The good thing about not working and moving all over is you can actually have visitors! Ahem, hint hint.... Anyway, to all of you who haven't come yet, please know you are more than welcome, as long as you can speak English. ;) It's so funny, because as much as I try to learn Italian, it just doesn't happen a lot, because everyone wants to practice their English. So, my dear Rob came to visit! We didn't have a very clear agenda, but we ended up getting around to do a lot, which was awesome. For as long as I've been in Italy, and as many cities as I've gone to, I didn't feel like I had a lot to show for it. Well, being the paparazzi that he is, we now have more than enough photos to fill an album. We went back down to Rome (he wanted to see the Cisteen Chapel, and hey-it's Rome!), came through Tuscany, stayed in Siena, went out to Pisa, rode bikes about 10 miles up to Viareggio (on the coast, just before Cinqueterre), wandered through Verona and Venice....oh yeah, and had a couple days to chill and visit families and friends I had stayed with. For being only two weeks, it was packed. So many amazing places and good memories. These are just a few of the shots from those weeks.
After the first week of October though, he was gone, and I was left with...a very empty schedule. So now I'll give you a little glimpse of how my life is going these days.
I know it's taken me a while to share the last part of my work this summer. It's hard for me to put into words what an amazing experience it was, and the last week was like the perfect finish to it all. It was a pretty big deal: ACLE has just started doing camps for high school students. At this age and level, it's a totally different experience, because they're not too interested in games, and most of the songs are too childish. You have to think on your feet and have A LOT planned, because their English is good; they just need someone to bring it out of them. So ACLE picked seven tutors very carefully for this camp. I had already worked with one of the directors, and she requested me back, so I got to be in on the fun. I had no idea what I was in for... First, the tutor crew was fantastic. I had worked with a few of them, been trained by others, and we built such a rapport and environment by the end of the week. Some of the tutors who come, they just want to spend a month in Italy, or they were traveling around and wanted to make some extra money on the side. Not this bunch; these guys were devoted teachers, mentors, and hilarious entertainers. Every day was something new and crazy, and the students were having even more fun than we were. That was the second great part: my class. I had a group of 9-10th and 11th graders who really knew their stuff. They were respectful, intelligent, and you felt more like their friend than their mother (after working with 5-year olds, that was a big change for me). They kept me laughing and working hard all week, and I loved it. We made them do crazy things, as the pictures testify too, but I haven't had so much fun in a long time. Third, the show was....well, amazing would be an understatement. One of the directors managed to score the local theater for us free of charge. So we had a stage, lighting, mics, props, music-and a screen for the awesome collage of events from the week that two of our tutors put together. (I'm gonna put it on here, as soon as he sends it to me-another reason I've been stalling on writing this post.) For four of us tutors, we knew it was our last week. For the students, school was starting on Monday. After 5 incredible days, we were all a little sappy (and tired, which makes some of us more sappy), and Friday just felt like a standing ovation for all we had done this summer. To our surprise, the director and founder of ACLE came to see our show. Since the high school program is still in the developing phases, he wanted to see if we were doing a good job of it. Needless to say, he was more than impressed. It definitely was going out on a high note, and he personally commended us each for all we had done, which was quite an honor. I have spoken with him since, and he has asked me to consider coming back next summer since he had heard good things about my work from all my camps. So, if you don't see me around much next June.... ;) All this was fine and dandy, except by Friday night I realized I wasn't ready for Saturday. I still didn't know where I was going or what I was doing. I had already turned down one teaching job so I could finish my camps, and I definitely don't regret it. But I wasn't sure where I would be staying starting next Monday. It was a little difficult, after a summer that was perfectly mapped out and organized for me-and so adventurous-I felt a little empty. But thankfully, I had many wonderful families with open hearts and open arms telling me I always had a place with them. So, long story short, as I mentioned, I am back in Vicenza, the city I really had hoped to be in. I'm not with a family from my camps, but one of my camp hosts introduced me to this family, so it all comes around eventually. This family has three of the sweetest children ever, and I love still being part of a family and, well.....playing whenever I want to. :) So I'm finally really on vacation. I know most of you thought that's what I was on all along, but trust me, being a tutor and being a tourist are NOT the same. It's been nice to get solid nights of sleep, and to not have to pack my suitcase every seven days-that's the BEST part. I'll give you an update on my life now in a little bit. But just after I got settled into a long-term home, I had a special visitor....
Okay, even I admit it's ridiculous that I haven't posted anything in the last six weeks, and for that I apologize. It's crazy how, when you are used to being busy, when things slow down you fall apart a bit, or at least get lazy. I finished my camps the second week of September, and I came back to one of my favorite towns, Vicenza, to look for a place and a way to stay in Italy a bit longer. And amazingly, everything fell right into place. So, I am now staying with a wonderful family with three small children and helping the kids to speak English. Seeing as they are very young, though, it's really more like playing with them and speaking TO them in English, and encouraging them to repeat words they might know or remember easily. It's so nice to still be part of a family, and I'm very happy to be here. I will try to post again with some pictures and more stories soon, but for now I just wanted you all to know I'm alive and everything is going well. Hope all is good at home, and if you have the chance, drop me an email or just a comment on the blog with anything new and exciting for you!
