Thrown for a Loop

My morning started out with breakfast and the news again.  They did a story about the party I saw being set up at that museum the other day!  It made me smile to know I had seen it!  The strange thing about the news here is that they have newscasters, but the camera is busy looking at a newspaper that has been circled with red markers and someone is running a pen along the headlines as the newscaster is reading them!! I don’t know what the exact purpose behind this is, but I have a few guesses:

1.      Accents and dialects are so different, that they feel the need to show the actual words so that others can understand

2.      The Italian language was “standardized” MUCH later than it was being spoken (thus again related to the dialects thing)

3.      For people with hearing issues, they can read along with the newscaster; though closed captioning would solve this

So, these are just guesses, but I intend to ask. 

I got dressed and was headed to school to have the IT guy look at my computer.  I realized I did not have a ticket for the bus, and could NOT find the tabacchi to buy one. I panicked for a quick minute and then looked in my wallet to see that I might not even have enough money for two tickets anyway!  PANIC SET IN!!  Then I decided to tackle the whole paying on the bus thing that I had seen others doing!  I patiently waited on the bus to arrive and got on with confidence…pushed the same button the others had pushed, and guess what?!?! It worked AND it is 20 cents cheaper…thus I will save money and not have to stress about finding a tabacchi anymore!! Woo Hoo!!!

When I arrived at school I knew I would have to navigate things alone, without a translator, because they were in school and I could not stay longer than having my computer looked at.  When the headmistress had the IT guy come to meet me…I was shocked at how much the IT guy type translates into Italian.  He had on jeans and a polo that was VERY similar to a favorite polo that Mike used to wear; he also had the somber attitude of Craig that made me want to say, “act like you’re happy about life!” The way I say it to Craig!!  However, he then took me to Angelino so that we would have a translator.  He took apart the bottom of the computer and discovered that it is in fact the hard drive that  has crashed!  He explained that I could just use the school’s computer and get a new one when I went home!  He also said I could buy a hard drive and it would be cheaper to do it online!  So, with all of that behind me, including a conversation with Angelino about the students’ protest, I thanked the headmistress and started down the hill to the bus stop! 

What I learned:  So apparently there are two types of student demonstrations.  First, they can occupy the schools.  This is where they get into the schools and stay there day and night.  They either do not let the teachers in, or they do, but do not have school!  The second type is where the students direct the daily schedule at school.  They plan activities/debates/etc about different topics and they direct the day.  The teachers have to be there to make sure they “stay on task”, but have little to no authority!  Angelino also told me that he had googled me and read about my Fulbright and the work I did with children.  He wanted to know why they put me with high school students. 

I went home and had lunch and worked on my power point. 

I skipped out on meeting Luca because I was working on my power point and packing.  These were both more important to me…sorry Luca; school comes first ….and no, you do not actually miss me!  I’m over it!

After a while of working on my stuff, I decided that I needed internet.  I went to the hotel and worked on blogs, played on facebook, and stuff.  I also got an email from Fulbright telling us what they wanted in our slideshow presentations, and so I naturally freaked out!  I’d already skyped with April for a bit about it and had been feeling good about my presentation…until the email!  So, I panicked a bit and then avoided.  I avoided by talking to Mrs. Malissa on skype phone, talking to Maria on skype phone, and I was able to talk to Erin on facebook which is a rare and amazing treat!!!  I miss my people…

At some point I talked to Lila (landlord) and she said that the modem should arrive at the end of the week and that my mom can call my Italian landline for free (for me), and since her cell plan allows for free landline calls, it is free all around.  They said that they would come check for the modem, so hopefully it will be here by the time I return from Rome!!!  I stayed at the hotel waaaayyyy too long and decided to just readjust the power point on the train tomorrow morning. 

I went home and had dinner…it was yummy! 

I finished packing, showered, and went to bed.  A nothing day really, but I am excited for Rome! 

The smells that dominate

Today was a rather “nothing” day.   I woke up early, ate breakfast in bed, but had a text from my momma saying that we had in fact beaten Tennessee!! Roll Tide!! I love to wake up to that news!!  I sat down in the new living room to write some and my momma called.  When I opened the balcony doors inside the new living room the most wonderful smells were coming from the apartment across the way!  It smelled slightly of peppers, but mostly just smelled AMAZING!! I killed some time writing and taking care of household things.  It was eventually late enough that I was hungry for lunch.  I ate, and then I set out to walk for a bit!!  I decided to be Uniquely American and went out in t-shirt, tempos, and tennis shoes.  It was so warm outside and this seems to be my typical Sunday outfit….like by Sunday I just need to relax into a bit of the familiar! 

My walk was good.  People were just getting out of church and so there were floods of people coming from the doors and out onto the streets.  There were people in the few bars that were open, and you could hear the clinking of the glasses.  I of course got many strange looks for my outfit of choice, but I really did not care!!!  I saw so many sweet older ladies walking arm-in-arm and it was so sweet to see and is just endearing how they support each other (physically, socially, emotionally, etc).  I walked for about an hour and a half.  I discovered some preschools, took pictures of random things like parks and statues, and just enjoyed the process of getting to know the layout of the city!

