Dear Reader(s),
News flash! Tamara has broken her foot. She was cycling and fell and didn't know it was broken until the next day when she got it checked at the hospital. She now has a huge (and pretty comical) cast which has been signed by everyone, using my coloured pens.
The really bad news is that she has to go home for more or less a whole month to get it sorted. She keeps tearing up and she really does not want to go. Tonight I'm watching a movie with her and have already been to Lidl and got the necessities (chocolate, chocolate and chocolate). Everyone else is going to Bologna (as is the norm for a saturday night it would seem) but I'm gonna stay with her because it's her last night before she goes, and I'm also gonna sleep in her room with her tonight (she still has no roomie)
Let's hope it's not a whole month :(
A presto...
Saturday 29 October 2011
Friday 28 October 2011
Che Fortuna!
Dear Reader(s),
This week has been more or less normal, done the usual Sunday mass, weekday lectures, Wednesday baluardo etc. Today I had my latest Sofia lesson (the last one for a week as they're going on holiday next week - perfect timing for Matt Funnell's visit) and I came home on my bike carrying a bag full of shoes and a phone number for a new student! Sofia is growing very fast, as 12 year olds do, and she is now a shoe size 39, but used to be a 37 - my size! So I now have three beautiful pairs of boots, one pair of trainers, and one pair of CONVERSE! They are all in beautiful clean condition and fit wonderfully. I am so happy it's unreal. Furthermore Patrizia (Sofia's mum) gave me the number for a Signora Daniela Richeldi who would like me to teach her daughter English after Patrizia's recommendation of me. I can't believe it, I'm thrilled!
A presto...
This week has been more or less normal, done the usual Sunday mass, weekday lectures, Wednesday baluardo etc. Today I had my latest Sofia lesson (the last one for a week as they're going on holiday next week - perfect timing for Matt Funnell's visit) and I came home on my bike carrying a bag full of shoes and a phone number for a new student! Sofia is growing very fast, as 12 year olds do, and she is now a shoe size 39, but used to be a 37 - my size! So I now have three beautiful pairs of boots, one pair of trainers, and one pair of CONVERSE! They are all in beautiful clean condition and fit wonderfully. I am so happy it's unreal. Furthermore Patrizia (Sofia's mum) gave me the number for a Signora Daniela Richeldi who would like me to teach her daughter English after Patrizia's recommendation of me. I can't believe it, I'm thrilled!
A presto...
Friday 21 October 2011
La Bonissima
Dear Reader(s)
Today I have achieved a lot, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute (which is the general trend for each day of Erasmus it would seem!)
I had a lecture on the European Union from 12:00 til 13:30, followed by a stint in the library working really hard on my Y.A.W.T and I got SO much done, I'm really pleased. At 15:45 I met Christina in the Piazza Grande for La Bonissima which is an outdoor market which sells traditional food specific from Modena. It's on tomorrow and Sunday as well, and I think there are other events because there was definitely a stage being set up...
I may have done some Christmas shopping at the market too... who knows?
A presto...
Today I have achieved a lot, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute (which is the general trend for each day of Erasmus it would seem!)
I had a lecture on the European Union from 12:00 til 13:30, followed by a stint in the library working really hard on my Y.A.W.T and I got SO much done, I'm really pleased. At 15:45 I met Christina in the Piazza Grande for La Bonissima which is an outdoor market which sells traditional food specific from Modena. It's on tomorrow and Sunday as well, and I think there are other events because there was definitely a stage being set up...
I may have done some Christmas shopping at the market too... who knows?
A presto...
Sunday 16 October 2011
Fernanda Gattinoni
Dear Reader(s)
I am now thoroughly engrossed in my Y.A.W.T and am working on two different topics: politics and religion. The politics articles, as I'm sure is obvious, are all about Berlusconi and what he's up to lately; the confidence vote has been all over my newspaper of choice Corriere della Sera (and all the other italian newspapers) so there's a lot for me to think and write about there. I have only skimmed the article on Catholicism, but it looks very interesting, and it seems like a return to the old fashioned values of family, venture and work will be instilled more diligently in Italy.
