Week 7

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Week 7
March 1-Mrach 7 ~ Group B with Vic, Sophie, and Eoghan
Spent Sunday evening driving to Torino. Stayed in a cozy, odiously not designed for four people, room. The shows on Monday were difficult as we two shows for 100 plus students each. The teachers were very disorganized and the workshops were just two groups. The school itself was beautiful, looked kind of like Hogwarts inside with big coulombs and stone stair cases. The theatre space was massive, everything was just too big. It was a long day but I enjoyed working in this group. After I drove the three hours (including inner city traffic) to Genova. Genova is maybe now one of my favorite Italian cities. When we finally found our hotel, moms valentines day package had been forwarded by the office and was waiting for me. Thanks mom! Sophie, Vic and I went for a little walk. We saw an arch and the Genova theatre, which wasn’t showing anything unfortunately. We then met up with Eoghan who left before us at the Piatza del Farare. On the walk there we saw the shopping street and got a since of the old city architecture. Huge decadent buildings. Corinthian coulombs. Lots of detailed exteriors. Zebra striped black and white cathedral like churches , now with Zara and United Colors of Benetton built into the side. Tomatoes reds and sunshine yellow, were just as common to see as beige and gray. We met Eoghan in the Piatza. Eoghan had gone out exploring on his own for a bit, after he showed us one of Christopher Columbuse’s old homes we went to an area in the old part of the city for a drink. It was nice to be out during the week and to just relax and enjoy one anothers company. It started raining, and though we had a table umbrella the novelty of drinking in the rain didn’t last very long. As we were getting cold we walked back home and tried to stay as dry as possible. Tuesday we got to sleep in, which meant I slept until 8:50am/08:50. I could have slept all morning but I wanted to go for a run, make breakfast and lunch, and see some of Genova before work. Everyone went off on their own for a little while. I went for a jog back by the arch S, V, and I walked near the night before. Then I jogged up into a little garden/park, down by the port, to the aquarium (which is very famous, though for 17euro I we decided to skip) back up to the old city. Wandered around a bit, looked into a few churches, found another theatre, an art museum and tons of cool little shops and cafes. Just as I was sure I was completely lost I found myself back in the Piatza from the night before and headed home. Looked in and wandered around a market (mostly food) near the hotel and then met up with Vic back at the hotel. Showered, made lunch for later then Went for a little wander with Vic. Got Vic some dried fruit at the market. Looked into a few shops, Zara and such. Went into the Cathedral where they were just finishing a huge service to remember St. Paola Frassinetti, one of Genova’s saints. W headed back to the hotel to meet Sophie and Eoghan for lunch. On tour my diet is quite boring. I try to bring as much food with me as possible as it is much cheaper then eating out. Lots of tuna, yogart, bread, salad, fruit, cerial bars, single slices of cheese….and that’s about it. On Tuesday we were working at the childrens hospital. It was interesting. Very different from working in a school. It was nice just to be a clown for a day, not a clown and an English teacher. We did Jungle Book and Peter Pan for an audience of patients, parents, doctors and whoever else wanted to watch. The kids were a little quiet and shy. Many watched both shows so we couldn’t recycle as many jokes as we usually do. You can’t do the my hand is stuck to your after shaking hands as Captain Hook if they already saw it when you were Baloo. It was a little confusing as the women who booked the shows wasn’t there so we had to deal with a little disorganization but it was a rewarding fun day. In the evening we all went to a cool exhibition about Fabrizio de Andre. Lots of cool interactive stuff. Only thing I even recognized was ‘The Spoon Rive Anthologies’ which he translated into Italian, though he is most well known as a musician. After Sophie and Vic walked back to the hotel and Eoghan and I went for a glass of vino, and a little walk before heading back. Wednesday we woke up and headed back to a normal school at the normal early hour. The school was hard to find and the audience was HUGE again. I’m really glad we enjoy performing together and the audiences weren’t too bad, just too big. We had to do workshops all together all