Restaurant from last night

Elementary and Pre- schools

Once I made it to Corso Mazzini (main street) I could smell the most wonderful food!!  It was early enough that there were people out walking and chatting with each other.  There were children learning to ride bicycles, men pushing strollers (no moms in sight…strange to see soooo much of this), and this one sweet little girl was playing with a leaf that had fallen to the ground.  I walked to the “best” gelato place (according to Lilla) and treated myself to some gelato.   I made my way back to the apartment and once again was greeted with the smells of amazing food!!! 

I started writing some more, and trying to get used to the different Microsoft word…the Microsoft work I Italian…where bold is a G and underline is an S.  I washed clothes, even though it is more expensive to do during the day, but I knew I had to give them time to dry, and I boiled some eggs (not doing them as well as I did the first time…oh well).  Then it was time to go to the hotel. 

On my way there I saw the funniest thing…a man texting and riding a bike!  It looked rather difficult, but he seemed to have mastered it.  Last night I saw a girl texting and driving…a stick shift…though I suppose it was no more unsafe than not having lines on the road. 

I had a cappuccino at the hotel and was able to talk to my Avery girls, my momma, and April. 

I had decided that I could not go with Luca tonight because I had too much to do and it was made worse when I got on the Fulbright page on facebook and started feeling more pressure about the presentations we had to do! I’d spent a large portion of my afternoon creating mine and practicing what I would say, as not to stumble over my words!  I had cancelled on Luca at this point and he kept trying to reschedule, but I just had too much to do!  I am not one to sacrifice my responsibilities and things I want to be done well for a social thing.  I felt bad, but not too bad actually!  I had explained that I had a lot to do for Rome, a presentation to make, my computer had crashed so I had to make an extra trip to school Monday, etc. etc.  Then he got on skype and was pissed to see that I was on there and said that he thought my computer was broken and he was acting all crushed and kept telling me that he missed me. 

Okay, this is where I was getting annoyed.  Not just with him, but with the fact that I cannot communicate well and thus could not actually communicate what all I had to do and how stressed it was beginning to make me.  He also does not really know me and therefore does not fully understand why I am here in the first place and how seriously I take school/work stuff.  It was beginning to annoy me that he keeps saying he misses me…you don’t know me…how can you truly miss me!?!?!  The whole “it’s romantic and foreign and sweet” thing was beginning to wear off.  I miss my family…and I miss my friends…but I miss them because I know them and they know me and we have genuine things to miss!!!  I was nice about it, but my inability to fully explain left things hanging. 

I eventually went home and made veggies, some pasta, and chicken!

It was amazing!!! I was once again sitting down to eat at 9pm.  WHAAA??  I watched the X-Factor for lack of anything else.  It was, um….interesting.  One of the judges was yawning and the camera tried to quickly cut away, but it was still visible.  Their outfits were hilarious.  One girl had on the most hideous houndstooth dress…no, really!  Not all houndstooth is good.  She even took her shoes off when she was finished singing and had walked over to the Italian Ryan Seacrest type guy!  I was shocked…it was weird. 

Thus ended my nothing day.  I read and went to sleep! 

Bible study tonight was about false humility; about how when we are either overly confident or we are self-deprecating, neither glorifies God.  Essentially, either way you are focusing on the self.  I found this very interesting because it asked how you take compliments about your successes, abilities, etc.  Even when you are not prideful, but you downplay things or you speak negatively, or allow yourself to feel inferior to others, you are still focused on the self and not what God can do in and through you!   WOW! Eye opening and something I needed to hear, think about, and pray about.  The Fulbright experience has been testing me in the way that I feel inferior to my other Fulbrighters and often feel like a fraud.  Feeling this way is not acknowledging that God placed me in this position and He has laid the groundwork for it.  Allowing myself to feel inferior or a fraud is essentially saying that God made a mistake…and He makes NO mistakes!!  In life in general it is like stating that I am the one in control of these things, when really He is.  This is a daily battle, but man what a reminder!!!  

Assumptions make...

This morning I was on a mission:  get to school so that I could have a laptop!!! I ate breakfast, got dressed, and headed out the door to TIM to get more minutes on my phone.  Of course, they were not open yet, so I walked the 10 minutes back to the bus stop (good exercise I suppose).  While I was on the bus, the new bus that the headmistress suggested because it gets to school quicker (thank goodness), Valeria called.  She said that the school technician at Fermi could look at my computer when he arrived and she would call me then.  I am so grateful for all of the help that is being offered to me. 

When I arrived at the school (Valentini) I went straight to the teachers’ room to see if I could find a familiar face!  Thank goodness Lilla was sitting there.  She and another teacher took me immediately to the bar for a cappuccino to get the morning started.  Then, they took me to a private room where one of the teachers has a computer and no students are allowed to come in.  I was so grateful and I sat and answered some emails and such and ate my yummy apple for a snack.  Lilla went to class, but then came and got me so that we could go see the president about the laptop they were going to let me borrow!!!  I was excited to understand some of what the headmistress (preside) said to me!  Lilla and I sat there and talked to her for a few minutes while the IT guy went to get the laptop set up, etc.  He told us to come back a bit later to get it because he was going to make sure everything I needed was on it!  The headmistress and Lilla were discussing some of the topics I was going to do and they both told me that bullying among teenagers does NOT exist in their school, or in Cosenza; given an experience I had later in the day, I would beg to differ. 

