Day 62: Final Thoughts

This is my last day here. Early tomorrow morning, I'm heading to the airport. It's been a lot of fun here. It hasn't been perfect -- what is? -- but the good outweighs the bad. It really does.

Day 59: Parlo Italiano

Over the last two months I have realized how much knowing some Italian has helped me during my time here. I have seen the other IU students pick up some Italian also, just because it seems to make things run a little bit smoother. So, here you go, future OVS person. Some basic Italian to use while you're here.

EVERYDAY USE

Buongiorno/buona sera/buona notte - Good day/good evening/good night 
Grazie - Thank you
Prego - You're welcome
Per favore - Please
Si - Yes (and no is no)
Come stai? - How are you? (informal)
Come ti chiama? - What is your name? (informal)
Parli inglese? - Do you speak English? (informal)
Dove (il bagno)?- Where is (the bathroom)?
Vorrei... - I would like... (usually used to order in restaurants)
Ciao - Goodbye

SCHOOL USE (very important)

Cosa fai? - What are you doing?
Perche? - Why?
Ragazzi - You guys
Basta - Enough
Capisci? - Do you understand?
Ascoltami - Listen to me
Zitti - Silence
Ripeta - Repeat
Spiega - Explain
Tutto bene? - Everything okay?

...I think that's most of it? Boh. If it's not, Google Translate is your friend.

Day 57: IMPORTANT - Transportation Notes

You're going to use a lot of public transportation here. Don't worry about it. It's easy. It's even easier if you know what you're doing. Let's talk about trains. Trains are nice. Trains are easy. Trains can easily get you anywhere. But here are some things I've learned about trains.

IMPORTANT THINGS

- Tickets are easy to buy. Most tickets you can buy right in the station at the machine. It's easier to use the machines that take money. I've noticed that some people can't use their credit cards at these machines. The machine just goes, "NO," and refuses. If you're not using the Fast Ticket machine, you can buy from a person; the windows are only open to about eight in the evening though.

- There are regional trains (designated by an 'R') and intercity ('IC') trains. Regional trains stop at every stop on the line. Intercity trains are faster and stop only the major stops.

- Sometimes you will have to switch trains. If you buy your ticket from a person, they will not tell you this. The Fast Ticket machine will though.

- Some trains will give you a seat to sit in. Sit in it. People check these things. (Same goes for first class and second class cabins.) If there's "standing room only," that's okay too. There are little seats that come out from the wall in the hall if none of the cabins are open.

- Green buttons are always good. White buttons are good. Sometimes, you will have to open the door to the station or to a different cabin. Sometimes it is a handle you have to pull/lift, other times it is a button. Green and white buttons are good.

- Never let someone load your luggage. People can be nice and may help, but sometimes people will try to scam you out of money for loading your luggage. They are not affiliated with train. If you do not give them money, they may try to hold your luggage as hostage. A few euros will usually free your bags.

- You will buy a ticket to your stop. However, only the end destination will show up on the train sign at its track. (When I go to Pavia, the sign at the train I go to says Milan because it is the last stop.) It's best to have some knowledge as to where that train is going (which I say more about in the next point).

- To find your rail/track/'binario': it will not be on your ticket. There will be a poster somewhere, usually behind glass, that says PARTENZE (leaving). On this, look for the time you will be leaving (it's always military time though). It will say the final stop (see above), the rail, and in smaller letters, all the stops the train will make. (Be positive your stop is on that list!)

- AND HOLY CHEESES THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER URGENT URGENT URGENT: Validate your ticket! There will be machines around the station (usually school-bus yellow, sometimes weird green/gray ones) and you need to stamp one end of your ticket there. If you don't and someone checks your ticket on the train, you can be fined fifty euros! If a machine is broken or you absolutely cannot find one before you need to board, then get on the train. Go to the front of the train, find the conductor, and tell him/her that you need your ticket validated (sometimes just handing the ticket to them will work too). That's okay too.

Okay! See? Trains are easy. You'll get used to them really quickly.

Day 56: Gnocchi (A Recipe)

Gnocchi are delicious pillows of deliciousness covered in tasty sauce. Okay, actually they're a type of flour/potato dumpling, usually with a tomato and cheese sauce. If made correctly, gnocchi, despite the potato quality, is a light dish.

However, gnocchi can be a finicky dish to make.

Let me tell you about the first time I tried to make gnocchi. It was with a friend in Milan and we followed the directions to the letter. Instead of coming out with delicious gnocchi, we came out with mash. Potato mash. Yeah, it was good, but it was definitely not what we had been aiming to make.

So, while here, I mentioned to my host mum that I wanted learn how to make them. And she took me under her wing and taught me.