Lectures are going well, especially my official favourite lecture: linguistica generale. We learnt all about writing words phonetically, and I even spoke out in class the other day: we were writing out some names, the teacher had done her's "Chiara" and asked the class to volunteer their names. We did "Giacomo" and then "Rebecca" and she said "OK class, let's end on a difficult name, does anyone think their name would be difficult?" so I put my hand up and said "Well, my name's English?". The class laughed and the teacher said that we will be moving onto English words later in the term, but thank you anyway. I felt proud of myself, and I said it in my best Italian (obviously).
I've now had two sessions with Sofia, my English student, and she has tried so hard with the things I picked her up on so far. She is also obsessed with Bambi... and survived a Tsunami in Thailand 6 or 7 years ago!
On Saturday I went to the centro for my newspaper and also to find a book from my 4th year reading list as I have now chosen my 4th year Italian modules: Language, Translation and Renaissance. So I've taken a book out of the library here called "Il Libro del Cortegiano" by Castiglione, which I intend to have a good look at this afternoon (wish me luck!) Myself, Nerea, Béa and Christina all went to a free exhibition of some of the dresses designed and made by Fernanda Gattinoni who made dresses for the likes of Audrey Hepburn; after which we got a gelato (I went for straciatella and Nutella YUM.)
I'm going to mass again tonight at 6pm, and tomorrow I'll be heading out to the mercato.
A presto...
I am now thoroughly engrossed in my Y.A.W.T and am working on two different topics: politics and religion. The politics articles, as I'm sure is obvious, are all about Berlusconi and what he's up to lately; the confidence vote has been all over my newspaper of choice Corriere della Sera (and all the other italian newspapers) so there's a lot for me to think and write about there. I have only skimmed the article on Catholicism, but it looks very interesting, and it seems like a return to the old fashioned values of family, venture and work will be instilled more diligently in Italy.
Lectures are going well, especially my official favourite lecture: linguistica generale. We learnt all about writing words phonetically, and I even spoke out in class the other day: we were writing out some names, the teacher had done her's "Chiara" and asked the class to volunteer their names. We did "Giacomo" and then "Rebecca" and she said "OK class, let's end on a difficult name, does anyone think their name would be difficult?" so I put my hand up and said "Well, my name's English?". The class laughed and the teacher said that we will be moving onto English words later in the term, but thank you anyway. I felt proud of myself, and I said it in my best Italian (obviously).
I've now had two sessions with Sofia, my English student, and she has tried so hard with the things I picked her up on so far. She is also obsessed with Bambi... and survived a Tsunami in Thailand 6 or 7 years ago!
On Saturday I went to the centro for my newspaper and also to find a book from my 4th year reading list as I have now chosen my 4th year Italian modules: Language, Translation and Renaissance. So I've taken a book out of the library here called "Il Libro del Cortegiano" by Castiglione, which I intend to have a good look at this afternoon (wish me luck!) Myself, Nerea, Béa and Christina all went to a free exhibition of some of the dresses designed and made by Fernanda Gattinoni who made dresses for the likes of Audrey Hepburn; after which we got a gelato (I went for straciatella and Nutella YUM.)
I'm going to mass again tonight at 6pm, and tomorrow I'll be heading out to the mercato.
A presto...
Friday 14 October 2011
Important Update
Dear Reader(s)
As this blog is most likely to be read by my friends and family who have an interest in my life, I need to tell you all something very exciting:
After the grueling process of several applications, interviews and assessment tasks, my boyfriend, Matt Funnell, has successfully secured an internship with no less than the mighty KPMG.
End of important update, news of Italy to continue in the next post!
A presto....
As this blog is most likely to be read by my friends and family who have an interest in my life, I need to tell you all something very exciting:
After the grueling process of several applications, interviews and assessment tasks, my boyfriend, Matt Funnell, has successfully secured an internship with no less than the mighty KPMG.
End of important update, news of Italy to continue in the next post!
A presto....
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Professoressa O'Connell
Dear Reader(s)
Lots to tell since my last post. This weekend we went to Bologna for a disco and got to bed (in Modena) at 6am - it was a really good night and Christina and I bumped into our Durham friend Catherine MacLachlan (who's also from Jersey) who's doing Erasmus in Bologna - what are the chances?!
On Sunday I went to mass in the Duomo at 6pm and loved it, it was a really peaceful hour in my week to sit and reflect on my thoughts and think of my family and friends, I will be going regularly for sure. I also went to the train station and bought all of the train tickets that Matt and I will need when he comes (in 22 days time!) to see me, pleased about THAT.