I eventually went to class with Lilla.  I talked to the students about how our schools are so different: we are not allowed to eat in the hallways/classrooms, there is no gum allowed, the noise level is significantly different, and we are not allowed to have PDA (they are all over each other here…). 

The lesson that day was supposed to be about healthy eating, and something they had read about it!  However, Lilla jumped topics every two minutes and so we covered numerous things.  They said that they think Americans speak faster than Italians…um, I beg to differ!  Though I suppose it has more to do with not understanding the other language and therefore feeling like it is too fast!  They told me stories about the headmistress and how she speaks in dialect and how she has NO desire to learn English and will often just walk away from someone speaking English!  They asked me about how long the medical school process is in the U.S. and told me that Saturday afternoons are VERY important to them because that is when they hang out with friends. 

In random conversation Lilla told them that I was from Alabama…you know, the home of slavery, civil rights and racism.  Then she turned to me and said, “tell them what you think of Obama!!” Well all right then…no transition.  They said that they believe he fights for the American people.  I simply let them express their ideas to me.  The topic of September 11^th was also brought up.  They asked me about my experience, and it was weird that they are the same age now as I was then!  I told them about being in class and taking a test.  They asked if I was afraid and if my parents were afraid.  Lilla had me explain that I watched the second plane fly into the 2^nd tower and then we watched the towers collapse live on tv.  I explained that most of our day was spent in silence at school, and that yes, we were all very afraid and unsure of what this meant!  A few of them told me that they were watching cartoons when the news interrupted to tell them of the events.  It was strange that they had memories.  This was the first time I’d even spoken with a non-American about the events of that day! I’ve had many conversations with people from around the United States about their story from that day and how it made them feel, but never a non-American.  I was surprisingly very emotional while talking about it; I had chills and at one point I had that weird lump in your throat you get when something is emotional! 

Lilla told me that her 5^th year class was talking about September 11^th today, something in their textbook, and asked if I wanted to come with her later to that class.  I said YES, but then headed to the computer room for the in-between time. 

When I headed to Lilla’s 5^th year class…I was in for an interesting experience.  The students are organizing for a demonstration next week.  They were very loud, and one group of boys kept leaving class at will and paying no attention to Lilla.  She even had to put one of them out, but he kept coming back.  There was a small group of students interested in talking to me! They were sweet and asked some different questions than I’ve had so far!  They asked me how old I was when I had my first “love”, or boyfriend…haha…they were shocked to find out it lasted from 15 until I was 23.  When we finally got around to September 11^th, they told me that they were 7 years old and remember watching cartoons when the news interrupted with the news (consistent experiences between the two classes).  There was once again a sort of spokesperson of the group who spoke in English and translated for his friends.  This boy kept apologizing for the group of boys that were disrupting. 

A few of the students informed me that ALL Americans are fat and eat only fast food; apparently a common stereotype of us!   

**Okay, now I understand that this is a stereotype that others have of Americans, but they continued to insist upon this matter even when I said, “really you think ALL Americans are fat!?!?”  Umm hello…I’m standing right here in front of you, as plain as day….I am American and you know this…and I am NOT fat…and you still want to insist that ALL Americans are fat?!?  They supported this idea with the fact that the news reports America as the #1 country for obesity!  Again, I understand that, but this was like me saying, umm…I can’t think of an equivalent at the moment.  I found myself becoming very defensive of the U.S.  Now, I do understand that we are not as healthy as we should be, but come on guys….a healthy American is standing in front of you…open your mind to new truth!!!**

The rowdy boys gathered around Lilla in the back of the room while I went over to talk to the students who were interested in talking.  Then Lilla informed me that the boys wanted to sing me a traditional Calabrian welcoming song as an apology for being so rude (her words, not mine).  It was hilarious…I told them that I would only forgive them if they would let me video the song.  The agreed with increased enthusiasm.  It was loud and funny and ended with banging tables and jumping around.  After they left class we went to get the computer from the IT guy. 

Lilla was sweet enough to take me home.  She gave me the phone number for a lady at the church where the Canadian lady goes; I am excited to look in to this!!   YAY!!  Riding in a car around here is interesting…there are rarely lines on the roads to divide the lanes or sides of the road.  You just have to hope that the other drivers respect the “rules”; which they do not always do!! It makes for an interesting trip every time. 

