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Wow, I can’t believe it is our day to travel back home. This trip went by so quickly! I’m not going to lie, when I first got to Italy I wasn’t sure if the trip would go by quickly or not. I also wasn’t sure if I could even do the trip because I was so anxious, it was my first time traveling without my parents, Justin (my boyfriend), or Justin’s family. It was also my first time traveling outside of the United States which was really scary for me. So, if you can imagine I was have a lot of anxiety in Rome. But, I knew once I got to Torremaggoire it would be gone, so I toughed it out and told myself it would get better, and boy did it! After my first trip to Rome, the rest of the trip was a breeze. Of course I had some bad days, but I think everyone does when traveling. But, I am so glad I pushed through the anxiety because the rest of the trip was so worth it. It was truly a life changing experience in the best ways.
I have always heard that you learn so much about yourself when traveling abroad alone, which I wasn’t technically alone, but in my head I was because I didn’t have any of my “comfort” people with me. I can attest that this is in fact true, I learned a lot about myself. Everyone my whole adulthood has told me that I can talk to anyone, and I would like to thank my dad for that because he always forced me to talk to people as a child when I was with him (which I hated then but I cherish now). On this trip I really realized how true that is, I was talking to people all over in Italian (the little I knew) and then using google translate to have conversations. I met some of the most incredible humans doing this as well, which was amazing. It also helped me not feel so far from home. I also learned that a language barrier is not an excuse to not teach ELLs. I taught a whole lesson in Italian to my students and they were engaged, excited, and learning. It was the most magically feeling in the world, because I was very nervous that I wouldn’t be able to get my lesson across, but I was very wrong. Lastly, and I think most importantly, I learned what it feels like to be an ELL student. I barely speak any Italian and when we were going to different events like plays or speeches I could not pay attention for my life due to not understanding a word that they were saying. It was also incredibly boring when you can’t understand what someone is saying, which makes sense as to why ELL students zone out and “cannot” focus. If I was 8 or 9 years old and moved to another country I think I would be placed in the lowest achieving bracket because I would not be paying attention, let alone learning the material for the tests. This trip has really opened my eyes to how important it is to have translations provided to the ELL students and converting their homework/work into their home language. It will make all the difference, I promise! I think this trip was amazing, there were definitely some high highs and low lows, but it was all part of the experience. I wouldn’t change one thing about it either, besides maybe not having so much anxiety and be able to enjoy myself in Rome a bit more. The trip being over is very bittersweet. I am so excited to see my family, boyfriend, pets, and my best friend, but I am sad that the friendships I made on this trip with Dr. Renzoni and the music education majors will change. I love each and every one of them so much, and not seeing them everyday will be different. I obviously will stay in touch and visit them, but it’s still sad that our friendship dynamics will change. It was such an amazing trip filled with so many amazing memories, I cannot even begin to explain them all, so many inside jokes and so many friends made abroad that I am sad I am leaving a bit of my heart in Italy. But, that only means I will have to go back and visit (;. I want to thank everyone who has supported me on this trip, who have read my blogs (the very little I posted while I was there), and everyone who has helped me get to this point. I also want to thank all the donors of my scholarships that I received for this trip, this trip truly wouldn’t have been possible without you all. I hope you enjoyed following my journey in Italy and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions! (P.S. I’m sorry I couldn’t post more while I was there, we were so busy every day that we barely had any spare time to blog. But I hope my longer blogs will makeup for this. I also think the best way to get the most out of a trip is to be fully present, which I definitely was and do not regret at all.) Thank you again for following my journey and until next time! (:
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After all our hard work in Torremaggoire, we got to have a bit of fun for our last couple days in Ital. We went on a bunch of beautiful excursions. It was a great way to end this amazing trip. The first excursion we went on was to one of my top things to do on my bucket list, Pompeii. Pompeii was incredible, but I was a bit sad because I thought there would be solidified people and animals on display (yes, I know that’s very morbid) and there was only one. Dr. Renzoni and our tour guide said that the people and animals are in museums now, which makes sense because it would be hard to preserve them outside in the elements. But, it still was a great experience and pretty cool to walk around ancient ruins. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to live there, back in time, which I tried to do a lot everywhere we visited. I wondered what it
