The story of Alessio, an Italian who left Italy with his wife, arrived first in Alaska and in Africa, then in Zimbabwe with two daughters now and eager to return to Africa, read his story.
It was 2010 when my wife and I sat on the sofa at home, we were looking at photos of our travels. From honeymoon in Yellowstone, to parks in British Columbia to Serengeti, always in tent and backpack. Then we look at each other and "why don't we leave everything, sell what we have and go to Alaska?" So, a few months later, we got fired, sold our cars, appliances and some furniture, left the rented house and went: destination Alaska.
Lovers of life in nature, we traveled the length and breadth of this beautiful state for about a month. Bears, moose, deer, wolves, eagles, salmon and as many animals as you can think of meeting. The views and wilderness here made themselves felt to the point that a grizzly bear (thankfully not an adult), even came to play with our tent at night, in Denali NP., With sudden awakening and a tent in poor condition. .
After about a month and with autumn upon us, we decide to go further south, in the state of Washington east of Seattle. We have the good fortune, thanks to contacts made along the way, to enter a ranch and be able to do something for them in exchange for room and board. Horses, cows, hay, wood, cleaning stables but also guest ranch so cooking, managing guests, cleaning rooms… and what can be done.
A unique, beautiful, simple and rich experience that introduced us to an America that is still alive, which remembers the past, but above all a human experience. After about 4 months, winter has arrived, we continue our way south. Thanks to a few jobs done here and there by people met on the street or in the campsites, we manage to get to Grand Canyon. The tent is always a companion, whether in the snow or on warm California evenings. And so we get a call from Alaska. A family we met in the summer offers us room and board and expenses in exchange for some favors… and so on again. Winter in Alaska, what a spectacle of colors. The cold is there but for us from Trentino it is a bit like being at home. A unique and beautiful experience, but without a tent this time. We will never stop thanking this family for the great opportunity it has given us, and we will never stop thanking the ranch that, despite a “hard” life, has taught us a lot by giving us the opportunity to make a dream come true.
Thus, the American visa is expiring. What to do? From Alaska to Zimbabwe, thanks to a series of lucky events, we learn of a missionary doctor who needs two boys in an orphanage in the capital. Always in exchange for room and board, we accept the proposal and from the cold country of the North West, to the warm country ofSouthern Africa. The impact certainly changes, especially because this time we don't have the tent with us, but we have a very specific project. And after a month in the orphanage we receive the proposal to go to the "Luisa Guidotti" missionary hospital in Mutoko, managed by two doctors from Rimini. We accept immediately, being able to work in a hospital, my wife as an accountant and myself as a logistician, is certainly an exciting challenge.
In the meantime, collaborations with theorphanage and with many other centers scattered around the north east of the country, linked to dr. Spaniards. We therefore immediately obtain the work permit from the Zimbabwean ministry, and so we can use our professions for this cause. My wife carries out a meticulous office work, putting the accounts in place as much as possible, so as to make the relations between the Italian non-profit organizations and local authorities. On the other hand, driving an ambulance that was transformed into a means of transport as needed, I supplied the centers with medicines and aid from Italy and took care of maintenance and new buildings together with the team of local workers. People trained, highly qualified and able to work. Thanks to both local and Italian projects we have been able to do many things for this hospital like the dental clinic e ophthalmology, new clinics and renovating some areas in need, such as the kitchen and some wards. An immense satisfaction, above all because it was made, designed and built together with them.
In the meantime, about halfway through our journey, we therefore decide that this is the place where we would like to establish our family. Despite 200 km from the first city, and somewhat precarious services, we feel at home here. So we decide to carry on our family and my wife is pregnant. She continues to work in the hospital, and every Monday of the month dedicated to pregnant women, she lines up with expectant mothers for routine checkups. The skill of the local nurses and doctors meant that she had a wonderful pregnancy. But in the eighth month of her pregnancy, our work permit is not renewed, and we are forced to leave the country, thus returning to Italy. It is born Laura, and everything seems ready for an imminent return to Africa. But the bureaucracy stops us, and so we are forced to find ourselves a rented house, a new job and start an "Italian" life a bit tight.
Now the girls are 2, and we are hairpin bends in Zimbabwe for the holidays with our little ones. But thanks to my experience as a logistician, and having accompanied many donors or doctors in National Parks or around Zimbabwe to discover archaeological sites, rock paintings and fantastic views, I am contacted by a local company to be able to accompany some trips in the country, both as photographic safaris and as travels for a historical-cultural aspect. Accepted this new challenge, I quit my job again and I leave with this new adventure hoping that it will give me the opportunity, as soon as possible, to be able to bring my family back to Zimbabwe.
