The best carbonara in Rome, restaurant: Roscioli
When I saw my host mother this afternoon she told me I had an air of spring. Today was an absolutely beautiful, sunny, cool day in Rome and I was soaking it in. Even as I walked alone through the streets I couldn’t stop smiling. I had a great day at work with fantastic students that always put me in a good mood...not that I was in a bad mood, but they put me in an even better mood. Each time I leave work on Tuesdays, it reminds me of how teaching should be in the sense that the students make me feel good. I’m currently teaching a unit on The American Civil Rights Movement to one of my Tuesday classes and in the other classes I’m teaching different cultural topics. After work I decided to take myself to lunch to Roscioli (my favorite restaurant in terms of food), for the absolute best carbonara in all of Rome. Afterwards I walked through centro a little bit and strolled through Piazza Campo dei Fiori, all the while staying on the sunny side of the marciapiede (sidewalk).
Cultural Note: 1. The grades that students receive in high school have no effect on what university they will go to. When you are finished with high school you apply for the university you want to attend, and you will most likely get in. Some universities have their own admissions exams which the student must pass to be accepted; these are generally the better schools, but it’s not like the American admissions process where the university looks at everything from grades, to standardized test scores, to extracurricular activities, to teacher recommendations, etc.
Highlights of My Week: 1. Last week I went to one of my colleague’s house for lunch and lesson planning. She made a delicious risotto alla milanese, arugula salad with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, and homemade bread. After chatting over lunch for two hours mainly educating each other on Italian and American school systems, we didn’t really feel like lesson planning. But we were able to squeeze out a game plan for the next three lessons.
2. I found out that the Italian Ministry of Education recently received from the United Nations the 11 candidates for the 2012-2013 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant. They are now in the process of narrowing it down to 5 winners. When I found this out it was surreal to think that a year ago from now it was my application that was in the hands of someone from the Italian Ministry.
Impara con me! 1. hai voluto la bicicletta e ora pedala- you wanted it, so handle it (literal translation: you wanted the bike, now peddle)
2. stelle filanti- silly string
