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Well, after a 10 hour plane ride, a 6 hour layover and another hour plane ride, I am finally home in Buffalo.
The jet lag is hitting me hard. All I want to do is sleep and unpack... I'll get to that last part eventually. I have to say I am happy to be reunited with my dog, I missed him so much! I miss Italy though. I definitely seeing my friends everyday. I also miss the teaching, the trips and definitely the food! I go back to work next week subbing in the City of Lockport school district. I'm worried though! I've gotten so used to our siesta time, how am I going to make it though a whole day without my nap! I guess I'll just have to catch up on sleep before that. Either way, the time has come to say Ciao to my trip to Italy.
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Now that we have finished teaching, its time to travel some more!! There is nothing I love more than traveling and experiencing new things, and I can just tell that the rest of the trip is going to be amazing for just those reasons! Id be remiss if I didn't talk about the bus rides to and from each excursion trip. There is nothing funnier than a bunch of sleep deprived people all crammed together on a bus. To pass the time, we would play games like 20 Questions, Would You Rather and Sing As Many Songs As You Can With A Chosen Word In It (that last one might have been slightly annoying to anyone not playing). But after a bus ride of terrible travel games, we would finally make it to our destination! PompeiiIf Rome make the history nerd in me go crazy, then Pompeii made the history nerd in me go absolutely bonkers. There is so much history in Pompeii, over 2,800 years worth! I loved walking around the ruins and learning about daily life in the city! The Island of CapriThe Island of Capri was by far the most beautiful places I have ever been. I can see why celebrities come here on vacation! We took a beautiful boat ride over to the island and spent the day touring and exploring the city and shops! The view was absolutely gorgeous.
Alright, lets talk about the real meat and potatoes of this trip: the teaching!
To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect when it came to teaching in Italy. Ive gone on an IPDS trip to Zambia before in order to teach, but there, the primary language is English. Overcoming the language barrier was very difficult, but like any good teacher knows, the key is to be flexible. Luckily, my group mates and I worked really well together. Every night, we get together and plan for the next day based on what we taught the day before. We make materials together and bounce ideas off each other! I've learned some important Italian phrases to use when I teach such as ascolta (listen), guarda (look), buon lavoro (good job), come si dice... (how do you say...), and fai attenzione (pay attention). These really come in handy in the classroom when I want to tell the book to listen to the book or look at the board. Something that is really surprising is that in Italian culture, the students go home around 12:30 in the afternoon for lunch! I think it's really cool that the Italian culture makes room for family time during the day. Parents and children all go home and eat lunch together as a family! Of course, students could also use this time for a quick nap (I know I did). I think this break time is really good for the students because it helps break up their day and allow them time to decompress during the school day. When the students return after their break they are refreshed and ready to go! Hello, all! Ive finally gotten around to writing a blog post! (yay!) The first few days of our trip was spent in Rome, and let me just say that I could live and die here and be 100% happy. Rome is amazing. It makes the history nerd and social studies teacher in me go absolutely crazy. I mean, ask Brit and Morgan, I paused every 5 feet to take a picture of something that looked old and wouldn't stop giving them mini history lessons! I was definitely in my happy place. So about the title of my blog though.... The Roman streets are just so narrow! We were walking along a path way when a car suddenly turned down the road and came at us, I thought that I had moved over enough onto the side of the street but I guess I didn't quite make it. The car drove right by us and its side mirror snacked me right in the arm! It didn't hurt at all, the car wasn't really going that fast but still, I guess I can say I was hit by a car in Rome and lived to tell the tale! At the Colosseum enjoying a nice Italian cup of coffee At the Trevi Fountain after elbowing my way through a crowd of people to take this picture
Wow. I can't believe that in 15 days I'll be on an airplane headed to Italy.
I knew right away I wanted to join this IPDS trip and teach abroad, I had such an amazing experience when I taught with IPDS in Zambia that I just couldn't resist going again! I can't express how lucky I feel to be involved in this group and how grateful I am for this opportunity! With that being said... I still can't believe it's 15 days away! I haven't packed yet! I haven't even taken out my suitcases from my closet! I'll get there eventually though, I'm not too worried. Ive already made a list of everything I hope to do and see it Italy. Hopefully I can use the little bit of Italian I know (thanks, Grandpa) to help communicate with the locals! I am so excited to meet the kids and get in the classroom! I'm also excited for the FOOD! Wow, the authentic Italian food will be so great, my mouth is watering already! Im so excited for this trip! 15 days away can't come soon enough! |
AuthorHello! Welcome to my IPDS blog documenting my experiences in Torremaggiore, Italy. Two summers ago I was lucky enough to participate in the IPDS trip to Africa. I love learning about and experiencing new cultures! ArchivesCategories |