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Our last day with the students was on Friday, and it was an experience I’ll absolutely never forget. I was with a new 5th grade class that had a handful of students with disabilities. One of the students had recently come to Italy after living for 9 years in Morocco. He was facing a language and cultural barrier with everyone around him, and also had a few behavioral issues. He was picked on by other students in the class and the teacher openly told him that he was stupid. Those exact words. When the teacher told me that he was Moroccan, she also mentioned that he could speak Arabic and French as well. First and foremost, regardless of his behavior is is impressive that this boy has a grasp on not only his native languages, but he can also communicate at an advanced level of Italian and was learning English. Picture yourself at 11 years old. How many languages could you speak? For most of us, the answer is one; maybe two. After learning that he could speak French, I asked him a few questions and we used a crazy mix of French, Italian, and English to communicate with one another. He went around and kept excitedly telling the other teachers that I could speak French (which is a bit of an overstatement, but I let him do it). It was clear that he really needed someone to connect to and to understand him rather than yell at him, and I’m so happy that for a little while I got to be that person. We taught a series of mini-lessons that we’d already done with different classes, and then went to the small auditorium in the basement of the school. The students were all gathered and began singing “This Land is Your Land”, which was so moving, it was tough not to tear up. In just a short amount of time it is so easy to get attached to students and to a school, it made me not want to leave. Then, the teachers had us go stand among the students and sing with them, and afterwards the students swarmed us for hugs and high-fives; a group of boys began chanting my name, and a few students started crying knowing that we were going. It was all such a powerful experience, and I hope that the students got the most out of it that they could. For me, it was such an enriching experience and really opened my eyes to what I’m capable of as a teacher, and what types of settings I really thrive in. The language barrier can be intimidating for a lot of people, but in this school we welcomed it, and allowed our differences to bring us closer together. I can leave happily knowing that these students left their handprints on my heart, and hopefully I on theirs. That night, we went to the high school in town for “National Classical High School Night”. There’s different types of high schools here that all focus on different areas, and the school in Torremaggiore is a “liceo classico” (classical high school). The students performed skits from different classic literary works, which included singing and dancing. There was a buffet of food around the middle, and let me tell you: there is zero etiquette here when it comes to the buffet. There’s no lining up, no waiting your turn, no working your way along the table. It’s a mad dash to the table where you grab whatever’s in front of you and go. And it is mass chaos. Naturally, we weren’t used to having to be aggressive to get food, so they made the high school students move out of the way while shouting that “the Americans are coming through” (I’m not kidding when I say we have actual celebrity status in this town). The next morning, we went to the middle school where we were given a tour of the gardens and shown their aspects of agricultural education. Some students were tending to grapevines, and they explained to us how to do do this and why it’s important. We also were given football (read: soccer) jerseys, and met a coach? from the local team. We posed with a Buffalo Bills flag, and it was gifted to them afterwards (we got to keep the jerseys). Later on, we went to the next town (San Severo) to visit a winery. We got a quick tour, and the facility was entirely underground which was super cool. Then they served us dinner (still underground), and had a band playing. It was a really nice way to end our time in Torremaggiore, and allowed us to end on a bang! On Sunday, we left Torremaggiore and headed to Pompeii, where we toured the ruins. It is such an ancient area, and has been preserved so well for us to be able to experience it. Getting to see Mt. Vesuvius in the background was also quite incredible, and I’m glad we got to stop and see it all. Following that, we continued on to Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. We stopped at a few overlooks on the way to get pictures, and then explored the town a little bit before dinner. Monday, we took a ferry to the Isle of Capri, where we got to go down to the water (and touch it!) and experience all the beauty without any of the crowd since it’s the off season. The views on the island are spectacular, and I would love to see it in the summer time! Overall, it was so worth it and the ferry ride was a blast on the way back since we got to sit outside on the upper deck. That night, we went out to explore some more and take it all in before heading out the next day. Tuesday was our last full day in Italy, and we departed Sorrento in the morning to head for Naples. In Naples, we took a tour of some of the old churches and neighborhoods, had lunch, and then shopped around for a bit. It was a quick stopover, but nice to experience yet another Italian city. We left Naples for Rome, and returned to the same hotel we stayed at in the very beginning of the trip. It felt like a blast from the past to be there again, and it was crazy to reflect on how much we had experienced and grown as teachers in the time between. We got into Rome later than expected, so we went to a nice last dinner and then meandered to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night one last time. Obviously, we also got gelato even though it was pretty chilly outside. After all this time in Italy, I can easily say that it has been one of the most striking places in so many ways. Since I’ve been to Europe before, I really didn’t expect to love Italy as much as I have, since I didn’t anticipate it would be that different from other countries. But it really took me by surprise and is someplace that I know without a doubt I will return to. The students, community, and company I got to share this experience with have made it so impactful and memorable, and I already can’t wait for the day that I will return. But for now, ciao! Now I’m headed off to Munich for a few days then on the Amsterdam before returning stateside to student teach. Be on the lookout for blogs from those places!
1 Comment
Carole Bianchi
1/26/2020 09:05:59 am
So glad this has been such a wonderful, empowering trip! ❤
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AuthorCiao! My name is Alex and I’m a senior in the Childhood Education program. I love experiencing different cultures, trying new things, and traveling; this trip will bring my foreign country total into double digits! I’m thrilled to be able to work with students of a different background than myself, and hope to go into TESOL in the future. I can’t wait to bring my Italian experience into my own future classroom! Archives
February 2020
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