Ingredients (for six servings):
7 medium-sized unpeeled baking potatoes (like russet or Idaho)
flour (about 400 g; you convert it)
nutmeg
salt
2 small eggs or 1 large egg
(if you want your gnocchi to be extra-fancy, you can add spinach or squash to the dough)
(also, sauce: tomato and cheese, pesto, four cheese, butter and sage...your decision)

Directions:

1. Set some water to boiling. When it's roiling, throw those (unpeeled) potatoes in. Yeah. Let them sit there for a while. Let them get comfortable. Once they're soft, take those suckers out. Give them some time to cool their heads and then peel them. (Use a hand towel of some sort if they're burning your fingers.)

2. Throw that flour on the counter. Make a well in it. Using a potato ricer, rice those potatoes into that flour. (IMPORTANT: Make sure your potatoes are still carrying some heat. Warm potatoes make better gnocchi.) Throw some salt and a pinch of nutmeg on top of this mess. Then add the eggs (along with whatever fancy spinach squash inside you want).

3. Smush and smash this mess together until you get a dough. Don't try to handle it too much, or the dough will get rubbery. (Gross.) Once it's a nice piece of dough, cut into smaller pieces. You're going to roll these smaller pieces out into long serpent-like tubes. Cut the end off the long tube. Keep doing that until the long tube. There. Now you got yourself some gnocchi. Do this to the rest of your dough. Sprinkle your gnocchi with a little flour. (These pieces can sit out for up to three hours or can be frozen; be a planner and make ahead of time!)

4. Once you want to make this delicious slice of paradise, get some more water boiling. Deposit your gnocchi carefully into the boiling water. The gnocchi will sink to the bottom, but they'll start to float. When they do that, they're ready for eating so get them out of there.

5. Put on plate. Cover with sauce of choosing. Eat and enjoy.

Day 55: Translation Problem

Today I was sitting for a merenda with my host sister and the TV was on. During this time, there's usually some Dutch (Italian-dubbed) soap opera going on, complete with dramatic camera shots and weirdly dramatic faces. (Everything is dramatic in a soap opera, no matter what country.) But today, there were four women running around in wedding dresses.

And the words "luna di miele" were everywhere.

I stared at the TV for quite a while, trying to figure out what the moon ("luna") had to do with a wedding. In my brain there was no connection. I had to ask my host sister.

"The vacation," she said. "After the wedding."

OH.

"You mean a honeymoon?!" I exclaimed. Blank faces. And it hit me.

"Luna di miele" translated to "moon of honey"...switch that around and one gets "honeymoon."

D'oh moment of the day.

Day 54: Focaccia (A Recipe)

See, the real reason I'm in Italy is to steal recipes. I'm secretly here for a giant corporation which I can't name and I need to steal recipes to give them so the corporation can take over the world with good food.

Yep.

So, today I stole a focaccia recipe. Yum! Here it is.

Ingredients:
1/2 oz. active yeast
1 cup tepid water
1/4 cup olive oil (with some more for the pan and the top of the focaccia)
1 tbsp. salt
4.17 cups flour (or 500 grams; or a little over 4 cups)
Anything else you want to add (cheese, tomatoes, or basil to put on top; maybe rosemary to put inside?)

Directions:

1. Add yeast to water. Let the yeast do its thing and get all foamy.

2. Throw all that flour on a counter. Make a very large well in the flour. (When I say "very large," I mean, make it so you can see the counter. Make the flour a circular barrier. That's its real purpose here.)

3. Put the yeasty water in the well. Add the oil and the salt.

4. Start mixing the inside flour into the liquid. Keep the barrier intact though. You do not want that yeasty, salty, oily water all over your counter.

5. KNEAD THAT DOUGH. Stretch the dough out, roll it back up, turn it over, and do the same thing to the other side. You want the dough to be soft and smooth. Put the dough into a lightly oiled or floured bowl, cover it with a clean dishrag, and let it sit somewhere for 2 hours. The dough should be roughly doubled in size when you return.

6. Coat a circular pan with 1/8 - 1/4 inch of olive oil. Place the dough in the pan and press it to fit in the pan. Turn it over to coat other side in oil. Continue to stretch the dough until it fits the pan. Make sure you spread your fingers and make finger holes through the dough; dimpling the dough like this gives focaccia its look. Let sit for another hour.

7. Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle with salt and some more olive oil. Add any toppings. Bake the focaccia for about 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool before serving!

Now there. Easy focaccia.

Day 47-48: Why I Can't Have Nice Things

See title. A more accurate title would be, Reason Why Kat Should Not Travel.

Let me explain.

So, yesterday I went to Genoa with another IU student. It was going to be a short day trip. We went and walked around and ate gelato and focaccia. It was good.

And then we decided to take a small trip to one of the coastal cities, Camogli.

It was absolutely beautiful. We sat on the coast and ate more gelato and generally had a lot of fun.

Of course, something has to go wrong. Things tend to happen when I travel. After a trip I usually have many weird, crazy stories.

We tried to get a train back to Voghera/Pavia. The train arrived early, but I asked a guy if the train was going to Milan (the end destination of Voghera/Pavia) and he said yeah, so we weren't worried.

We only got worried when we were still on the coast two hours later. Pavia/Voghera is no where near the coast; it's about a two hour drive there. So, we should have been home.

