Che Bravi Ragazzi

What great kids. Over Easter, when there were twenty or forty adults visiting their apartments next door, they told me that I could expect Frederica and Francesco to come this weekend for a big birthday party to celebrate Frederica's compleanno. I thought of the kids who were in their late teens and early twenties getting together for parties in the states, and did not look forward to the drinking, the loud, awful music, the noise, etc etc.

Was I wrong. Late Sunday morning, five cars pulled up and disgorged about twenty kids. They unloaded the groceries, the party supplies, the soccer balls, the music system, and got themselves organized. First came the music: Chicago Blues and vintage rock. I loved it, except that every time they turned it up loud enough for me to hear it well, someone said something about bothering the neighbor next door, and they turned it down, so I had to go over and ask them to turn it back up.

The the kids started playing soccer, and they even stationed someone to keep errant balls from hitting the cars parked above the soccer pitch. Other kids went for a walk. There was a constant buzz of conversations, however it was not the constant roar of shouts that I had feared.

After I had already finished my pranzo, Francesco came over bearing a plate overflowing with meat that they had grilled and that they could not finish. They did not want to take it home, so I added the secondo piatto to my meal. They scurried around making everything clean before they got back to their music and soccer. What a neat group of kids.

Just before I left to watch the Inter-Palermo soccer match (2-2 tie) at a friend's house, Frederica came over with a huge piece of birthday cake for me, and told me that when they opened the spumante wine, they would bring me a glass. I told her that I was leaving so I would not be able to partake, but I thanked her, and told her how nice it was to have such a great group of kids next door.

I thought about parties that have been next door to me in the US, and how the kids can not wait to get into the booze, how they care so little about their neighbors, and generally what a pain in the butt they can sometimes be, even when they are chaperoned by their parents. Here, kids can buy wine, beer, and liquor from the time they can take their pennies to the store, and they do not abuse the privilege. Not only that, but too a person, they were polite and considerate. Che Bravi Ragazzi, and Happy Birthday Frederica!!