Myrtle Claus
An ordinary Monday morning, early November 2012. Everyone goes to school and work and I make a cup of coffee to start my day in peace. Then the phone rings. I hear a lot of noise and my son's voice calling out, 'We're free, Mom! We are liberated! By the Matricole…'
In a nanosecond all kinds of questions flash through my head. liberated? How liberated? Was the bus to school hijacked? Has a crazy high school student held all the students hostage? So why haven't I checked the newspaper's site yet, degenerate mother that I am.
And who the hell are the Matricole? A special black-clad police unit that I've never heard of because they're only used for top-secret and delicate operations?
supermen unit
And as my mind envisions that Superman unit tumbling down a rope from a helicopter with spinning blades onto the school yard, I hear my son say, “And we're going into town with the Matricole now. I've already given them some chewing gums.'
Handing out chewing gums to police units? He's confused! Would he be in shock? 'But dude, are you all right? Are you very shocked? Shall I come get you?'
"It's going really well, Mom. And yes, I was a little shocked, but they also made so much noise with their screams and their whistles as they stormed into the school.
Laughing, they pretended not to see the teacher and sent us all out. And no, I'll take the bus later, it's really fun now! I'm going now, otherwise I won't see the colored hats of the Matricole in a moment!'
Party in Pisa
whistles? Shout? And what about colored hats? Since when do special units make noise and are not dressed in black?
'Wait, one more minute boy! I'm really glad you've been liberated, but who are those Matricole?'
“The college freshmen, Mom. Today is November 5, they celebrate the start of the new academic year. It's party time in Pisa!'
Jokes and skits
No palpitations this year on November 5 at a quarter past eight; I now know that the Matricole son and the rest of the school are taking along in a colorful procession to Corso Italia and Palazzo Gambacorti.
Songs are sung everywhere, jokes are played and students perform skits. Third-year students cut the tip of the freshmen' felucca and collect trophies in the colors of the different faculties. The atmosphere in the center of Pisa is as cheerful and elated as all the liberated students of the high school in the city.
La festa della Matricola in Pisa
And what about those chewing gums? Together with change, school supplies and everything a student carries on a weekday, they have taken the place of the coins that the Matricole collected in the distant past to pay for their studies.
This year, this Dutch mother is not only mentally prepared for the liberation of her son: a bag filled with pencils, pens, paper clips and erasers is already ready. Bring on the Matricole!
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