Francesco arrived in Denmark, where Isla ng Bata has many friends and supporters. During the long rides in the wilderness he reflects on the reality of the Philippines and the Danish one, he thinks about the bond between people so distant that it makes Isla ng Bata a big family. And deep in his thoughts, he is faced with a technical problem.
«I am really excited! While I am on the ferry that will take me to Denmark I think back to how many moments I spent together with the Danish volunteers that I will soon meet. Moments that saw us laughing, crying, working, thinking about specific paths for the girls welcomed in the Family home, planning activities for the older ones and for the youngest ones, meeting families or visiting the children in foster care to verify their insertion into the new family. Serious occasions and fun occasions that we can now retrace together after years of being apart».
«Pedaling through boundless meadows, surrounded by nature, I think about how different this country is from the Philippines. The silence, the calm, the organization, the fact that I haven’t seen a soul (with the exception of the many animals of course) for at least an hour. And at the same time I think about how the volunteers we have hosted in the Family home over the years have experienced this profound difference. Today the stages are less tiring and allow me to lose myself in the landscapes and thoughts. This long ride made me reflect a lot, on how important relationships are and how necessary it is to cultivate them; how many things we could do together with the people who have been close to us over the years, how many lives in the Philippines (but also in Italy or in our small project in India) we could all change together».
«While I was lost in my thoughts I broke through a bike wheel! I will have to give it a name sooner or later, it is the vehicle that has accompanied me everywhere in the last two months, that has almost never abandoned me (today is that day) that has crossed very high slopes and felt all my fatigue, but also the my joy, in the 60 and more stages faced so far, when I reached the goal! He will also be with me in the North Cape, when on 22 July I will arrive (cross your fingers for me too) at the last stage of this solidarity ride».
«Thanks to Jan I put my bike back in place and set off on the saddle towards the next stage. Volunteers have prepared several fundraising events for me. I really thank them for their commitment in transmitting the message of Isla in person and for making homes, spaces and time available to support this solidarity enterprise. We are such a big and beautiful family! Go Isla Go!».