of us and ALL the students in the theatre, so I don’t know how much each student got out of it, but there were too many to divide up and have space for each group. It seems to have been the week of disorganized teachers and workshops. For some reason the teachers this week haven’t had much idea about the workshops, what to expect, that we need classrooms/space for them, that the students should be separated into smaller groups but it was fine. After Genova we drove to a B&B in Collecchio and got totally lost. After finally finding the B&B we were told we couldn’t come in until 5:30pm/17:30 so we sat in a café. I stayed until about 6:30pm/18:30 writing trying to get caught up with this blog (truthfully I’m writing this in the car on March 11th on the way to a town near Riminni). The whole town smelled damp and like sheep. I went for a jog later that night while Vic and Sophie were at the grocery store. I ran from the entrance to the exit sign three times on my fourty minuet run. Stretched and listened to “Waiting for Godot” which has been giving me really weird dreams I think. Also been keeping a check list of things that I want to do every day or so many times a week, along with my weight watchers points, and to todo list in the back of the journal that Tanya gave me for the holidays. In the back I keep my checklists. In the front is my journal/scrap book as I have taken to gluing pamphlets and tickets into the book to accompany my journal entries. Just as I develop a system for organizing all the little lose papers I like to collect while traveling, I have a shoe box for each place now, I start gluing them in one book, go figure. Guess I can put the book in a box when I’m done. Keep track of things like: how much sleep did I get, did I take my vitamins, did I run and stretch, did I read/listen to a book for at least two hours that week, did I take a risk that day, did I spend time practicing Italian (I don’t usually make my quota for the week on that one), did I stick to my diet, did I floss etc. It’s dorky but it helps me keep track of everything, and makes it keeping track of what I eat just like a part of something, not the soul focus. Been trying to get some future planning done as well and it just helps me keep track of everything. Have a week off in April the 7th to the 12th and not really sure what I will do with that time. Might meet a friend in Spain, might travel somewhere with Vic. If Spain doesn’t happen I was thinking of maybe trying to Couch Surf in Sardinia. Thursday morning we had a really fun show of Indy and got a surprise visit/inspection visit from Bruno and Valaria who were at the school promoting the summer camps. It was a short work day only one show and one hour long workshop with thirteen and fourteen year olds, who are a fun group to teach. Grosery shopped and did laundry in the afternoon, and went to the boxing gym in the evening. Friday we had an early morning to deal with Milano traffic. Returned to a school for the third time (the hell school where Xander, Sophie and I did 3 Little Bro’s for the flaky teacher with awful kids). This time it wasn’t quite as bad, thought I wasn’t feeling great and I had to be Baloo twice, our version of the Jungle Book could be renamed the Baloo show, I spend about twenty min on stage alone before Moglie even comes on. Friday evening was a couch surfing evening of great success, though I didn’t surf at someones house. First I met with an Italian women who found me on couch surfing who offered to do a language exchange with me Italian for English and wanted me to help her with her English as she wants to study drama in England. She wanted help finding monologues and making sure he accent isn’t incorrect. FINALLY someone with English questions I can answer. Met her at the Duomo at 6pm/17:00 and chatted/ practiced language for a little over an hour. Then I made my way to another couch surfers house who had invited me to dinner. Met Antionio the weekend before when he was teaching an Italian lesson. He had a couch surfer from Mexico and asked me if I wanted to join him, his guest Saul, and his roommate for dinner. Dinner was quite simple, just pasta, salad, cheese, wine, and chocolate with strawberries for desert. Taught Saul the phrase “Adrenaline Junkey”, which is what he is. He is traveling around Euorpe and running marathons. When he is in Mexico he likes to go rafting, climbing and so on. Antionio’s roommate is also really lovely. She does linguistics work for a university in Milano speaks fluent: Italian, German, English, and signs in Italian. I was very excited to meet an Italian signer, the alphabet is very similar