Field Trips, Monks and Nessun Dorma

"Con Teeeeee Partiroooooo',"

...is the song that all the students were screaming and singing on the pullman as it embarked on their field trip. It is the classical Andrea Boccelli aria that has recently been remade in a pop/rock-version for a cellphone commercial. It was a familiar atmosphere, and there was a recognizable energy that all the students expressed despite the early morning departure from the Collegio--a day off! How many times can I place myself in a yellow school bus parting from the confines of the school--claiming my seat, grabbing my lunch, and filled with excitement for a day out of the classroom, with my friends. The atmosphere took me back, recalling my own years of school bus shananigans--and all the classic High School characters were fulfilling their prescribed roles.

However, my nostalgic memories e were finding confusion in this new and lovely confrontation with my past--some things just weren't adding up correctly. This time around, I wasn't the girl running to claim the seat in the back of the bus with my girlfriends--instead, I was perched at the front with my two colleagues, the leader in charge. This time, I wasn't signing permission slips, nor would I be returning to my familiar stomping grounds--I would be headed "home" on a train. This time, I looked out misty morning windows upon foreign landscapes and farmlands. This time, mini-ipods took the place of radios and bulky CD players--and sleek colorful cellphones laughed in the face of our big, unbreakable monsters. This time, evidentially, I found myself in Italy--taking a bunch of Italian students on a field trip. How suddenly the roles have changed, and what a funny feeling it is to relive old memories in a new country and in a different language.

We were headed to a monastery called, "Abbazia Olivetana di San Nicola"--A Benedictine Monastery. It was an absolutely glowing fall day, and the colored leaves were falling and swirling around the pullman as we passed vineyards along the high way. I was tickled at this new experience on an Italian high-school field trip, and my Italian colleagues, Anita and Rossana, are incredible kind and sweet. I talked to Anita for most of the trip--they both graduated with a degree in architecture from the Politechnico school in Milan.

We arrived with the students to our destination in Brescia, and it was a town so small and quiet that you could hear a pin drop all the way to the mountains hovering in the background. The grass was blowing, making swooshing noises, and the air was clean and crisp. I looked out on the cultivated farmlands that extended out into the distance as the faint smell of manure tinged the breezy day. We took the students to the Abbey/Monastery, and the monk, Helios, greeted us from a window above "I'll be right down!"

He gave his introduction of the Baptistery and the Benedictine order of Olivetti, which is a very wide-spread order. He explained, from the best of my understanding, that there were different types of monks that lived in the monastery. For instance, he had already been married with children, but after his wife died, he decided to devote his life to study and reflection inside this monastery. The main monastery of this order is located in Tuscany, in Siena, and there the monks still devote time to scribing texts and restoring old books.

I actually bought some apricot jam, one of many products made near the monastery--and it is delicious!!!

By the way, I am listening to "Nessun Dorma" by Puccini, by Pavarotti. Wow, that is too powerful.

Anyways, back to my day: It was a fantastic church with a mix of Renaissance, Baroque and Roccoco designs. The Baroque designs by Giovan Battista Sassi were incredibly illusionistic, and it is incredible the amount of detail and tromp l'oeil decoration he utilized to make the church walls breath on the wings of angles flying amidst the decorative architecture and up into the clouds. There was a whole stairway and architectural wing of the church that they added through painted decoration, and it was fantastic to see the illusion that the artists created. When you look at all this beauty and artistry, it makes your culture feel like it is so dead and lazy--like we gave up the idea of worthwhile projects of beauty, substituting an idea of mastery for an idea of cheap convenience. In effect, we are a chinsey reflection or maybe even departure from an incredibly rich past of operas.

We got to view the two refectories--in the one there was an incredible ceiling fresco of architecture that if you stood in one place (in the center), it looked like there was another story to the building. In the forestry rectory, there were beautiful frescoes of Romanino.

It was a beautiful day, and I loved the courtyards. They were so peaceful with gentle light beaming down into the galleries enclosing the green area. The light was warm and soothing.



We headed back on the bus, and we stopped at an Autogrille on the way back. Their "rest stops" are incredible, and there really is no comparison to those in the US. Fresh meats, blocks of cheese, fresh pasta, paninos, etc. Anyways, we arrived at the school in Monza, and I went home to crash in my bed. Last night, I went out for a pizza with my Jordanian friend, and we had a really awesome night together.

Alrighty....it is now Halloween and I have to figure out a costume to wear for tonight. Me and a few friends + Matteo will be dressing up and going to a party at a Milanese bar tonight.

To end, my morning youtube searching of Pavarotti, led me to "Nessun Dorma." From that song, I found a video of "Britain's got Talent," from 2007. What you will see in this video is a man, a phone salesman, who after this first audition won the hearts of Britain. Please look at this video that made me cry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Byebye!

Facts and The Letiz, finding accord?

Ittts Monday.


Italian Fact of the day:

The Italian Mind...dissected: Part 1

Let me begin by saying that any cultural phenomenon that hits Italy's soil will always grow into its own creature. From my perspective, understanding and documenting all of the complexities of this society will always be difficult and nearly impossible, but generally categorizing them shouldn't be an insurmountable task. In theory. Categories in Italy will be similar to those recognizable in the US, but they are far from being the same--On Italian soil, as I like to say, they are complex, mysterious, sour, sweet and wound-up tight with everything else that makes this country such a strangely unique creature:

The Italian population in general, is much more "hands on." I mean that literally. The majority of Italians, also depending on the region, tend to be predisposed to physical contact and close-talking. There is not much adherence to the idea of personal space or boundaries, and if they did there would be invasion on all fronts. Even in the simple greeting gesture, Italians (as well as other cultures) get "close and personal." Two kisses, one on each cheek and hugs are the norm, and there is no male-male aversion. In fact, in my opinion, it is very lovely that their greeting is so fraternal.

