Hi Everyone! Welcome to my blog about the adventures and experience that I’ve had/will be having in Porto San Giorgio and Fermo, Italy! After months and months of preparation and communication with InterExchange, I’ve finally made it! (I’m about five days into my journey so far). My host family are the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and they’ve been so amazing to me as they’ve taken me in as one of their own. Marco and Sarah are so fun to be around, and their children, Greta (12) and Gregorio (8) warm my heart every day. Since this is not my first time to Italy, it was definitely easier to adjust than perhaps someone new to the country might experience. I have to say, it feels so natural here, and I love every single minute. I can now officially say that I’ve seen the Ionian and Adriatic Seas! It’s definitely nice having il mare within walking distance for those afternoons when I have some down time.
As many of you know, one of my main goals during this trip was to be able to become more fluent in my Italian speaking abilities. I can now report to you all that after only five days I officially think things through in my head in Italian (which is literally amazing) and when I think in English, I’ve began to think with an Italian accent to it like how my family pronounces words!
So finally the day arrived for me to have my first day of school!! The children, I must admit, are too cute for words with their little raspy voices rattling off Italian. I was very impressed that they understood as much English as they do though! There isn’t much that I say that they don’t understand, which makes instruction much easier. I’ve come to realize that private school in Italy is not what private school is in America. In Italy, private school seems to be a place where more of the “problem” children so-to-speak go. I love my students though, and they have so much potential for being so little. We’ve been working a lot on discipline, and I’ve officially mastered my “Don’t test me again or you WILL be sorry” look! As a teacher who was previously timid to discipline students, this is a big moment for me 🙂 The school is a little hard to work in as the 2-3 year old classroom also doubles as a meeting place/cafeteria area for the rest of the school. It’s nearly impossible to keep it clean all the time, and it’s difficult for the children to understand the difference between a play space and an eating space since to them, it’s all play. However, we’re getting there and the kids are finally starting to respect me as a teacher. Can’t wait to see what adventures they’ll bring me next! Tanti baci a tutti!
Teaching in Italy! 