June 29, 2007

It was decidedly hectic today, with prepations for the final show in full swing. The kids were psychotic, it being the last day of camp and with a show to be nervous and excited for. We spent most of the day finishing our props and costumes...and getting a few practice sessions in to round off the day. The dress rehearsal left me in nothing short of despair, as several of the little frogs managed to amputate a little paper frog finger or two, and were not able to keep their balloon frog-eyes upright....and please do not even ask me about the singing. Most of the little guys were more preoccupied with their dandy little frog hands, than they were with singing the words....although, just to give them the benefit of the doubt...as we do not share a common language and I would not want to be perceived as closeminded...it is possible that they simply thought that singing was optional. At the last minute, we decided to throw in a bit of a show stopper: waving their little froggy arms on cue...this being the obvious course of action when nothing else is going well. Just add one more element for them to remember. That oughta do the trick. I knew that we had lost the battle though, when my teaching partner resorted to fake crying to get the children to focus on her and be SILENT, if for just a moment. Another low point in the day occured when my teaching partner was leading a game of BINGO. The children were just not focussing and I think that she went temporarily insane. She pulled out a 50Euro note from her purse, waved it in the air, and told the children that the first person to follow directions would be given the money. Of course, the rest of the day took a marked turn...for the worse.

Although the day was hellish, the actual show went quite smoothly. Amazingly, everybody arrived wearing the requested green clothing, and came carrying hair clips to secure their balloon frog-eyes atop their heads. It only took them about five minutes to line up, as opposed to the usual ten, and they proceeded onto the stage solemnly and meekly. The singing could have been louder and they were unable to wave their little frog hands in unison, but they did appear to know most of the words. In fact...and I know that you will be surprised to hear this...there was only one real glitch...instigated by none other than Pier Luigi. When it came Pier Luigis turn to jump into the "pond" on the cue of "one jumped into the pool", he simply sat there with a vacant expression on his face. P.L. simply checked out for a few moments, perhaps pondering the greater questions in life. Whatever the case may have been, he was a bit late on the jump, and just barely made it in the pond for the last line of, "now there are 4 green frogs, buurrrup". By this time, most of the children had stopped singing and shouted, in unison "Pier Luigi, JUUUMP!". Of course this threw us off for a couple of lines, but we were able to pull it together and ended quite successfully. It was sad to say goodbye to the children at the end of the evening, but the memory of this experience will not soon fade :-)

June 27, 2007

FINALLY I have uploaded some pictures to satiate all of you visual learners out there (scroll to the bottom of the page). Sorry that it has taken so long, but it is a bit more challenging to use the computers here, as all of the directions are in Italian...which, we have established is not a strong point of mine. Anyways, one of my family members offered to save all of my photos to a CD and helped to navigate me through the photoshop program. This is only a VERY small sampling of the photos that I have taken, but hopefully it will give you a better idea of where I have been, and what I have been up to....and proof that I am, indeed, in Italy :-) Cheers for now....K

P.S. The final show preparation is progressing quite nicely. My frogs now know the actions for our song. They are quite delightful to watch as they snatch imaginary bugs out of the air and fan themselves in the pool that is "nice and cool". It is no matter that they really only pronounce one out of every 5-6 words correctly...or is it? :-) If you were to listen in on one of our practice sessions, the song would sound something like this..."Nine lttlll rrrrn rgs stng on aaa brown gggg, ettng sm mmmm dlsssss bugs, Yum Yum..." Translation: Nine little green frogs sitting on a brown log, eating some most delicious bugs, Yum Yum. Yes, we still have a bit of work to do. But, no matter, we have until Friday to work out all of the kinks. I have taken to singing the song as I wander around class. When I become old and am locked away in a home, it is quite possible that you will find me rocking in a chair, humming 5 Little Green Frogs with a blank expression on my face.

June 25, 2007

Ahh, back to teaching today. Sometimes I get so caught up in seeing the sights and living the relaxing Italian lifestyle, that I forget the reason why I am here....to fill young minds with the English language. As this is the beginning of a new week, we got a few new students, while many from last week remained for a second week of schooling. Now, not to worry...my dear little Pier Luigi is one of those who has chosen to remain for week 2. Indeed, he has had such a delightful time at camp that he has convinced his young cousin, Pier Guiseppe to join him. I must admit that I trembled in my flip-flops to see those two holding hands and running around the school this morning. However, to my surprise, Pier Guiseppe is very competent and is a delightful addition to my class! Just as Pier Guiseppe is a focussed and engaged learner, Pier Luigi is a haphazard and impetuous little soul...I hesitate to use the word "learner" in regards to Pier Luigi, as he does not take a noted interest in his studies. However, the child cannot be faulted for his enthusiastic inclusion of his classmates in all of his extracurricular activities.

