on the move

So it's been quite a while since I've written. Here's what's happened.

Ashly showed up and we saw Radiohead in Milano. The next day we went to Switzerland to visit my friend Antoine. From there Cailan met us and we went to an immense German music festival featuring Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Sigur Ròs, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Elbow, and a billion other bands. This happened in the hot sun surrounding by a war zone of beer cans. Seriously, it was like a refugee camp by the time we left on Monday morning.

Back to Switzerland and then a good rest in Salò. Ashly met some people around the school and town. The family I'd been tutoring for had us over for swimming and a barbeque. We did a bit around the area, laid out by the lake, rode the boat up the lake and hiked around Monte Baldo. Next was Padova and Venezia for a few days... which was way too touristy.

Now it's been Slovenia for a nice little while. Quiet and green, something like 57% of the country is covered in forest. Lake Bled, hiking in the mountains around Kranjska Gora and the Vršič Pass. Been staying with a Slovene who showed me an amazing time. Just a random friend who Kyle and Dwight met in Thailand... but that worked pretty great here.

Tomorrow we go rafting in the Soča Valley and a bit more hiking. Then off to Croatia early Monday morning. There's so much more to say and write... we'll see if I ever get around to it.

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.

colazione americana

This morning I made my roommates a true American breakfast... well it wasn't quite eggs, hashbrowns, and piles of sausage links with crispy bacon. I thought I'd ease them in a bit, because I wasn't even sure how maple syrup would be received.

We made pancakes (from the mix Ashly sent me for my birthday) topped with Mrs. Butterworth's. We also had a fruit salad with fresh strawberries, bananas, and kiwi to eat on the side or on top. Still the closest thing they'd ever had before was a crêpe.

They really enjoyed it and like the marionberry jam my parents brought from Oregon. We determined that there is no word for marionberry in Italian but that it's not too different from a mora, which would be something like our wild blackberry. Adesso sono bello pieno.

la settimana dei miei

My parents were just here in Italia, and we packed in a good week of food, travel, and visiting friends, which also normally involved eating.

They arrived last Monday evening in Salò where I got them settled into an apartment I rented just off the lungolago. On Tuesday morning they came to school, met some of the teachers and one of my classes. We spent the afternoon around the lake in Salò and ate dinner at a nice, traditional trattoria, which turned out to be owned by the father of one of my students. They served us huge portions of Garda cuisine, local vino, and an extra focaccia on the house.

Wednesday we toured Verona, spending our time lounging in piazzas eating well and drinking aperitivi in between the sites. On the way home we stopped in San Felice to eat paninis along the Garda lakeside.

Thursday was il Vittoriale the house and garden of Garda's poet, war hero, writer, and eccentric personage Gabriele d'Annunzio. Needless to say, he was crazy and his home and lifestyle keep this legacy intact. From the reconstructed boat in the garden to the thousands of religious trinkets from all over the world inside to his "personalization" or manipulation of famous pieces of artwork... it was an odd experience. We ate a picnic in Gardone Riviera and spent the rest of the day by the lake in Gargnano with dinner by the lake in Salò.

Friday we headed to Parma, wandered town and my friend Johnny took us to Tri Siochett, an authentic restaurant outside of town in the middle of nowhere. He proceeded to get lost for about a half hour while we crossed the same bridge about 4 times.

When we arrived, we ate way too much delicious Parmigiano food from prosciutto di Parma and other varieties of salami and ham, to pastas filled with creamy, buttery herbs and cheeses, to horse steaks and eggplant parmigiano and numerous preparations of beef... the food was so amazing that it was oppressive because there was simply just too much.


Johnny and I went out after dropping my parents at the hotel, and we couldn't even finish a drink because we were so full. But the bravi Sardi (Marco e Marco) made us stick around. Around 3 AM or so when we thought we were just dropping them off, they literally drug Johnny out of the car and pushed us inside feeding us bright pinkish-red cured fish eggs (basically the entire feminine organ) on flatbread with olive oil and pepper. Interesting but good. And after busting out the vino and guitar, it looked like this at 6 AM as we stumbled down the street to Johnny's apartment.

Saturday night my parents and I returned to Salò, and the family whose kids I have been tutoring had us over for dinner. We ate with Virginia, Alberto and the kids Alessio, Matteo, and Gioia, and my dad finally got his sample of grappa.