to the ASL one. I probably talked too much over dinner but really enjoyed the company and free, homemade, Italian dinner (though not conducive to weight watchers) is always nice. Around 10pm/22:00 I caught the metro and met Ariel (the Argentina/Italian) from last weekend, Sara (the Irish Au Pair) and one of Ariel’s friends. We all went out for drinks in Milano. Really nice, relaxed night. Crashed at the Brazilains apartment. Though I had a big dinner I did walk about two hours across Milano to get back to the apartment (as the Metro and trams weren’t running after 2am/02:00). Chatted the whole time with Ariel (until he left) and his friend. As we were getting in another one of roommates was getting in so I stayed up with her for a little bit, felt kind of rude not doing so as I was sleeping in her hallway too. She was nice enough too. Woke up about four hours later as my body now is almost incapable of sleeping in, how times change, and got back to Palazzolo by 11am/11:00. Spent Saturday afternoon walking around Milano with Vic. Started thinking about my easter holiday week more. Looks like I will not be meeting anyone in Spain so I’m thinking of where and what might like to see locally. Had kind of an unsuccessful shopping day but it was nice to hang with Vic and the weather was beautiful. When we got back we made dinner. Helen, Sophie, Vic and I went out to get a drink at the local bar. Laura was in San Remo. Eoghan went to Bergamo for the day and was out in Milano still, and Xander didn’t feel like coming out. I didn’t drink that night so I offered to drive to Milano. Vic and I did and went dancing at the same club from last weekend, Rolling Stone. Met Ariel, the Brazilain, another friend of Ariel’s as well as Eoghan, Raf (from the office) and (sorry for the phonetic spelling) Ahraily (a women in Lingue’s French theatre company). Had a really fun night out booging. Sunday morning I tried to finish “Godot” though I keep having to rewind it and relisted to parts, I can’t believe I actually wish I had the text in front of me. Don’t think I’ll get my two hours of “reading” checked off on my list this week, the play takes just over 2hrs. and I’m only just starting Act II. Jogged three miles  though I stopped half way though at the café used the internet and then jogged back totaling three miles. It was another gorgeous day, and though the Italians were all still wearing their jackets when Sophie, Eoghan, Vic and I left we all debated leaving our coats at home this week. In the early evening we drove to Vechenza, and had a nice evening in. We stayed at the B&B we call Professor Tralornies (she women who owns it looks just like Emma Thompson in the Harry Potter films who plays Professor Tralornie). Only hiccup was that we apparently didn’t get a fax from the office and we were suppose to go to the Wednesday school in Vechenza on Monday and the Monday school on Wedneday. They also wanted us to do one show and three workshops, not two shows and two workshops. This is why we call and confirm with the teachers I guess. Honestly not too pleased with the offices planning women. I will call her F. F has us in Vechenza in the upcoming week on Monday and Wednesday. On Tuseday we have to drive over an hour to Ordezo and then an hour back in the evening to stay at Professor Tralornies again. We are not staying at our normal hotel Al Gallo in Ordezo (the place with wireless and killer chocolate tort for breakfast). F odiously didn’t get a fax to us with this info, so I had to calm this teacher who seemed very flustered by the fact that we didn’t have the info. Earlier this week she miss wrote the hotels street name on our itinerary so we got lost trying to find it. F, is just generally disorganized, not the best quality for a company organizer. Often we shout in rage F-----! When we get lost or something goes wrong. Today (Tuseday, March 11) she called one of the actors in the middle of a workshops, knowing we were working, to tell them that a fax couldn’t be sent today - we were going to finishing in about an hour. Ugh! Christina, my boss is still amazing and always impresses me with her organization, common since, but some of the other office staff, F!!, not so much.

UPDATES
Weight: only lost ½ a lb. last week, but I’m still losing!

Fitness: happy that I ran three miles but need to be more consistent with working out, and I’m not stretching nearly long enough.

Mood: quite happy this week

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Photos

Duomo
in Milnao

Genova
at columbuses house

at rolling stone
Brazil, USA, Argentina

Party People
everyone who ended up coming to Rolling Stone