"The South"

Valeria was first, except that Valeria is not there.  There was a substitute teacher, who at first kept telling me to sit down, and then one of my students realized that she thought I was a student myself.  So, she explained to the sub that I am the English teacher; the American.  She was then really excited and started speaking 1/2 English, 1/2 Italian to me.  She said that she could not believe that I was a teacher, and did not look old enough to be a teacher.  So, we eventually got started, and I gave them some grammar comments from their questions we did yesterday.  Then, I gave them the tongue twisters.  I let them practice with each other first, and then they all had to say them for the class.  This was all interrupted by a student coming to tell them something about a ski trip, and the class was barely manageable after this.  I kept having to get frustrated with them about talking, not listening, not paying attention.  I explained to them that it was really hard to stand up there in front of them while they did not listen, and that it was exhausting trying to get their attention.  It did not do me much good, but I tried.  It was slightly frustrating, and it just reminds me of how much more well-behaved they are when Valeria is there. 

Patrizia's class was next.  So, in this class, I started the lesson about, "The South".  They seemed to understand all that we were talking about, which was exciting.  They were able to tell me things I was sharing, and we had a bit of conversation about it.  I love seeing them making a little bit of progress each week.  Some of them were taking notes on their iPhones, which I trusted because of who it was, but it was still strange. 

For my hour break I walked down the Corso, stopped for a small snack and cappuccino, walked to the river, and talked to Nick.  I stood at the river for a while and just enjoyed the sunshine and talked to Nick on the phone.  It was a great hour break, and some much needed time in the sunshine!

My last class was Linda's.  We talked about "The South" and they were very interactive, engaged, and seem to understand.  I told them that I just wanted them to have some background information before we talked about Gone with the Wind tomorrow....they seemed to like it...Linda had some of them read some of the information, and that was fun!  We are all trying to work out the kinks in the class periods, and adjust the lessons so that they are more engaged and interactive...which is difficult because I try to get them to be interactive some days, and they aren't...and I will not FORCE a student to do anything.  However, I am excited about the conversations i have been having with the teachers in Cosenza about ways to improve the lessons, and the things that they love about what I am doing!  It's been a great feedback loop! 

After school, I came home, had lunch, made a review for the students who did "The South", worked on blogs, talked to April, talked to Nick, did some work, washed clothes, made dinner, talked to Nick, and waited on my friend Andrea to arrive.  Andrea is the ETA in Rome.  She was coming to do some research on dialect with the students.  So, I was pretty excited to have company.  WHen Andrea arrived, we spend the rest of the night just sitting around talking.  We talked about so many things...it was great, and again, so nice to have someone here! 

Mid-term

Valeria's class was first...and Valeria was not there; she is on her way to Milan for surgery! Prayers for her please! 

So, I did not really have a lesson for them in the classroom, but we could not go to the lab.  So, I thought of some questions to write down on the board, and have them answer.  I asked:
1. Name
2. Where do you sit in the class?
3. What is something unique about you?
4. What is something about life in Calabria?
5. What is something that I must see in Southern Italy?
6. What is your favorite thing about school?  What is your favorite subject? Why?
7. What is one thing you want to talk about in English class?

They had the whole class period to answer and then give them to me.  They did a great job, and stayed on task for the majority of the time! 

My second class was Rosina, and I did the same activity with them.  They were great about asking questions, doing the assignment, and still seemed to have a bit of fun!  Rosina is so funny always telling the students that she is no longer the teacher, and they must ask me whether or not they can go to the bathroom and such.  So, it was a successful class, which always makes me happy!  I love this group of students. 

Rosina said she could drive me to school, but first she wanted to get coffee with me!  I was excited because I have been wanting to spend some more time with the teachers, and I really love Rosina.  So, we went to a bar across the street from the school and had coffee!  She is so sweet, so kind, and generous.  So, she was sweet to pay for my coffee, and then we went to the other school. 

