A waiting game

Jealousy and loneliness

Today started really early.  I had some yogurt, and then left to get a cornetto before school.  I am sfruttaring the need to have breakfast out because on Saturday, my oatmeal arrives.  I do LOVE the cornetti con cioccolato, but I need to stop eating them or I will weigh 500 pounds.  I took it to class and ate in the room because I was pretty early and had time to eat before class.  While I waited, I wrote the assignment stuff on the board, and I was glad I did that in advance because it took me a few minutes to get it all written!  

So, the class went great.  Patrizia's students did an outstanding job with the map activity.  The idea was that they had a portion of a NYC street map, and I had labeled them with starting points, ending points, and highlighted neighborhood/hotels/subways with different color highlighters.  They had to tell me cross streets, nearby hotels/subways/landmarks, and then give me directions from their starting point to their ending point.  They did a great job, and were really working hard and were focused on how they used their words, etc.  I love classes like this.  

For my hour break I wlaked down the Corso some, went in UBIK and bought B. the book, Tom Sawyer in English, as a gift for her getting the fellowship. I also bought her a bookmark that says, "If you can dream it, you can do it." Walt Disney.  The bookmark is in Italian, and the book in English!  It was fun to look around the bookstore, and it made me want to buy a book about Calabria!! I may or may not follow through with buying one, we'll see!  Then I walked back to the school to use the bathroom before class, but there was no toilet paper.  I walked to the other building, adn the lady who hates me was not nice about that bathroom being closed or something to that effect.  I was on the phone with Nick, and had to ask him what exactly it was she said, and it was something about it being flooded or something!  I dont know!  Either way, I had no toilet paper and now way to go to the bathroom.  I was so annoyed!  Why does this country not keep toilet paper in the bathrooms!  The schools do not have it unless it is in the teacher's bathroom, and today they did not even have that.  I do not understand this part of the culture!  I do not understand having to keep a pack of tissues in your purse at all times because chances are you will not find toilet paper when you need it!  I hate this part of living here because I do not always remember to have it in my purse.  On this account, I have NOT adapted to living in Italy!  This put me in such a funk/bad mood, and poor Nick had to listen to it.  

Linda's class was good.  We went to the lab and there were some sort of issues with whether or not we could be in there and some other classes wanted to come in.  I was thoroughly confused because we have the lab booked for class every Thursday and Friday, and now all of the sudden it was becoming a problem!  We cancelled yesterday, but told them that we would be there today!  Anyway, it all got worked out, and we started.  They whined A LOT when I told them that they had to get in groups for the review game! They were annoyed because I told them that they had to be with people from different borough presentation groups, because it would not be fair to work with the same people and all be able to answer the questions!  They eventully understood and did it.  They did a great job with the review! I was impressed with how much some of them remember.  There is this one girl who has improved SO much in her English that I am blown away.  At the beginning of the year she would rarely talk, and was really nervous.  Now, she fights to be heard and her English has improved lightyears beyond where she was at the beginning. I love her for many reasons, but I also love her because she is one of the students that allows me to see part of my purpose here! She makes me feel like I have done something right!  I had to show them the video of Times Square for New Year's again, but I really wanted them to understand because I made it a test question for them!  Everything in the review was meant to help them on the test!  All in all, it was a fun hour because we were looking at pictures of New York City, and talking about New York city!  

My last hour break was spent in the teachers' room where the computers were still not working.  No surprise there though!  Nick sent me a text telling me that he was going horseback riding in the countryside outside of Gubbio.  I was immediately jealous, and could not handle it.  I was having one of those days where I was lonely, and feeling like none of the teachers care enough to take me anywhere or invite me to do things.  All of Nick's teachers love him and invite him places, and take care of him.  Mine don't follow through with these types of things.  I was REALLY struggling with this.  Rosina has followed through a few times, and Virginia took me to Amalfi, and I am eternally grateful for both of these things, but I have asked to cook with them, go to the sea, etc.  Nobody ever follows through!  In order to fight jealousy I had to start naming all of the reasons I am blessed to be in Cosenza- found the church people I prayed for (church and likeminded people to be around), the "warmer" weather, sea is nearby, cheaper rent/food, etc.  I was fight it really hard, and it was NOT made easier when Nick told me that they were having homemade pasta for lunch!  Ughh...I was so annoyed and wanted to be there and NOT at school.  During all of this, I went back into the teachers' room at one point from making a copy and this student walked by me and told me that I was beautiful!  That was sweet, and I was so grateful for that!

 Rosina's class was last, and they did a GREAT job with the map activity!  Two groups did it really fast, and I had to improvise other things for them to do, but they were just too smart for me.  These particular students have really improved quite a lot.  I am so happy to see students making progress and feeling good about their English abilities.  There were two groups who did this assignment and did not have a SINGLE grammatical mistake; well, one of them had two letters mixed up or something, but I think it counts!  I was so proud, so I showed Rosina.  She wanted to put those grades in her gradebook- probably because they would look really good! :) Rosina told me that I was a good teacher, and when I told her that it is the students (some) who are working to improve, my student, A., spoke up and said, "yes, it is true (that I am a good teacher)!!"  I thought that was so sweet, and it definitely lifted my spirits and made me smile!  I love that my students are enjoying my presence. 

 

 

 

I walked home and stopped at the grocery store.  I talked to my momma and she was telling me more about the Boston Marathon stuff!  HOLY COW...it's crazy!! WHo does stuff like this?? My students were telling me the other day that, "Americans are all crazy!" UMMM...these were not Americans!  I ate lunch, rested for a bit, and had a 2 hour lesson with M.  We reviewed the present simple, the present continuous, and I helped her do the homework I had given them!  We looked at Little Italy on the map for a bit too, and then I showed her some pictures! I had been helping her do the New York homework for that day.   

I went out for a walk around the city and ran into B. and the girl from class whose mom will be making the cake for Valeria's "welcome back" party.  Then i came home to wash laundry, take a shower, and get ready for the dinner that some students and Linda invited me to.  I got to talk to Nick for about 5 minutes, and then I had to walk to meet M.F.  I met up with S. first in Piazza Kennedy and we waited on M.F. to meet us!  We sat and talked for a bit, and I discovered that this dinner was for a group of students and teachers involved in a foreign exchange program type thing.  When M.F. arrived, she had been running to meet us, which had been totally unnecessary! As we walked back down the Corso we ran into M.F.'s parents and spoke to them for a few minutes.  We waited outside for a bit, walking to look at the palm trees and such while they described an art project they did about perspective, etc.  I ran into M., whom I do private lessons with, and her parents!  We talked for a few minutes, and they went on about their business.  After we had been waiting outside for a bit (it was now past 8 when we were supposed to arrive), the girls decided to call Linda and ask about the time and where everyone was.  Linda told us to go inside and have a seat and wait for them!

When we went inside the staff were all sitting at one large table eating dinner with each other.  This was nice to see, and gave me a sense that they are either 1. all family or 2. really good friends.  They were laughing, talking, and eating.  They took us to the large table where our party was going to be.  For the next 30 minutes or so, the girls and I found ways to entertain each other.  I read over something they had written for me in class and we talked about the grammar, and then we started doing Italian tongue twisters.  That was fun, and I found that I am really good at some of them, but NOT so good at others. 