I called my host family. They said that I was probably on a local train, which stopped at every stop (true) and took two to three hours to get anywhere. We had been there two, going on three hours, so we decided that it would take all night to get home. So getting off the train and finding a regional/intercity train (one hour train ride, two hour car drive) was necessary.

But first: we had to figure out where we were and because it was late, make sure that there were regional trains leaving. So, I asked a lady where she was going. She said San Remo. I had to ask where that was. And she goes, "Near France."

We were on a train going in the complete opposite direction of where we needed to be.

We hopped off train at the next stop, one Diano Marina. There were no regional/intercity trains that night. There was one more train that night and it was going even further west. Great.

At this point we called Bee and asked her what to do. Getting a hotel room for the night and taking a train home the next morning was our only option. Thankfully, the area was very nice and there were quite a few hotels right outside the train station, so it worked out.

We also got to see the area a tiny bit before our train left the next morning. It was beautiful.

But there you go. The one time I try to travel and I get an adventure story instead. Yay.

Day 46: Swedish Ladder

"And then we fall down and die."

This was when a student was talking about climbing the Swedish ladder obstacles in gym. Pretty positive that this was a high point of today.

Day 45: Food Adventure

This really is not an Overseas Project blog anymore. It's a food blog. Food food food. I think my last three posts have been about food too. Oof.

But here. I love to bake and cook, and have tried to share some things with my host family while here.

So far:

-pancakes
-sultana muffins
-chocolate chip muffins (which my host brother really wanted to learn how to make)
-apple pie (apple filling: super easy; pie crust: never doing again ugh)
-cupcakes (a failure, which is sad because I'm usually pretty good at making cupcakes)

And sometime soon, I will be baking some chocolate chip cookies. Cookies are different here and usually store bought, so my host family will get to try some fresh out of the oven cookies. Yay.

The point of this:

If you want to bake, remember this. Baking powder here is different. (I guess. I had to ask Bee about it and she explained it to me.) American baking powder starts working when it gets heated. Italian baking powder starts working when it comes in contact with liquid -- so once it's mixed with something wet, boom. Baking powder needs to be put in the mix last here and the mix needs to go into the oven right away. If not, your baked goods will be flat. (As my poor cupcakes were.)

Day 32: Tiramisu (A Recipe)

So, yeah, I dropped off the map for a few days. Been busy with lesson planning, IU reporting, and getting some sun.

In apology I managed to observe a delicious tiramisu (Venetian style) being made and it was so delicious that I figured I should write the recipe down somewhere.

RECIPE:

4 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
2 tbs sugar
500 g mascarpone cheese (2.11 cups apparently; converting is a pain)
pinch of salt
400 mls espresso/strong coffee (1.70 cups; make sure the coffee is cooled)
2 tbs Marsala wine (similar to Port or Sherry, although I've heard of rum or Kahlua being used; optional)
ladyfingers (cookies; sweet, but light, airy, and fragile)
Cocoa powder

1. Place egg yolks and sugar in the same bowl. Beat until peaks form.
2. Slowly fold in the mascarpone cheese. (Using a soft baking spatula to do this would be best.)
3. Place a pinch of salt into the egg whites. Beat until peaks form.
4. Fold the egg white mix into the mascarpone/egg yolk mix.
5. Put Marsala wine (or whatever you choose) into coffee. (My host mom didn't measure with spoons. It was, "Pour until you smell the alcohol but not so much that it's a strong smell.")
6. Quickly dip ladyfingers into coffee. Place first layer of ladyfingers down in (5-cup serving, or whatever the conversion) dish. On top of that, put the egg/cheese mixture. Do another layer of ladyfingers, another layer of egg/cheese. The last layer should be ladyfingers.
7. Dust the top layer with cocoa powder.
8. Cover and let sit in the fridge for about six hours before eating.


Buon appetito!

Day 26: The Egg Salad Mystery

Another food adventure! Yay.

We've all probably heard of egg salad. Eggs, mayo, and. Um. Celery? Whatever. Egg salad.

In Italy there's something similar called Russian salad. Eggs, green beans, carrots, peas, mayo, and I think some potatoes. An potato-y egg salad. Or eggy potato salad.

In Russia there's the exact same thing. Except it's called Italian salad.

I wish I had better investigation skills so I could figure out this mystery.

Day 25: Oh Food

I've explained Italian breakfast already. But today was different. Breakfast is usually a basket full of cakes, pastries, and other sweet things. Today I spotted something covered in chocolate and made by Ferrero (which, if you don't know, is the company that makes Kinder chocolate which is the most glorious thing in existence; yes, I am in fact seven years old secretly).

So, I picked up this chocolate-covered thing, opened it, and took a bite. The taste did not fit what I thought it should be, which is why I stopped and stared. Here was some chocolatey delicious cake thing and I was tasting...alcohol.

Lovely thought to have at seven in the morning.