Fraternal--another word that I would like to expound upon. In general, the relationship that exists between friendship becomes very familial--or relationships that are very accepting and non-exclusive. This may be due to the types of activities in which they normally partake--organizing long dinners for example. I am not saying that Italians are not judgmental and non-accepting, but they do tend to go out in large groups or flocks of friends. Friends and lovers can be formed easily if they chemistry is right, if they are introduced by friends, or if they have something to gain in the relationship--their loyalty generally holds truer in friendship than in love (another fact of the day).

When I mention that they "have something to gain"--I don't necessarily intend that the Italians use one another to boost their reputation or career, but I will say that Italy is not founded strongly in meritocracy--therefore, Italians "help one another" or they "help their friends, brothers, acquaintances-everywhere-usually with pleasure." You are never a lone Italian traveling in the world--your fellow bros are literally everywhere. Hence the reason that my old roommate did an internship in London (through a friend, stayed with a friend, worked with a friend) and didn't speak a world of English the entire time. However, this is also rooted in the strong tradition of "handing down" in this country--"My father was a butcher, I am a butcher, my son will take my place." A part from this sentimental rite of 'handing down,' climbing the ladder in Italy greatly depends on who you know--or your connections.

However, I have found that they have a very open and inviting rapport with one another and newcomers that is refreshing. There is no beating around the bush. They are usually direct, and they don't dance around what they want or how they feel even if their elaborate and elongated sentences make it seem like they do. Especially men!

Girls may talk behind your back, because no country can avoid cattiness, but drama is also a very Italian-made attribute.

There is a very natural and organic--even disorganized--sense of event planning, but most people are laid back so it is natural to casually plan most things at the last minute....aperitivos, dinners, dancing, nights on the town. There is no anxiety, there usually is no fuss, and no worry if your late because everyone will be. Everything is "tranquilla" or "tranquil."

There is a greater cultural interest of the average Italian person--art, video, culture, opera, music, history, CULINARY PALATE, manifestation, awareness, expression, --GOODNESS, ITALY IS EXPRESSION! If I dare say it, Italians are full of expression, but little production. Unfortunately for them, many problems of production are "made in Italy" but you can't fully blame the modern Italian--they are stuck in a "Catch 22". It can be very frustrating (soooo many more facts of the day) BUT BY GOD DO THEY PROTEST AND EXPRESS THEMSELVES!

Okay, Sociology 101 is done for the day....more ponderings on the Italian psyche in future "Facts of the Day."



I went to meet Matteo's parents this weekend for lunch on Saturday, and it went really well. We went to a restaurant in Genova, and it was absolutely FABULOUS. It is a historical place famous for a dutch Rennaissance painter that frequented the joint---nowadays, it is still noted for its cuisine--especially for its seafood. It is noted for its Minestrone--which was delicious! I ate pasta with tuna that was melt in your mouth, and I ate swordfish with potatoes as my second dish. Writing those sentences massacre the experience---I ate SOOO MUCH, and it was delicious!! It was a gorgeous day outside, and we took a small passeggiata before saying goodbye to his parents. They were really nice and down to earth, and I was happy that we had such a nice time together. I actually felt sick to my stomach when Matteo and I were driving home from Genova. Before heading back to Milan, we stopped at IKEA and a place called Castorama (like Lowes) outside the city to buy a few things for my apartment. It was so nice of him to take me there, and we even had a good time.

Today I taught at school, and my day went okay. Me and my Italian counterpart--Lets call her The Letitz (instead of Letizia)--we went to talk to the principal to clear up a few matters. He scheduled the meeting, and he ironed out many issues that we were having in our "collaborative" relationship. The meeting went over rather smoothly, and although we will have future bumps in the road, I believe that we calmly digested the information and found accord. I will now have more freedom to conduct my classes without the fear of messing up her "idea of the project," trying to decrypt her mind and adapting to her changeableness. We'll see how this new chapter of our lovely rapport goes! haha. Wish me luck.

I am going out to eat a pizza, tata for now!

Poem from my Gram

My Gram sent me this poem that I think is wonderful. It is so true:

IVE TRAVELED PATHS YOU'VE
YET TO WALK WALK WALK
WALK LEARNED LESSONS OLD AND NEW.
AND NOW THIS WISDOM OF MY LIFE
I'M BLESSED TO SHARE WITH YOU.
LET KINDNESS SPREAD LIKE SUNSHINE.
EMBRACE THOSE WHO ARE SAD.
RESPECT THEIR DIGNITY;GIVE THEM JOY.
AND LEAVE THEM FEELING GLAD.
FORGIVE THOSE WHO MIGHT HURT YOU
AND THOUGH YOU HAVE YOUR PRIDE
LISTEN CLOSELY TO THEIR VIEWPOINT
TRY TO SEE THE OTHER SIDE.
walk softly when
YOU ARE ANGRY
TRY NOT TO TAKE OFFENSE
INVOKE INVOKE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR
LAUGHTER'S POWER IS IMENSE.
EXPRESS WHAT YOU ARE FEELING
YOUR BELIEFS YOU SHOULD UPHOLD
DONT SHY AWAY FROM WHAT IS RIGHT
BE COURAGEOUS AND BE BOLD.
KEEP HOPE RIGHT IN YOUR POCKET
IT WILL GUIDE YOU DAY BY DAY
TAKE IT OUT WHEN IT IS NEEDED
WHEN ITS NEAR YOU'LL FIND A WAY
REMEMBER FRIENDS AND FAMILY
OF WHICH YOU ARE A PRECIOUS PART
LOVE DEEPLY AND LOVE TRULY
GIVE FREELY FROM YOUR HEART.
THE WORLD IS FAR FROM PERFECT
THERES CONFLICT AND THERE'S STRIFE
BUT YOU STILL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
BY HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE,
AND SO IM VERY BLESSED TO KNOW THE WONDERS YOU WILL DO
BECAUSE YOU ARE OUR GRANDAUGHTER
AND WE BELIEVE IN YOU.

Thank you Gram! I will try to live by these lovely words. I love you!

Teaching lessons, learning lessons.

I will begin this blog by inserting a silly poem that I sent to my girlfriends. It will give you a simple summary of my life this week:

I am sorry for my silence these few days
I have been in a busy craze
I finished a week of being a professoressa
I tried to pass with a bit of finessa

The students are all cute and sweet
and I give them projects to complete
My work would be much easier
if my Italian colleague was breezier

She in fact is a type of b*tch
not willing to give a stitch
I have to be patient and nice
while trying to melt her ice

She is one of the oldest at the school
always used to working by her rule
therefore, I will bide my time
and I will insert Medusa in my rhyme.

Gian and I are doing well
Am I in looove, it's tough to tell.
He came to Milan Thursday, improvised
and I was pleasantly surprised.

After an art show and a good pizza
we then strolled back to casa mizza(mia)
At one point, he turned to me, very sincere
saying, "I believe I am in love with you, Dear."

To put it simply, I like him a lot
We have lots of fun, and I think he's hot
he speaks no inglese and wears dumb socks
and I cant resist his curly locks

He is intelligent and very caring
Passionate and respectful in bearing
Where we are headed, I dont know
I dont care, Im having fun, I go with the flow

I am now in Tuscany having a lovely time
visiting cousins, eating food and drinking wine
Tonight cousin Francesca had some news to share
in June, a second baby she will bear!!!!

Okay, now I'm tired and already said too much
I need to go to bed and things as such
I heard there was a lot of snow your way
I cant believe it, what else can I say/

I leave Florence in a train tomorrow
parting with a bit of sorrow
but I turn to Milan to my activities and such
busy as always, missing my Doves so much!

HAHA. Basically that describes my life for the last few days. Over the weekend, I went to to Florence--Chiesina Uzzanese, near Montecatini Terme--to visit my cousins. I had wanted to visit them since I returned to Italy, and I finally found a bit of calm this weekend to take the trip. It was wonderful to see them, and I feel very welcomed and at home when I spend time with them. Lorenzo, my little cousin, is precious, and I love him so much. He calls me "Carina."

To help you understand the relations of the people I am talking about: Liliana and Giocondo had Matteo and Francesca. Matteo currently lives in London--Francesca lives in Chiesina with Francecso, and their adorable child is Lorenzo. Lorenzo is a fantastic boy, intelligent and full of energy, and he has blond hair and huge lively blue eyes.

Before dinner, Giocondo and Liliana took me to see Luca, a city 20 minutes away. It is one of my favorite cities in Tuscany, and it is a classic and unforgettable pit-stop in the "tour of tuscany." It was one of the only cities not invaded in the history of battling Italian city states, and it functioned for a while under the control of Parma. It is famous for its huge earthen/stone walls that surround the center city--nowadays people bike, run, and take passeggiatas on top of the great walls hugging the city. The sunsets seen from this point are incredible. Luca also had its birth in Etruscan Roman times, and it reminds me very much of Parma in its livable, "built to the measure of man"attributes. It is a proud city with a rich cultural tradition, its typical dishes and culinary products, and it birthed hailed historical figures such as the famous composer, Puccini. The people of Luca are rightly very proud of their city, and there is a society "Lucesi nel Mondo (People from Luca in the World." Basically once every year, the Lucesi around the world in this association return to their city, and they process through the city's various "doors" to the center. They are Italo-Americans, Swiss, and Australians, and they come from all over the world to return to their beloved city.

Liliana, my cousin, had the family over Saturday night for dinner. As we all sat down to eat, Francesca, in her graceful and shy way, asked Francesco if they should relay their news. "What news??" They are expecting another baby in June!!! How fantastic, and I was so excited that I got to be there when she announced it to the family. She found out the day before, and I found them very content, excited, and proud about this new chapter.


This week: I have continued teaching, and it has been going well. I started teaching art history to the students of 1st year high school, and the first lesson covered the Neolithic stone age. Let me tell you, megalithic stone circles are thrilling! haha...NOT. Poor kids. I am throwing in a lot of vocabulary for them as well because there are simple descriptive words that they don't understand in English. Teaching has been going well, but it has been rather challenging because I have absolutely no teaching experience and I have been thrown into the environment completely cold and foreign to the idea of instructing children, grading assignments, giving tests, etc. Not to mention the fact that the Italian schooling/grading system is completely different and confusing. Organization is KEY...and it is hard to be very firm while showing them that I care about them. Anyways, mamma mia! It is an experience, and every day I learn how to handle certain situations, How I should conduct my relationship with the students, how I should properly prepare, if I should try to put more or less information into my lessons, if I should include more discussion or lecture (HS), etc.

The school is beautiful, and I love my english-speaking counterparts. They are Americans from around the country, English folk, Australians, and a girl from Malta. I go and get tea with the English teachers and it is hilarious that tradition. They all have funny and interesting stories of how they ended up in Italy. I enjoy using my American humor/personality with them because I am a bit out of practice. Americans have a wonderful dry sarcasm and self-deprecating humor that Italians just don't get. In general, Italians are more "permaloso" or "touchy", but it all depends on the region, their personality, ect. However, on the whole, the cultures have very different ways of joking around, different funny expressions, and different ways of provoking laughter or conveying emotions. I don't think I am capable of developing a very Italian sense of humor, and even if I was able, I wouldn't know what type of Italian mannerism to adopt--what regional dialect, what wild flying gestures, what facial contortions, what swear words, what expressions, etc.