When I got home I had the shock that I had been waiting for…I noticed that the balcony room door was closed, the kitchen doors to the outside were open (not something I’d done), and one of the other rooms was left open.  Then I noticed the furniture had been moved…and there was a note letting me know that a roommate would be moving in.  Well, this was the straw that broke the already emotional camel’s back..I called my mom and melted down on her!  I cried…I gave my thoughts about having a roommate…I insisted that I must come home and that I was done with this whole thing; I was tired of Italy and was coming home because I did NOT want a roommate! **To those who think I’m dramatic…not that I am denying it…but this was prime “Elyse is so dramatic” material!!** I eventually hung up and tried to GET.IT.TOGETHER!  It took me a while to really calm down and proceed with my random chores. **P.S. thanks for all of the facebook reminders of how God works all things for my good!  He has a plan and he has not failed me yet!!**

There were some amazing smells in the stairwell of the apartment building on my way out to go to the hotel.  Thanks to the generosity of the people at the school I had a computer and a webcam!!  I was able to talk to my momma and daddy, and then April.  I talked for a bit, wrote some emails, etc. etc.  However, it was getting late and I had to go home to shower and get ready for dinner with Virginia, Lilla, and their friends. 

When I got home Ernesto was here installing the phone line.  He said that the modem should be here next week, which is good because I’ll be in Rome and then I should have internet when I return!  Ernesto closed the room he was working in and I showered and started getting ready for the evening ahead!  Lilla was coming to get me at 8:45 and dinner was at 9.  I chose to wear my black dress with brown boots, houndstooth scarf, and a cute headband.  I had a happy accident with my hair that can only be explained with a picture. 

I threw my stuff in a clutch and ran downstairs to wait on Lilla. 

When Lilla came I went out to meet her and she said that the restaurant is just around the “corner”…hard to explain, but I can almost see the restaurant from my apartment.  It was a cute place…a lot of wines everywhere; a nice place with a nice atmosphere.  Thus began a beautiful night!!! 

We had a reserved table, but first we talked to this other group sitting at a large table behind us!  They were all very sweet and excited to meet an American!  They spoke a little bit of English, but primarily tried to speak Italian that I could understand, and I did understand some!  Yay!! One lady who had been paying attention, but had not appeared to be paying attention, suddenly looked up and said, “You’re American?? What do you think of Obama??”  Ahh….the popular question of the day!  I just kind of shook my head and honestly just sort of brushed it off!!  I hate that it is my reaction, but I do not care to discuss politics; it is not something that I openly discuss at home, and so it is hard here to be bombarded with that question in such a direct manner.

We then sat down at our table and two couples arrived.  I asked Lilla where Virginia was, but she said that Virginia’s mom (who lives with her) was not doing well and so Virginia would not be able to come.  So, I sat down with Lilla, Rosa (teacher from school..not English), another lady (whose name I unfortunately cannot remember), and their husbands.  Thus began a wonderful dinner.  One of the men spoke a little bit of English and had fun trying to translate things, and had even more fun when I knew the word in Italian and taught him the word in English!  Cultural exchange right there!!  ;)  The other husband did not know any English, but was a very funny man!!  The one who knew English (whose name I do not know) was hilarious…by far my favorite.  They all knew the owners of this restaurant and the funny man, who Ill now refer to as…Friend…went through an elaborate process of ordering the wine!  He had the lady (owner) tell him all of the courses and they discussed (in rapid Italian of course) all of the wine options!  Once it was ordered, and arrived at the table, glasses were poured and the clinking of glasses all around the table signaled the beginning of dinner. 

The table had been set with these small bowls of what looked like croutons, and essentially were croutons, but BETTER!! Then the appetizers arrived right around 9 pm.  It was a huge chili pepper that had been almost like caramelized and was “sweet” (peppers are a staple in the Calabrian diet…and everything that says “Calabria” on it has chili peppers on it (Ill have to buy something for my Aunt Susan who LOVES chili peppers!).  The other two things on the plate were a mushroom that had been somewhat breaded and then this little “sandwich” thing that was “bread” with smaller mushrooms inside.  I do NOT eat chili peppers OR mushrooms, but I tried…EVERYTHING!! I was able to stomach the sandwich thing, and about 3 or 4 bites of the mushroom, and a few bites of the chili pepper.  Lilla said, “oooh nooo…you don’t eat mushrooms!” However, I DID try everything, as not to be rude!! 

The first (first) course was my favorite of the night.  It was risotto (rice) cooked in a pumpkin and amaretto sauce.  I am not HUGE on pumpkin, but OH MY GOSH…this was delicious.  I ate almost the whole plate…amazing…wanted to lick the plate actually, but rest assured that I did not! 

The second, first course (yes there were two first courses…new to me) was my LEAST favorite of the night.  When it arrived I thought something smelled odd, but could not put my finger on what it was.  So, trying to be a non-obnoxious “I don’t eat things” person, I tried it.  Once again I could not put my finger on what was wrong with it.  I’d only taken a bite of the noodle and broccoli, but could not stomach the flavor.  Lilla looked at me and said, “it’s sal…salmoneee…”.  I said, “SALMON?!?!??”  I’d already discussed with my new friends at the table that I would try anything I supposed, but I do NOT eat fish or any type of seafood.  I had to pass on the dish.  Unfortunately this did not go unnoticed by the owner lady!  I had to gracefully explain to her that I do not eat seafood!  She said she understood and she was sorry! I of course reassured her that it was no problem!  Friend did not really care for his either, and Lilla informed me later that she did not like this course. 