The wrapper had oranges on it, so at first I figured it was that, but strangely done or something. But then I looked at the list of ingredients and there it was: liquor. What. A breakfast thing and I was eating something like a rum ball.

Okay.

Second food adventure the day:

My host mom doesn't speak English, so sometimes I don't completely understand what's going on when I'm with her. Yay for language barriers. She kept talking about how she was going to make "black rice" for lunch today. I was thinking about that black forbidden rice I sometimes see in Kroger.

Imagine my surprise when "black rice" was risotto with cuttlefish ink added into it. I've never seen cuttlefish ink, much less a dish with it as the main taste.

It was pretty good. Apparently, the ink is added to many dishes (probably all Venetian recipes) to give it the tasty cuttlefish flavor.

Yummy.

Day 24: April Showers

So, yesterday when I was in Genova, there was sun in Voghera. Today, on my day off in Voghera, there was rain, rain, and more rain. I like the sun. Can I have it back please?

Also, I like muffins. I made some today with my host mom and sister because they're not used to making them. I love that moment when you try to combine about three recipes and several ideas into one dish and it somehow works out. Orange syrup (from the pancakes) plus sultanas in some delicious muffins. Yum.

Wardrobe choice of the day (since it was raining and I was actually doing laundry yay): VS yoga pants and my Bedford Lady Stars shirt.

...Why do people think I'm a real adult again?

Day 23: Total Eclipse

So, Bee (I've mentioned Bee before) is awesome and cool and everybody in the Italy program will probably meet her at some point because of reasons.

She invited me to go with her family to Genova for an art exhibit. And it was absolutely beautiful out so we walked around some.

Genova!

Yay!

Also, this exists.

THE END.

Day 22: Best Lies I've Told

Note: Lying is bad. Honesty is good. Yep.

Lie One: One of my teachers told the students that I couldn't speak or understand any Italian. I figured I would just ignore that and use Italian when I needed to. When I was working with the students the other day, they worked together to figure out the English they needed to communicate. It was amusing hearing their, "She doesn't understand! Speak English!" but I don't think I'm going to correct them on this.

Lie Two: Northern Italian food does not contain much spice. I love spicy food and I'm used to putting spice with everything. My host family, being northern Italians, will think something is very spicy while I think it is only a little. In an effort to find something that I think is spicy, my host mom bought harissa, which is very spicy. One of the brothers put harissa on some bread and gave it to his sister, who does not like/cannot handle spicy food. When she asked me what it was, at the direction of said brother, I told her it was tomato paste and that it wasn't spicy. She took one bite and turned bright red.

Evil? Perhaps.

Day 20-21: School Time

So. School stuff. I feel super weird being that person with a camera taking pictures of a hallway.

Yep. This is a school area, folks. Watch out.

This is elementary/middle school. Complete with shady white van in front.

Teacher's lounge. It's actually pretty small in there.

CLASSROOM. I didn't get a picture of the high school classrooms, but they all kinda look like this.

Here's the (scientific) high school. It's...high school-y.

And the teacher's lounge there.

I also work in the classic high school, but I didn't take pictures. Don't worry. They all have the same format.

Day 18-19: The Walk

I really wish the title meant something deep and/or cryptic, but it really just means that it's finally been nice enough outside to take a walk. So, I took my camera with me and took some pictures of the town. Here you go.

Italian street

I've seen a lot of graffiti around.This is a piece I see on my way to school.

The street where I live.

Little men warn when you to walk and not.

A very nice walking path

Garden behind the castle

A place that used to be knight's stables, I think? Not sure. I think there's a library in there now.

Water fountain. Be wary of these.

A place to post official notices about the city so people cannot ignore them as much.

Police station

Bell tower

Agriculture school

Look at those beautiful mountains. Told you they were there.

Day 16: Easter Lunch

So, when I heard Italian meals described in my Italian classes, I kinda brushed it off. That many courses? That much food? Well, this past weekend for Easter, I went with my host family to their family's Easter get together. There was so much food. I don't know how I ate that much.

The line up:

Antipasto (appetizer) - Some chic platter with cuttlefish eggs (surprisingly tasty), mussels, squid, shrimp, and polenta

First course (pasta/rice course) - Meat-filled tortellini in broth (the only course I skipped because, hey, kinda sorta vegetarian)

Second course (meat course) - Giant shrimp and crayfish with spaghetti noodles

Third course (veggie course) - Octopus (suckers and all) with potatoes, peas, carrots, two types of radicchio, spinach, and zucchini

Cheese (um...cheese) - It was offered, but no one took the hostess up on it, because SO MUCH FOOD

Fruit -Macedonia

Sweet - sorbetto (which is drunk from a sort of champagne glass; which can be alcoholic or not; which was so tasty I had two of them); tiramisu (deliciousness); Colombo, a traditional Easter cake (usually it's filled with almonds and candied fruit and is covered in powered sugar; however, you can get many kinds; I saw a dark chocolate and Grand Marnier one at the grocery store and it looked glorious)

Coffee - by which I mean "espresso," not "American coffee"; taken with sugar, if desired

Liquor- a shot of amaretto, limoncello, or grappa, depending on tastes (this, obviously, depends on the host/family)

It was all very delicious, but oof. So much food.