WHen Linda and the first round of people.  She came and greeted us with hugs and kisses and was telling me that tonight I had to speak Italian, which equals an instantly nervous me.  More people started to show up slowly.  Eventually Patrizia came, and I was REALLY excited to see her!  Finally they at least brought some water, but I was getting hungry; I mean, it was 9:30 already (an 8 o'clock dinner though).  Ahh the dinner times here!  I was having fun, but definitely getting hungry! I had been with S. and M.F. for two hours now, and was struggling to understand their sweet humor.  First, they are 16 and second, being funny in a second language is hard to do!  I did enjoy them though.  Then, a boy that I met in Rosina's class a few months ago arrived; he had been to one of the European countries for 6 months, and his English is wonderful!  He had his girlfriend with him, and did not really seem like he wanted to talk much.  One lady brought her 12 year old boy, who drove us crazy, but spoke English pretty well!  Some other girls that were there wanted to hang out with me tomorrow and such, and got my cell number, but I had to tell them that I had friends coming.  They did not particularly strike me as calm, let's just hang out type girls.  Anyway, it was nice of them to make the effort, but I am WAY more excited about Meagan and Erin being here for a week!  These same girls completely lost my respect when they asked me how old I was and told me that I shouldn't hang out with my students because teenagers are annoying, and I am too old to hang out with them.  First, I love a lot of my students, and they have been nicer to me than anyone (almost).  Second, you just lost my respect for 1. Saying that and 2. saying that in front of them!  I made it very clear to S. and M.F. that I did not agree with these girls.

We eventually ordered pizzas and our food arrived at almost 10 o'clock.  I ordered a pizza with brasaola, rucola, e mozzarella on it!

It was salty, but AH-MAZING! The 12 year old boy yelled at his mom to have her come cut his pizza; mammone.  I was a little shocked, but oh well.  We had random conversation while we ate, and I was loving my pizza.

When we finished eating, the dinner turned into a big chatting session!  The girls and I eventually went outside for a bit of fresh air, and it as colder than I had anticipated. The girls said it was because I wear dresses and not jeans all of the time.  When we came back inside I decided to go talk to Patrizia who was there because her daughter is involved in this program!  I talked to her daughter for a minute or so, and she is really sweet.  Once I returned to my end of the table, this other teacher came down to speak with me.  She was so cute and sweet, and really excited to speak to me!  She was excited that I was American, and said that we are much easier to understand than the British, and she can never understand anyone from Australia.  Thanks??!?!?!?  I just thought it was funny that she pointed this out!  We talked about a lot of things, and I really liked her!  I do not know what school she teaches at, but I wish I could work with her. 

We eventually started gathering our stuff to leave.  The Italians, as a whole, are so good about wanting people to be accompanied to their homes.  S. had already asked me to walk with her to one of the squares, but like 5 other people were insisting on accompanying me.  So sweet, but I insisted on going with S., and then her brother drove me closer to my apartment!

Overall it was a GREAT night, but I was really excited for the events of tomorrow!!  MEAGAN AND ERIN ARRIVE IN THE AFTERNOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Frustrated that nobody seemed to understand the good news about Bruna, especially Linda because she would NOT listen to what I was saying.  I tried to tell some people about Bruna winning the fellowship, and they all seemed unimpressed!  WHAT?!?! She won this out of ALL of the students in Italy that applied!  I do not understand this lack of enthusiasm!  Support your students, build them up, tell them that they are good!  STOP only telling them how "stupid" they are and how they do not study! 

B. is going to the U.S.

Today I went to school early so that I could make copies, and I did not even get to talk to Nick because he was not awake yet!  On my way I got a cornetto and some blueberry juice.  I am waiting on oatmeal to arrive!  However, I was SHOCKED when the stupid juice cost me 2 euros...umm WHAT!?!?  I am currently not having caffeine, so I opted for juice with my breakfast, but I will never do that at this bar again (my fave one, so I'll stick to the cornetti e cappuccini!).  I took my breakfast to the teachers' room and killed time while I waited on class to start.  My goal had been to make copies, but of course the copier/printer was not working this morning.  Oh well!  Then as I sat down to work on stuff, I discovered that the internet was not really working either!  UGHH!!

Valeria's class started out with a...umm..the sub reading something she had written in terrible English.  She was trying to get the students to pay attention, but they were not.  I eventually sat down at the desks with my students so that I could 1. Sit 2. Try and figure out what in the world she was talking about.  After about 20 minutes of the students not really participating, she handed the class over to me.  I had them do the geography activity, and I was proud of the way they worked!  When this class works, they do a great job of it; the trick is getting them to actually participate in anything!  Man, I am looking forward to Valeria's return on Saturday!