The second course, which is always the meat and veggies, was really good! It was like a steak type thing with this little serving of mixed veggies!  I loved it, and thankfully my meat had no pink, whereas the others had very pink insides!  God was watching out for me there!  ;)  By this time the table was on its second bottle of wine, but it was nearly midnight at this point.  The musicians had finally started playing and everyone settled in to listen and wait on dessert. 

Conversation was never ending at the table.  I understood some things, but when they would get excited and expressive (which they often do), I would have a hard time following some of it!  Lilla would translate some, but other thing I would just let go by me!  I did understand enough to genuinely laugh at some stories and Friend tried to say things in English if he knew them!  There was NO shortage of hand gestures (which I LOVE) and facial expressions!  One thing I noticed was that wives rolling their eyes at their husbands is a universal thing.  There is the Universal language of love I suppose, and they say a smile is universal, but apparently a wife thinking her husband is being crazy or has said something outrageous and rolling her eyes in response is also a universal language!  It cracked me up! 

When Lilla went outside for a bit, Friend tried to talk to me and was surprised and excited when I could respond and when I could give him the Italian words for what he was trying to say in English! In his efforts he made up a new word for “we”, which in Italian is “noi”…it is now, NOIO”.  He was dying laughing and it really was funny! He started telling me that next Sunday he was inviting me and Lilla to go to the beach with all of them.  He said that we would cook out, and they would have fish and I would have beef.  He said that as the old people they would just sit and I could bring my bathing suit and go swimming if I’d like.  His wife agreed and Rosa and her husband agreed.  I was beaming with excitement and on the inside I was SCREAMING with joy! 

Friend asked me about Obama, and when I was somewhat neutral, but had expressed that I did not particularly care for aspects of either candidate, he sat there deep in thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think Obama is a good president…do you want Burlusconi??” I laughed and said, “nah!!”  It was a funny and light hearted political moment…thank goodness! We talked about football and soccer, which I had to pull out my camera and show them the stadium and a play in progress picture in order to get them to understand that I was not talking about soccer! So weird…it is so much a part of who we are…and they don’t even know it is different than soccer!! 

The whole night was just one amazing Italian experience!!!  Dessert came around 12:20ish and it was this cream with chestnut…or something!  It was good…sweet, but not too sweet!  

The singer was beautiful and had a beautiful voice.  She alternated between singing in Italian and Portuguese.  We listened for a while and then they were ready to leave.  They were so kind to pay for my dinner and it was just a wonderful, wonderful evening.  They walked me home…practically just across the street and we stood there confirming our plans to go to the beach Sunday.  Friend encouraged me not to forget! I wanted to say, “Friend…I am so excited and I hope that you don’t forget our plan!!!”

With hugs and handshakes behind us, I ran upstairs and they walked to their cars!  I called my momma to tell her about the wonderful evening.  I told her about all of the hand gestures and how I wish I could video them because they are so present in every conversation and seem to add so much meaning that I do not always catch!  I also told her that throughout the dinner I had been wanting to write everything down so I would remember.  I’’d also taken pictures of the food….which Rosa said, “OOOH we did that the whole time we were in Ireland for the school project!!”  So, I’m not the only one who takes pictures of my food…and it is not an American thing!!!  I’d also decided (and had texted him) that I would go with Luca the following evening.  I need to stop being my uptight self and learn to go with the flow.  I changed clothes and laid down in bed to read.  It had been a wonderful and EXTREMELY UNIQUELY ITALIAN EVENING!   

Impara con me:

Goloso- sweet tooth

Zucca- pumpkin

Computer

Hi friends!! 

This is just a quick blog to say that in case you do not have facebook and/or did not receive an email, my computer is dead!  The hard drive has most likely crashed!  I will be using a school laptop (thank goodness for generous/kind/giving/loving/understanding people), and will update the blogs as soon as I get them written.  I was in the middle of writing a blog when it happened, and I was feeling like it was one of my most descriptive blogs, so I am sad that it might be gone.  However, the blog I was writing and the pictures I have taken since Ive been here are the only things that were not backed up on TWO separate external hard drives (thanks to Mike and my daddy for teaching me the importance of backing up my information);one is here with me and the other is in the safety deposit box at home!  Thus, all pictures from the past 10 years of my life and documents are SAFE!!!

I surprisingly have remained VERY calm throughout this process.  I shed about 10 tears when I hung up the phone with my daddy and then decided that this too would be used for my good!  I used my extra time to go explore new parts of the city yesterday and I just kept praying all day that God would give me peace and calm nerves.  In that time, Virginia called to say that the headmistress said I could borrow a school laptop!  God is so good...He provides everything...even the seemingly insignificant things; though goodness knows that I do not consider a computer an insigificant thing.  However, in the grand scheme of life, IT IS!!  Things have worked out well and I have been granted means of communicating!! 

The next few blogs will most likely lack picutres, which is unfortunate because I have taken some good ones!  Once I am back on track Ill do a blog of just pictures or something!! 