When I got to Valentini, I discovered that we had a new computer/printer, and I did not need someone to help me do it.  Then I made copies; this was for the tongue twisters lesson that Andrea gave me.  The classes did not go as expected.  None of the students were there...okay...there were like 4 from Francesca's and 4 from Angelino's class.  The others were in some sort of meeting.  So, we did the tongue twisters, and some of them had fun with it, but others were just not feeling it.  Then Francesca had us play a game where you rolled a die and move to a letter...then you have to come up with a vocabulary word for that letter...so, they played in English, and I played in Italian. 

Angelino's class was just me reading the responses from my other classes...and he interrogated the students, and helped me understand some of what they were trying to say! 

After class, I came home and ate lunch, worked on lessons...could not nap...went out to get a few things...tried to get out of my funk, and worked on the mid-term report, which stressed me out majorly!  I finally got the mid-term submitted, and felt a weight lifted off of my chest...thank goodness!  I spent most of the evening trying to get out of the funk I was in! 

I had to use my sound machine app on my phone to help me fall asleep...I think the coffee had me so wound up that it was making me a wreck the rest of the day!  However, I did mark things off my to-do list, so that was good!

Free Stuff

This morning started out like usual: breakfast (oatmeal), talking to Nick on skype, getting dressed, and going to school.  I was not at school yesterday, so it was a short week!  However, today is my most stressful day: Tuesday!

I stopped at a bakery to try and get Lilla some sweets for a belated birthday gift, but they only had these new things I've been seeing, that I cannot remember the name of.  So, I asked the guy for a few of them and he was trying to convince me not to take them because they were not fresh!  I explained that I was taking them to school, and could not come back in an hour or two for the fresh ones.  So, he reluctantly gave me four of them, and then said that I could have them for free!  Thanks nice guy...I like getting free stuff! 

So, free treats in hand, I started walking to school.   Lilla's 4th years were up first.  When I first walked in the room, Lilla looked a little shocked to see me, and started accusing me of missing school.  She said the students missed me, and had been expecting me.  I explained that I had not missed any school, and that we were working one hour with them, and one hour with her 1st years.  She said she knew, but then tried to say that I missed school.  I was so confused, and so I just moved on.  I did the famous people dinner with them, and it was um...somewhat successful.  They never fully participate in anything, and everything is a big joke to them, so....I did my best.  Lilla's person was Marylin Monroe, and she talked a good bit about her.  For some reason, the students found this HILARIOUS...

Next up was Lilla's first years.  They are AH-MAZING!!  We reviewed the first part of the Civil Rights presentation, and then per Lilla's suggestion, we finished this lesson.  They are so smart, engaged, communicative, and amazing.  They pay attention and speak...they try hard...and they really are very knowledgeable.  They are all so sweet, and I am so excited to be spending an hour a week with them!  WHen the lesson was over, they cheered.  This is so sweet, yet so unnecessary...however, I'll take that over the other any day!

So, for my break, I talked to Nick for a bit, which is always nice!  I am so lucky to have him...for many reasons, but it also makes the days less lonely!

Francesca's class was weird...there were only a few students there, but thankfully they were my boys who pay attention.  We looked at two different "ads" that I stressed about finding last night.  The first was a David Beckham "Got Milk" ad, and the other was for skittles.  They had to answer some questions and they were good about talking.  The BEST thing that happened with this group was that the girl I have been trying to get to smile...SHE SMILED...DURING THE LESSON...AND LAUGHED...she did not have her other girl friends there, and sat at the front.  She struggled with the English, and interacted mostly in Italian, but she interacted...AND SHE SMILE DURING MY LESSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!!!

After this lesson, I went home...had lunch...talked to Nick on skype...worked my butt off on lesson plans and such...talked to my momma on the phone...talked to Nick some more...and basically just worked until I went to bed...a lot of lesson planning to do!

Train...train...bus...train...bus...home

I was really sad for Monday to come because it meant that I had to leave Mattea.  We got dressed, walked to her school (not easy with suitcase and laptop bag in hand), and I met some of her students and other people she works with.  THe only class I was going to get to attend was Gianluca's class, the boy from Saturday night.  They are 5th year students, but they were soooooo quiet and Gianluca was definitely the best one in the class; he has to hold his tongue from giving the answers because he knows most of them and everyone else does not.  So, we had them do "running with words" using an article from "The Onion" about Burlusconi and his sex scandals and such.  She talked a bit about satire and then they did the activity.  They did a pretty good job, but most of them skipped parts of the speech, and then told us that they were finished.  So, Mattea had them read their results, and then she went over some vocabulary. 

