We had our company holiday party last night. It was a nice 5 course dinner for all of the 40 or so teachers and staff. The 5 courses consisted of croquets (fried balls of mashed potatoes or fried balls of rice, peas and meat), seafood pasta, meat pasta, then veal (side of potatoes optional), then desert...which was a huge surprise, panattone. I took about 3 bites of everything to be polite, and ate my whole 5 lb serving of panattone, to be really polite. Oh, and I had no problems with the champagne. It was a very nice evening that lasted way past bedtime. Funny that an Italian 5 course meal consists of purely starches and meat. We will be eating salads and veggies tonight for dinner.
The rain has been non-stop for days now. We had a storm, complete with thunder and lightning keeping us awake all throughout the night. Any time the thunder crashed it shook the whole apartment and startled me out of sleep each time. Huge news here in Roma is that The Tevere River by our house is at a record high. Isola Tiberina, which is a small island that sits in the center of the river is slowly going under and the patients from the hospital on the island may even need to be evacuated. The bridge is packed with people wanting to see the overflowing river - the water is even close to the top of the bridge! Hopefully it isn’t closed off, or we won’t make it to work on Saturday...hmmm, not sounding so bad. Sean and I have been notoriously leaving our umbrella in random places. It keeps turning up at some point, but we are often stuck in the rain without cover. We are both in need of new rain coats, as Sean has pointed out to me, “you aren’t in OC anymore”. The other day a woman kindly shared her large umbrella with us while we waited at the bus stop, which I thought was one of those random acts of kindness that should be acknowledged.
Our apartment is filled with the sweet smell of Christmas tree, and the twinkling luci sono bellisime (lights are most beautiful!) - probably my favorite thing about Christmas. Sadly, in Italy it is considered a sin to buy a real Christmas tree. As we ignorantly told people we bought a real tree we received such responses like “Oh DIO!” and “AYE Madonna!”. We don’t tell anyone that we have a real tree anymore and are strategically plotting how we will get rid of it once Christmas is over. I know the old saying “when in Rome” blah blah blah...but I have to admit, this is one tradition I would never want to change! I love our little albero di Natale (Christmas tree).
Friday, December 12, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday morning with the papa
We got up just in time to hear the last 30 seconds of the pope's speech this morning. What an amazing experience to get up, walk to the Vatican and see the pope himself, in person, wishing thousands of Italians and visitors a happy Sunday. Here is a picture of him in the window where he delivers a speech every Sunday morning.
We walked to our favorite store with specialty foods from around the world. I couldn't help taking a picture of the American section, as the Skippy and Hershey syrup made me nostalgic for my childhood and my American home. We also bought a panetone, to join in the holiday spirit. It was wrapped in shiny, glittery, yellow paper and tied closed with red and green Christmas ribbon. I almost felt like I should wait until Christmas morning to open it because it was wrapped so nicely. Instead we opened it right when we got home and ate some. It is about 20 lbs of sweet, moist bread, complete with raisins and other dried fruits. We were hoping to find a Christmas tree to liven up our apartment, but couldn't figure out how to get one home on the bus...another time a car would be useful. Either way, we had a nice Sunday walking around the center with the rest of Rome doing their Christmas shopping. The Tevere river is officially overflowing because we have had so much rain, but the last 2 days have been gorgeous meno male (thank goodness). Christmas lights are flooding Trastevere, making the city even more beautiful at night. Tomorrow is a holiday and we are both welcoming the time off from teaching! We have both vowed to not mention our lessons until Monday night.
Saturday morning
Saturday morning, during a break between teaching I stopped at a lovely cafe for a cappuccino. I observed the Saturday morning families stepping in and out of the cold, brisk, but sunny morning. A baby kept screaming out of joy in discovering his voice, while other children bundled in puffy jackets and snow hats discovered each other and their parents mingled and adored them. Tons of panetone, traditional Italian Christmas bread, wrapped brightly like exciting gifts begged to be opened. The hand-baked cookies reminded me of Grandma Jean's on Christmas: chocolate dipped with sprinkles, cream puffs, fruit tarts and canoli - each made with care. The scene was similar to the hustle and bustle of Starbucks on a Saturday morning - but so different at the same time. It was warmer, friendlier, more home-made. I only wished that mom, dad or Frankie would have walked in out of the cold to sit with me and enjoy a cappuccino too.
Thanksgiving
This post is long overdue, but here is our Italian Thanksgiving. It didn't feel quite like Thanksgiving at all here, just another day...although we both decided we have many things to be thankful for, including our families and friends, this amazing experience and each other.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Been a while....
Today is Sunday, and I am thankful to have a day off from teaching. The weather has been freezing - and I mean biting cold, where it almost hurts to have any skin exposed. I sometimes try to cover my face with my scarf and am tempted to buy gloves and a new coat. I have a few coats already, but none seem heavy enough. It has rained here and there, but it is coldest when there are no clouds in the sky. A student told me the other day that winter will be even colder.
Teaching is going well. The hours have piled up and I have a very full schedule now. The language center that I work for basically sends us teachers out to different schools around Rome. I go to several high schools, where I am impressed by my student’s knowledge of English, and I love thinking of new ways to challenge them, and feel actual pride when they are successful. They have also forced me to know my English grammar inside and out, because they love challenging me as well. They tell me everything - from an argument they had with their boyfriend over the weekend to their thoughts on futbol. I’ve learned that to get the boys talking, I just have to mention futbol. I also go to several middle schools, where I teach 11-year olds, who like to giggle all the time. They know some English from watching TV, and I have learned all their favorite English quotes from their favorite programs, even though I have seen none of them. The boys love The Simpsons. Lastly, I have a few private lessons at the language center, where I teach an Italian man my age, some older women and several 5-year olds, who I adore. I love to listen to them speaking Italian to each other while coloring. I understand everything - from the girl saying the boy’s coloring is “cosi, cosi” (so-so), to one boy teasing the other boy that his picture looks “feminile” (like a girl). They make me laugh, and they love coming to class, so that makes me happy. I have had to speak Italian when student’s parents want to talk to me, and I have been doing pretty well.
