The medieval mountain village of Bajardo, Italy has less than 200 permanent residences, but enough soul to feed the entire population of New York City.  Most of Bajardo’s inhabitants are over the age of 60 and have never ventured more than a few kilometers from the main piazza. Many work a craftsman and all take great pride in their trades.  Our teaching program’s founder has spent years tirelessly restoring the crumbling stone homes at the pinnacle of the mountain and he now offers tutors the opportunity to stay in Bajardo before or after work.  We jumped at the chance.

You don’t need a guidebook here.  You can learn everything you need to know about Bajardo by sitting down on a stoop next to a local like 1oo-year-old Yolanda.  We listened to her stories, read the untold tales tucked away in her wrinkled faces.  Touched her soft but feeble hands.  She might not have understood why we were there or what our large black alien camera was,  but she helped us understand our purpose for being there.  For being here.  In Italy.   La vera Italia.

Yolanda...still laughing at 100 years old

Courts, Lynne and Big Bog

Magic Mountain, Bajardo

One of the main things that attracted me to Jet Set Zero was the opportunity to have an adventure that was different than the average traveling experience. We are working in this foreign city, making friends and forming relationships – things that are difficult to achieve if you are whisking your way through a country as a tourist. Through a friend we had recently made, we were invited to see something really unique that gave us a special perspective on Vietnamese culture: we visited an old age home.

In Vietnamese culture, it is expected that children care for their parents when they become too old to care for themselves. Unfortunately, many older people find themselves without family after losing them in the Vietnam War or simply by outliving them (life expectancy is 69 for a Vietnamese man and 75 for a woman, compared to Canada which is 79 for men and 84 for women). Serene, Jen and I visited the home for the elderly after hearing about it from our friend, Ngan. The experience was one I won’t soon forget.

The home itself is run by Catholic missionaries. We brought the ladies cookies and milk and handed them out which was fun and made me feel a bit like Santa Claus. Many looked thrilled to see us and even more excited that we brought them treats. The home was much cleaner than I had imagined – I suppose I was thinking “third world old age home” and expected the worst. But the facilities were very simple and actually reminded me of scenes in “M*A*S*H”. Many bedridden women were lying in these compartment things (I hesitate to call them beds) that were lined with linoleum and had a drain in the centre. This is where they spend their days. On the morning we went, the women were getting haircuts from volunteers which made me smile because they do the same thing at home. Despite their simple surroundings and lack of family and visitors, most of the women seemed in very good spirits and were happy to talk to us (through a translator) about their experiences. I even pulled out a bit of a capella singing for them. Mostly, there were just lots of smiles passed back and forth.

I could feel my karma-meter climbing. And what a treat it was to see something truly local and memorable that we would not normally experience as tourists.