When class was over, we said goodbye to them, and her teacher Patrizia.  Then, we met some of her students in the hallway, and I was SUPER impressed with their English.  Also a bit jealous that they are willing to/capable of carrying on conversations with her in English.  They talk to her about so much; my students can barely speak to me in English!  Anyway, so we talked to them for a bit, used the clean bathroom, and then grabbed my stuff.  Mattea walked me to one of the streets I had to take, and then I was taking the route she showed me yesterday.  It was a pretty decent walk, and again while dragging my stuff behind me.  However, I made it to the station with plenty of time to spare; I bought one last small pasticciotto, but this one had apple in it and it was SOOOOOOOO good! 
Here are some pictures of a typical pasticciotto: 

Here is a website

 

 
My first train was a nicer train, and so I was able to plug my phone in for good measure, and talked to Nick most of the way to Bari.  The Bari train station was HORRENDOUS...I hated it. I was lost, and there was nobody to help you.  The customer service was in a completely different building...I stopped and got a sandwich in a bar that was unattached to the station....and then the platform had a weird name and it wasn't labeled anywhere.  I had to ask a girl and she showed me.  Then, I was confused and so I just followed a crowd, hoping they were going the right way!  They were all waiting outside of the train, arguing in Italian.  I asked an official looking guy if this was the train to Taranto, and it was.  So, I pushed my way through the awkward crowd, and got on the train.  I asked one other girl, just to be sure, and then I settled in.  I slowly ate my sandwich, wrote some things, and just tried to relax about the upcoming bus ride. 

I had about ten minutes to get on the bus, so naturally, I ran and put my stuff on the bus, and then went back to the bathroom!  The bus ride turned out to be just fine because I talked to Nick the ENTIRE time!! For the almost 3 hour bus ride we talked...and talked...and never ran out of things to talk about!  How amazing is that?  The coastline was beautiful again, but the annoying thing was that the ride was taking longer than expected.  It was about 7 minutes until my train when I realized that we were definitely NOT going to make it!  Others on the bus were becoming agitated as well, but there was nothing we could do about it!  Sweet Nick looked up the train schedule for me and found that there would be another train about an hour and a half later, which was not ideal, but at least there would be a train!  So, we finally arrived around 5 or so minutes after our train was supposed to leave, and there was a MASS EXODUS off the bus and everyone was rushing to grab their things.  I had to pee so badly, but there was no time for these things; not until we saw if the train was still there.  So, as we were all running into the station, they were announcing that the Cosenza train was leaving soon!  So, I was slightly freaking out because the train was on Binario (platform) 2, which meant I was searching for the sottopassaggio, which takes you under the platforms.  Then, I saw all of the Italians jumping down on to the train tracks to get to the train.  So, if all of your friends jump off a bridge, would you do it to?  Hmm...this time...YES!  So, when in Sibari, I did as the Italians did...I jumped down on to the tracks with my luggage, and then boarded the train!  It was somewhat crowded, and the lady I was sharing space with was not willing to share much of that space.  Then, the train was so miserably hot all the way to Cosenza, that I thought I would throw up.  I talked to Nick on and off, and then finally arrived in Cosenza. 

I only had to wait for the bus in Cosenza for like 5 minutes.  Then, when I tried to pay for the bus, the guy told me not too! So sweet!  Thanks guy, for saving me that euro!  There was a stop right by my apartment, which I never knew existed, and so then I was home. 

When I arrived at home, I found the garbage that had been there for almost a week...annoyed that she was here all weekend...filling it up more...plus, she is here most of the day, every day, I was so annoyed.  So, I left it there...(and I ended up leaving it there until my friend Andrea came on Thursday)...but I just could not believe it!  She has NEVER, not once, taken out the garbage. While annoyed, it could OBVIOUSLY be TEN TIMES WORSE!!   So, I had oatmeal for dinner, with an apple and some tea;  I planned some lessons...talked to Nick...looked around on facebook...talked to my momma...talked to April...skyped with Nick....went to bed!!!!!!!!!