We have been told that we are to prepare a song or brief sketch for a final show that will be held on Friday night for all of the parents....and villagers. As mentioned previously, Roccafranca is a small village, and the English camp is a dearly held tradition, with the final show being the culmination of two weeks worth of work and an entire towns pride. Anyways, it was made clear that this show should be somewhat impressive and really showcase our students skills. Well, in the spirit of bang-up theater, I have come to the conclusion that my students will be singing...and acting out...5 Little Green Frogs (changed to 9 Little Green Frogs...as I have nine students). I say "come to the conclusion", because I did try to teach the little fellows some more elaborate numbers...i.e. Going on a Lion Hunt and 5 Little Monkeys. However, these pieces proved too difficult, and so I have settled on 5 Green Frogs. Nonetheless, It appears that I may indeed have my work cut out for me. My little green frogs are enthusiastic about their parts and not only want to hop from the brown log to eat delicious bugs, but also enjoy a quick cartwheel and handstand in the pond...as they wait for their counterparts to join them in the "water". Pier Luigi was particularly energetic in his leap from the brown log, to the pond, and managed to land SPLAT, right on top of the sixth little green frog. Of course, tears ensued and we were forced to take 5 to recover from this ambitious exercise. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated...

June 24, 2007

Today, I went to Verona with the other teachers and the camp director. Oh my, what a beautiful city! It is over 2,000 years old, and was once a Roman city state. The architecture is extremely well preserved and I think that I may have taken a few too many pictures of the ancient, yet lovely buildings :-) I am often frustrated with my picture taking abilities because I would love to capture the essence of a place, yet am not able to do so with my bumbling skills. Instead, I end up turning about in a 360-degree circle, snapping away, at each rotation. Ohh well, Italy is so beautiful that I am sure it will make up for my picture-taking deficits.

The first place that I visited in Verona was the Roman Arena. It is really magnificient! Although it is ancient, it is in such good condition that it is still used for events today. I am told that listening to an opera or watching a ballet there is an experience like none other. I climbed all the way to the top and was greeted with stunning views of this little city and the surrounding hills...covered in vineyards. The rooftops were red tile, the wrought iron balconies spilled over with ivy and gernaiums, and there were too many church steeples to count. Talk about a view...Italy at its finest, I must say!

I also visited the legendary homes of Shakespeares Romio and Juliet. Romios home was, disapointingly plain, but the courtyard of Juliets home and famed balcony were lovely to behold. Of course, the gift shop on the opposite side of the courtyard seemed to take a bit of the charm out of the setting...but only slightly! Hey, you cannot blame the Italians for being capitalists :-)

The rest of the day was spent exploring the Arab market (filled with the usual knick-knack trinkets) and the narrow streets filled with famed shops (Versace, Dior....and a few less prominent...and more affordable stores!) Unfortunately, there was not enough time to see everything, and so I would love to come back for further exploration. I must say that I would highly recommend visiting this lovely place!

June 23, 2007

It seems, that Italians are not so different from the people of Eastern Oregon. Tonight, I was invited by the sister of the mother of my family (yes, I know it is confusing) to go to a picnic/BBQ by a river. Mind you, she speaks about as much English, as I speak Italian (giving us a grande total of 20 words to communicate with), but I was promised that there would be people there who spoke English. My anti-social side (yes, I have one) begged me not to go, but my adventurous side won out. And, just as promised, there were people there who spoke brilliant English....and others who did not, but tried with all that was in them to muster up a few words....that is one thing that I love about the people here-they are so gracious and not at all afraid to try to speak to me, even though their English is not polished. Anyways, an Italian "picnic" is a bit more elaborate than those at home, although the spirit and good will is just the same. We feasted on grilled pork, chicken, and kabobs, brushed with a branch of rosemary, drenched in olive oil (Italian, of course!) Everyone was given a fresh hunk of bread, and the homegrown tomatoes, cheese, prochutto (ham), and wine was limitless. For desert, we had cherries, pineapple, and the most delicious torte of my life. The setting was so charming with the beautiful river, blankets for everyone to sit on, and citronella candles lit to keep the man-eating (or, in my case, woman-eating) mosquitos at bay. We talked and laughed for hours, and it will be a memory that will be dear for years to come.