would be like, what they ate, what did they do for fun, and how their everyday life was in general. After Pompeii, our tour guide Mario (who is really one of the sweetest people on Earth) took us to a beautiful view of all of Postiano. We got there just as the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. Postiano is where a lot of famous people come to stay when they are in Italy, so it was really amazing to see this place and say I went there. This city is also right on the Tyrrhenian Sea and the water was absolutely breathtaking. It made me never want to leave, but we had more places to see so I had to. Then Mario took us to our hotel in Sorrento to check in and drop our luggage off. Kelly, Karly, and I were all so exhausted from our day we decided to just hangout and not go out to explore. We were spending the night there anyways so we had the next night at the same hotel to explore the town. We went to bed early and woke up more refreshed and ready for our next adventure than ever. The following day we went to the Isle of Capri, which blew away all my expectations of it. We took a ferry over to the island and I couldn’t believe how big the island actually was, and boy did I not anticipate how much walking I would be doing (if you see my pictures you will clearly be able to tell by my shoe choice LOL). We got to see some of the most gorgeous views and walked from one side of the island to the other, from the bottom to almost the top. It was A LOT, but it was SO worth it. My favorite part of Capri would have to be when we climbed down about 30 flights of stairs and got to this rocky section right on the water. There were little caves and grottos everywhere. There was also this one rock that had the most amazing background view of the water and we all got pictures on it. I would highly recommend going to Capri if you are planning a trip to Italy. It is 110% worth it! Our last day in the Amalfi Coast and our last day in Italy! Yikes, where did the time go?! It of going to Naples for lunch and some shopping (which unfortunately I didn’t get to do much of because I didn’t have any room in my suitcases). I would describe Naples as an “old-fashioned” New York City. It was really cool because we got a tour and our tour guide spoke very good English and told a story instead of just listing random facts. The tour guide took us to three amazing churches which were absolutely beautiful. They were so pretty and just knowing that all the paintings and sculptures in them were so ancient was crazy. I felt really reconnected to my religion after the church tours. It was very refreshing and nice. After we went to lunch and then did some shopping. Where we went shopping was such a nice area, the buildings were what I pictured Naples being. They were colorful and the classic “Italy” building shape. After Naples we got back into our bus and made our way to Rome for one last night there. We got there around 7:30PM, and by the time we checked in and got settled into the hotel it was about 8:15PM. Kelly, Karly, and I were again so tired and we did all the touristy things we wanted to do there in the first couple days of the trip. So, we decided to stay in for the night and just go to the local souvenir shop across from the hotel. I needed a couple things to bring home and I found a couple more that I didn’t go out looking for but decided I needed. Classic Mary (:. One thing I found to bring back was Ketchup flavored Pringles and BBQ flavored Pringles. Kelly also bought hot & spicy flavored ones and the ketchup ones which both were pretty amazing. Then we headed back to the hotel and went to bed for our big traveling day tomorrow. We reflected on how much we have grown as people and how much we have grown as a group. It was pretty awesome to see how much we had changed since the beginning of the trip and how much our friendship has grown, not only with each other but with others on the trip as well. Overall this trip was such a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to share my final day of traveling with you in my next blog. Thank you for reading and I will talk to you soon! Hello everyone! I am so sorry I haven't been keeping up with my blogs. I have been so immsersed in Italy and all that I am doing (which has been very tiring on its own), I have really been neglecting my blog. But, I don't think there's anything wrong with being too immersed to blog, considering that is what IPDS is about. So for being neglectful I am sorry but also not. Just a forewarning, this blog is going to be a bit lengthy but I am going to organize it by day,therefore if you just want to read about a few days I totally understand!
To begin let's rewind to Saturday of this past week. This was a very important day for me because I was able to teach my lesson for my research grant. IT went way more smoothly than I anticipated and that was all thanks to my research mentor Dr. Shively. I really don't think my lesson would have even been possible without him. Together we built a beautiful google slides presentation in both English and Italian, which helped me TREMENDOUSLY! The only struggle I found was that I couldn't understand/respond to questions, but luckily the teacher in the room was able to do so for me. I did also have Google translate up and running to give directions during the lesson which I found to be very helpful. The lesson was presented on the SmartBoard and the students were just asked to read each slide as I went through them and follow the directions. Again, Dr. Shively made the directions so easy to understand which was phenomenal for the students and myself because it resulted in little questions or confusions with the students. I didn't get to finish the lesson completely but only have about 15 minutes left that I plan to do tomorrow and hopefully do the whole lesson over again with a different class. On Sunday we got to take a church tour and visit many beautiful, beautiful churches throughout Torremaggoire. As a Catholic follower, it was really nice to be able to see all these ancient churches that were absolutely breathtaking. It really made me feel reconnected to my faith and it's roots. We also got to visit the cemetery of Socco and Vanzetti. If you don't know their story, they were two Italian-American immigrants who came to America from Torremaggoire and were anarchists against the