L'Aquila, Abruzzo

I have officially started my teaching duties in L’Aquila. On Wednesday mornings I take the 6:45 coach bus from Rome to L’Aquila and I start teaching at 9:15. When I saw L’Aquila for the first time I was surprised at how much it reminded me of Upstate New York; I think the landscape looks very similar.

On Wednesdays I teach in a professional school. It is a vocational high school where students train to become chefs, waiters, bartenders, and work in hotel services. Teaching at this school will definitely be more challenging because they have an extremely low level of English skills and they are a lot more rambunctious. Nevertheless it will still be a great experience, and they are good kids. I spend Wednesday nights in a hotel, and on Thursdays I teach at a liceo classico (classical high school). The students at the liceo classico are more similar to my students in Rome. The students from all three of the schools have been so welcoming and are so exited to have me here as their teacher. They think it’s the coolest thing that I’m from New York, because when they think of New York they immediately envision Manhattan and everything they see on TV. I thoroughly enjoy working with the students from each of the three schools.       

Cultural Notes: 1. L’Aquila is the capital of the central region of Abruzzo. In April of 2009 there was a horrible earthquake, which killed about 308 people. The city is still under complete reconstruction, and many buildings are not even visible behind the scaffolding. The entire medieval city center had been destroyed, and the liceo classico that I currently teach at was originally in the city center. Now all of the students and teachers moved to a school on the outskirts of the city.

                           2. There is no loud speaker in each classroom like there is in American classrooms. When an announcement has to be made, there is a woman that goes to each class and reads the announcement from a piece of paper; they call it la circolare. It took me by surprise when I saw this for the first time in Rome. It is so old school.

                          3. The majority of teachers call their students by their last names.

Highlights of My Week: 1. In Rome I met up with one of my Stony Brook professors who was here for a few days. It was so great to catch up with her and share a few of my experiences. In 2010 after she had observed one of my student teaching lessons, I remember she gave me advice on how to go about moving to Italy…and now, here I am. She is part of the reason why I am even here because she had written one of my Fulbright letters of recommendation…ti ringrazio professoressa!

                                        2. After one of the lessons at the scuola professionale (the professional school in L’Aquila), a student puts a white plastic bag on his desk and whips out a bunch of linked sausages. The students gather around and start eating it and making sandwiches with it. It was so funny! I went over to take a picture of this scene because I found it hysterical, and they gave me a piece to try. I saw all of their anxious faces staring at me waiting for a response. It was delicious, and it made them happy to hear me say so.

                                      3. At the scuola professionale one of my students called me over when I had the class doing a speaking activity in pairs. I was expecting him to ask me how to say a certain word in English, but instead he looks down at his notebook and says, “would you like to come and dine with us at a restaurant one night?” It was so sweet because it was a sentence that his teacher obviously translated for him, and when I gazed up some of the other students were smiling, nodding their heads in agreement as if it had been planned out. I told them that I would love to go out all together, so the class is organizing a little dinner.

Impara con me!  nevischio- It’s flurrying (snow)     

A Much Needed Pugliese Lunch

Last Sunday I went to an old woman’s house for lunch. She is originally from Puglia, but has been living in Rome for many years. To be completely honest, I am so sick of pasta and I haven’t eaten it once since my family left. Before arriving to her house I was anticipating having to politely finish a plate of pasta that I wasn’t in the mood for. Since I love to cook, the kitchen is the first place I like to visit in a house. I went into the kitchen to see if she needed help (possibly putting the pasta into bowls), but it wasn’t pasta that she was putting into the bowls…it was fava topped with greens!!! Having a Greek boyfriend whose mother taught me how to make fava, I was completely familiar with the dish. As the meal progressed it was so interesting to see what a strong Greek influence was in each dish. It completely makes sense since Puglia is the heal of Italy, and therefore only a short distance away from Greece. Her cooking was incredible. She invited me to attend cooking “classes” at her house. Of all the regional Italian cuisines I’ve eaten thus far, pugliese food is my absolute favorite.

Cultural Note: 1. There is no such thing as “Italian Food.” It’s way too broad of a term when trying to identify a specific cuisine. The food in Italy is extremely variable and changes with each region you visit. The Northern Italian cuisine consists more of risotto and polenta than pasta, and butter is used more than olive oil. The Southern Italian cuisine has less meat and a greater use of vegetables. So instead of saying La cucina italiana, we should really be saying La cucina romana, la cucina pugliese, la cucina toscana etc.