June 22, 2007

Well, I am having a bit of trouble with the mosquitos. Last night, while I was sleeping, they formed a squadron and invaded my room. These Italian mosquitos are quite deadly, as they are VERY quiet and almost impossible to hear. Anyways, they feasted their little hearts out on my left eyelid and this morning when I woke up, I could barely open my eye. When I looked in the mirror, I was beyond distraught....My eyelid had almost completely swolen over my eyeball....it was truly horrific to behold. I showed it to Grandma Rosa and she gave me some cream. However, it still looked just as gruesome when I got to the school. As I walked through the halls, children screamed, adults fainted, and even the bravest souls turned and bolted in the opposite direction. When I walked into my classroom, one of my dear little students, Martina, screamed "Mama Mia" and nearly started crying. I explained that it was only a mosquito bite and she sat stroking my arm and looking at me in pity for nearly five minutes. The camp director gave me a bottle of cream for bug bites and that has helped immensly. I can now see out of my eye, and it only looks ugly, rather than monsterous. I plan to sleep with a t-shirt wrapped around my eyes tonight, since this is the second time that the mosquitos have attacked my face.

On Sunday, I am going to Verona, with some friends. For those of you literature buffs, you will remember that Verona is the setting for Shakespears Romio and Juliet. The city is about 2 hours from Roccafranca, and we are planning to leave in the morning, so that we can spend the day sight seeing. Hopefully, both of my eyes will be fully functional by then and I will not scare the locals with my beastly eyeball.

June 21, 2007

Italian family life is getting better by the day :-) While my Italian has only improved by approximately 10 words, we are learning how to communicate more effectively. For starters, my family has begun inviting every friend that they know, who speaks English, to come meet me and translate. Roccafranca is such a small town, that the English camp teachers arrival is quite publicized. I have been told that we are a bit like celebrities...who knew that I had to come to Italy to be truly appreciated...I always knew in my heart that I belonged here :-)

However, it was not until tonight that I realized that my family and I had really made progress in the communications department. Amazingly, no friends arrived to welcome me..and translate...and our one translator in the family (Thomas, the nine year old son) had to go to soccer practice. Therefore, it was just Grandma Rosa (who believes in her heart that I really do know Italian, and if she just says the words loud enough I will remember their meaning), Claudia (the mother), Christina (one of Claudias sisters), and myself. We actually had a real conversation...they shared a bit of the local gosip and I found out that a prominent community member is gay, but not out of the closet....no, not the gynocologist...another one. Yes, it appears that Roccafranca has its own set of scandals...my family described it as a "soap opera". It is amazing what one can communicate with just a pair of hands, facial expressions, and a trusty English/Italian dictionary.

June 20, 2007

Teaching continues to go well. I am now with my 6-7 year olds. I have 7 students (5 girls and 2 boys)...very nice, I know. They are all angelic....with the exception of my little friend, Pier Luigi (yes, that is his FIRST name). Pier Luigi is....special. He certainly is not swayed by social norms. In fact, at any given point in the day, you can hear me calling "Pier Luigi, PLEASE do not stand on your desk" OR "Pier Luigi, PLEASE quit hanging out of the window"....as I motion like a traffic cop to try to make him understand what I am saying. "Pier Luigi" has become such a montra of mine, that the rest of my students have taken to rolling their knowing little eyes and muttering "Pier Luigi!", as I try to redirect this feisty fellow. However, he makes up for his...deficits...in cuteness. He is very darling and, in fact, has become a favorite with all of the teachers....of course they can laugh because they do not have to chase the boy around...if I do not gain weight in Italy, it will be to the credit of Pier Luigi-he does not allow me remain motionless for more than 3.5 seconds. Nonetheless, he is quite adorable and I think I am growing to love the little character.

Today, we decided to host a "Mini Olympics" for all of our students. One of the "Olympic" events was a relay in which all of the students (90 total) had to remove their shoes and put them in a big pile (yes, that DOES equal 180 shoes!). Students were grouped into 8 teams and one member from each team had to race over to the pile, find their shoes, put them on, and then race back and tag the next member of their team. Somehow, I managed to end up with Pier Luigi on my team, and of couse, he was the first one to go. He raced to that pile of shoes and began hucking everyone that he came to, over his shoulder. I think that he had chucked about 178 shoes into another pile before he came to his own pair. While our team came in miserably last, we did get points for providing unsolicited entertainement....hey, you take them wherever you can get them. Cheers to Pier Luigi!