Kevin is the "Veicolare" (english-speaking) teacher that has been at the school the longest. He is from California, he was a swimmer, and he has a funny and down to earth personality. He is a huge soccer, AC Milan, fan; I still don't know his story-why he is still in Italy, etc. However, I have noticed a ring on his finger, and I am betting that he has remained for love? We will see. Nonetheless, I get along great with Kevin, and I love how I don't have to explain my culture or passions when talking to him. He understands implicitly. Linda is an American from Washington State who found herself in Milan working in fashion. She fell in love, and she remained teaching english and other subjects at the school. Amber is a younger American colleague who is also my coordinator. She is hilarious, and we have a great relationship thus far. I love joking around with her and discussing stories, and we also enjoy being able to make a commentary about the Italian society. For example, it is great to have an Am. friend to share our take on Italian men and how they tick, as a whole, and how they differ from our American boys. Adele and Kevin are from England, and I love having tea with them. The girl from Malta is sweet as pie, and the others that teach elementary are really fun as well--however, we havn't talked much yet.

I have received some nice comments from various students, and one parent told my coordinator that her son "just loves his new art teacher, and he is learning so much!" Another student told her mother that she adores me. These few initial comments are really nice boosts for my confidence. Also, my highschool coordinator was very impressed at the students' attention to my lecture I gave on the importance of "visual communication"--during a substituted class. Ahhh, Sigh....we'll see.

This week was better with the Medusa Italian art teacher, but it will always be a careful balance that I have to reach with her. She has to know that I respect her, she has to feel like she still retains her power, she has to understand that I want to work with her and not against her. I can't impose my ideas, and I really cant propose elaborate projects until she digests the idea of our collaboration better. She actually laughed at me when I wrote their homework on the board--jerk face. I only did that because half the students were missing when she yelled out the homework, and they, at times, don't bring their homework because Letizia does not explain it clearly. Also, we still have to iron out different details of our working relationship, how we conduct the lessons, etc. For instance, I suggested that we talk to the principal on how to grade the different students--we decided to meet at the office after class--and she never showed up. Good old Letizia. However, hopefully we will have a meeting, organized by the principal, on Monday to iron out some guidelines.

Matteo and I are doing very well. I think we are boyfriend/girlfriend now, and I am supposed to meet his freaking parents this weekend in Genova!!! AHHHHH. It is also his father's birthday on Saturday, so I might have to bring a present. My roommates suggested bringing Grappa, the after dinner alcohol. Yikes--I might run away.

He told me that he believes that he is in love with me. I see that every day he becomes mushier and mushier--for instance, he called me his "little strawberry" yesterday. (In reference to the strawberries I have left to paint in the hospital) He also said, "Dear, you are special, the most special person that I know. I really care about you." He is such a considerate and loving boy, and I really enjoy our relationship....I don't know whether or not I should run for the hills. However, I like him enough still to not get scared/disinterested and flee. I don't know where we are going, but I am just trying to take it easy and enjoy the time we spend together. He still doesn't speak English, but he is trying--and it frustrates him when he isn't able to talk. Poor guy. He is coming to see me tonight, and I am excited!

However, I will insert: I had a dream/nightmare last night, and I wrote it down when I woke up. I was about to get married to someone, and I was all ready in my wedding dress. Before the wedding, I went to Mark's house and balled my eyes out. However, I collected myself, and I went to my wedding. It was a crazy themed wedding, and I was very agitated and discontent. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to call the wedding off--but everyone was there and ready to celebrate! I decided in a moment of tragic decision, that I could not go on with the ceremony, collapsing in disolusion in my white dress. In that moment, Mark appeard from the crowd saying: "Everyone, there is no need to leave because there will still be a wedding today. Cara will you marry me?" Ahhhhhhh!!! I might go crazy. I just need to put things in focus--that relationship was almost 5 years agoooooo!!!! I am with Matteo, and I am very happy!

That dream might have been sparked by the fact that the childhood love of my life--Brian--is now engaged. I actually cried a little because I realize that those moments and memories that we have--together in my back yard, swinging on my swingset and looking up at the stars, are now long gone. We played games with the backyard gang for years, flirting and always joking around with one another. I was always so happy when he would come over and smile his pretty smile--but I would always tease, "Out of my yard, Bri!" When it would rain very hard and the water would collect up in our alley way, us kids would all run out to play in "Lake Erie" that had formed. Worms would collect in the rain water, and he once threw a worm at me that landed in my mouth as I was speaking. Unforgettable.

I really "loved" him, and I always pictured myself marrying him back in the day. He was cute with dark hair and green eyes, athletic, and caring. He has grown up to be a fantastic person, and he is now working as a teacher--a very very good teacher. The girl that he will marry has a son, and Brian, in his great gentle and loving capacity, first approached the son to explain his intention and ask him for his permission. He will become a husband and a father in one single moment. Stopp! Time! I command you!

More news:

I think I am starting an internship with an international art magazine in Milan, called Flash Art, and I will be a copy editor, correcting English articles, etc. We'll see, It could be a great opportunity for me to learn about art publishing. I'll let you know more as I start getting involved, but I am correcting my third article today. I love the people that work there, and I am thrilled that it is a magazine that holds painting as an important contemporary art form (as some have shied away from the traditional categories of artistic expression--horrible, this is a tirade of mine). They are all very down to earth, and we had a very lovely interview/chatting session where we laughed and discussed the parameters of this job.

