Buenos dias! I am Martina Lazzarotto and in life to date, I have been a little bit of everything. First and foremost, I am a daughter, sister, niece and friend. At the same time, I am also a traveler and a dreamer; in the past, I have been a student, a parish summer camp leader, a church choir participant and a social worker. But I am also a walker, never tired of looking for beauty around me, a bit of a wanderer, curious, lover of life, and ASCS volunteer.

I really enjoy being all these things, but most of all I enjoy realizing that I am a “human being.” And as a “human being,” I have always been drawn to other “human beings.” In fact, all the things I have been in my life have always had one thing in common: being in relationship with other “human beings.” Thanks to the experience I had in Santiago de Chile, through ASCS, I can say that I have had the good fortune to get to know an infinite variety of human beings, most of them with an incredible faith in life. Working men and women, constantly searching for something “more,” something they do not yet have but which, with hard work perseverance and patience, they know they can achieve.

Living closely with them allowed me to learn about different cultures, learn about different ways of thinking and different ways of dealing with problems. This was not only a source of tremendous personal enrichment, but also an invitation and a push to understand the world in all its complexity. I realized that it is precisely in this dance of differences that the true beauty of sharing, understanding and, above all, love of humanity is discovered. In this journey through diversity, I found myself getting to know not only human beings, but also discovering unexpected places: secret gardens, bustling squares, corners of peace in the midst of chaos. Each new place I visited and inhabited presented itself to me as an open book, ready to reveal its pages, stories and secrets. And it was in these moments that I realized how wonderful it is to be part of such a diverse and rich mosaic, where each tile brings with it a culture, an experience, a world, a life. Looking back on this experience, I realize that it really left me with a lot, especially it allowed me to grow from a personal point of view by helping me to broaden my horizon of meaning towards life, who I want to be, what I want to do, how I want to live. At the same time, however, it has also taken something away from me. And I realized this once I returned “home.”

After living so much, so intensely, for what might seem like a short time but for me was endless, I found myself reliving what I called “my life.” Familiar places, once full of meaning, seemed almost foreign to me. Daily routines, which once reassured me, suddenly felt tight, like a dress that no longer fit. Many times I wondered if I would really ever be able to reconnect with my former life as I perceived myself changed in an almost imperceptible but profound way. The pivotal shift came when I realized that this return brought with it the challenge of integrating all that I had learned and experienced, with who I was. In other words, life was asking me to begin a process of readjustment, of internal restructuring. The only possible alternative seemed to be to commit myself to achieving a delicate balance between what I was and what I had become. But it was not time for me to take this step. I felt that something, still, was calling me.

So I decided to get back in touch with ASCS to see if there was still room for me in this association. What I found was the same cheerful, welcoming, listening and helpful atmosphere as always. The response I received was more than I could have expected: I would be able to return to continue my volunteer work in Santiago de Chile, where I had lived so much and which had left me so much. The idea of being able to return to this place means rediscovering not only a physical place but also a part of me, the part that is nourished by human warmth and authentic bonds; but also by the beauty and richness that reside in diversity; as in openness to the other, patience and listening. I believe that in this return, the beauty lies in the simple truth that wherever I go, there are places and people that make me feel safe, in harmony with myself and with life.

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