Eating notes: People eat continental style here. Eating utensils do not switch hands, as the Americans do. In informal settings, the fork can be in the dominant hand. However, with something a bit more proper (like this), the knife is in the dominant hand like in an etiquette guide. This has been one of the more difficult things I have had to learn how to do here.

Also: elbows on the table. Really. Hands and elbows on the table at all times. It's a thing.

Day 14: The Placement

So, hey. Finally got some batteries for my camera and attempted to do things with things.

So, let's talk about my placement. As already said my host family is super nice. I enjoy them.

I live in Voghera.

There are supposed to be mountains there. You're going to have to trust me on this one.

This is a map. Maps are important when you get lost as much as I do.

 

Here's a street. Yep. Look at that street.

There are a bunch of castles in Italy, due to past rulers. Due to past rulers, these castles sometimes have weird and varied histories.

Voghera castle. It was turned into a prison. HISTORY.

Religion is a big part of Italian culture. (See: Vatican City, Catholicism, the Pope, etc.) So, there are bound to be churches. The biggest church in a city is usually called il duomo.

My host family goes to Mass here. There is restoration going on inside to fix the paintings on the walls and ceiling.

Someone told me that the church was originally built during the 1400s, but it was destroyed in a fire in the 1800s. I don't know how accurate that is.

Churches tend to be the center of town, so shops sprawl out around it.

There are shops hiding under those arches.

I live in a home about thirty minutes from the town center. (Due to rain and cold and illness on my part, I have not attempted the walk yet.) There are three floors and a basement.

This is the living room. There's usually a fire burning in the fireplace.

Kitchen!

My room is on the bottom floor.

Please, ignore the mess.

There's a bathroom right there that I pretty much get to myself, which is nice.

Bathroom! Also comes with complimentary washing machine.

I think my room must have been a play room for the kids at some point. It's filled with games...

Cannibalmania? Yes, please.

Day 13: American Breakfast for Lunch

Look at the title. Now back at me. Now back at the title. Yeah, it's that simple. I convinced my host family that it would be a good idea for me to cook them some American recipes. They were intrigued by the idea of pancakes, so I figured I could do this. I should have known better. (See: Fail!Cheesecake)

The menu: Pancakes, orange syrup (since maple syrup is not a thing here), omelets, and roasted, uh, roasted sweet potatoes. (I'm still not sure how that happened.)

Let me explain something though. I am used to cooking for myself. Sometimes, I cook for myself and one other person. When I cook lunch or dinner for the week, it is something easy like a giant pot of soup or a giant pan of veggies. I am not in the habit of cooking four different things for six people.

The good things: The pancakes were fluffy because of a good recipe I found. The orange syrup was absolutely delicious.The sweet potatoes were the easiest thing ever and turned out pretty well.

The bad things: The pancakes were small because the batter was so thick that I couldn't manage it well. The pancakes were a little burnt because I am not used to making pancakes. I couldn't thicken the orange syrup because I couldn't find corn starch and did not want to use flour. The omelets were small because I didn't not want to use a million eggs.

The oh-god-why-did-I-do-this-to-myself things: Trying to handle omelets and pancakes at the same time while keeping an eye on the syrup made me want to pull my hair out. Trying to get everything done so everyone could have eat while it was still warm made me question why I had done this. Trying to convince one member of the family that pancakes were not a dessert and they should be eaten warm was, well, actually pretty fun and hilarious.

It turned out well enough and everybody seemed to like it. My host mom really wants the recipe for the pancakes.

Also: I tried something called mostarda. I did not know before hand that it meant "pickled fruit." Um. Yeah. The family all had a laugh when I tried it. It was definitely interesting.

Day 12: Tech

We all know the drill.

Tech. "How do you include technology in the classroom?" Sitting through Computers in Education (W200) or the equivalent of is a requirement. Most hand-outs with the format of a lesson plan has the section "Technology Used." We are taught that technology is an asset in the classroom.

The middle school in which I work has Smart Boards and Internet access on the upper level, mainly for the informatics classes. Both high schools have Smart Boards, Internet, and a teacher computer in almost every classroom. In one high school class, every student has a tablet computer. With my IU background, I notice these things.

However, I noticed something else, too. The teachers don't use these things. As I've already mentioned, the teachers like to follow the books and the CD's. When I asked it was confirmed that many teachers don't use that sort of technology in their classroom. I was told that it was because many teachers either don't know how to use it or simply don't want to.

Just a note.

Day 11: Day to Day

(This is what happens when I type up posts on word docs and completely forget to actually upload them.)