June 19, 2007

Well, dinner with my family was quite an exchange...once again. However, tonight, they decided to invite all of the neighbors over who know a bit of English. It turned out to be quite funny, if not a bit overwhelming. However, I am picking up a few things. For instance, with the help of one particularly fluent neighbor, I figured out that they were conversing about the local gynocologist. They were debating whether he was gay (we had to straighten out the difference between "guy" and "gay") or if he simply had a Spanish lover (woman, I think). Grandma Rosa let me know that she would rather her daughters became prostitutes (prostitutas) than marry other women. She certainly is one to let her true feelings be known :-) Oh dear, I just smile, nod, laugh like a morone, and say "gratzie", when I can think of nothing more intelligent to say.....

June 19, 2007

AHHH, finally-my first day of teaching! It actually went much better than I anticipated. I have been given the assignment of teaching the 5-6 year olds...hey, quit laughing. They are very cute and if they cannot speak English....well, they are very cute. Anyways, I spent all last evening planning a brilliant and engaging lesson for these little tykes. However, when I got to the school this morning, the director told me that one of the tutors did not show up (she was having travel problems) and asked me to teach the 7-8 year olds. Soooo, I scrapped the lesson and winged it...Dad, as you know, if I am good at nothing else, I am pretty good at making it APPEAR like I know what I am talking about...even if I havent got a bloody clue. Anyways, I think that the kids had fun and learned a little something :-) The director told me that I would be back with my 5-6 year olds tomorrow.....he thinks. However, the aforementioned tutor has yet to arrive in Roccafranca. Apparently she hopped the wrong train and is now in Switzerland....I am entirely serious. So, I might have to BS my way through the day tomorrow if she doesnt (excuse the lack of apostrophe...they do not exist on an Italian keyboard) cross the Alps in time.....

June 18, 2007

Well, I have arrived in Roccafranca! I was a bit off on my earlier coordinates. We are actually only about 45 minutes east of Milano (by train), and quite aways away from the Swiss border. Apparently it takes over 4 hours to reach Switzerland!...ahh well, I never professed to be much of a geographer :-)

Anywho, the village is very quaint, in all the best ways! It is very tidy and the shops are out of a picture book. The town in literally surrounded by corn fields....(Field of Dreams has nothing on Roccafranca!) I met my family, just minutes after arriving here. The family lives in what can only be described as a small villa (ok, I exaggerate, but not by much!) The home is gated and they have a huge and beautiful lawn and pool. I have my own room, and it is quite comfortable (less the mosquitos, who are corn-fed and quite vicious). There is a grandmother (Rosa), mother (Claudia), father (I still have not figured out his name), two children (Thomas:age 9 and Marta:age 6), and 2 or 3 of Claudiàs sisters (Christina, ?????, and ?????). They are the most delightful people. They make me feel very welcome, and Granny Rosa is not content until I am eating and drinking...she is always putting food or drink in front of me and will not take "no, gratzie" for an answer :-)....oh no, here she comes again with a glass and a bottle of some unknown juice....ahhh, it is pinneapple juice and yes, I have agreed to drink it.

We also have a bit of a language barrier. I cannot speak Italian and they cannot speak English. We are certainly having an interesting time trying to communicate. It appears that Americans are not the only ones who believe that if you speak louder, faster, and repeat the same phrase over and over again, then the recipient will eventually understand...Italians do this very thing..supplemented with hand gestures :-) I am getting used to feeling like an imbeccile and smiling like an idiot. I am sure that they wonder over my mental capacities.....

June 17, 2007

My last day in Sanremo was fabulous! I spent the day, feeling quite like an Italian. I slept in a bit late, since we were given the day to ourselves. I then met some friends for breakfast at the hotel. We were told that there was a market near the piazza, so we set off in search of bargains and treasures. It so happens that the market was a bit generic (no antiques, Christy), but I did buy a pink alarm clock (which I needed!) and a pair of shorts (which I wanted). My friends and I then decided to find an outdoor cafe and sit for a while, drinking a cappeccino. We found another outdoor cafe that served pizza, and sat for another hour, or so, enjoying a delicious margerhita (cheese and tomato sauce) pizza. We did a bit of shopping after that, but got so thirsty, that we were forced to find ANOTHER cafe for just a bit of caffeinated nourishment :-) We also spent a bit of time at the beach...AND then had dinner. This is certainly the way I could live out my days: shopping, eating, and drinking coffee.....with a view of the sea!

June 15, 2007

Today, I found out where I am going to teach English! I am going to a tiny village, called Roccofranca. It is about 2 hours east of Milan. Apparently it is agriculturally based, and is very lovely. I hear that the people are "just georgeous"...that is, they are very friendly and a delight to be around :-) Roccofranca appears to be about 75 miles from the Swiss border, so I am quite far north....hopefully I will be able to travel to Switzerland on the weekend! I will actually be at this camp for two weeks, and will be traveling there with 6 other teachers from A.C.L.E. There, we will meet up with 2 more A.C.L.E. teachers who have already been teaching this week. There are 91 children signed up for this camp, so I do believe that we will have our hands full!