I had my interview on Tuesday, and it was a long long lonnnnng day. I woke up at 5:30am to catch the right train at 6:37am. I taught class at 8:10am, I was a substitute for a class, I prepared for lessons, I taught art, I left at 4:20pm--took at bus, to catch a train, to catch 3 different metros, to walk 5 minutes, to arrive exactly at 5:30pm for my interview. It was insane, but I was completely content after I was finished. After the interview, I took the metro to the Duomo where I decided to marvel at its beauty for 15 minutes, looking at the golden Madonna (Mary) perched at its pinnacle.

I prayed for a bit in the piazza because He has helped me weave my little ways here in Italy, He has protected me, He is with me during my days.

After this blog I have to add--for the peace of various people that read my blog--primarily my grandfather: "Pap, I won't fall in love and remain in Italy! Don't worry, I'll always be coming home!"

Art, Love, and Family

Well it is Friday morning, and I am looking at train times to depart for Florence for two days this weekend to see my cousins. I am trying to think of something small I can bring for my little cousin, Lorenzo.

Yesterday was relaxing after a packed 3 days of teaching and commute, and I ordered my life a bit in the morning. I walked to my university, and it was a lovely autumn day outside with a chilly breeze. The weather has changed, seemingly overnight, here in MIlan, and it is very cold in the morning and at night. I am back to wearing my warm and fuzzy robe when I wake up, and my roommates turned on the heating for the first time yesterday. I decided to go to my university to paint yesterday, and I also took some art magazines out from the library to check out "whats new" in the art world. At the end of my painting session, I met up with my friend, Ishraq.

She is Jordanian, and I think that she is an awesome person. She is studying at Naba, Materials and Textile Designs, and she was literally the first really nice person that I met during the opening orientation in January. It took us until the end of Spring to see one another in the Secretary's office and to decide to hang out beyond the Naba confines. She has a killer fashion sense, and I always love her outfits, shoes, jewelry, her style, everything. She speaks perfect english, and we communicate in English rather than Italian. She lived in New York for several years, working as a freelance architect and for a Jordanian fashion magazine, picking out clothing ensembles for fashion photo shoots from designer showrooms. I loved hearing her explain how all of that functions in the world of fashion, magazine, and documentation.

When she came to my studio yesterday, she explained that she got engaged this summer to her American boyfriend, a photographer in New York. Engaged in her culture literally means married, and they threw a large party in honor of the announcement. There are also many traditional practices that accompany even the engagement, and she tried to make it as easy as possible for her fiance who was trying to learn, understand and embrace these rituals and traditions of a new culture. Ishraq is very level-headed, kind, understanding, and worldly, and she explained how she played "mediator" between her fiance and her family during the crazy whirl-wind engagement (that was decided upon this summer). The best part of the union is that the American's mother is a Christian minister who is a "bit" uncomfortable with her son marrying a Muslim woman.

Her mother did most of the planning based on Ishraq's guidance and wishes, and she recounted how she picked out her dress for the engagement party (which sounds absolutely stunning!) She found a "fabulous" dress in New York with a fantastic cut and unique fit; however, it was black. Therefore, they went to their elderly trusted seamstress, and they presented her with the black dress as a design; they set out on a search for the fabric. Ishraq had this rare and lovely fushia purple in mind (as well as a specific fabric weight to adhere to), and the search turned out to be fruitless in Jordan. Her father is a pilot, and her mother decided to fly cheaply to Bangkok to find the purply material--because "If you can't find material anywhere, you will find it in Bangkok." Ha, Okay! Her mother ended up finding the perfect fabric for the dress. Ishraq picked out a diamond ring that was an emerald surrounded by diamonds. It is very beautiful, and I can tell that she would not settle for the traditional and classical ring based on her tastes. Her idea was to have a dark red/lavendar with her emerald jewelry--I like it!

Matteo came into Milan on a whim on Thursday night because he wanted to see me before my trip to Florence. He finished his exam in Genova, and he raced on the next train to Milan. I was excited when I found out that he was coming to see me. I put away my paints, and Israq and I went to see an art show that I'd been itching to see that was closing the day after. I was originally going to skip out on the opportunity, but I opened my first art magazine and the advertisement for the show was blaring on the first page. I was determined to go. It was a photography show highlighting Letizia Battaglia, one of the most famous women Italian photojournalists from the years of the 70s, 80s and 90s. She was from Palermo and focused he subject matter mostly on the activities of the Sicilian mafia. The other two artists highlighted were a Mexican photojournalist and a Swiss policeman that regularly took pictures of road incidents, or "sculptures of human error." It was a fabulous show at Cardi Black Box.

Italian Fact of the Day:

Most of the biggest galleries in Milan are invisible. What does this mean? Well it is not visible to the street, there is no window advertising, and you wouldn't know that it existed if you were not deliberately searching, address in hand. They are all in the courtyards of buildings in different parts of town. You must know the address, and look on the door bells. Written minutely on the doorbell is the name of the gallery--you buzz. They give you instructions on how to proceed, and they open he door. "Left, cross the courtyard, and straight in the back." You then spot the gallery, and you buzz again to gain entrance. It is quite funny, in my opinion. Of course this is not the case for all of the galleries in Milan by any means; however, those very important galleries or foundations are a bit hard to find, and you must know your "stuff" or play clue in order to discover them.

I was completely impressed with the whole show, and I was disappointed that I missed a lecture given last week by the photojournalist, Letizia Battaglia, and one of my favorite Italian-American journalists, Alexander Stille. I have mentioned him in my blogs before because I read his book, "The Sack of Rome," which talks about Berlusconi's ascension into power. He has also written many books about the Italian "Cosa Nostra," and worked closely with Battaglia in researching and composing his Mafia literature. Stille, from his home in New York, writes articles for the Italian newspaper, "La Reppublica." His writing style is very clear and schematic, and often times in his bipartisan and clear-cut representation of different "truths," the reader is left with a blatant and humorous irony and revelation.

