school's out for summer

I went to dinner last night with a small group of teachers from Battisti. We ate at the pizzeria of Amalia's cousin, outside along the lungolago of Manerba. It was a great time and gave me a chance to reflect on my experiences here in Salò. And for all the times I've been annoyed with high school students or frustrated with general Italian disorganization, I've really had a wonderful time here and wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

We talked about politics, Italian and American, traveling, the ridiculous cost of concert tickets, Oregon, school, books, Italian culture and history, my future, and of course the bureaucracy of la vita italiana, and what this means for the state-mandated final exams next week, something that neither I nor Nicoletta understood nor did we care to. Amalia gave me a shirt and an interesting book to read. Here I am with Ilario and Nicoletta.

My time here has been vastly different than my experiences studying abroad. I have learned so much more about the language and culture this time around. There were no guided tours. No Italian lessons. And no one was watching over me and holding my hand. I prefer it this way. Of course, it helps living with two Italians and spending all of your time with locals, all of whom have been very friendly and helpful whenever I've needed anything. I've had to figure out a lot on my own but nothing has been too difficult or overwhelming.

Tomorrow is my last day and I am absolutely ready to finish my teaching stint, but I will also miss it as well.

I've learned:

• Teaching is not my future profession, especially not high schoolers. But the thing I most enjoyed about teaching was being able to work one-on-one or in small groups with students who were really motivated and cared about learning and speaking English. Helping several students prepare for a specialized English exam earlier this year was very rewarding.

• Italian high school is extremely different from American. Part of it is cultural, and part is the educational system. Culturally, life is more relaxed, and things just seem to move at a slower pace. Thus, school life is more casual. Students go to the bathroom more frequently than imaginable or are late to class with no real reprimanding. Teachers are late. Students are more disrespectful. Teachers seem to yell more, but that's because classes are often rowdy. In fact, the discipline system is virtually non-existent as far as I can tell. Warnings and threats of punishment often fly but are never enforced. There's always a sense of general disorganization present.

• Italia has problems. Societal, governmental, financial... but that's not so different than any other modern nation. Still, it is a country that tends to live upon it's past reputation without planning or making changes for the future. And a lot of the world views Italia as a tourist attraction, vacation destination, or culinary heaven. But it is also changing culturally with an influx of immigrants from the Eastern Europe and Africa.

• Italians are generally very friendly, helpful people. They will welcome you into their social culture. Family is important, so are friends. There's often a strong sense of community and traditional Italian culture shines through these relationships, which often involve food and drink as well. They love to talk, hopefully while drinking a caffè or an aperitivo at the bar.

I came back to Italia so I could speak and learn more of the language I studied for several years and minored in at university. So I could experience another culture in a way that I wasn't able to when I studied abroad. Although, I must admit that having some advance knowledge and experience in Italia did facilitate my adjustment, making it quite smooth.

It is interesting to learn a language like Italian, which is literally only spoken and used within the borders of this country. Thus, any Italian musicians, artists, writers, athletes, journalists, etc. are well-known by virtually the entire nation.

It's amazing when an entire nation knows a traditional song from 50 or a 100 years ago and can sing along with it word-for-word. The sense of culture is very strong, whether it's Italian, (although my roommates say the only time Italia is truly united as a nation is when the national team is playing) or a strong sense of pride in where you come from, whether that be region, province, city, or even neighborhood.

I know I will never be able to speak like a native, with the myriad of dialects, accents, and cultural idiosyncrasies that I may never understand. But I am proud of my current ability. I accomplished what I set out to do: be able to communicate in my everyday life without worry or hesitation. I'm able to have conversations and understand everything that's going on around me.

Just don't make me ask some old nonno who speaks in a raspy dialect for directions.