Thanks for all the prayers and for sticking with me 

Staying Calm

The morning got off to a rough start when I was woken up by the men here to work on the elevator.  It was definitely like 6:30 when I first heard them, and when I finally gave up on the idea of sleep, I got up to eat breakfast and check on my computer.  While I ate, I started reading Emma inspired by my recent book I was reading.  Thank goodness I downloaded that NOOK thing that had like 25 classics, including 5 of the Jane Austen books.  Once I finished eating, I went over to try my computer.  Of course, it did the same thing it did last night, and so I picked up the phone and called home!  I was able to talk to my daddy and have him walk me through turning it back on and telling him what it was doing and what it had done last night.  His best guess, without being able to look at it, was exactly as I had suspected…hard drive crash!!!  Surprisingly, I was pretty calm while he was telling me this, and we hung up for me to get ready for school and begin problem solving.

After we hung up, and I was in the process of getting ready to go to the school to meet with Virginia, per our agreement yesterday evening, I shed about 10 tears out of frustration over the situation.  I use my computer for everything; communication, music, writing, movies, etc.  Thankfully, I backed everything up on my computer before I left the states, so there are TWO external hard drives containing all of my pictures and documents from the past 8-9 years or so!! Whew!  The only thing I was sad about was the blog I had been in the middle of writing, but I was thankful that this was my only concern (I have since realized that all of my iTunes are once again lost…I HATE that about Apple/iTunes….they really need to fix that system!!!  The amazing thing was that I shed the few tears, but then was overwhelmed with the voice of the Holy Spirit (Spirito Santo) saying, “I work all things together for you good!” The tears immediately stopped, and I went about my day with the attitude that everything IS worked for my good and what evidence do I have to the contrary? None!

I got dressed, walked to the bus stop, and headed to school.  When I showed up at school I called Virginia and she told me where to find her!  I sat at the desk while a student finished an oral presentation and read the new teaching plan that Virginia and Lilla came up with the night before.  It was right on track with my purpose and ideas about being here; I was excited to see that we were now on the same page!!  Once I was finished reading through the plan, I sat and listened to the student read her report about the Celtic population.  I have such a hard time hearing in those classrooms because they are echoey, the students do not speak very loudly (until they want to be rowdy), and the noise in the hallway only makes it worse.  I feel bad, but I cant understand half of what they are saying, and then I get worried when Virginia asks me to correct them; half the time I do not even know what they have said!  I should have gotten my hearing checked before I left!  :/  Once this girl was finished, Virginia gave them group work so that she and I could discuss the new plan and discuss what she was going to stand up and say in Rome. 

We discussed some of the topics that she and Lilla outlined the night before; things like American families & Italian families; who I am; where I am from; American traditions/values/holidays/etc; social issues with teens (drinking, bullying, etc); and Alabama history (which Lilla reminded me is basically slavery, civil rights, & racism).  **Let me just say, that I never thought I would move to Italy, only to find that they have the same stereotypes about Alabama, and people from there, that others have of us.  I want to scream at the top of my lungs, “THAT’S NOT ALL WE ARE KNOWN FOR…THAT’S NOT OUR ONLY HISTORY!!!”  Yes, I do understand that it is an important part of it, but it is not the only thing we should be known for!!! I seek to change this!!!**

I have also solved the mystery of the word “bullyism”.  In Italian, the word for bullying is bullismo.  If I am correct, I think –ismo translates into –ism, and thus, Lilla says bullyism!  Lilla also through in there the stuff I had said about football and soccer, which I want to talk about soon because it IS football season; something we are known for that is POSITIVE…well, for the most part!  Sorry to all of my Auburn readers…I love you…but we all know UA is the best!!! ;)  Come on, it’s football season…give me a break! ;)  Anyway, so I still hope to cover things like, “how The South is similar to Southern Italy”; I’d like to do something about NYC (geography, differences, lifestyle, tourism, etc); I’d like to do something with them about schools and see if I can get a handle on how some of these differences I am observing are viewed by the students themselves.  I am excited to get to know them, and I want to do topics that they are engaged in, and we can all learn from!! 

So, as Virginia prepared her notes, she turned to me and asked, “are you nervous about speaking in front of everyone?!?!?” Um, has she met me!?!?! ;)  Juuuusstt kidding…she hasn’t known me that  long!  Anyway, I said that I am always a little nervous, but that it has gotten better over the years!!  I told her that graduate school did a lot for helping me overcome some of those fears and anxieties!  She turned to me and said something like this:  I am nervous about these things too.  It isn’t my strong point, but I always have to remind myself that I am there for a reason, and so are they, and that reason is not to judge me or be in competition with me.  Unprompted, she said the words, “you have to remember that you are not being graded for this!” WOW…SHE DOES KNOW ME!!!! She continued to reassure me that it was going to be fine…her statements were so intuitive…reminding me of something I know and love who reminds me of these very same things (Maria).  In that moment, I felt like I could have just as easily been sitting in a quiet office in the CDRC just before a presentation or something with Maria reassuring me that everything was going to be fine!!  Funny how even thousands of miles away from home God gives you that voice of reason that speaks DIRECTLY to your needs!!!  Virginia also shared a quote that she heard from someone; it goes like this, “If you walk alone, you go faster; If you walk with a friend you go further!”  Love it…and so true!  I often have to remind myself that I am not alone, and I am not expected to do things alone! 