Anyways, Matteo met us at the art show, and he was obviously very intrigued and interested. I thought that he would enjoy the show; he doesn't know anything about art, but he is very passionate about history and journalism. Therefore, I thought this would be a good show to have him see. I am slowly introducing him to the world of art. The important idea in this show was to combine the aesthetic impression mixed with his passion, history and story-telling (journalism, politics, etc). Anyways, he loved it, and he wants a print of his favorite photo. He sent me a message the next day saying, "I was looking at the photos from yesterday, and I think that without you I would not have been able to appreciate all of this beauty." Aw!

Later on, Israq left on her bike, and Matteo and I went to get a pizza. We watched "Grande Torino" by Clint Eastwood (fabulous).

After the movie, he revealed to me that he believes to be in love with me. "Credo di essere innamorato di te." It was very sweet, and I know that he is completely genuine. Although I care for him very much, I have not reached the point where I am in love with him. I explained that he has to be cautious when evaluating his feelings for me and that love has many different levels. He agreed, but he reiterated his deep feelings, telling me how special he thought I was.

Anyways, today I find myself in Chiesina Uzzanese, near Florence. I arrived last night and I spent time with my cousins. It is so great to be back in Tuscany, in this small town. I love it! I am about to go for a walk.

Last night, I relaxed talking with my relatives as we ate a delicious dinner. Before dinnner, Liliana and I stopped to watch a community basketball game where teenagers of Chiesina were playing against a neighboring town. My cousin, Giocondo, was the scorekeeper. He is very involved with the basketball league because he initiated it back in the 80s with some friends, and he coached the teams for many years. I absolutely loved this pit-stop because I felt right at home; I felt as if I was at my high school watching my friends dribble the ball around the court. The only ironic part was that I was so far away from my "home court," from those friends, from that time. It was fun! After dinner, called my cousin Matteo (the son of the couple with which I am staying), who lives in London; it was great to catch up with him! By now, we are like old best friends when we talk. I will be planning a trip to visit him before Christmas, and I can't wait!

If you don't know, I am trying to put together documents to obtain an Italian citizenship through my "blood rights". This requires a TON of work, documents in order, translations, etc....I cant get into it now. However, my cousin, Giocondo, did some research for me in this area, and he found the birth certificates of my great-grandmother, great-grandfather, her parents, and the marriage certificate of her parents. He presented them to me last night, and we read them together. It was amazing to see those documents! We now know the names of my great-great-great grandparents. How cool is that??

Okay, I really want to take a walk before lunch around the town, go visit the church, and get a coffee. Bye bye!

Switzerland and School

Forward: I am exhausted.

Italian Fact of the Day:
What is an aperitivo?

This tradition of the Aperativo, originating in the Lombard region (Milan), is apparently spreading throughout Italy and is becoming more popular. Every restaurant/bar lays out a gormet display of buffet items--cold and hot dishes, cheese trays, meats, bruschetta, etc, and this food comes free with a higher priced cocktail drink. When you pass by all of these places, you see the waiters preparing the food, and it seems like they all compete for their customers with their displays. Certain bars are know for their excellent aperativi, and the people flock to those places! Best during the warm-weather months accompanied by a food-scouting passeggiata.

I had a long day at school today, and thanks to a teachers meeting at 4:30pm, I succeeded in arriving home close to 7:30pm. I feel like I have had little time to do anything since I've been home except cook tortellinis in a pesto sauce.

Letizia, my Italian teaching cohort, was in prime form today ready to be less than cooperative with her English-speaking colleague. She is always friendly and cheerful,but she is not very open to the idea of preparation and working with me to create new exercises and projects that adhere to a clear skill development set. Given the fact that she is the one that insists that our lessons correspond, I find it humorous that she makes absolutely no effort to allow for preparation. Five minutes before the class, we talk about what we did last week, what we could do today, and what project we can assign as the students are settling in their seats. She says that "She likes to make her creative decisions in the field! So planning is impossible." Translated: I have done nearly the same lessons for years, and I do not want to rethink projects, create more complex (challenging/interesting) lessons, or let you share many ideas because this is my show. Patience. Patience and maybe slowly we'll work something out that feels more natural. I asked her at the end of our lesson if it was possible to find 5 minutes in the week to discuss our lessons for the following week, so as to give me the time to prepare my thoughts, discussions, or a proposal of projects/powerpoints. She said, "No, and went into yapping about how busy she was--that plus the spontaneous nature of her lessons." Thanks Letiz, your the best. Keep in tuned to my wooing battle versus the she-art-beast.


Despite her and the added discomfort of the collaboration, I love the students so far! I am very comfortable teaching them (as long as I'm sure of Letizia's instructions.) I am most happy when they are totally my ideas and assignments because I have the confidence in knowing what I want, what I'm teaching, and what I expect. Oh well. Let's give it some time. I do get free supplies--how cool is that??

On Saturday, Matteo and I decided to take a day trip to Lugano, in Switzerland. He looked at me in the morning and said--"instead of going to IKEA, lets go to Switzerland!" "You don't have to ask me twice!" I really like him, and I wish I could remember all of the sweet things he tells me. He now officially calls me, "Dear," because it is the direct translation of my name (before the noun). The other night I was explaining something over Skype, and he wrote a message to me (as I was speaking) that said, "You are so beautiful, Dear." He is considerate, and he is always the perfect gentleman. We had fun singing along to his i-pod mix of Italian, English and British music--with a surprisingly large selection from the 80s--in the car during our short "road trip;" he even agreed to talk for about 20 minutes with me in English, which was very cute. We had a fabulous and carefree day together; as we were driving in the car with the mountains outside our windows, I breathed in deeply as the breeze from the windows hit my face, and I felt pure happiness to be in that moment--completely content--for the day, for the weather, for good company, for everything. We ate creamy Swiss chocolate and Bretzels, we took a passaggiata through the quaint Swiss-Italian city. We then strolled through the park, hand in hand, walking along the lake embedded in the mountains.

