So from arriving in Italy on September 29th to today, October 14th, things have been a little hectic and a lot of work. I have been
meaning to sit down and write a blog about my experiences whilst in Italy but the more I contemplated what I should focus on the more I procrastinated. Therefore I think this post with be an introduction to my
Italian Experience.
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| Veranna, Lago di Como |
During my years at Temple University, I studied Italian because I enjoyed it. The classes, the language and my peers really made the completion of my minor in Italian more enjoyable than not. When previously asked why I haven't been to Italy my response was always the same. I had not found the perfect opportunity that would take me here and I did not want to just experience Italy as a tourist. So with the help and support of Professoressa Cristina Gragnani, I successfully applied and was accepted into the
SITE Program in the Lombardy region of Italy.
I have been living in Tradate and working in Saronno, Italy for two weeks now and have no complaints. Every move comes with a learning curve. Italy is a brand new country so getting used to the bureaucratic way things are done has been a challenge; this was expected with embarking on this new adventure. All in all, I am pretty stoked. I live with Silvia. She is the Vice Presidente of the Technical High School. I have a range of students in my classes, from students who are in their first year of high school to 5th year high school students as old as 20 years. This is my first time as an English Teaching Assistant so I have been working on perfecting my lessons for the different levels of english. Some of the classes are easy and the students are excited to speak english and share their opinions. Others stare at me as I try to pull out any enthusiasm about any subject possible which I am not always successful.
As introductions go I could continue writing but I'll stop before I ramble (If I haven't started already). I have just come back from coffee with Silvia and her group of friends; I like to call them the 'Golden Girls'. They are really friendly and helpful in improving my Italian with every coffee date. I am working on a lesson on Cake Boss and trying to find activities for the lower level english classes. I want to get them excited and speaking in English. My Challenge: And I accept.