I took Patrizia's class to the lab, and we had a small class because a few of them were gone to London on a school trip.  I had them do the geography activity as well, and they did a great job!  The geography activity has gone over really well, which makes me happy!  I talked to Patrizia a bit about learning Italian, and how it has been difficult for me, especially because I speak English at school, etc.  My Italian has improved, but I still get really anxious when someone is speaking directly to me in a conversation, and I know I am expected to fully comprehend and answer!! I really hate that I haven't improved more, but I think it would have been more helpful to have lessons with someone, and I asked teachers, but nobody ever took me up on it.

For my break I went ot the computers in the teachers' room, but they were still not working properly, so I just took the time to prep some lessons that did not require a computer to do so.

In Linda's class we finished the postcard activity.  I felt terrible because I had left two of the pictures that I had to use (because I only had 4 postcards) at home.  They were really great and drew the pictures for memory, and I was really impressed!  Some of the groups worked really hard and some did not!  Oh well.  In the end, they did a great job with this activity, and I think it really challenged their minds and vocabulary! I had to tell MG today that they chose to continue the fellowship process with B. and not her!  I felt terrible, but I had been putting it off for weeks now!  I could tell she was really sad, but she took it really well!

When I left school, I walked home and talked to Nick for a while.  I made lunch, talked to NIck, and then talked to my momma briefly before I had to leave to go back to school for the afternoon lesson.  I had eaten a smaller lunch because my afternoon students were bringing local foods for me to try!  I love when the students do that.

For the afternoon lesson, I had them review where the "American" foods came from, using the power point I created after we had this discussion last week.  THen they had a loooong list of food/cooking vocabulary words to translate.  I had them spell all of the translations, and that gave them quite a bit of practice with the English alphabet!  THEN, I had them create a menu for Italian and American breakfasts, lunches, and dinners!  They were highly confused about what Americans might eat, and so I was able to talk to them about eating sandwiches, salads, fruits, veggies, meats, etc.  Their menus were kind of funny, and they think it is very odd that Americans and the British would have milk with their lunch.  I explained that in schools it is served because it is important for childrens' bones, and not all families can afford a plentiful supply of milk, so it is required that schools serve it (I think that this is the primary reason).  Anyway, we had some interesting discussions, and then we ended the class by having food.  It was incredible.  The crostata that one girl's mom  made was hands down the best thing we had.  It was DELICIOUS! The jam was homemade, as well as the entire crostata (like a pie).  We had some Christmas treats, homemade sausage, cuculli (Easter bread), and more.  It was so good, and they were so excited that I liked it all.  Then, they insisted that I take home the left overs, which was fine because I was now excited to have these treats to share with Meagan and Erin.

 

 

 

 As my lesson was ending, B. (student from Valeria's class), knocked on the door and came in the room to tell me that she had a missed call at home from Antonella (at the Consulate) and she had to go home and call her immediately!  B. was so nervous, but I knew that this must mean that she received the fellowship!  I was so excited and told B. to call me ASAP!!

As I walked home, bags of food in hand, I talked to Nick briefly and then he went to his conversation lesson.  I took care of the sweets, putting them in containers, etc.

When I settled down in my room, my phone rang twice with a weird number, so I did not answer.  Then it dawned on me that it might be B. from another number.  I texted her to find out, and sure enough it was.  She said that she would call me back.  WHen I answered she was almost in tears!  SHE GOT THE FELLOWSHIP TO GO TO THE UNITED STATES FOR LIKE 3 WEEKS!!!!  She will go in July and stay for 3 weeks at Wake Forest, and they will travel to D.C. and Philadelphia!  I was so excited and shwe was screaming a bit and thanking me, and saying how fortunate she is to have met me, etc.  No, I am the fortunate one!  I am so, so, so, inredibly proud of B. for this!  She is going to do an amazing job, and will hav e the time of her life.  Out of ALL the students in Italy that applied, she was the one chosen!  How amazing is that???  I am so proud of her, and so proud to say that I know her!