Lilla came in to look things over with us and Lilla was going to be making a power point presentation for Virginia to use!  So, Lilla whisked me away to her next class so that we could work together.  Upon arriving in her class, the first time I’d been to class with Lilla, I discovered my first group of rowdy, and somewhat obnoxious, teenage boys.  I would not call this culture shock because I am sure they exist all over the world…Ill call it…well, just shock!  Lilla encouraged me to introduce myself to them and allow them to ask questions.  They were very shy and so I offered up some information and they slowly started asking questions.  I asked them a few questions in return and from there we had a steady stream of off and on conversation. 

**Insert the details here:

1.      Conversation was not easy thanks to the group of boys who were constantly disrespecting Lilla and their classmates.  It was rather shocking actually, and I had a hard time hearing and concentrating on the students who did want to talk to me.

2.      There were about 5 or 6 of them who truly wanted to talk, but as I am finding out, there is always a spokesperson; the one who has the best English and translates for the others.  In this class it was a boy.  Then some of the girls became more vocal and towards the end I pulled up a chair and we all huddled around some desks and talked about different things.

3.      These students had little to know respect for Lilla and her authority.  Lilla kept telling me that they are not always like this and that they were just being stupid.

4.      Meanwhile, my group of girls were wanting to talk about all kinds of things.  We talked about favorite movies; actors (they mentioned Will Smith); they love OneDirection and were excited that I knew who they were (thank you Gracie and Sarah Mason Avery!!); they said they like Twilight, bleh…but also love Harry Potter, so they were redeemed!!; they like Coldplay; they love Gossip Girl, but it airs one season behind here…they were shocked when I said I had read the books…they did not know there were any books!; the class informed me that they do not consider Cosenza a touristy place and few had ever met an American; the cities in America that they knew the most about were: NYC, LA, Miami, Vegas, Chicago, and they named a few others; I learned that when you say something at the same time as a friend (jinx to us), they touch their noses and laugh (I had to ask what it meant). 

5.      I asked them why they were protesting these past few days (and come to find out they are doing it all next week as well).  They said that it was because next year they are going to have to pay so much more money to go to school and they think it is ridiculous; therefore, they aren’t going to class now.  Hmm…

Once this class was over, Lilla took me back to Virginia to tell her what she had worked on and to see if I could use a computer somewhere.  Virginia gave me a key to the computer lab.  As she was trying to give it to me, while in the hallway, I was a bit shocked about how her students were acting, and even her reaction.  The students are so different from my high school classes!! We would have been suspended so fast our heads would have spun around…think exorcist!  Virginia gave me and Lilla hugs and said she was very pleased with our work and that we were going to make a great team!  She’s so sweet, and I love people who are willing to hug and be affectionate! 

Before I headed to the computer lab, I asked Lilla if we could go down to the bar to grab something  to eat because I was starving.  She went down with me and there was very little left to choose from, so I had this “sandwich” thing that was like a flaky pastry type bread with cheese and ham in the middle and a water.  Lilla was so sweet to treat me to “lunch”, though I have a feeling it was just snack time for her…I just cannot get used to the Italian eating schedule yet!  Then I went to the computer lab to send some emails, etc.  I truly was quite calm about the entire computer situation, and it was so nice to be able to check email and send some emails letting some people know why I might not be able to blog, respond to emails, etc.  Two teachers stopped in a gave me these two little hard candies.  One was a cappuccino flavored candy and the other was this weird licorice thing that reminded me of some candy that April’s step-son Daniel had us try. 

When Virginia was finished with class, she came to get me from the lab.  She walked downstairs with me, and one of the other teachers offered to take me home! It was a weird ride home because this teacher doesn’t speak English, so it was a bit of a struggle for conversation, but I did the best I could!  Once again my vocabulary fails me, especially when I feel pressured…not that she was pressuring me, I just felt pressure to be able to communicate with her!  When I got home I ate some left over veggies to complete my lunch and sat down to read for a few minutes.  I decided that instead of sulking over my computer or anything, I would use the time wisely and go explore and FINALLY take my big camera out and take some pictures!! 

My first stop was the hotel where I checked facebook/emails before heading to the historical center.  As I made my way to the historical center, I took a few pictures, and stopped at the oldest gelateria again for some gelato before I began my climb!  I got a small cup of coffee & panna (basically cream) flavored gelato. It was amazing and gave me a quick sugar boost!  I decided to take a different road into the historical center, which I’m not sure if where I ended up is technically the historical center, but it had wonderful views of it!  My goal was this church that I have been seeing up on the hillside, and Lilla mentioned that it was beautiful!  I climbed and climbed…took random roads (all populated) and saw some places that I want to go back to; a few eating places that looked rather authentic!!  The views of the city from up here were spectacular!  They are much different than the other Italian cities I have visited, but beautiful in its own right; in fact, I like that it is not just a bunch of umm…the word…terracotta?? Roofs.  There is no tower (torre) to climb in Cosenza, at least not that I am aware of, so I imagine that where I was at the moment was one of the greatest places to view the city and the historical center.  It was wonderful!!!