government. They were framed for armed robbery of $15,000, and because of their not so great reputation, they were sentenced to death. The United States has admitted they were wrong and restored both of their names, so we visited their graves. It was a really great experience because Socco's niece was there and spoke about her feelings. It was amazing to see how much forgiveness Italians have, because I don't think I could find forgiveness if the roles were reversed. They even threw a celebration party after the cemetery for us with food and drinks, which was so sweet of them. It was beautiful to see. On Monday we got to go on a tour of four local businesses and sample various products. First, we went to a buffalo farm where they make buffalo cheese, including mozzarella. We got to see all the buffalos and they are surprisingly very nice and curious creatures. I got to pet the buffalos and l also learned what kind of noise that buffalos make which is kind of surprising. It's almost if a pig and a cow's noise were to be combined. I wish I could have brought one home with me, but I suppose their cheese will do. Then we got to go to a winery and sample some homemade wine. It was amazing. Lastly we went to two oil factories, one being the oldest and one being the newest. The oil is so good and it's because this region is known specifically for their olives and olive oil. It was really fun to see how these businesses operate and work together to provide goods to Torremaggoire. I wish our food back home was more farm fresh like it is here. Tuesday we went to the neighboring town of San Severo. It was a lot of fun, we got to go visit a high school and meet some of the high school students. I was really impressed with how well their English was and realized that the United States does not prioritize other languages like it should. Italian students learn French, English, and study Italian. The students also put on a concert for us and I also got to sing along with them. It was so much fun! This trip has really made me appreciate music and art so much more, and realize that music is for everyone, not just people who can sing. Then we got to go shopping for a bit with our professors, and I didn't end up buying much and that was probably for the better LOL. Wednesday we got to go to the schools and teach, it was really fun. I was able to do my science lesson for my research and it went really well. The students were so engaged and I felt like they really understood what was happening. When I put the simulation on the board the kids were amazed, they all went "Ouuuu!" with excitement. And the best part was I got to finish the whole lesson in one take and didn't have to break it into sections. After school we had the night off, which was well needed. Thursday we went to school in the morning and my teaching partner Sydney, who is a music education major, got to do her music lesson. It was so much fun, the kids loved it and were so engaged. One thing I have learned on this trip has been that Italian kids really get invested in their learning. You almost never see any kids acting out during our lessons or being off topic, which is really amazing to see. Thursday night we went to the castle in Torremaggoire for dinner and some events. It was a lot of fun but it did make me realize that Italian time is a real thing. They like to stand around and talk for a good 20 minutes in between each activity, which is something that is just not culturally related to America. We are a very fast pace country so it was different to experience (and not personally my favorite). On Friday, we got to go to the school for our last morning with the students. The students were so sad and so was I, they all kept hugging me and pretending to cry. We took lots of pictures and each student also drew a going away picture. I was so impressed with their drawings and I also was so moved by them. Almost each student recreated my lesson that I did about science in their drawing, so it was really sweet to see that my lesson had such an impact on them. The teachers threw us a going away celebration with coffee, cookies, and food. It was really hard saying goodbye to all the amazing teachers and students but I was excited to start the next chapter of this trip, which I will explain in a later blog (;. After the school, we went back to the B&B for a delicious lunch served by my favorite Italians Senora and Senor Grassi. After we ate we went to a play by the middle school students and then dinner was provided by the teachers and parents. We also got to visit the association of parents with students of disabilities. We got to see the projects they do and what they do for the students everyday. It was a really great experience but it was a really long night, which made our night of sleep even better than usual(: Saturday was our last day in Torremaggoire): In the morning, we went to the middle school for our final goodbyes with the principals and superintendent. They gave us some olive oil and then had appetizers and drinks for us. We then had our last meal with the Grassi's which was lasagna! We hugged them and gave them our thank you gifts to them and parted ways. Later that night we were invited to a winery for dinner and it was so much fun. They had a live band and it was almost like a wedding, we all were dancing our little hearts out. It was a great way to end the trip! Wednesday was the first day on the job at Emilli Ricci school and let me tell you, my italian is DEFINITELY not up to par like I thought it was. I thought that maybe I would be able to pick up on some buzz words and possibly know what the person is talking about but they talk so fast that there is no way. I also felt really bad for the students because a lot of them were asking me questions and thought I would be able to understand and reply, but I cannot. It broke my heart so much, but I did try and pull out google translate and that allow the students to communicate with us.