Since it's been a little over a week, I've finally got my schedule cemented. Here you go:

6:00 A.M.: Wake up.
6:15 A.M.: Wake up again. Try to convince self to move from bed.
6:30 A.M.: Finally move. Shower, dress, get ready for the day.
7:00 A.M.: Breakfast.
7:30 A.M.: Leave for school.
8:00 - 1:00 P.M.: School time. Various schedules apply depending on the day.
1:00 - 3:00 P.M.: Lunch.
3:00 - 6:30 P.M.:  Free time. Homework, lesson planning, town wandering may apply.
6:30 P.M.: Help get table ready for dinner.
7:00 P.M.: Dinner.
9:00 P.M.: Sleep.

Simple and easy.

Day 10: Grades

Education and grades go hand in hand. Recently, I had a discussion with one of my teachers about the grading system. Grades are done on a ten point system. A five is passing, higher than five is excellent, lower than five is failing.

The middle school teachers can only grade as low as a four. Apparently, they do this because a zero can lower the overall grade to an extreme degree and it is hard to raise it after that. The high schools have the whole range open to their teachers.

How do students get grades?

Students do a lot of exercises during class and for homework, but it doesn't seem as if those get taken in as grades. The only things I've seen get grades are the oral exams.

A teacher sits down and asks the student questions -- any questions about the topic. The questions change from student to student. The student's grade depends solely on the answers they give to the teacher during their time.

As a student I think that oral exams would be terrifying, but as a teacher I see the benefit of them.

Day 9: Merenda

I've mentioned merenda before. It's usually the break between classes or after school that people have for snacking. On Sunday afternoon my host family had a merenda; their friends, a married couple, joined us.

Originally, for our tea time/snack, there was carrot cake, a fail!cheesecake that I had made, chocolate fondue with fruit and some sort of delicious mascarpone dessert. As the next four hours flew by, more food was brought out: all of the cheese in the house, tea (I know, not a food, but whatever), focaccia, salami, wine (another not-food, I know, shut up), more fruit, bread, Nutella, peanut butter, and crackers.

These were some of the things we discussed:

-famous Italians
-the difference between hurricanes and tornadoes
-idioms ("Break a leg!" vs. "Crepi il lupo!" ["May the wolf die!"])
-American meals
-hash browns
-peanut butter (again)
-the Mediterranean diet
-the students I would have to take out of class before teaching (i.e., the couple's children)
-the deterioration of the body with age
-what happens after thirty years of marriage

It was fun.

Day 8: Mall Rats

A couple things I noticed while malling today:

-The supermarket/grocery that was part of the mall; fish, meat, and cheese EVERYWHERE
-Women wearing skirts, tights, and heels while shopping
-The store that seemed like it was for women's undergarments until I got to the small men's section in the back
-American films -- a lot of Disney stuff
-Speaking of, Disney characters and Looney Tunes characters on shirts
-English print on shirts
-Camouflage/camouflage with American flags
-American flags -- period
-Denim dresses
-Laundromat?
-People walking/carrying their dogs around
-Shopping carts
-The awning for the cars
-Gelateria!

Day 7: Path from Scuola Media to Liceo; Also, Path to Cheese

As mentioned I work in both the high school and the middle school. However, I work in two different high schools: a scientific high school and a classic high school.

Think of high school more like university. Students have to decide which high school to go to after middle school. There are a few types of high school that students can decided between, including vocational. Students go to high school for five years.

Scientific high school seems a little like American high schools. Subjects like foreign languages/cultures (usually Latin, English, and French), the sciences (biology, physics, chemistry), math, art, Italian language/literature, and history and geography seem to be the norm. This type of school is supposed to give students the skills to go to university.

When I observed the English literature class here, the students were talking about Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, and sonnets. (Just a few weeks ago, I was teaching my Indiana students about sonnets. Weird moment.) The students sat in a circle and held a discussion with the teacher.

Classic high school is a little different. I've heard someone describe it as "posh." The focus for classic high school centers more on literature and language. Ancient Greek, Latin, and English are common; Spanish and French, a little less so. Italian language/literature is necessary; classes like history and philosophy are not but can still be taken. This type of school will allow students to go to any type of university, including law.

When I observed the English literature class here, the students were learning about Dante. They had gone on a history walk to Sienna last walk and were talking about it now. This class seemed more like a college lecture. The student desks all faced the front where the teacher stood. Sometimes they read and answered questions, but much of the time was just the teacher talking. According to the teacher though, the students are usually more chatty; apparently they were intimidated by me. Ha.

My (not) problem: When I switch from the middle school to the scientific high school, there's really not a problem. These schools are separated by half a block; when I have to go from one to another in five minutes, it's fine.

However, the middle school to the classic high school is about a fifteen minute walk. Thankfully, the teachers I'm working with understand this. Some days, the teachers I work with can drive me. Other days, I have to walk from one school to the other. The teachers know I have only five minutes on certain days to do this and so understand I will be a few minutes late. Thankfully, I have honed my ability to get from one distant place to another distant place in under fifteen minutes for the last four years.