Then I found the church!!  It was beautiful!  I was in awe once again of the detail in these churches!! There were depictions of Jesus carrying the cross, being nailed to it, and then being wrapped in the white linen to be laid in the grave!  No need for a depiction of anything else because He lives!  The church was spectacular…small by Italian standards I am sure, but I was able to go under the alter, in a back room where priests’ robes were hanging, into the courtyard area, etc.  The room with the robes felt so sacred and like I was not supposed to be there, but no one stopped me!  It was quiet and reverent inside!  I will just have to let some pictures do the rest of the talking for me!  It was a wonderful opportunity to stop and pray and thank Jesus for what He did for me!  So, here are some of my favorite pictures:

I wandered around some more, climbing random hills, taking a few random hills, trying to reach a higher point that appeared to have an even better view than what I had already been privy to a bit earlier.  While I was climbing, Virginia called!  She called to tell me that the headmistress was offering one of the school’s laptops for me to use and they would see if someone could look at mine!  WHAAAAA???? Immediately, even while she was talking, I started thanking God for taking care of even the smallest things; the thing that might seem insignificant to some, a computer.  She said that I could come to school tomorrow, because YES they have school on Saturday (THIS is a real reason to protest….), and pick up the laptop!  I was so so so so so so excited!! She asked where I was and when I said that I was in the historical center, she told me NOT to wander off the main road (oops…did that last week).  She said that she was born in the historical center (so was Lilla), and one day she would take me, but she didn’t feel that it was okay for me to wander around by myself (oops)!  So, after thanking her as much as I possibly could for this amazingly kind gesture, I hung up and was in awe of the building I had come upon! 

It was a museum.  I could see that it was just open for free wandering.  There were men sitting in the courtyard area, and since no one stopped me, I started looking around.  Museums are usually wasted on me, but I found some cool stuff here.  My favorite is this one:

It had no name, but I want to call it: stereotype.  I say this because it looks like a depiction of a stereotypical Italian woman.  Then, as I went through one door, there was a man working to restore a piece of art!  He began speaking to me, half in Italian and half in English once he discovered I was from the U.S.  He then took me to the men outside and told them to give me a tour of the other section of the museum; he explained that I was American, but I still understood my guide’s Italian…well, not ALL of it, but a good bit!!  I was able to see art by a famous Calabrian artist (Calabria is the region of Italy that I live in…I live in…I live in Italy…weird…).  The name was Mattia Preti.  I’ll just post some of the pictures I took and see the captions for more info. 

One thing I found myself thinking about while looking at this artwork was how people place the opening in Jesus’ side, from the spear, in slightly different locations!  I have never thought about it before, but these paintings had it a bit higher than I feel like it is normally depicted.  This was almost up by his, well, for lack of a better way to describe it, his nipple.  I feel like I usually see it much lower; perhaps just below the ribs.  Not that this is important in the grand scheme of life or anything, just an observation.  One day I’ll see for myself! 

Once we walked through everything, we took the elevator back down!  I took a picture of the page I signed when I first came in because I didn’t see any Americans.  I had a private tour of the museum and we saw a party being set up in the ballroom of the museum! I wanted to go; looked fancy and fun! 

After the museum, I started making my way back to the center of town.  I made my way through town taking pictures of everyone out for their passeggiata.

Pictures:

I stopped in some stores, and even found a place that sells black-eyed peas (literally “peas eyes” here).  I walked up to the front of the movie theatre to see what was showing and stuff, and omg the familiar smell of movie theatre popcorn is clearly NOT an American thing; not that I expected it to be, but it was such a familiar and wonderful smell!  I found out that Nemo 3D does not come out here until next week, which made me really happy because I missed it in the U.S.  I will DEFINITELY be going to see this; maybe Luca will go with me…yes, I am a dork and would go to Nemo 3D for a grown up date…judge me if you’d like!  I stopped in the hotel and used the computer once more. 

For dinner I made some pasta and a side of broccoli.  The broccoli ROCKED MY WORLD!! All I did was put olive oil in the pan and cut up the fresh broccoli.  I sprinkled a bit of salt (which I found out later was a bit too much) and some pepper.  It was amazing…made me want to run back and make the rest of it and throw out the pasta…it was that  good!!  As I sat in the balcony room eating, I thought of how I love knowing that it is almost 8 o’clock because the stores on the corners start closing down!  I just love living in a city center…it is not NYC by any means, but some things are similar, but on a smaller scale of course!  I read my book, stretched my muscles some, and watched Gilmore Girls.  It was one of my FAVORITE/least favorite at the same time, episodes of GG.  It is the episode where the grandparents renew their vows, and Emily causes Luke to leave Lorelai!  Anyway, I understood a good bit of the Italian…I was pretty excited!  It was weird to not be able to type my blog, but I spent some time writing and then I went to sleep! 

**Cultural note:  The Italian hand gestures are so fascinating.  I will have to make a video of some of my favorite (of me recreating them).  They really do add so much to the conversation! I LOVE to watch random groups of people talking because they are so expressive and when they begin adding gestures to it, I just become engrossed in what they are doing!  I want to know everything  they are saying.  I’ve learned a few, and find myself stopping to observe someone using a lot of exaggerated gestures. 

**Will add pictures later!! SOrry, slow computer = frustrated me!