We spend about 20-25 hours actually teaching each week, and about 20 hours on the buses and metro getting from school to school, and another 20 hours planning our lessons in room 4 at the language center, where we get to know the other teachers. So, we work about 60 hours a week, and get paid for 20.
I didn’t think I would miss driving at all, but sometimes I do. I don’t mind public transportation, but there are times I don’t want to deal with the crowds, the funky smells, the waiting, the motion sickness from the driver who is trying to text on his cell phone while driving. I do love walking though. I love waking up, getting dressed and walking over to the market for milk or something. I love the city life, and being greeted by “buongiorno” everywhere I go, as I walk down the street. I love how the city comes to life in the morning, and everyone seems happy, like old friends, and I love being apart of it - not just observing from the outside.
Sean and I went out for a bit last night - we went to this bohemian lounge, with seats close to the ground, and dim lighting. We had some drinks and watched the futbol match. The bar was full of men glued to the big screen watching futbol, and their bored-looking girlfriends and wives. It was pretty fun though, and the wine was delicious, so that kept me occupied.
We watch MTV every morning, while drinking our homemade espressos. We have our favorite Italian artists now, and love seeing the American or English artists too. We wonder what is popular at home and if it’s the same. Probably not.
The city is getting ready for Christmas, and I am getting very excited also. Christmas has always been my favorite, but I am not sure it will be the same - my first time ever being away from family. I am tempted to buy tons of Christmas decorations, hoping the more decorations, the less I will miss home. We get 2 weeks off for the holidays and we are thinking of going to Paris or London - maybe both!
So, anyway, all is well on this side of the world, and I hope everything is well for everyone else. I miss everyone a lot, and wish my whole family and all my friends could be here to experience this amazing life with me. Ciao for now.
Teaching is going well. The hours have piled up and I have a very full schedule now. The language center that I work for basically sends us teachers out to different schools around Rome. I go to several high schools, where I am impressed by my student’s knowledge of English, and I love thinking of new ways to challenge them, and feel actual pride when they are successful. They have also forced me to know my English grammar inside and out, because they love challenging me as well. They tell me everything - from an argument they had with their boyfriend over the weekend to their thoughts on futbol. I’ve learned that to get the boys talking, I just have to mention futbol. I also go to several middle schools, where I teach 11-year olds, who like to giggle all the time. They know some English from watching TV, and I have learned all their favorite English quotes from their favorite programs, even though I have seen none of them. The boys love The Simpsons. Lastly, I have a few private lessons at the language center, where I teach an Italian man my age, some older women and several 5-year olds, who I adore. I love to listen to them speaking Italian to each other while coloring. I understand everything - from the girl saying the boy’s coloring is “cosi, cosi” (so-so), to one boy teasing the other boy that his picture looks “feminile” (like a girl). They make me laugh, and they love coming to class, so that makes me happy. I have had to speak Italian when student’s parents want to talk to me, and I have been doing pretty well.
We spend about 20-25 hours actually teaching each week, and about 20 hours on the buses and metro getting from school to school, and another 20 hours planning our lessons in room 4 at the language center, where we get to know the other teachers. So, we work about 60 hours a week, and get paid for 20.
I didn’t think I would miss driving at all, but sometimes I do. I don’t mind public transportation, but there are times I don’t want to deal with the crowds, the funky smells, the waiting, the motion sickness from the driver who is trying to text on his cell phone while driving. I do love walking though. I love waking up, getting dressed and walking over to the market for milk or something. I love the city life, and being greeted by “buongiorno” everywhere I go, as I walk down the street. I love how the city comes to life in the morning, and everyone seems happy, like old friends, and I love being apart of it - not just observing from the outside.
Sean and I went out for a bit last night - we went to this bohemian lounge, with seats close to the ground, and dim lighting. We had some drinks and watched the futbol match. The bar was full of men glued to the big screen watching futbol, and their bored-looking girlfriends and wives. It was pretty fun though, and the wine was delicious, so that kept me occupied.
We watch MTV every morning, while drinking our homemade espressos. We have our favorite Italian artists now, and love seeing the American or English artists too. We wonder what is popular at home and if it’s the same. Probably not.
The city is getting ready for Christmas, and I am getting very excited also. Christmas has always been my favorite, but I am not sure it will be the same - my first time ever being away from family. I am tempted to buy tons of Christmas decorations, hoping the more decorations, the less I will miss home. We get 2 weeks off for the holidays and we are thinking of going to Paris or London - maybe both!
So, anyway, all is well on this side of the world, and I hope everything is well for everyone else. I miss everyone a lot, and wish my whole family and all my friends could be here to experience this amazing life with me. Ciao for now.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Domenica con Andrea...Bocelli
Sunday evening after a long day at the beach, we hopped onto the metro, along with the rest of Rome and headed to Piazza del Popolo. About a million people crowded around a grand, beautifully lit outdoor stage, complete with full orchestra and none other than legendary opera singer Andrea Bocelli. We couldn’t believe it - Andrea Bocelli, performing live, in a free concert for the people of Rome. The music was incredible, powerful and sent chills to everyone listening. We were so excited to have been a part of this night, and it was the perfect way to end our weekend. Here are pics...it’s hard to tell but I promise that’s him on stage. We were far back, but his voice carried across the entire city...it was really lovely.
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