Sunday was our amazing drive in the hills above Lago di Garda with the absolutely beautiful and untouched Val Valvestino and its lake and the following lakes and small villages around Lago d'Idro and Lago di Ledro.


In Idro we found the most amazing market I've ever seen. The kind that offers all-you-can-eat free samples of fresh baked bread from focaccia with cherry tomatoes or rosemary to fruit filled croissants and other local breads and sweet cakes. The market was in conjunction with the local elementary school, and the kids were there learning how to make bread. A woman told me this was the first time they'd ever done it, and she hoped that this initial experiment would lead to a weekly or monthly market. I'd definitely return just for the bread samples, who cares about the ridiculously gorgeous lake and scenery around. It was like Costco times a billion.


After entering Trentino-Alto Adige in the north and eating paninis, we eventually came down from the hills through a series of extremely long tunnels and followed the lakeside road to Limone sul Garda. We strolled the lungolago while navigating between the masses of German tourists (just like all over Lago di Garda).

And last night a large table of friends and dinner awaited us in the hills above Gardone Riviera overlooking the lights of Garda. After a walk by the lake today, my parents left this afternoon for Amsterdam before catching their flight back to PDX tomorrow.

I ate way too much and I am exhausted just thinking about it. It feels like I ate more this last week than I have in my entire duration here in Italia... and that includes studying abroad 3 years ago.

I'm fasting until Sardegna. Or performing some other kind of miracle.

feste, ferie, e ponte

The good ole' holiday season is finally coming to a close here in Italia. After a few days off for elections in mid-April and the Festa della liberazione last week on April 25th (celebrating Italia's liberation from German occupation and fascism in 1945 during WWII), we now have today's Festa dei lavoratori (Labor Day).

We celebrated last night with a huge dinner at our house for friends and by drinking copious amounts of vino and of course party poppers from my birthday package that FINALLY arrived... thanks Ash. Lorella's sister and cousin from Milano surprised us in the middle of dinner.

Today the weather was abbastanza bello and we spent the afternoon by the lake in San Felice eating paninis and potato chips. Che belle feste.


I guess the vacation time isn't quite over for me though... seeing as my parents arrive on Monday, I'll be working another short week at school. Va bene, I'll make it up later.

le belle giornate

The last few days have been one amazing thing after another.

Over the weekend I went to Parma to visit an amico I met 3 years ago while studying in Macerata. We met at a Kaiser Chiefs concert in Rimini and this time we attempted to repeat that same casino. Met his bravi roomies, ate great food, drank good vino, and drank a lot of beer... also good, but as you may or may not know, good beer does not come from Italia so of course this beer was from Germany, Ireland and Belgium. Spent the weekend in giro per Parma and made some amazing new Sardo friends (from Sardegna).


After elongating my stay in Parma for an extra night, I returned to Salò where I promptly booked a ticket to Sardegna to see two of my favorite ragazzini, Nick and Kris, in the beginning of June.

Then I met a very nice German girl from München who is also living and working here as an au pair for an Italian family. We had an aperitivo together and she definitely got rid of the bad impression that last German girl left on my psyche.

Today, many of the students I've been working with individually took their specialized English exam. It's offered by a London-based company so a woman flew in from England to test them. They had to talk, completely in a casual, conversational manner, for anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes. All of them did well and some very, very well... abbastanza bene.

And after some time of weather has been proprio merda (kinda like Oregon often is at this time of year), we had a beautiful, sunny day with bright blue skies. But because the weather has been bad, there is a lot of snow in the mountains and even the hills on the gulf behind Salò.

So I went for a jog and a couple kilometers out I decided to stop by the lakeside to stretch. I tried to skip some rocks but the water was too turbulent and choppy today so that was a no go. Then I saw something about the size of a milk jug floating about 50 meters out — about the distance from the end touchline to midfield on a football pitch.

It took me about 35 or so throws but I nailed it. Che belle giornate.

Now, to top it off, I am on the way to the grocery store to buy my favorite crunchy, spicy grissini con peperoncini AND my birthday is this Saturday. Festeggiamo.

foto

I've added a bunch of new pictures to Flickr, although most of them have nothing to do with my most recent travels.

But I promise to add more of the beautiful weather here in Salò. It snowed in the mountains over the last few days and now the panorama behind the city is amazing. The skies have also been clear and blue.


