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Torremaggiore is a gorgeous little town, tucked away in the Province of Foggia. It's divided into Old Torremaggiore; the historic original town, and New Torremaggiore; the area built around the historic part of the city. I was blessed to be welcomed into this town with open arms for about a week and half. And let me tell you, a week and half was not long enough; I can't wait to go back and visit! I could have fun getting lost in the streets... looking for stray dogs (don't worry, they are fed and taken care of). The Castello Ducale is an absolutely gorgeous castle, that was conveniently at the end of our street. We stayed at the B&B Cavour with Signore Grassi and his wife and they were utterly delightful! During our stay at the B&B, I roomed with Katie, Amanda, and Sydney... and of course we had the best room with very low wifi signal! But all in all it was a special treat to room with such lovely people, it's a friendship that will last a lifetime. Every single day was jam packed with teaching, social events, and activities for us to participate in. This is where my thought process on writing a blog every day went horribly wrong. On a normal day, breakfast would be served at 7:30 am and it would consist of hard boiled eggs, bread with butter and jam, and a good old cup of coffee; I ate this every day for 1.5 weeks and it was blissful (I still miss the coffee!). After breakfast, we would be at the school between 8 and 8:30 am; our cohort was divided into two different schools and I got to walk a good half mile (one way) to my placement! Walking everywhere was liberating, although my feet were sore and I missed driving. We would be at school from about 8:30 am to 12pm, running through the halls trying to keep up with which ever classroom we were teaching in that day. We did have a "home classroom", Mary and I were lucky enough to teach an amazing group of 9 and 10 year olds! Our teacher, Miriam, is the sweetest woman you could ever meet; she always helped us translate and made sure we were fully caffeinated with espresso (a goddess, really). Our kids hold a special place in my heart... as I'm writing this now I wish I were back there teaching music and getting hugs every day! At 12 pm, we would get plucked from our classes and normally have a little tour of the school or a neighboring school (middle and high schools). And after that would be my favorite time of the day, Siesta. For about four blissful hours, everything in Torremaggiore closes and the townspeople go home and have a big lunch with family and relax. In the later evening, stores would begin to open. This was definitely one of the harder things to adjust to because we live in such a fast paced world where you go to work or school all day and don't have a break until dinner that night. Siesta was refreshing for people like me who really dig a nice nap during the afternoon! I felt refreshed and ready to go for the evening activities they had planned for us. Which were a lot. Every night was something new; we toured the castle, we walked around the old part of the city, we toured a winery, mozzarella cheese farm and factory, and an olive oil factory. The amount of pride and joy the citizens of Torremaggiore have for their town is enormous and heart warming. They were so excited to share the history of the town and show us how proud they are of all of their achievements to date. They really did welcome us with open arms and treat us like family. At then end of the day, we went to bed with full bellies and full hearts, ready to tackle the next adventure ahead of us. I feel like so much happened in our time in Torremaggiore, that I don't even know what to write about. Maybe keeping it pretty simple is the way to go. And writing it all out is very difficult. If anyone has questions about anything please reach out!
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AuthorI am in my junior year at Buffalo State as a Music Education major with a concentration in voice. I received an associate’s degree in Music Performance from a local community college and, during my time there, participated in vocal jazz, a madrigal choir, and an a cappella group that went the ICCA Quarter Finals. I participate in the Buffalo State Chamber Choir and enjoy working as a barista at Starbucks and spending time with my fiancé, Nathan. My dream job is to teach choir in high school! Archives
February 2020
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