Cheese Moment of the Day: I've been in Italian supermarkets before. It's a place where people sell food, so it's not as if it's a huge change or anything. I just want to say: I love that moment when half of an aisle is cheese and half of that is just fresh mozzarella. Mmm. Cheeeeese.

Day 6: Meal Time

As I was staring down my tea this morning, I decided I should make a post about the meals in Italy. So, here you go: Meal time in Italy!

All meals are taken with the family; some members may be missing due to work or school, but meals are never taken alone.

Merenda, or snack time, can happen during school during a designated break between classes or after a person has just come home after work/gym/wherever and it is not time for the meal; the snacks I have seen range from chips/crisps to cookies.

Breakfast: Anybody who's afraid to change your meals, don't worry! Cereal exists in Italy. It, however, does not seem to be the main choice for breakfast. Usually, breakfast is something light and a little sweet; croissants with jam, various kinds of shortbread cookies, and sweet breads. This is accompanied by milk (warmed, and sometimes with cocoa, in the winter), tea, or juice. Breakfast takes place before school/church, about seven in the morning.

Lunch: This meal is a bit more flexible. Risotto (with vegetables, meat, or fruit, surprisingly), types of vegetable pies, filled pasta...Water (natural and carbonated) and pop may be present at the table, along with several cheeses. Lunch usually happens around one or two in the afternoon, depending on when people come home from school. (Note: From what I know, people who work and cannot come home for lunch will go out for lunch with colleagues.)

Dinner: Pasta, pasta, pasta...or maybe pizza. Vegetables may be present as a side to your meal. Meat (salami or prosciutto) and cheese (whatever type the family is fond of -- here asiago, grana padano, and parmesan) will be on the table for extra snacking. Fresh bread will be cut to accompany the cheese and meat. After the meal there will be dessert, something fruit based. Macedonia, or fruit salad, is a common dessert. For drinks: water (natural and carbonated), pop, and, of course, wine. Dinner occurs between seven and eight in the evening. It can last about two (or more) hours.

Note: Television may be on during breakfast and lunch, when the meal is only for a few people of the family. Dinner, however, is about conversation. This is the time when family relaxes and catches up with each other.

Day 5: Peanut Butter, Aubergines, and Background Music

It's raining today. Back to being chilly again. Also, I will actually be going into town Saturday, so I will be able to get batteries for my camera.

So, I gave my host family a gift last night for inviting me into their home. It was peanut butter -- both the chunky and creamy kind because my grandmum argued that more American kids like creamy peanut butter even though I love chunky.

They were a little confused by peanut butter. I'll explain.

Peanut butter is not really sold in Europe. During my time in Milan, I saw one type of peanut butter -- it was in a very small jar, it was very expensive, and, I must admit, it didn't really look like peanut butter at all. This is something that is very American.

The other thing: Peanut butter, in Italian, is called il burro di arachidi -- a butter, or spread, made from peanuts. My host family kept getting stuck by the use of il burro, which seems to only be used for actual butter (the milk fat kind). I tried to explain peanut butter as something similar to Nutella, but then I got onto a tangent about how to eat peanut butter and got lost trying to come up for the Italian equivalent of "celery."

They enjoyed it well enough, I suppose. However, I now have an awful craving for peanut butter cookies.

That explains the "peanut butter" part of the title. Now onto "aubergines."

So, for the middle school English classes, the students have to listen to dialogue; the dialogue is on a CD, they listen to it, and then they answer questions about it. Easy enough. I never really thought about it, but people here learn British English. Which means there are exaggerated British accents for the dialogue CD's and words like "aubergines" are used.

It's something.

While we were listening to the dialogue, there was a music class going on next door. They were listening to music during the class and the sound leaked through the walls. It wasn't too bad, but it was definitely noticeable. So, for one hour each week, for the next eight weeks, I will have background music.

Personally, I am amused.

Day 4: School Notes

It is forty-eight degrees out right now and all the snow is melting away! Yay.

So, some things I have noticed about the schools I'm working in (and yes, I'm only observing two schools, so these things may not be true everywhere in Italy):

-As I've mentioned teachers move from classroom to classroom. This means that the students simply take their coats and bags into the classroom with them. There are no lockers.

-Teachers don't have mail boxes. If there is some sort of papers they need to see, the care-takers/secretaries give the papers to them. If it is a general announcement, there will only be one paper on which the teachers initial to show they have seen it.

-Teachers have drawers/lockers. Since they can't take all of their books to every single class, they leave their books and papers in their drawers.

-Students raise their index finger to answer questions.

-Students have a break during the day (eleven, here) for snacks. On cold days the students gather around the radiators. (Obviously. If it's cold outside and the building is old, it will be chilly inside. Best place to be would be the radiator.)

-The smallest class I've seen had nine students. The biggest, twenty-three.

-Students with special needs are usually in the classroom. They get taken out for a few hours during the week to work in small groups (1-2 students) with a teacher.

-When a teacher is absent, a school may decide to not get a substitute teacher. Instead the class without a teacher divides up into groups and each group will go to different classrooms.

