luckier, he could enter directly inside the gate and park there his mean; when in the morning you're late, even a few minutes of advantage can make the difference.

In those places the nature was the uncontested queen; the time wasn't set by the calendar or the clock, but by the low and incessant succession of the seasons adorning the landscape of new colours and lights, scents and feelings. For me it was love at first sight, for my students probably not; they were passionate of technology and mundanity, no way for nature and silences.