I am going to be staying with a family, so that should be quite an experience! I hear that the mothers take VERY good care of their guests and feed them deliciously well. I am quite excited to be going to a small Italian town, because I believe that it will be an experience that I may otherwise have missed out on.

Cheers for now!

June 14, 2007

Hello! I cannot believe that I only have one day left of TEFL courses, before we are sent off to all parts of Italy into the big scary world of teaching Italian children English. Many of these children have VERY little knowledge of the English language. This is a much more daunting task than teaching children back home. It is so easy to take the smallest things for granted. For example, these children may not even understand a simple sentence, like "What food do you like?" Therefore, directions become quite difficult! Yesterday, the instructors brought in a group of 7-8 year old Italian children to let us practice our brilliant teaching skills. Many of these children could introduce themselves and tell us how old they were, but when it came to explaining a (VERY) simple game or song, they got confused...I worked harder in that one hour, than I ever did while back home teaching! We are learning to use A LOT of gestures, and really simplifying our language.....clearly I do not struggle in this area, but I know people who do :-) Anyways, it is wonderful to be here, but know that I am working harder...and sweating more, than I ever have before!

I will be getting my first teaching assignment tomorrow, so I will know then where I will be teaching...for at least a week. Some people are actually leaving tomorrow night on the 10:30p.m. train, to go to the south (i.e. Sicily). Supposedly the trip takes 10-12 hours, by train. While I would love to experience this part of Italy...hello, Tony Soprano!....I think that it is one of the toughtest assignments. The children do not speak English as well as those who live further north, and it is quite hot...I have heard that it gets up to 45 degrees C...quick, what does that convert to in F????

If I am not assigned to the South, then I will leave Sanremo on Saturday. I will check in soon, and let you know the location of my next destination!

June 13, 2007

I have been in the TEFL (teaching English as a Foreign Language) courses for the last two days. I was not sure how informative these courses would be, but it turns out that they are fantastic! I feel like I am back in school again....of course that is a good thing, Frank and Ralph :-) The coursework is very hands on, and each teacher is given an incredible manual with hundreds of games, songs, and drama ideas to help teach the English language, as well as specific grammar points. They will actually be bringing some real, live Italian children for us to practice on, tomorrow.....

Off I go. Time to get ready for dinner.

June 11, 2007

Well, I have arrived! The trip went quite smoothly, although I must admit that I was a bit nervous getting off of the plane in Nice, France, knowing that I was on my own to figure out how to get to Sanremo (which is about 30-45 miles east). However, I managed to procure a bus ticket to the train station, and then a train ticket. The biggest problem was trying to figure out which platform to stand on and then which train to get on....they are not well marked. Luckily, some other teachers with the organization that I am working for, also happened to be at the train station and asked if I was trying to get to Sanremo....I think that they must have recognized me by my confused and bedraggled look. After that, everything went quite smoothly and these people have become my dearest friends in Italy :-)

June 7, 2007

As you can see, the pictures currently featured on the blog are of Sanremo, Italy. This is not a random selection, as some may suspect, but rather a calculated decision on my part....I will begin my teaching experience in Sanremo, and I just wanted everyone to get a chance to view the horrors of which I am soon to encounter.......please, don't cry for me. It is, afterall, the load that I've been given to bare. Anywho, I'll be checking back in soon.

Stay tuned for stories of my adventures in procuring a train ticket in Nice, France (where I am flying in to) and the transportations issues that I am sure to encounter in getting to Sanremo, Italy. Cheers for now :-)

June 12, 2007

It is a bit surreal to be here in Italy. It looks very much like one would picture it, with centuries old buildings and beautiful wrought iron, with flowers and vines trailing out of windows. There are even the extraordinarily narrow allies with fresh laundry hanging on lines connected to the building across the alleyway. It is incredible to think that hundreds of families are just going about their daily tasks in this charming setting. However, it was not until I observed a religious ceremony parading through the streets, did I fully comprehend that I had arrived.

I was having dinner with some friends at a little pizzeria on Sunday evening. We were eating various assortments of delicious Italian food and drinking great wine, when we heard church bells begin to toll. We turned to see if we could see the church, and all of a sudden, the cobblestone streets began filling with priests, carrying banners and singing. Hundreds of men, women, and children joined them and all begin singing beautiful old songs. It was really quite lovely, and I was so disapointed that I had left my camera at the hotel. However, it was a fitting welcome to this extraordinary country!