With Bogus safely on the plane to Europe, it’s time to recount another sweet ICBIE story, one that also helps to acknowledge a wonderful lady who has become an essential part of the Institute. Everyone who has visited the ICBIE during the last couple of years has come to love Lu, our quiet and reserved cook and cleaning lady.
Since she arrived in the spring of 2006, Lu and her timid smiles have become an integral part of the place, and her services have become absolutely indispensable. Thanks to her, the ICBIE can maintain its dignified appearance, and without her help, it would be impossible to run the hostel. Her serenity and her kindness are absolutely endearing, and when someone has to spend a stressful day in front of a computer, she always arrives at just the right moment, bringing a hot cup of coffee, or a glass of fresh fruit juice. She is the only person to gain the trust of Pietro in his only holy sanctuary, the kitchen; Pietro’s culinary talent intimidates almost everyone, but she was able to gently insinuate herself in among the pots and pans, gradually becoming an equal partner. Given Pietro’s daunting schedule as ICBIE mastermind, she is there to assure that a lunch is prepared, even if he is far away.
As in all good stories, Lu’s enormous contributions to the ICBIE have also changed her life, and that of her husband and two daughters. She lives in a very poor area, just inland from the Alagados, and her house was a precarious wooden construction, so awful in the rainy season that it was a long time until either Pietro or Marlene were invited to see it. With her work at the ICBIE, she proudly saved every penny to make improvements, so Pietro and Marlene finally decided to offer some extra help, in order to replace the shoddy wooden shingles with proper walls of bricks and concrete, and now Lu is proud of her beautiful new home.
Besides that, Lu’s two daughters Thaiane and Luane were quickly recruited as students, paying no fees whatsoever, and they have both just finished the second level course in Italian. Then Lu confided the great news that Thaiane was going to get married, but they were worried about the money it would cost. So last Sunday, the ICBIE hosted a lovely wedding reception for Thaiane and Sandro!