Impara con me! 1. non è adatto per me- It’s not my thing     

Being Tourists

Piazza del Popolo

Giannis getting an old school shave

Beautiful fountains everywhere 

Church San Giovanni in Laterano

Inside the catacombs of San Calisto

The Roman Forum

Inside the Colosseo 

The dome of St. Peter's

Trying to catch every word of the tour guide

Michelangelo's Creation of Man in The Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo's La Pietà

Raffael's fresco The School of Athens in La Sala della Segnatura (Vatican Museum)

The second week of their stay was when we did the touristy stuff. We did things that I haven’t even done yet because I wanted to experience them with the people I love. Out of everything we did, my favorite was the tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. We did a three hour guided tour and our tour guide was fabulous. It was so surreal finally seeing with my own eyes the artwork that I had studied through the years. The Sistine Chapel gave me chills and I stared at La Pietà for a good five minutes…maybe longer. I was frivolously taking notes for the entire three hours…once a nerd, always a nerd.

Cultural Note: 1. One of my favorite things I saw in the Vatican Museum was the Sala della Segnatura. It was the room where the Pope used to sign documents and it is also the first room that Raffael ever painted. The frescos depict the themes of theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, and the poetic arts. Raffael painted himself in the fresco that represents natural truth/ intellect, entitled The School of Athens. He did this in order to promote the idea that artists are no longer simple workshop men, but that they are in fact intellects. He wanted artists to be referred to as being academics with scholarly ideas.        

Highlights: 1. I don’t know if it’s more amazing seeing the structures, monuments, and artwork for the first time myself or seeing the ones I love see them for the first time. I loved watching Giannis’ awestruck face when we were inside the Coliseum and Deidre’s whimsical excitement each time we visited the Trevi Fountain.

Impara con me! 1. piastra- griddle

                            2. ho fatto un tentativo- I gave it a shot  

                     

Le feste con la mia famiglia

New Year's Eve

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve

Spending the holidays in Rome with my boyfriend and sister was one of the greatest experiences of my life. There could not have been a better way to say goodbye to 2011 and welcome 2012. Between Giannis and Deidre having major jetlag, and me being overwhelmingly excited to host them in Rome, we were going to bed at 7am and waking up at 2pm. For the entire first week we didn’t even do major sightseeing. We only had a few hours of daylight by the time we left the house each day, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves just laughing together and soaking up our time with each other.

We spent Christmas Eve with my gracious host family. Spending Christmas Eve in Italy with an Italian family was something I have always wanted to do. It was amazing to be living those moments with them and with my own family as well. We went to St. Peter’s Square for midnight mass, which was an experience in and of itself. What made it extra special was that the Christmas tree this year was from the Ukraine. My sister and I had a piece from each side our heritage.

New Year’s Eve was an unforgettable night. We had no set plans and left to go out without even knowing where we were going. I texted one of my cooperating teachers for a suggestion, and she told us to check out Ristorante del Fico. The guys waited outside while my sister and I walked in and went straight to the maitre D. I asked if he had a table for six available and he went to the back to check. He didn’t speak a word of English, and when he came back he told us that he had one table available. I translated to my sister, who told me to ask him how much. Again, I translated to my sister the price: €120 per person, including wine, and a fixed menu. She went outside to clear it with the guys as I waited inside looking over the menu. Deidre came back inside and told me that it was too much, but before we left Deidre tried to haggle the price down…using me as the translator. So there I was, standing in between my sister and the maitre D, my head going back and forth like a tennis ball as I conveyed each person’s next offer. When Deidre proposed the option of not ordering wine in order to lower the price he looked at me, his eyes bulging, and shouted “senza vino??!! È una bestemmia!!!” Translating to “without wine??!! That’s blasphemy!!!” The bargaining session ended at €80 per person…wine included. Deidre and I were very proud of ourselves and beyond excited. After a long night of dancing, eating, and laughing we had all agreed that it would have been worth even €200 a person. Actually, that night was priceless.  

Cultural Notes: 1. It is tradition to eat fish for the Christmas Eve dinner. On Christmas Day, families get together for a big lunch. Traditional food includes ravioli, tortellini in brodo, and meat. After lunch many families play Tombola (bingo). For New Year’s, sausage and lentils are traditional. 

                          2. When Giannis and I were grocery shopping he noticed how the cashiers sit while they work. I had never even noticed this. They sit in these cushiony, swivel office chairs at the register.

                         3. For being such a major city, it is surprising to discover the amount of Romans that don’t speak much English.

                         4. I love how at restaurants the check doesn’t come unless you ask for it. 

Impara con me! 1. tavoletta di cioccolato- chocolate bar

                            2. prendersela- to be touchy, overly sensitive

                                se la prende- he/she is touchy

                            3. il terzo incomodo- the third wheel