To school with AP

My first day in Gubbio started off pretty rough!  I was feeling terrible, and had to delay going to school with Anna Paola for an hour.  Nick had to go to his other school, with Marina.  So, I met AP at school at 9.  Well, first I had trouble getting out of Nick's courtyard and had to call him for help!  I talked to him for a few minutes, and then he had to go teach again.  Then I met AP at school!  Her class was awesome!  They were so sweet, talkative, and really good at speaking English!  They asked me questions, and we just talked.  We talked about where I was from..how I met Nick...and some other random things.  THEN...the classroom door opened, and it was NICK!!!!!!!! I was so excited to see him!  The students all started asking us to kiss!  Haha...only in Italy!  We didn't, but it was cute!  So then we both did some talking...Nick then sat down.  We talked about state flags, where we live, etc. etc.  One boy asked me what my favorite place in Gubbio was, and I told him I did not know the name, and told him to ask Nick.  I found out later that Nick told him to ask that question! Of course my favorite place in Gubbio is la piazza e' nostra!!  So, we had a great hour, and it was fun to be with Anna Paola.  She is so incredible!  When this class was over, she had to go teach, and so Nick and I went to get some coffee/hot chocolate at his regular cafe before going back to his apartment to finish some laundry! 

We went back to school at noon to watch one of AP's older classes do presentation.  We were in a computer lab, and Nick and I discovered what it is like to be a bored Italian student in the back of a computer lab.  I did not really understand the Italian, and the English part was about Canterbury Tales, which I care nothing about...sooo....we doodled, wrote notes to each other, googled Chaucer (and I had memories of having to memorize the first 15-20 lines...and silently goofed off.  We were attentive enough to make comments at the end, especially Nick (in Italian).  We were just doing an experiment to see how our students feel.  haha...oh well..

After this, we waited with AP, and then went to her house for lunch, like Nick does every Wednesday.  Her oldest daughter cooked.  She made some wonderful pasta with pest (my favorite), veggies, and some AH-MAZING chicken!  THe lunch was wonderful, and it was so much fun to hang out with AP and her daughter.  We talked about all sorts of things.  AP has a really nice apartment as well! It is really spacious, but full of fun books, games, etc.  She has a younger daughter who is 6.  She was at school, but I am going to her school on Friday to observe because it is a Montessori school; hopefully I will meet her then! After we ate, Nick and I had conversation with Annalisa and her friend who came to talk.  We talked about sooo many things, including senior pranks in U.S. high schools.  I told them about the senior prank that happened my sophomore year when they put the car in the tunnel at school...I'm still rather impressed with that.  We talked about the Cheri, the event we are all going to Gubbio for in May, and many other things.  It was a lot of fun! Anna Paola left to go get Luisa Giulia, the 6 year old, but then called to say that LG went home with a friend and she would be out shopping.  So,  after a bit, Nick and I left.

We went to the grocery store to get breakfast things and stuff for dinners.  Then we took it all home and rested. 

Then we had to meet the principal of the Montessori school in Gubbio that we were seeing on Friday.   This school is in the same building as the library, and it was an old Monastery.  It took them a few minutes to find us, but then she took us into a room and asked some questions.  She wanted to know why I was interested, was I a Montessori teacher, etc.    NIck had to play translator quite a bit because I was really nervous, and I did not understand her that wel.  I did not get a great vibe from her from the beginning.  I think she, like the principal at the one school, was super disappointed that I was not fluent in Italian. 

WHen we left there, Nick informed me that their plan was to show me around the school and then "interview" me about American approaches, American Montessori, etc.  I tried to be VERY clear that I am not an American Montessori teacher...but I did not succeed apparently.  Then he told me that they wanted to have someone film this...ummm...no! 

Anyway, so we went home...relaxed...talked...laughed...and eventually made dinner. First we went to la piazza e' nostra!!  

We took the wine we had opened, and though we had not ordered chilled wine, chilled wine we got!  We danced a little bit to some music, took some pictures, and when we could not stand the cold any longer, we went home.  It was so cold that I had on: shirt, fleece, columbia, and then Nick's North Face...itw as cold...oooh...and my 2 gloves and toboggan...thus why I look like a snow beast in the pictures!

 

 

Tonight people were respectful of the fact that la piazza e' nostra, and we had it all to ourselves!  Once we were too cold, we went back to the apartment, made dinner, and had a wonderful candlelight dinner, which Nick did all by himself!  So sweet!  He's a keeper I think!

 Nick was so sweet and surprised me with a candlelight dinner.  He made dinner while I talked to Erin with skype phone!  ERIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love my Erin thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiss much!!  He closed the kitchen door, and I had NO idea what he was doing in there!  So, when it was time for dinner, he opened the door (I had already hung up with Erin), and he had a dinner waiting on me!  Guarda: