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Published: June 15th 2008
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So here is my much overdue explanation of where I have been and what I have been doing....
Flew from Boston to Dublin to Nice (France).
Met up with several people in the program on the flight. Three from Dublin one from the US. Everyone was really lovely and spent the afternoon wandering around in Nice. One women who was with us had spent the last year living in Nice and spoke fluent French and Italian- needless to say, very glad Jenny was in our group. Nice is beautiful and exactly what I thought the French riverara would look like. Lots of pretty details on happily colored buildings. Bought lunch in the busy farmers market and eat it on the stoney beach - lovely but got a TERRIBLE sun burn. Took the train from Nice to San Remo. Met some more people toutors (that is what we are called) on the train. Took the bus from the train station to the Blue Beach Hotel, where the four day training session was held. Sent the morning and early afternoon reviewing songs and game to play with the children. Found a small group of people who I spent most of my
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welcom to... time with and who I really miss already. Most came to Italy after teaching in Asia. Through them and others I ahve become aware of this whole teaching english as a second language lifestyle which involves traveling between schools and summer camps. San Ramo and the beach hotels areas along the coast a beautiful but very quiet. Mostly spent the evenings walking around the sleepy little beach towns or at the beach side bar with all the other Lingua tutors.
On Sunday I along with Molly (from Utah), Natalie (from Bristol), Katrina (from Florida), and Abi (from England, just south of London- also our camp leader) all got on the four hour train to Milan. All of us, save Katrina have our own class of children. Katrina, whom was very sad to say goodbye to lastnight, was only with us for one week as a teachers aid. I do not know how we will get along with out her.
But I digress....arrived in Milan around 7:30pm and met our host familes. Everyone has had really nice things to say about thier families and I am no exception. I live with a women named Assunta and her three children
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fountain in San Ramo (ment to go back and swim in it but never got the chance Valario (age 7 - who goes to the camp and is in Mollys class), and the twins Rebecca and Arora (age 5). They live in very nice and cozy appartment about fifteeen minuets walk from the school. They have a dalmation Ulah, and Assuntas partner Osama (who is Egyption) also stay at the flat. The family is liberal and very layed back. Assunta lives by and told me to "do what you want".
I eat breakfast on my own (as the mornings in the appartment are crazy). I try to arrive to the school where camp is before 8:30am when the kids begin to arrive. Camp starts at 9am. Between then an 4:30-5pm when the kids our picketed up we entertain, teach, play games, sing songs in ENGLISH. There are a little under 50 kids devided between Natalie, Molly, Abi, and myself. I have the 11 oldest kids, ages 10 and 11. They are quite a handful. Their english is not very good and Italian children are live up to the steriotype of being loud and boysterious. However, they cultural norms asside they are like most other 10 and 11 year olds. There are the smart kids (who are
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Yah I just realized I have been misspelling it the whole time! ugh
this is a staute in the park next to the fountain in San REmo ususally much better at English), the two trouble kids (who are actoully two of my favorits), the weird kids, the kids who are good at art. I remember what it was like to be a student at that age, now I know what my teachers went through.
Teachings is HARD. I had no idea that imparting knoledge was the easy part. Getting a class room of 11 excited, sweaty, loud kids to all pay attention and do the same thing at the same time is.....well.....HARD. Although this experiance has definately affermed that I do not want to be a teacher by profession, I am learning SO MUCH and will never forget the experaince.
We spend a lot of time playing, after all it is camp not summer school. We play water balloon games, had a fashion show, sports turnaments along with keeping english diaries, doing worksheets and listining to english music. The kids also leave exhausted becasue they have had to speak to me all day with thier limited English (ususally they only have 1 hour of engish in school a week).
I have one boy who is dyslexic and it is so sad to see him
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Crazy monster cactus\aloe plants in class. He is a royal pain in the ass and the biggest touble maker but he also thinks he is stupid. I am racking my brain trying to think of a way to talk with him about it but, no supise, his english is among the worst in my class.
We have a school director, Sylvana, who is crazy and wonderful, who maybe can help. At first I did not care, she is very involved and I felt that her talking to my kids in class in Italian overminded my authority etc, but ever since she and another teacher Frank (who is very sweet and quite) came out for beer with us we all have been great friends. We had a water ballon day and Sylavana requested we do it again. The next day when I was trying to find the extra ballons we had filled Sylvana said "ow sorry, i threw them all at the kids already". Abi, Molly, Katrina, and I have become VERY close. After school we always go the the same pub, usually with Sylvana and Frank, and we laugh and laugh until its time to go home for dinner. Sylvana, Frank, and Abi
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Hill on the bluebeach hotel property (who has lived in Italy for a year now) teach us about Italian sign language (it is a VERY gesticular language) and we talk about camp, and the kids.
I eat dinner with my family every night around 7:30pm. Dinner is usually two or three courses. Pasta, then meat and sometimes veggies. In Italy salad is usually served second. After dinner Valerio and Osama (if he is home) watch the European Campianship (soccerfootball). When I can not keep my eyes open any more I go to bed, and get up a little after 7am and start a new day. I am exhausted everyday and sleep very well (with a very fully belly) at night - but life is good
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