The students are amazing though, they are so passionate about school which is such a refresher from what I am used to at home. At home I work with a lot of middle school students so they struggle with the passion but I also find that part very rewarding when I am about to get them passionate. Here the students are already passionate no matter what age. Torremaggoire is also a very small town which reminds me of home a lot, the people I am teaching or being helped by in stores I see all over town. They also have what is called "siesta", which is when the whole town shuts down from 1ish-4/5ish. The times of when the shops open again vary depending on the owner, and then they stay open way later than most local shops in Grand Island. I am getting more accustom to siesta but I don't think I would like it to implemented in America like I thought I was going to. It is really inconvient that there is almost nothing open during lunch hours, so you really need to get groceries before siesta and have an idea of what you want to do for lunch. I have been eating cheese sandwiches for lunch, because as it turns out they really don't much vegetarian options here. I figured and told myself that it was going to happen, and it's not like I can go grab a slice of pizza because all of them are closed. But, it is defintely an adventure to say the least (: The food that Senor Grassi is making us is AMAZING! He really knows how to cook and the food is just so fresh. Although, nothing compares to my mom's cooking at home, and obviously the meat subsitute options in the states. I also miss my doggos, but I really don't have much time left here and soon I will be able to see them! We have also struggled to find regular water because Italians really like sparkling water, which I love back home but I cannot drink it just by itself. I need some type of flavor in it and I only drink it on occasion. After 3 tries we found regular water in big jugs, which was unusally cheap like most things here. These liter water jugs were 40 cents, and I wish water was that cheap at home. Everything is way more expensive in America which is going to be something I miss when I'm home. I bought ground coffee (organic) to bring back with me yesterday and it was 3 Euros, at home it would've easily been 12 dollars. It is really nice to live in a market that everything is reasonably priced. I cannot wait until next week to go back into the school, and I will defintely blog tomorrow about how my lesson went earlier today and what I can improve/struggled with. Thank you for reading my blog and I will see you tomorrow! We have made it to our second destination of Torremaggoire, Foggia! I would like to say that I was sad leaving Rome, but I wasn't. I mean don't get me wrong I had a really good time in Rome but I just feel like it wasn't for me. I saw all the "touristy" sites and then I was ready to move on.
Immediately when I got to Torremaggoire I was in love. I instantly felt like I was back home and was waiting to see my family at the door of the B&B (which sadly never happened) but I got to meet Senor Grassi. He and his wife (owners of the B&B) are the sweetest Italian couple that really know how to make you feel at home. I got to dinner which was homemade by them both and had the most amazing four course meal. I CANNOT wait for breakfast tomorrow! Tomorrow we are going to meet the Mayor of Torremaggoire and are also going to meet the teachers we will be working with. I am super excited to meet the teacher I am working with and get to see how difficult the language barrier will be. In Rome almost everyone spoke English so it was super easy to navigate, but in Torremaggoire almost no one does. So, I hope my teacher maybe speaks a bit of English, but am also excited if they do not because I want to learn! I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a great day and I cannot wait to see what Torremaggoire has to offer! Ciao for now everyone! Well friends I have made it to Rome! I really wasn't sure about this trip in the beginning, there were so many emotions involved and it was very overwhelming. But, now that I am here and doing so much, I can't believe I ever thought that.
I have only been here for about 12 hours but it has been some of the best 12 hours of my life. Was I anxious? Of course, but once I got out and about all that anxiety went away! I got to see some of the most beautiful monuments in Italy including the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, and Vatican City! I can't wait to explore more tomorrow. We also ate some of the most amazing food today, of course when in Rome! Of course my first stop was a pizza place, which was delicious! And then we settled down for dinner later on and I ordered a Roman classic of cacio de pepe. This was so delicious, it is a al dante noodle (and a real italian al dante noodle) with an Italian alfredo sauce (which is COMPLETELY different and so much yummier than a U.S. alfredo sauce), Italian black pepper (which is so much more spicier than U.S. pepper), and topped with real parmigano cheese. I could honestly eat this meal forever. I am thinking of the ways I could sneak this plate home, and trust me I will figure it out before I leave! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings and thank you for reading! I will make sure to keep you updated with all my adventures tomorrow! Ciao for now! Currently I am sitting in the Philadelphia airport waiting for my flight to Rome! I am feeling a plethora of emotions right now, excited, nervous, anxious, and amazed. But, I am mostly excited for this new adventure. I am excited to eat such good food and be in such great company.
Our first stop is Rome, and I am super excited to see and do everything I can while in the short 3 days that we are there. Then we are off to Torremaggoire which is where I will be teaching Italian children English. I am so excited to be able to do this! We get to stay in Torremaggoire for about 10 days, and then we are off to the Amalfi Coast to stop at a bunch of cities. After our Amalfi Coast adventure, we have one last blast in Rome and then home. This trip is definitely going to fly by and I am so excited to get there! I am so thankful for this oppourtunity and blessed to be a part of such an amazing trip. I am also thankful for my generous donors that helped make this trip possible. Lastly, I want to thank my family for the endless support and love of me chasing my dreams, you guys really rock! Ciao! See you in Rome! |
AuthorSalve! My name is Mary and I am a junior in the childhood education program with a science concentration. I am excited to be able to teach in Torremaggorie, Italy. Traveling abroad will really expand my teaching horizon and I am so grateful for this opportunity. This is also my first time traveling abroad so I will make sure to not waste a minute of it! ArchivesCategories |