Maria Ceprano
Program Director
Department of Elementary Education and Reading
Department of Elementary Education and Reading
Today Mary and I went to school while the girls went to the market for the last time so they could purchase some presents for their loved ones. Mary and I did the post test for the vocabulary study. The impression was that the students had learned quite a few words over the time period we have been in Torremaggiore.
This will be supported once we compile the vocabulary data. The students were also asked to write a paragraph or two about their favorite book ( ones written by the girls). They quietly set out to do this task and may seemed to write quite a bit. The girls were back at the school b y 10:30 and Ashley and I interviewed three children with regard to their favorite books and what they did with them when they took them home. Ashley asked the questions in English, I translated and recorded the children's answers in English. This was pretty amazing stuff coming from the children. We left to go to the theater room where the children were learning how to do a dance by following English directions on a screen. The dance steps were repetitive and they seemed to catch on very quickly as the girls modeled the dance. Finally we Today we left the B&B at 7:30 to board the bus to an astonishing place: Matera, a city which has recently been chosen as the cultural center of Italy and the World till 2019, and has been noted as an "international tourist destination" by Mel Gibson, who used the Sassi ( the caves in the rocks) as the set for the "passion of Christ" because the scenery seemed to reflect the appearance of ancient Jerusalem. Matera has had inhabitants since Palaeolithic times, however the city began its role as a city in the middle ages. It was invaded several times including the Saracens, who destroyed it, and taken over in 1042 by William the Conqueror. The invasions apparently continued but people continued to live in the houses in the caves till about 1956. These houses, are clustered around open spaces forming neighborhoods with cisterns which gather rain water used for various purposes including drinking water. Visiting one of these abandoned houses caused reflection on what is deemed poverty-- a home no bigger than what people today would consider a large bedroom was shared by 6 or more people and animals ( a donkey perhaps) used for labor--No TV, no phones no wifi. It rained as we toured the city climbing the rough hewn streets and steps up and down to see the city of sassi from various perspectives. Looking at the river the rivulet that runs at the very bottom level was reminiscent of viewing places in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon
Yesterday we started the day by going to the high school (the Lyceo) for the purpose of conversing with the 4th and 5th year students. We were told they were anxious to meet with us and ask us questions. Three groups of fourth and fifth year students were selected, so each college instructor took a group of three JPs to one of the rooms where we met with the students for about an hour. The group I led ( Symone, Catie and Yasmine, were with the students enrolled in the classical curriculum. I broke the ice for the conversation by asking them to tell me what the Greek words painted on the wall on the back of the room said. Quickly we were told that they said " Be all that you can be." That gave us a chance to ask students to tell us ( in English) what it was they planned on becoming. With each telling we probed a little the get them to speak more. We interspersed this with having them ask questions.
The students wanted to know how high schools and colleges are organized in the US. What would it entail for a student to become an MD or a lawyer. What was it like to get the school at Buffalo State?-- Catie gave a rather gentle description of the driving to campus and the nightmare involved in parking. Yasmine told about how people get around in New York city-- train rides followed by walks to the schools etc. By the end of the period it was clear that the high school students wanted to see more of the girls. They met later in the evening between 5:30 and 7:00 and the girls were given a tour of Torremaggiore. They also made plans to go to a soccer game in Torremaggiore on Saturday afternoon. In the evening we had a meeting with the commissioner of education in Torremaggiore. We all sat at a long restored antique table situated in the newly restored hall first used by King Frederico. After that we went to a Pizza party given to us by the Torremaggiore Buffalo Association. Interestingly, we all feel like celebrities. It seems everywhere we go -- the dry cleaners (lavasecco), the supermercato, the various clothing stores etc, every one knows who we are--" Oh aren't you the Americans who are at the school " and then they ask us various questions. Everyone is sooo friendly and helpful. We started the morning ( after breakfast of course) with walking to the Market. This is truly a cultural experience. The Market is a place where just about everything you can possibly think of is sold at really discount prices. Ashley and I went to a nearby "bar" to get some tea. The person who waited on us was super nice and was very much interested in the fact that we are from Buffalo, the twin city to Torremaggiore. He pointed to the inscription above the bar which indicated it's global associations and showed the mug he had acquired from a friend from Buffalo. There it was along the rim of the ceiling among countless other mugs from around the world.
This morning Mary Shea and I took a walk to explore the church scene in Torremaggiore. It was about 10:30 and when we reached the church at the end of the street where we are living ( First picture) we were surprised to find that it was closed. We walked on and asked a gentleman who was walking his dog where we might find an open church. He told us about three churches we might visit-- all about a 5 minute walk away from where we were and the times for the Masses at each. All would be opening between 11:15 and 11: 30. We decided to walk through the high end district where all the stores with high-end fashions, meat shipping stores, classy bistros etc. are located till we reached the plaza and church dedicated to the Holy Queen of Heaven. (See above). By now the bells were ringing in the tower beside the church. We went in the church on this day which celebrated the Baptism of Jesus Christ. . if you Since leaving Rome we've been pretty much engaged in traveling to Torremaggiore and getting settled both at our B&B, finding our way to the school and other places about the town, and finding out when and where the internet is best accessed. I can say that the train ride was an eye opener for some of the travelers. You truly need to attend not only to the weight, but the size of your baggage-- especially if the train is one that services a lot of people. Once that experience was over, however, everything went smoothly. The van was in San Severo ready to take us to Torremaggiore. The driver loaded all of our baggage and proceeded to drive us through the winding streets of San Severo, along a rural road and into the small town of Torremaggiore right to the B&B. The last part of this was challenging for the driver as their were delinquent cars parked on the wrong side of the small road. These were quickly moved when the owners understood the need for the van to get through. Dinner was waiting for us at the B&B: Bruchette appetizers, chicken soup made with tortellini, and a veal patty with an small omlette and salad. Bread and wine accompanied the meal as did Panetone for dessert.
Every meal has been just as phenomenal since then. Breakfast over the past two days includes yogurt, cold cuts of meat and cheese, juice, toast , etc. etc. Last night we were served, fish soup ( absolutely wonderful with various "frutte di marre". This was followed by a fish(calamari) kobob and salad. and then fruit. Those who could not abide with the fish were served a tasty meat stew. We have been at the school for two days now, and some have had a chance to help out individual students, some have taught large groups and some have just observed. We will have a tighter schedule for school next week. reche Just a few pictures from our tour of the Vatican are displayed above. One of many ancient maps of Italy in the Vatican Museum. Some display the various regions in ancient times but this is one of the whole country. The map is quite huge.
Also shown is a photo of the Creche (Nativity scene) erected in the Basilica. Some of the figures moved. The statue shown in the third picture is of Saint Peter, the first Pope. The digits of his foot have disappeared over time due to the many people who have planted a kiss on it. Finally one of many frescoes in and about the Vatican. This one of Michael casting Satan into hell. |
AuthorDr. Ceprano is a retired Professor of Reading and the English Language Arts at Buffalo State College. She developed the IPDS-Italy connection through her Spring 2014 sabbatical. Archives
January 2018
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