THe perfect picture....

The morning was basically spent just relaxing and sleeping.  David and Lindsay were the first to be at the train station, so Mattea walked them there while Nick got ready to leave.  Nick and I then went for a walk to see a church he heard was beautiful, Santa Croce.  It really was beautiful, though the front was in scaffolding.  They were about to have mass, but we were able to walk around and see some of the inside.  It is Baroque style, which is very ornate and beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

So then Mattea met us near the McDonald's, and we had 20 minutes to get Nick to the train station before his train left in like 16ish...so, we booked it to the train station.  Mattea ran off to get Nick one of the traditional treats from Lecce, and we walked to his platform.  She came running up with it, and he was able to eat it while he waited to get on the train that was not leaving just that minute.  Then, as he had to get on the train, he picked me up to hug me!  Mattea tried to get a picture, but then made us do it again, and this was the result...one of my favorite pictures of all time!

So, Nick boarded his train, it pulled away, and Mattea and I started making our way back to her apartment.  We stopped to get one of the pasticciotto from "the best place", which was actually a place Nick and I tried to peek our heads into to get him something to eat, but left with nothing.  So, we ate and walked, and took a few pictures on the way back to her hotel.

 

We made it back to the apartment, sat and talked to Andrea and Zeno a bit, and then we headed out to find some lunch before they had to leave for Rome.  We went to this place Mattea had been wanting to try, and this guy came up and was trying to sell us bracelets and stuff, and when we would not buy them, he called us racists.  We moved inside, ordered our food, waited a while, finally got our food, ate (pretty decent food...had a caprese salad with a ton of meat...Zeno finished off my lunch for me), and then we left.  We went and saw the Piazza Duomo and Zeno and Mattea were messing around and having fun...or getting beat up...here are the results:

We also saw the town symbol, the wolf.  If you step on it, you will fail your exams!

Me, Mattea, & Andrea

We got some pastries that Andrea wanted to try and headed back to the apartment.  We all tried some and then they had to go to the train station.  First, we watched some wedding dress shows...that was funny!  So, we walked them to the train station, and then we did a little "sightseeing"!  She showed me some of the beautiful things in Lecce, we walked to the shopping area, we peeked in some stores, and just our time walking around.  It was so nice to just walk and talk with Mattea; I love that girl! 

 SO, we went back to the apartment, rested a bit, then eventually went to dinner with her friends.  On our way there, my momma called to say that she is going to Brazil on a mission trip!  Then, we had sandwiches for dinner...it was good!  Her two friends were really sweet, and the restaurant was an old theatre, so I loved that.  Then we went back and she worked on a lesson plan and we went to sleep!

American Day

First, if you watch this video, and skip to 18:00, you can see all of us looking very American!  Haha!
http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-e3fc6c7a-f0cf-4747-84a2-3ff55bc9c9ee.html

The morning started out with 7 people, one bathroom, and limited mirrors, trying to get ready.  It really was not bad at all.  We were all able to shower, get dressed, eat some fruit, gather our things, and get out the door in a timely manner.  I thought it was pretty impressive!  We had to stop and meet Tiffanie, another Fulbright ETA who lives in Norway.  Mattea's teacher meet her somewhere and invited her for this day! She was really sweet, and while we were waiting, the guys had fun with an antique car nearby!

 
Our boys are so silly...and brilliant...and sweet...all the reasons we love them!

So, "American Day" was being held in a beautiful building in Lecce, and one of the rooms was set up for our presentations, complete with American flags and all!  First we greeted Mattea's teacher, Patrizia, who organized this whole thing.  We met some people, put all our things in chairs, and began preparing our presentations for later (on the computer, etc).  We greeted James and Antonella, and quickly caught up with them.  The plan was for the principal, James, and a lady who has a website about linking Puglia (region of Italy where Lecce is located) to the U.S., and then the girls would give their presentations.  I followed some of the Italian being spoken by the others, but I will not lie...I definitely tuned out for a lot of it!  There was a film crew there prior to the start, which you can see by the link at the top!  David took pictures of our presentations, which I was thankful for; David and I Always have our cameras.  Here is a taste of what Fulbrighers do for fun....