The park was beautiful, filled with pristine and sculpted gardens, romantic trees cascading over the lake, and spots of shad and sunlight. As we were walking along the stone pathway, we saw something so utterly simple and fantastic that I won't forget it for a long time. There was a couple, a bride and a groom, dancing on a red park bench by the lake while a violinist played sitting at their side. They twirled around on this red bench in their own little world until the end of the song, as if they were on a mountain top. It was so adorable, Matteo and I both were gooing over the perfect ending to an American cheesy love story. Discussing it later, we even talked about the camera angles: the camera would circle around the couple, alternating between their gazes, with one circling their faces. He would say, "Who would have thought I'd meet you here, again." Camera zooms up in the air and you see them twirling around from the aerial view. The end.

We drove home around dinner time, and I cooked a very simple buy yummy pasta dish with tomatoe sauce while Matteo read aloud Newspaper articles from the NY times about Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. He is so cute when he puts on his reading glasses. I just finished reading the article he wrote questioning the feasibility of nuclear energy in Italy.

Okay..bed time. I have school tomorrow.

School and MURALS FINISHED!

I am cooking pasta tonight, and I think it is going to be delicious. I am making hot sausage sauce with my own tangs and additions. There is one good thing about not owning a true Italian cookbook and not having any US measurements to make anything you were used to making. It makes you improvise and think on your toes! haha. I love cooking, and I think I am improving!

OMG--on a side note, I just ate my dinner. It was SO DELICIOUS!! I always make enough for two or three dinners so that I can eat the rest during the week. I want to buy the Italian mother cookbook "Cucchiaio Argento," and I'm hoping that my parents can give me this as an anticipated Christmas gift so I can become meaner in the kitchen!

I had a lovely day at school today, and I was able to leave early around 2pm. I taught two art classes with my Italian colleague. The first class is 3rd year middle school students, and they are incredibly sweet. We were continuing the project that she started on my first day. I really enjoyed the second class because all of my kids in veicolare "english track" are incredibly smart. However, I enjoy ALL of the children in this class, and they are really eager to learn. They are also very self-conscious to make sure that they are doing the right thing. This is also probably because this art teacher, in my opinion, doesn't explain the projects well to the class, and she changes her opinion often. Sometimes, she doesn't really make sense. The other day she said that a rainbow wasn't symmetrical. I was totally confused--a rainbow in its essence, cut in half, is a perfectly symmetrical form in nature.

My challenge in teaching art will finding a way to collaborate with the Italian art teacher. She is one of the oldest teachers at the school, and she has been teaching this program for years and years. I was also informed by the principal, who believes in transparency, that she wasn't happy that her classes would become a part of the "Veicolare program," meaning that they would take away some of the students from her classes. She has a bold personality during class; she makes sarcastic jokes with the students but also scolds them harshly. She wears funky glasses, has bangs, has a more casual and colorful sense of style, and you can tell that she has a creative personality. I think that she is making an attempt to work with me. She, thus far, has been very nice to me, but I can tell that she isn't ready to accept my suggestions. She needs to remain as head honcho--or feel as if she is completely in charge.

My plan of attack? Suck up to her as much as I can, and continue to subliminally propose some of my ideas--hoping to then convince her that they are her own. I hope that we can strike a friendship where she would be more willing to accept my ideas. However, given the fact that she gives grades based on the students' precision and shoots out comments that make absolutely no sense, I feel as if I will have to swallow some difficult pills in the begging. Precision in art? Okay, I understand the concept...but making these students feel inadequate because they cant draw millions of straight "marks" on the page is absurd. Some of the best artists aren't able to "stay in the lines." Art is creative expression, not "straight line boot camp." However, I can accept some of the lessons for the sake of learning the fundamentals.

Okay...at this point I will skip two days to finish this blog:

Yesterday, I officially finished the murals in the hospital!!! After my morning meeting at school, I came home around the early afternoon. I wrote some emails and did some art history research, and I headed to the hospital.

I stayed in the hospital until 11pm painting to finish the last wall section to complete the murals in the waiting room. FINALLY!!!! Many designs and 20 METERS OF PAINTED SPACE LATER...CARA FINISHES HER MURAL PAINTING PROJECT. Since February in the planning, I have to say that the murals are absolutely beautiful, and I, with the help of my graphic designer friend, Massimiliano, painted and decorated the whole wing of Neurology at the Ospedale dei Bambini di Buzzi in Milan!! Tomorrow morning, I will be going to the hospital to take pictures and paint two strawberries near the elevator. I will post a few when they are ready. Three cheers for me!

Today, I SLEPT IN! I also cleaned the whole apartment from top to bottom, organized everything, went shopping, picked up dry cleaning, did 4 loads of laundry...I was on fire. I am now waiting for Matteo to arrive.

I have to run out to get a bottle of wine, but if I return in time, I'll write my Italian Fact of the Day later.

Take the time to smell the Roses!

I am about to write a blog that I hope doesn't end up being entirely too long because I have so much to do before bed tonight!