Like I've said, just some things I've noticed. That's about all for today.

Day 3: Snow, snow, snow...

As the title says, snow. And lots of it. Thankfully, the sun has come out and is trying to melt it. (I'm convinced it is Vengeful Snow, come here from Chicago to get me, but hey.) This morning, it was up to my ankles, but much of it is slush now.

This whole picture thing: I went to grab my camera to take a picture of aforementioned snow (as if I haven't seen enough while living in Indiana)...and discovered that my stupid self did not change the batteries from the last time I used my camera (see Spring Break '12: Grand Canyon/Las Vegas Edition). So, I will be going on an adventure this week to try and find some batteries. (Let's see how badly I get lost...)

So, yeah.

I must admit, my brain is still fried. Yesterday, the placement coordinator/main cooperating teacher--now labeled "Bee"--came by to take tea with her husband. Her and her husband, me, Host Dad, Host Mum, four children...it was definitely busy. And loud. But it was fun and the food was absolutely delicious. Homemade focaccia! Yum.

This morning I went by the middle school to meet with Bee. We tried to decipher my schedule for the week, but I still remain lost. Teachers move from class to class, so my schedule was laid out by room numbers. It gets even more confusing since I go from the middle school to the high school down the street and back, depending on the day. Every day, my schedule is different; today I left with Bee at 11 because she was done for the day. But tomorrow, I have to stay until one.

I also met my other main cooperating teacher (for the high school), Ree. I'll go into tomorrow and meet with her so I can meet with the other high school teachers with which I'll be working.

So. Fried brain. Tasty, no?

Day 1-2: How to Tame the Frazzled American College Student

Okay, Host Family! You have just received your College Student from the airport and you notice, well, it’s looking a bit rough around the edges. This is to be expected. Many College Students coming to foreign countries had to take a long trip to get there. (Model KAT has Too Many Hours to Count: Trip from CHI to NYJFK, Layover, and Trip from NYJFK to MXP.)

Here are some tips to tame your frazzled College Student:

1) Accept your College Student’s inability to form coherent sentences. This is especially important when the College Student is coming to a country where the native language is not its own. Exhaustion, frayed nerves, and shock all contribute to its inability to manage language. If the College Student is unintelligible, do not hesitate to tell it that it is not making a lick of sense. Ask it to repeat itself if necessary. Accept any stammered, fragmentary sentences and hand gestures if need be. Do not worry. As the College Student gets more accustomed to its new home, it will gain its ability to use language.

2) Accept your College Student’s inability to understand. As with tip one, the aspect of native language and exhaustion/shock/nerves will play into this. Host Family, try your best. Use simple sentences, phrases, and words. Use hand gestures. Repeat and rephrase yourself. Once again, do not worry. The College Student will regain its ability to understand.

3) Explain everything. Tell your College Student where you are going when you go anywhere. When you arrive at your home, give your College Student a tour. It may forget where some things are, but important bits (bathroom, kitchen, and its own room) may stick in its mind. Explain what you are doing for the day. If you have many family members, make sure to always use names so the College Student will remember who is who.

4) Feed and water your College Student. Some College Students may refuse at that precise moment because of the dreaded Jet Lag, but its hunger and thirst will return. If possible, give it options so it knows that its preferences are accepted and welcomed by you.

5) Give your College Student some time to itself. It will need the time to try to overcome the shock and exhaustion from its trip. The amount of time will depend on the trip and your Model of College Student. (Model KAT only needs time to Unpack and Wash before it will seek out your attention again.)

Easy! Your College Student will be a functioning Model soon enough. Take care!

-

Okay, really. My host family is awesome and wonderful and is following all of the tips to the letter. I’m still stumbling over the language barrier, but that’s to be expected. Pictures (of food, house, food, school, food, town, and FOOD) will come once I get enough energy to actually deal with technology more advanced than a word document.

Day 0

Ciao tutti!

This is me:

I don't like being in pictures. This is the best it's going to get with self-portraits. And yes, that is laundry behind me.

So. If you were not directed here by me, let me offer some explanation: I am a secondary education major at Indiana University and through the Cultural Immersions Project, I am finishing my student teaching in Italy. [insert cheers here] I'm going with a couple other IU students, but they're all in another city; I happen to be going to Voghera, Italy-- in the Lombardy region-- and I will be living with a family of six.

More explanation: I travel quite often, mostly with my mum. I've visited Italy before with her on break. The first semester of junior year, I studied abroad in Milan for five months (see above picture). I've also taken various Italian culture and language classes. Even so, living with a family and teaching there will be a completely different experience.

I fly out tomorrow and arrive Sunday morning where my host family will be picking me up.  On Monday, I'm supposed to be going to meet the high school teachers with which I will be working. I'll be trying to update this blog every other day or so--maybe?-- but we'll see what happens.

The research has been completed and my suitcase has been battled close, but am I ready? I don't feel like it, but I'm chalking that up to pre-flight jitters.