We celebrated Pasquetta (the day after Easter, which is basically another holiday here) with lunch at a pizzeria in the hills. When we arrived, it was snowing large, wet flakes. When we left, the weather was sunny and you could see all the way to the southern end of the lake and beyond.

in demand

I am now into my second week of chaotic, hectic teaching in an Italian high school. I don't know if we can really call it teaching yet since all the Italian ragazzi really want to know is:

What kind of music do I like? Do I know: Guns N'Roses, Metallica, System of a Down, Avril Lavigne, or AC/DC. Of course all of these names are extremely hard to understand when an Italian is pronouncing them. I told them I liked The Strokes and Bloc Party. They had no clue although one kid knew The Strokes.

Have you ever been to the O.C.? Are there really girls that look like Barbie in American high schools? What is your favorite sport? Do you like Italia and Italian food? Do you like Italian girls? How old are you? Do you have a girlfriend? Is she Italian or American? Have you ever met any famous people?

There are so many questions about high school life in the states... and really specific stuff that I'd never remember. Per esempio, how long are the breaks in between classes? And when I can't remember whether it was 5 or 10 or even 7 minutes, it's almost devastating to them.

But the most important question is about ballo fine d'anno. I tell them it's called prom. And they have no idea what that word means. Then I tell them that it is way over-exaggerated in the movies but that girls do buy a dress, guys do wear tuxes, and you can rent a limo. Dipende da voi.

To compound things, my tutor and the teacher I should be working closely with fell on the ice and hurt her leg/knee the day before I arrived. And she is housebound and cannot drive. To say the least... it has been interesting without her here.

Day one... no one had a clue who I was or what I was doing here. Oh, you're Amalia's assistant. Okay, come with me. Here is her class. Get to know the students and teach them right now.

Hi, I'm Chris. I'm from Portland, Oregon. Do you know where Oregon is? How old are you? What class is this? Explain to me how Italian high school functions? What do you study in this class? Do you speak English? Etc...

I have since met many extremely nice and helpful teachers and have a quasi schedule and some sort of organization, although everyday is almost like starting over again in a class full of new students who are amazed by the American who has come to Italia to teach in THEIR high school. And today, no one could comprehend that I was only 22 and had graduated from university and was already in Italia teaching them.

Also, since Amalia is not here, every other teacher is trying to lay their claim on me. I want him in my class to speak English and to talk with the students. Have a conversation. Ask them questions. As long as I speak in English. I want him to private tutor my kids. On and on and on.

It's been quite an experience thus far. And I'm also having an amazing time at my house too. I rent a room from an Italian woman, Lorella, who is a vigilessa (local police officer) and a 24-year-old designer, Cristian, who has worked in advertising before. Here we are (Chris, Cristian, Maria e Lorella) with Maria, a German girl who was visiting for the weekend and did my job (but teaching German obviously) and lived with Loretta and Cristian two years ago.

I've gone out to dinner with their friends, taken long walks along the Lungolago that runs all around Lago di Garda, and saw Paranoid Park... which was pretty cool to see Portland on the big screen and to let them see where I'm from... and the movie is great.

I've been pretty much flying without any direction or guidance but it seems like this is what you do it Italia. So I guess my life so far has been pretty normal. And although this might sound stressful, it has actually been quite relaxing as people live life at a much, much slower, leisurely pace in Italia.

salò nelle fote

Lago di Garda and the historic center of Salò.

And the view from my bathroom window...


I have yet to truly comprehend that this is where I live. Che bellissimo!

in salò

I am finally in Salò and it is beautiful here. Small and isolated but absolutely amazing and I think I am going to love my living situation here. I am exhausted and I will let everyone know what's happening especially after my first day of teaching tomorrow.

And I'll give everyone the low down on Karneval in Cologne... it was beyond ridiculous to say the least.

andiamo

I've now graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts degree and survived double-majoring in Journalism Advertising and Journalism Magazine with a minor in Italian.

On December 29th, I will leave for Italy where I will be teaching English to high schoolers in Salò, Lombardia in north-central Italy (about two hours east of Milan). It's a small town located on the shores of Italy's largest lake, Lago di Garda, and just a stone's throw from Valpolicella-producing lands in Verona.

The aforementioned location and the chance to be absolutely immersed in a piccolo Italian town are the two things I am most excited about.

I will keep everyone updated and continue to post about my life, travels, experiences, and food here.

Ciao a tutti.

-Chris