The most beautiful thing I've done since I started school is my internship at the American Palace Eur Hotel on Via Laurentina, right across from the Laurentina metro stop. It's not far from home at all. It's a big, really beautiful hotel. Four stars. I worked there for a month. Then unfortunately everyone goes back to school, back into the classroom. I like school a lot. My classmates are really nice. The teachers are nice too. Some more than others. I'm happy to go to school, but doing an internship is so much better. It's wonderful to be around so many people, and every day I met new people I'd never known before. At the reception desk, tons of people come through, and there are lots of phone calls. Everyone asks for something different, and I learn to answer all kinds of questions. Even in English. And then there are the people who work at the hotel. I made friends with all of them. They're nice and very kind. Stefania most of all. When she sees me, she calls me over and smiles. And we take pictures together. She tells me I do good work, that I'm sweet and nice. I'm happy. I told Stefania that I prefer to wear pants and boots because that's more comfortable. I have to be on my feet almost the whole time. Skirts bother me. And heeled shoes hurt my feet right away and I walk badly. I always tie my hair back in a ponytail in the morning before I leave home. At the hotel, at the reception desk, I have to do lots of things. First I watch carefully how they're done, and then I do them myself. At school we do practice runs, but at the hotel we're not pretending. The people who come and call are real. Now I want to organize weekends for my friends from Montevarchi. I don't work on Saturdays and Sundays. I tell them to call the reception desk, I answer, and I book them a room. Actually two rooms because there are five of them. And since I'm not working, I can go around Rome with them. Because at the hotel I also help guests who ask for advice about where to go in Rome and whether to take the metro, the bus, a taxi, or walk, or ride a bike, or use a scooter. When they ask me, I always have a pen in my hand and sheets of paper so we can write things down. I hope we do the internship again very soon.
This article is from
Ombre e Luci no. 157, 2021