Language for Life

This summer I am interning at the Language for Life English language school. (Englishforlife.it).

Today was my first day at the school.

From the moment I arrived I felt welcomed. All of the other teachers are friendly and enthusiastic. You can tell all the girls love what they are doing and where they work. All of the teachers have come from various places in the US. It is nice being able to speak fluent English with people. What I hope to gain from this experience is knowledge of  how this sort of school works and different methods used when teaching English. It is interesting to see how English (my native tongue) is taught verse how I learned Spanish. I have fallen in love with Italy and teaching abroad is something I am seriously considering.

In the morning I went with Gina (school founder) to Santa Croce Elementary school. At the school we worked with two 5 year old groups, helping them prepare for their upcoming recital. Gina is a big fan of teaching kids through song. 

In the afternoon I returned to the school and worked with several different groups and teachers. I worked with people anywhere from 5 years-40+. I help when I can during the lessons. 

I had a long 9 hour day working but I can honestly say I loved every minute of it. The biggest factor that made my day enjoyable were the employees. I feel like I will take a lot more out of this teaching abroad experience because I am actually involved. I do not feel like the teachers last year were properly explained why I was there and what I was supposed to be doing. I spent most of my time observing regular Italian classes. This was fine but not what I came to do. 

I have been having a difficult time sleeping, which is no surprise because I never sleep at home. I suppose it's ok though because I was able to update this blog for you all.  I have to start my day in 3 hours :( I will be going with Gina and another teacher to a school that was completely destroyed by the earthquakes last summer. Well, that is all for now. 

Buonanotte!

Gardaland

^Monday was a holiday in Carpi so i went to Gardaland Amusement Park Gabri, his friends, and a few other parents. laura and Alessandro had to work. One thing to know about Italians... They are notoriously late for everything. I'm not going to get into the story but we finally arrived there a little after 2pm. 

Gardaland is next to Lake Garda and behind the lake are gorgeous mountains. 

When you would go up high on the rides you could look at the beautiful scenery. 

Going to an amusement park with jet lag is no where near as bad as going the day after your 21st birthday!

^An activity at the park, panning for gold

^this is a much better system than six flags stl.

^el raptor. This was my favorite ride or the day.

^this is one of Gabri's classmates. It was his first time on a rollercoaster.  

One thing I love about little Italian boys is they are more affectionate towards their peers. The boys are always holding hands and hugging each other.

 Warning: this may be hard for American boys to understand. Little boys holding hands and grown men dressing fashionably does not make them gay. There is a different socialization of masculinity in Europe. I happen to love the way European mean dress.

Arrival/Mantova

It has been non-stop ever since I arrived in Italy! I have been having a wonderful time!

When I arrived at the  Milano-malpensa airport I had to take a 1 hour train to the Milano Centrale train station. I spent a lot of time in that train station last summer; I even slept in it one night. It felt like I was home! From there, I had a 2 hour train ride to Modena. Laura picked me up from the station then drove me to Carpi. We drove to Gabri's school, Sacro Coure, which reopened this semester. She gave me a tour of the temporary school they set up on the football field. It is much nicer than the trailers I'm used to in the United States. Sacro Coure's repairs should be finished by September. 

After we watched Gabri play futbol for awhile we went to a lunch with his entire class and teachers. There was a lot of Lambrusco , tastey "donut bread" with prosciutto, and the "hamburger helper dish". The "food" are the names Emily and I gave them. All of the dishes are typical to the region. I find it funny watching the teachers drink in front of all the parents and students; I can't imagine ever doing that in the US. In Italy the students stay with the same class and teacher during grades 1-6. Since I was placed in Gabri's class last year I get to see all my students again. I love it! 

A couple hours later we drove to Modena to have dinner with the Forghieri'a friends. They live in this big, beautiful, old farm house. They have an enormous garden and make their own basalmic glaze. Most of what we ate for dinner came right from their garden. Also, they have two sweet little girls. One daughter is Gabri's age and she attached herself to me all night long. I just love Italian children.

I was exhausted because I didn't sleep at all during flight so I ended up passing out on their couch for a couple hours. The next day Laura let me sleep until 1 pm. I slept for over 14 hours. It was wonderful. That was the first good night of sleep I've had in weeks. 

That afternoon they took me and one of Gabri's friends to the beautiful city of Mantova. 

It is about a 30 minute drive. I got to see the Po River on the way which is the main river in Italy. Mantova is an incredible city that is surrounded by three lakes. The main part of the city is the castle. It was built by the Gonzaga family. We walked around the city for a few hours, ate gelato (of course), and Laura purchased a couple cakes that are typical of the city (see below)

That night we had pizza and beer (typical Forghieri dinner, which I will never complain about!) 

Um what?! I'm going back to Italy?!

When I was dropped off at the airport last year I was absolutely terrified. I cried for at least 20 minutes. This time around I could not be more excited. A few years ago I never imagined I would travel to Italy. I am incredibly lucky the Forghieri's are welcoming me back into their home and for the opportunity to work at the Language for Life school. 

At the airport today I met an MU professor who is also traveling to Milan. He will then travel to Bergamo where he will be teaching in a study abroad program. I imagine I'll be hanging out with him and his sister a lot in the next 15 hours. 

Things I am excited for in the next 24 hours:

1) seeing the stars as I fly at night. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life.

2) the train ride to Modena. Last summer I spent a lot of time on trains. It's neat to see the country side change as you travel throughout the country.

3) seeing Gabri's face when he sees the massive marshmallows I'm bring him.

4) pizza and gelato of course!

A special thanks goes out to my family for the extra help buying my plan ticket and getting some bills paid. Thank you Uncle Sam for the fat tax return check that helped me afford this trip.

Finally, a big thank you to Cherish Grimm for keeping me sane the past 2 weeks of my life! She cooked me meals, gave me big hugs during my anxiety attacks, and got me out of the house so I didn't go crazy! I honestly don't know what I would do without you. 

That's all for now! 

P.S. This trip isn't going to be the same without my partner in crime Emily Kohut. I wish you were at the airport with me right now lady :(

Let's back up....

First, let's start from where I left off last. I apologize for abrupt end of my blog. Last June, not long after the first major earthquake, there was a series of 3 major earthquakes that hit Carpi in the morning. This was followed by aftershocks eery 10-30 minutes. Who knew earthquakes were so terrifying! Serious, I'm from Missouri! You know that place where severe weather is normal occurrence. The program forced us to evacuate Carpi the next morning due to the fear of more earthquakes and so we were not anything thing our families had to worry about. They sent us to Milan the next day and we spent the night in a hotel near the airport. From there Emily and I began our 3 week European adventure together. I could not have asked for a better stranger to travel with.  After Emily flew home I continued to travel alone for the next 4 weeks. I had so many incredible experiences and met many friends on spectacular adventure. I literally have never felt more ALIVE in my life.  Looking back, I wish I would have kept up with it because it is such a fantastic way to reflect on my experiences and remember all of the amazing times I had. When I got back I fell into a little slump and all I could think about was going back....