16 August 2016.  It’s the day of departure. It's incredibly early. Climbing and walking in the Pediatrics it comes the time to greet friends met during this month in Pediatrics. How many times we had to take these sand streets and how many times we have gone to the great slope leading to volunteers or from our “Camerata” to the Small Surgery and to the top of the Pediatrics where there are the childcare homes.

It is true that the second day everyone in Pediatrics, younger and older, they knew the names of Gaia, Andrea, Marta, Daniel, Nicole and Anna. But here it is. The greeting and the name of the person first.

The meeting with the children and all the activities carried out with them and with the girls of M. Betty have allowed us to know even deeper these babies and their brothers and their older sisters.

Nice to see an older sister of House Betty helping a brother or a sister housed in the Neonatology or in the Foyer. Incredible to observe how life here has its own rhythm (being able to leave our watches in the room), exciting watching habits, their accents, gestures and ways to interact through a language "tough" as Lingala and the "kindness" passing through the many French words that are heard in the daily dialogue between the Congolese.

Strong and important moments lived where we felt the gift of life as the most precious of all, and understanding, we shared together the thoughts of those moments that we have tested.

A 'hospital, an orphanage, a home and a family for all these 451 Congolese children and young people who have found like us in these days the sense of brotherhood, friendship and family in this great Pediatrics. The days became weeks and weeks a month. A busy month, 31 days of joy, reflection, service, direct contact with people of Pediatrics and of Kinshasa and among the inhabitants of the village of Kinta, of which we discovered and heard their incredibly charming simplicity of living by sharing with them meals and work activities.

A simple and poor life but joyful that struggles to get through another day but knows the taste of what I have/live today.

A guaranteed fun in a game moment, because we are here with them, even without having the latest toy came out on the market that is "super trendy" but with the "old" but here beloved colored pencils and markers of our loved ones .

A way of giving which has its own importance and it has important rules that we understood and respected together, including Love and Friendship behind a "no" said to help raise the child in front of us. A love that leaves us with no energy and breathless as they did at the end of many days at sunset when the children were preparing for the "chapelet" (rosary), and dinner at different houses.

The wonderful moments at the table and dinners that have allowed us to know each other more deeply in an environment that is full of multiculturalism and internationalism.

In the words of "Goodbye" uttered at the end of our experience there is also an invitation to come back, because there are many things you can do to help these children grow and become hope for this country: the DRC, which is quoted by many but LIVED by a few, because it is a country that has suffered because of the various conflicts in its history.

In a wishing Fr. Hugo in one of the meetings-chats had with him for all young people "do not grow old ever" hides the unique essence of this experience, that touches us inside until we ourselves make us LIFE QUESTIONS, which is hard to find on other occasions.

That's also in all this we find the reasons that led us to come to live the reality of Kimbondo of which we had heard about, but that we could enjoy and understand only by living in his everyday life, coming here to meet her in person and hearing what he could teach.

WITH ALL HEART: Thanks guys for our experience!

Agnese Castellarin