First of all, today I was coming home from one of my first days at WORK, and I was extremely exhausted. I have a rather long commute,and after waking up at 6am combined with a full day of teaching takes the energy right out of you. The commute ideally includes a train in the morning from the metro stop 5 minutes away from my house, and I ride for 35 minutes on a slow train until I arrive in Monza, a city just north of Milan. After I arrive at the train station, I then must take a bus or walk to the school which takes about 15-25 minutes based on your choice. However, this morning I chose to take the bus, and it took 30 minutes due to waiting and traffic! I was so annoyed. Tomorrow, I will walk to the school or take a more direct bus, on advice of a friend at school. If I miss trains, the whole process becomes much more complicated. Cough, I wont get into it!

In any case, I arrived home dragging my feet, and I entered the courtyard of my apartment complex after the long transit! There are beautiful rose bushes that grow alongside the walkway-white and red, and I passed them thinking about how I wanted to smell them. The thought of actually smelling the roses hadn't even crossed my mind because I was focused on getting home and on my schedule for the evening--I did not have "time" to "smell the roses" because there was "too much to do!" I didn't walk five steps before I realized what a huge hypocrite I was and how insanely self-punishing I was being. I literally about-faced in that instant, and I returned to the roses to smell them for at least 30 seconds--all of the roses, each one! I then laughed hysterically at myself in my cliched and literal enactment of the expression.

I have gone to school these two days dressed in the only "teacher outfits" that I can muster out of my wardrobe, and I have to go on a shopping trip to buy more professional clothes. I have really enjoyed these days at school because everyone has been very welcoming to me--both the Italian and English teachers, the principals, my coordinators, and the director of the school. It is a bit daunting to start teaching next week and to have complete control over the class; these days I have only been shadowing primarily the one art teacher with whom I will be collaborating to teach these children.

I never thought I would be a teacher at this level of education, and it is a very interesting and illuminating experience for three reasons:

1. I have never been on this side of the teacher-student relationship, and I realize how extremely difficult it is to be a good teacher who cares about their students. I never thought about all of the preparation goes into creating stimulating lessons that cover the material within certain time frames.

2. I am also learning how teachers think behind the scenes in reaction to their students' progress. I can't imagine how hard it will be to give some of those students bad grades, especially in art.

3. The Italian schooling system is so very different! It is very traditional, strict, and bureaucratic. They have different teaching objectives that are slightly archaic to meet for every year, and it is not a very conducive environment for the well-rounded contemporary education of the children. I will write a blog solely on the education system soon, but it is too complicated to explain tonight.

Overall, the students for the most part are extremely polite, and I was impressed with the overall respect and regard given to their teachers, and they are all very curious in class. In the hallways, they all make sure to greet every teacher, and at the end of the day the line of students leaving look up, smile, and say: "Arrivederci Prof!"--those that study English speak to me in English. There are so many rules for the children in this school, and it is a very stressful for them in my opinion. They all carry these HUGE bookbags around with wheels, even the little ones. Middle school: They also aren't allowed to go to the bathroom during or after class, and they can't walk in the halls alone--they are only supposed to "go" during their breaks of the day. This makes it very uncomfortable to turn them down, and I will warn my students that they should make a point to use the bathroom before my class so I am not put in an awkward position. (This goes for me as well!).

The classes I have entered thus far have been very rewarding experiences. Particularly in the first year of middle school, the students look up to the teacher with gleaming eyes as they ask questions. They are so curious,innocent and sweet, and they all brought up their designs yesterday to ask questions or ask for my approval: "Prof, is this okay--look what I've drawn--these are the people and--is this what we were supposed to do?" it makes me happy, and it tickles me to see the light in their face when I say nice things about their drawings. The one student said, "Prof, what do you think? Usually I am very bad in art." I responded--"I don't believe that one bit, I think you are really great." "Really!!"--he was so content.

Yesterday we taught in Italian, but the students following the English program asked me questions in English. (Students in their first year of middle school) They have already reached a very proficient level of English, it is very impressive. Many of them have cute little British or Australian accents because their teachers in the elementary school have passed it on to them. After the high school, I have noticed, the students usually pick up an American accent because most of the middle/high school teachers are American. haha. Next week, I will be taking those in the Veicolare (English Speaking) program to a different room to learn. However, I enjoyed conducting the lesson in Italian and responding to all of their little questions.

My challenge:

Italian Fact of the Day:

I went to by a hair straightener because the Italian hairdresser on Saturday gave me a huge crop of bangs!! I am now a very exaggerated Italian-looking girl, and my wavy unruly hair is not very hospitable to this new bang-do.

Of course you can't find hair straighteners in any of the stores that you might guess like the profumeria, the store for cosmetics and hair products, or a general department store, very small called UPIM. Instead I had to find a Electrical-Domestics store. It is usually frustrating that you have to walk all over creation to find different stores that specialize in your category of product, and sometimes, in the case of my hair straightener, it almost doesn't make sense that they would sell that with Mixers and coffee machines. whatever...


Fact: Italy still has tons of specialty stores, and the owners take much pride in their products and customers. Their are specialty stores of every kind, and the service is incredibly personable.

In fact, I approached the woman behind the desk who was chatting casually with her family members hanging about the store, and I asked, "Excuse me mam, you don't happen to sell hair straighteners?" They weren't displayed in the store, and I was sure that they didn't sell them. However, in fact, she had them in her back room! She went back as if she was pulling out high-quality Tiffany diamond-rings out of the safes for my viewing consumer pleasure. She then laid five out on the table in front of me, presenting me with an array of shapes and sizes, and she gave an extensive description of each one. It was as if hair-straighteners were her sole product, and she was very proud to display the variety and their function--as if she had just finished making them in the back room. I decided on one, and I left contented.

Now I have a hair straightener to tame my new bangs, and you know a little more about Italian specialty stores and customer service.

I was so tired last night, I couldn't finish the blog. Soo, I have just finished my coffee, and I have to get ready for my commute to school! On an ending note, I think we should all "take the time to smell the roses."