Whole life experience

La Seyne sur Mer is going to be the main character of todays’ blog. Nobody kinda knows about this tiny city in the worldwide known French « Côte d’Azur ». But before i start talking, I mean writing about it, I’ll indroduce myself and the reason why chose this topic. Breefly I’m Anna, a 20 y/o Italian girl from Tuscany deeply in love with everything which is French. Why? That’s more complicated to explain. I was named after my grandmother who sadly died a few years before my birth, granny had a sister named Cesira (born in 1925) and they often got confused because people thought they looked alike just like twins. Cesira became a nun, while my granny got married and gave birth to 3 boys (one was my dad). Granny’s sister was soon transferred from Italy to France where she lived in a monastery since 2018. And here it comes the whole story about my passion. The monastery was located in La Seyne Sur Mer and my parents started visiting auntie when they were in their 25/30ies, as soon as my sister and I were born they started taking us there more than once a year: the very first time i came to France I was like 2 months old and from them on I truly fell in love. This seaside city belongs to my heart in a way I cannot explain, its colorful streets and graffitis, its port, pastries shops and bakeries everywhere, the Sunday morning vintage market..all those little things made me fall in love and I often say I’ve blossomed there. Now at 20 years old i’m trying to figure out why i still feel this way. First of all as I’ve never met my grandmother, seeing auntie Cesira was the only way of getting to know (indirectly) her, because she used to tell me so much about her, she used to sing lullabies to me and make me supper just like she was my grandma, even if she was her sister and devoted to God. When I was little I used to take that place for granted, but then I started to realize that nothing is forever. Anyway I have the best memories of childhood and youth all over Côte d’Azur and that’s why I still feel a strong bond between me and that territory. I’ve spent there so many summer days and Christmases that I’ll never forget how I felt: like there were no boundaries, like I could always, everywhere and forever be myself without feeling ashamed or judged. I felt like I had finally found my very own comfort zone. From then on I understood that France was the Country where I felt home more than in Italy, that’s why I decided to study french language as much as I could and I can finally say I’m proud of who this place made me become. 

All of this talking is just to tell you not to worry if You feel like you’re not belonging to the city you’re living in or you’re from, because trust me, you'll find your place in the world. No matter the distance, no matter the borders.

Loads of love, 

Anna

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