 

Andrea and her boyfriend Zeno

 

James R., our consulate guy

Lindsay was first up.  She was talking about the schools in the U.S./businesses involvement in them/"No Child Left Behind"/McDonald's...okay, I joke about the McDonald's, but she did use them as an example a lot...Lindsay is a very entertaining public speaker!  She called children, "muffins" and I thought we were all going to die of laughter.  It was so much fun!  Lindsay is knowledgeable and passionate about education, and it is infectious.  James did not seem to agree with Lindsay's viewpoint, but I suppose we are all entitled to our own opinions. 

Andrea was next. Andrea spoke about 100 years of immigration, particularly in the Northeast.  I really enjoyed her presentation and found the information quite interesting.  She made some good points about how our heritage does not always determine how we define ourselves (i.e. just because you have German and Italian in your heritage, does not mean that you will identify with both.  You will identify with the one you choose, or your family most identifies with.).  This is not an issue for me because my family does not really identify with any particular cultural heritage...we are "American" I suppose!  This was really hard for the Italians to understand when I first arrived here.  They assumed that because my "surname" (last name) was tied to a particular country/culture, that I identified with this, and proclaimed it boldly.  This however is not the case, and is not the case with many people I know.  Are we slowly moving away from this?  Or, are we moving away from this in areas that are not heavily populated by group of people identifying with a particular heritage (e.g. Italians, Greeks, etc).  Anyway, I found Andrea's information very thought provoking; for me personally anyway!

I was up next...okay, so they talked about these insightful, slightly more academic things...and I...I talked about something that is near and dear to my heart... 

ALABAMA FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Umm...Roll Tide!  So, Patrizia was wanting us to keep it short, so I gave the basics of the game...offense, defense, quarter back, running vs. throwing the ball, touchdown, field goals, etc. etc.  THEN...I of course educated them about the fact that we are the best...we have15 national championships, Bear Bryant is our famous coach, crimson/White/houndstooth, "Roll Tide!!", elephants, Nick Saban, and I am pretty sure that I emphasized MANY times that we are the best!  I did, a bit reluctantly, explain the the National Championship has been won by a team from the state of Alabama for the past four years, but I was also sure to explain that we are still THE BEST!  I also ended with Roll Tide...they got a kick out of me mentioning crimson and houndstooth, and that I really did not intend to dress in that...it's just natural.  No?? So, I did my best to educate this small group of Italians about REAL football...American football! ;) 

 
The greatest thing for me about this presentation was that I prepared the PowerPoint on Thursday night...and did not look at it again until I was standing up there to talk!  Meanwhile, I NEVER got nervous....did not worry about what I was going to say or would it go well...I just did it...and let go...and you know what, I felt like it went really well!  I made them laugh a bit, but I definitely should have made them repeat after me, "Roll Tide!!!"  Though, I will not try to hid it; I most certainly ended the presentation with, "Roll Tide!!" 

Later, a few of the teachers told me that they enjoyed the presentation and that they could tell I was excited and enthusiastic about football, and it made it interesting to listen to!  Yay!!  One said that my enthusiasm was contagious.  These comments made me happy because public speaking is something I am still getting accustomed to, but I am becoming more comfortable with it with every passing day. 

Mattea was next.  Mattea was presenting about NY...no, not NYC.  She was talking about how New York is more than NYC, and gave some pretty mean quotes about this....haha...jk...but I still love NYC, and it is #1 in my heart!!  No, really though, her information was really interesting and Mattea is an engaging public speaker!  Plus, I heart her...so I am biased anyway!  However, her students and teachers seem to love her, which I had no doubt about.  Mattea did a wonderful job, and it was fun to hear her talk about her hometown/state. 