When my momma called, I was so excited to tell HER the news as well!  I wish I was going to be able to visit B. in th U.S., but unfortunately she will be there while I am still in Italy, and then while I am home for a few days, and then Seattle.  If I did not have all of these plans, I definitely would have made an effort to go see her!  NIck called while I was talking to my momma, and so I called him back once we hung up.  I was not feeling well at all, so I had to get in bed.  I had a little something for dinner, but not much.  I worked on maps for my next lessons, and the test that Patrizia asked me to make for all of the 3rd year classes.  I worked on blogs, and talked to Nick on Skype.  That boy can make me laugh like no other.  Silly thing always pulls his basketball shorts up to look like an old man, and I laugh every time!  He is so much fun, and we have so much fun together, even when it is just talking over Skype!

A strange day indeed

Today started with Valeria's class, which meant that no one was really paying attention.  I took them to the computer lab to listen to the "Empire State of Mind II" song, which they translated last week.  They were attentive while I played the song twice (once with lyrics, and once without), and then while I played the original with Jay-Z.  From there it was all down hill.  I aske them to finish their NYC presentations, which of course meant that only a fe of them would even do it, or had even done the assignment.   One group was watching Family Guy on youtube while the others presented.  Really guys?? Really?  I hate being viewed as someone they can take advantage of; as someone who will let them do anything they want.  Then, they ask why they have such low marks in English!  Well, if you would pay attention, or do the assignments, you might learn something and then you would not have a low mark.

Rosina's class was much better.  I had them do the geography activity, and it went REALLY well!  They were amazing!  They did a great job of working together with the vocabulary and finding things on the map!  It's classes like this when I realize that they do want to learn, and they will do the assignments well, but they just have to be in the right mood (which was not okay in my high school...you did it or you didn't get a grade, etc).  I did have to get on to the boys in the back (surprise, surprise!!), but other than that everything went really well

 

Rosina could not take me to Valentini, so I walked.  I stopped and got myself a cornetto, stopped at my apartment to use my bathroom, and then walked to school.

I took Francesca's class to the lab to do the healthy food lesson, which Francesca was COMPLETELY uninterested in.  It amazes me how I can tell when she is completely annoyed by my lesson because she leaves the class constantly.  She doubted some of my research about the food, but whatever.  I am over her not liking what I have to say, or not ever believing it.  I spent most of the lesson yelling OVER the ones that would not stop talking or spinning in the chairs.  There were a few who were paying attention, and I appreciate them for that!

Angelino's class was good.  I did not teach of course because it is Monday, but it was an interesting day.  Francesca is still working on that project with the Netherlands, and she came in to ask Angelino about whether or not it was appropriate to use a picture of a prostitute because one stereotype of Amsterdam is that they are a bunch of prostitutes and drug addicts.  This led to a conversation about the word corset and them having me look it up on my phone.  Then Angelino made some comments about a red and black corset he saw in a magazine and how they were nice.  Umm, I do not need to know what kind of lingerie you are attracted to! So, that was awkward.  Then Angelino was telling me about the recovery classes that the students can take if they fail a class.  THey can take up to 3 recover classes and then take a test.  If they pass the tests, then they can still go to the next year in school.  This concerns me quite a bit because there is NO WAY you can take 1 test and that ensures that you learned the material from that past year.  Plus, a lot of cheating happens here when it comes to testing, so you do the math.  It made a few things clearer for me regarding some of my students being left behind in certain subjects.

When class was over, I walked home and ranted to Nick about some things.  I stopped at the discount store for a few things, and then at my regular store for some toilet paper!  I figure that's important stuff! ;) When I got home, I ate lunch, talked to my momma, and then I crashed for 3 hours.  I was exhausted, and I needed that sleep!

When I woke up, I worked on my NYC review game for Linda's class, marked things off my to-do list (cleaning, blogs, lessons, packing, planning for Erin & Meagan, etc), and then went back to bed.