The rest of this week so far has seen me in lectures, reading my papers and hanging out with Christina.
Professoressa O'Connell is the title of today's blog because I am now an English teacher. The Erasmus coordinator sent out an email to all English students asking if anyone would like to teach Signora Setti's daughter English, and I got the gig. Our first lesson was today and Sofia (my student) is really lovely; she's enthusiastic and bright as a button, she's very competent with her English already, but I am helping with grammar and pronunciation. We got on really well and I got paid, cash-in-hand, as I said good bye.
A presto....
Lots to tell since my last post. This weekend we went to Bologna for a disco and got to bed (in Modena) at 6am - it was a really good night and Christina and I bumped into our Durham friend Catherine MacLachlan (who's also from Jersey) who's doing Erasmus in Bologna - what are the chances?!
On Sunday I went to mass in the Duomo at 6pm and loved it, it was a really peaceful hour in my week to sit and reflect on my thoughts and think of my family and friends, I will be going regularly for sure. I also went to the train station and bought all of the train tickets that Matt and I will need when he comes (in 22 days time!) to see me, pleased about THAT.
The rest of this week so far has seen me in lectures, reading my papers and hanging out with Christina.
Professoressa O'Connell is the title of today's blog because I am now an English teacher. The Erasmus coordinator sent out an email to all English students asking if anyone would like to teach Signora Setti's daughter English, and I got the gig. Our first lesson was today and Sofia (my student) is really lovely; she's enthusiastic and bright as a button, she's very competent with her English already, but I am helping with grammar and pronunciation. We got on really well and I got paid, cash-in-hand, as I said good bye.
A presto....
Sunday 2 October 2011
Andiamo a Rimini
Dear Reader(s),
What a weekend! Thursday saw the gang at the balluardo which involves Christina and I 'dancing like the world is about to end' according to all our spanish friends. Then Friday saw the gang (pretty much the entire Erasmus gang) at the 'VOX' which is a rock club. We all paid €16 for a bus there and back, entrance to the club and 3 drinks. The night was great, although we were disappointed that it wasn't a normal club..
Saturday was a day of rest, followed by today, Sunday, when we all went to Rimini. We all met up at 8am outside the residenza and then we made our way to the train station (only a few of us have bikes, the rest went by bus) after much debating and Dani shouting at everybody, we decided that going to Florence was too expensive, going to Parma was our next choice, and then for some reason Dani said we were all going to Rimini. €10,40 and 2 hours later we arrived in Rimini. It's a lovely city, reasonably clean and open with a good outdoor market on sundays (Dani tried to ask for a discount on a Super Mario hoody and the woman said 'what do you want? the thing for free?' which scared him off) We had a look in the cathedral, had some pizza and made our way slowly to the beach! We all kicked off our shoes and paddled/ hung out/ walked around for a couple of hours. After several attempts on Vitor's behalf of trying to throw me into the sea, then rolling me around in the sand we finally went and got a cool coca cola before heading back to the station at 7pm.
Who knows where we'll go next weekend...
A presto!
What a weekend! Thursday saw the gang at the balluardo which involves Christina and I 'dancing like the world is about to end' according to all our spanish friends. Then Friday saw the gang (pretty much the entire Erasmus gang) at the 'VOX' which is a rock club. We all paid €16 for a bus there and back, entrance to the club and 3 drinks. The night was great, although we were disappointed that it wasn't a normal club..
Saturday was a day of rest, followed by today, Sunday, when we all went to Rimini. We all met up at 8am outside the residenza and then we made our way to the train station (only a few of us have bikes, the rest went by bus) after much debating and Dani shouting at everybody, we decided that going to Florence was too expensive, going to Parma was our next choice, and then for some reason Dani said we were all going to Rimini. €10,40 and 2 hours later we arrived in Rimini. It's a lovely city, reasonably clean and open with a good outdoor market on sundays (Dani tried to ask for a discount on a Super Mario hoody and the woman said 'what do you want? the thing for free?' which scared him off) We had a look in the cathedral, had some pizza and made our way slowly to the beach! We all kicked off our shoes and paddled/ hung out/ walked around for a couple of hours. After several attempts on Vitor's behalf of trying to throw me into the sea, then rolling me around in the sand we finally went and got a cool coca cola before heading back to the station at 7pm.
Who knows where we'll go next weekend...
A presto!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)