Casteggio

I have finished my first two-week camp. Thank you, thank you... please, hold your applause. The last two weeks were spent at the most hospitipal household you could ever imagine. I had not just a room, but an entire floor to myself, equipped with floor to ceiling windows looking out at their meticulous garden (from which we ate nectarines and peaches on a semi-daily basis), a bathroom equivilant in size to the bedroom with a walk-in glass shower and jacuzzi, and a queen size bed with a window that allowed the sun to wake me up every morning. I know for you late-risers out there that may not sound appealing, but there is something about having the first light of a new day soak your body with its holy goodness that makes everything right with the world.

I am now with a new host family (my third to date), and they actually have a view that tops my previous family. We ate dinner last night on their patio overlooking the city of Categgio as the sun bid us buono notte and crawled under its fluffy white covers. I will only stay here one more night, though, for reasons unbeknownst to me. Apparantly I move host families tomorrow. My current family drove me past the house yesterday, though. They own and operate a vineyard in their backyard. I'm talkin' acres.

Venezia

After the most entertaining train ride of my entire life Friday evening, me and five other tutors arrived in Mestra, a small town outside Venice, or as the locals call it, Venezia. We spent the night in an economically priced hostel and stayed up sharing past experiences and philosophising about life and handshakes. We awoke at six a.m. to a typical Italian breakfast, which consists of biscotti and café (which is totally not the bacon, eggs, waffle, and cereal I normally gorge upon in the mornings at home, and I'm still adjusting after three weeks), and rode a bus for ten minutes before arriving in the sinking city. I have not heard so much English spoken since leaving JFK International. Tourists galore. Though we were no exception with Demetra and Nicole sporting hoodies boasting "I heart Venezia" and "ITALIA" respectively. Not to mention Charlotte leading the way in her Captain's hat. We totally blended in.

The churches moved me. I knelt. I prayed. I cried.

We also happened upon a free art exhibit displaying original musical scores by Antonio Vivaldi and various string instruments from 800 to 1700. One was titled "violina minuté con tromba" and was literally a violin with a horn extruding from its body. One piano had the strings extending out of the side so as to enable the musician extra control over pitch and timbre while also giving the option of plucking instead of striking. I felt like I was in an M.C. Escher painting of musical instruments.

The whole city was beautiful. Oh, and Bobo, I totally have your wedding present.

San Remo

Italian Education (read Catholic Education)

If you have never attended a Catholic school, watch Doubt. Don't focus on the topic at hand in the film, just look at the manner in which class is conducted. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but as it is with many stereotypes, there is enough truth to carry a discussion. Arrigo, the founder of ACLE, holds a vision I now share to abolish the obsolete methodologies still in play here in Italy. His revolutionary techniques that are constantly evolving with every new discovery of effective teaching stategies have spread like Nutella on biscotti for the last 25 years. The results speak for themselves, but the children love to speak up louder (in English, if they so please)

Once held in a noisy park or an unused gym, these English Camps are now held inside the very schools that once chastised new ideas that disrupted the comfortable atmosphere created by placing the teacher in an authoritarian role. In less than an hour and a half, I myself will walk through the doors of a private Catholic school to go straight back into the courtyard to lead a group of 84 Italian students in a group song followed by a rigorous game of Octopus. The beauty of it all is we did not have to run a Crusade-like vendetta to infiltrate the school; we merely continued to demonstrate how effective modern kinesthesiological techniques can be.

Italia

I have never sat through an entire meal and not understood a word spoken before yesterday evening. It is intimidating but educational. I learned more Italian in one evening than I did in my entire week at orientation. It is the most beautiful language I have ever heard.

Today was the very first day in classes. I am working with eight-year-olds who love to laugh, which is good cause they thought I was hysterical. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite what I was aiming for, but they taught us at orientation that the muscles relax and the brain stores information more efficiently when you are laughing, so I went with it. I have never dealt with students younger than 11 (not to mention students who don't speak English). Needless to say, the whole day was an adventure. I love it, though, and I have a much better idea what to bring tomorrow.

I am going to eat the source of this intoxicating aroma wafting up the stairs, so please, feel free to envy me during my succulent feast. Ciao!