Sorry to lump it all together like that, but that's kind of the way the rest of my month has gone. Not that it hasn't been great; I've enjoyed every day of it. But it's been a lot more low-key, and not a lot of pictures to take. After Rome, I came back up to Decima, to stay with some of the people I worked with. Not having anticipated as long of a break as I got, I hadn't made plans to travel with anyone (not to mention that August can be a tough month to travel in Italy-everyone goes on vacation to the sea). So I took advantage of the time to rest, work on my Italian, and hang out with some of the nicest people in the nicest places I've been so far. I've been back and forth between Vicenza-looking to get some work after summer-and Decima-just outside Bologna, and the nicest community I've found yet. In Decima, there was an opera one night in the piazza in front of the church. It was such a memorable experience; so perfect for the whole situation. A small community coming together for a cultural event on a beautiful summer evening-who could ask for more? Some of my students were performing in it as well, so that made it even better for me.
After that, I ventured off to Switzerland for a few days. I decided to land in Lugano, for convenience and scenery, and was not disappointed by either. It's a small town, very accesible for tourists on foot, and in late August it's a great choice for some fresh air and outdoors. I spent a couple days hiking, making more new friends, and remembering why I fell in love with Switzerland 7 years ago. As much as I love Italian culture, language, and food, I think Switzerland will always be at the top of my list for best scenery in the world. (Ridiculously overpriced and a little stuffy, but with scenery like that, you can't expect everything to be perfect.) So here's some shots from the rest of my break (my director's adorable daughter with her enormous waterlily!), the opera, and Lugano. I will be returning to camps on Monday, and will be starting again just outside of Vicenza. I'll keep you all posted as the week goes on. I have three weeks left of camp, and then we'll see what happens....
Okay, so this one goes out to my Farmer's Market groupies back home (you all know who you are, we always talk about going to the market and how much we love it...). Some of you had said you could imagine the markets in Italy would be great, and you were absolutely right. The markets here are a bit different though. They aren't just fruits and vegetables, they are an endless sea of tents with everything a person could possibly want. So, while it doesn't need much explanation, here are some shots from some of the great markets I've found. From Perugia, to Roma, to Bologna, I hope you enjoy. And I promise, I'm eating all the great, local produce I can get my hands on for all of you. :)
So, my first week of real vacation in Italy and I go to Rome. Even I thought I was a little crazy at first, seeing as I had spent the last five weeks in smaller towns, enjoying the calmer side of life in Italy. Well, it didn't take me long to adjust to Rome, I must admit. As hesitant as I was, the city grows on you quickly. Public transportation is a breeze, the people are easy to like, and the history and sites are......breathtaking. It's funny, though, as much as I'd heard of Rome I really had no idea what I wanted to see. But thanks to some other tutors I was staying with, and enough time to see more than just the biggest tourist attractions, I really got to make the most of my week.
We spent an afternoon touring Ostia Antica, about a half hour metro ride outside of the city. The Roman Ruins are impressive right in the heart of Rome, but if you want a quieter and more in depth look at what the powerful empire used to be, Ostia is a great place to go. I hit up the Colosseum, of course, and the Roman ruins, hung out on the Spanish steps for an evening, walked the ancient Appian Way, went to Vatican City at the break of day (thanks to my friend's wise guide book-it said get up early and beat the crowds, it's worth it-and it was), wandered around and found some great food in Trastevere, found some fabulous street markets, and of course got to attend my religious convention (the whole reason for my going to Rome that week). My absolute favorite though was Trevi Fountain. I can't tell you why, but there was just something absolutely enticing about it. Even as drenched with tourists as it was, I still found it to be my favorite place to go and sit and just soak in life in Rome. I've got more pictures than this blog could fit, so I'm just putting a few of the best. Hope you enjoy!
Well, it's not really the last stop, but it was my last camp before a very, very long break. I had asked for the first week of August off, but then found out I would be on hold for three weeks....which has turned in to four. But I'm about to head back to camp, and I figured I was well overdue to update my blog by now. So here we go, back to Vicenza...
Vicenza proved to be my favorite city overall. The town is a moderate size, the architecture fantastic (thanks to Palladio), and I get to ride my bike everywhere! I was sent here for two weeks, and got placed with the nicest family. They have two of the sweetest girls, and live just outside of town. It's peaceful, beautiful, and I get to go running almost everyday. I worked with 8th and 9th graders my first week, and my second week with 3rd grade. The kids were all so sweet, and the older ones extremely good with their english. Some of them even came to assist the second week with the younger students, I was so excited! Anyway, I've posted some pics of the town and my family, and one of my students who was wearing a "Sonoma Marin Fair" shirt at class one day-I couldn't believe it! Thanks to globalized marketing, even Italians advertise for our area now. :) I'll keep this one short so I don't take all your time for reading the rest. August has been amazing....