After Mattea, there were a few more things said, and then we had a coffee break. We went to a nearby bar and Patrizia, Mattea's teacher was very kind to buy us coffee and snacks.  I was starving by then, but split a pastry thing with Nick and had some water.  I wanted that rocking awesome strawberry juice, but they did not have any!  So, we had some laughs...and Nick got everyone else's opinion about the word lawyer.  I say, "lawyer" and all of the yankees and Nick say, "loiyer".  Just kidding...they aren't yankees...Anyway, I do think their way of saying it sounds funny!  So, we had a few laughs, but then we had to get back to "American Day". 

Tiffanie was next, and she gave a brief talk about American food, and her Korean food that she makes (she is from there...Korea...I think...oops).  Next up were the boys. 

Nick was first.  Nick is such a natural born public speaker.  He commands a room and does a wonderful job of explaining things to others, and is so confident when he stands up to speak.  I really enjoy watching him and listening. He talked about one of his favorite subjects...me!  ;)  KIDDING...he talked about "The Blues".  He gave some history, information, and artists.  The audience seemed to be really engaged and interested in what he was saying; no surprise though.  He is so knowledgeable about this, and he clearly loves it, so it makes it a bit infectious.  Some of the adults were telling him what a natural born teacher he is!  I agree...he is going to be so good at what he does later in life...lawyer. 

David was last.  David talked about urban education.  Again, he is so knowledgeable and a great public speaker.  David had to move quickly, but I was interested in what he was saying.  It is really sad how the money for schools are distributed, with the students who are in the lowest rung of the social ladder getting the least amount of monetary assistance, while the higher SES students getting the most money.  It seems to me that we need to strike a balance here.  Ahhh dreaming...okay, time for me to wake up! 

After David, some other things were said by the Italians, and then we started saying goodbye to every one.  Oh, a group of Mattea's students played some of the traditional Lecce/Puglia music, and it was fun!  Sounded a little similar to some of the music I've heard here in Calabria.

James pulled Mattea and me aside to offer us an opportunity to nominate one of our students for a grant that sends them to the U.S. for a week to do an international project thing in North Carolina.  So, that is fun, and I have two students in mind. 

Andrea, Tiffanie, Me, Lindsay, Nick, David, Mattea, & James

Lunch was AH-MAZING.  We went to a really nice place in Lecce and tried all sorts of apperativo type items and then had some good pastas.  We had wonderful wine, conversation, and just a great time in general.  The appetizers were things made of cheese, veggies, bread, and all sorts of yumminess. We had two different kinds of pastas, and one was the pasta with chickpeas that Rosina made....ROSINA'S WAS BETTER.  I could not even eat this one!!  So, we sat around and talked...the Lecce women were sure to tell me that I was the unluckiest of all the ETA's because Cosenza is ugly and Calabria is a bad place to be.  I was a little sad that they were saying these things, but I explained that I was really enjoying it and that I loved the people.  So, we paid way to much for the food...and then headed back to Mattea's apartment.

We walked through a garden, and then went to the apartment for a while.  We relaxed, rested, talked, drank wine, talked about our day...talked about a million and one things.

Laaaaaaater that night we went to dinner with Tiffanie, and one of Mattea's students, Gianluca.  We walked around a bit, and put our name on the list at a pizza place nearby.  We then went to see some of the Roman ruins and the Duomo at night.  Lecce really was a beautiful place.

I loved the true "center" of the town and all of the people out.  I loved that Lecce had a ton of eating places/restaurants that looked good...something I think Cosenza is lacking...obvious eating places/obvious "good" restaurants.  Gianluca gave us some history of the place...and we walked for a bit.  We still ended up waiting outside the restaurant for a while, and huddling near the heater...my momma called, and talked to Nick...and we finally got our table.

The table was a bit cramped, but the food was really good!  I had a "salad" and then there was this thing of cheese with couscous on top and holy cow my meal was great!  Nick had a good pizza, and some I tried some of it!  We had random conversations...random cultural conversations, and eventually left.

We all went back to Mattea's and crashed basically...it had been a wonderful day full of laughter, which is the best part!

So, we were the token Americans, but it went well. Ohh, and Tiffanie, the ETA from Norway, was sure to inform us that, "you Italian ETA's are crazy!!"  Ummm...thank you?? I think it's just that we have this great dynamic and all get along and have fun together.