Skewl is Kewl

So, school is a thing that I do here. The past few weeks it has been pretty much the only thing I do here (I mean sort of).There are the classes that I take at the University of Bologna (taught totally in Italian by Italian professors, with Italian classmates) and those that I take through my program (taught totally in Italian but with other Americans). Additionally I go to this middle/elementary school twice a week to teach English (once a week to a middle school class and once a week to an elementary school class) which is at least moderately relevant. Let’s’ break these down.

UNIBO

Would you like some history on the oh-so fabulous University of Bologna? Of course you would. It was founded in 1088 and is regarded as one of the very first universities in the world. They call it alma mater studiorum (the nourishing mother of studies) as in the nourishing mother as in the original. They aren’t very humble about their status over here. It was founded by i glossatori, which were basically just renowned scholars who made texts of all their knowledge. Then they decided to share all of this knowledge and thus founded the university (first as a law school). And now, almost 1000 years later, the University of Bologna has something like 23 campuses and thousands and thousands of students.

So the class I am taking at the University of Bologna is called Psicologia della comunicazione (psychology of communication). I thought about taking some sort of Italian literature or art history course because, hey, there isn’t really a better place to take that sort of class than at the oldest university in Italy. However, the university system here is a lot different. They don’t really have “introductory” level classes because you start specializing during high school. By the time you get to university you already have a fairly good foundation in what you choose to study. Therefore, our program directors recommended to us that we take classes in subjects that we are familiar with and are related to what we study at home. In the end I am glad I chose the way I did. While the University of Bologna is not exactly known for it’s psychology department it is interesting and super meta for me to be taking a class on communicating and miscommunicating during a time in my life when that subject is very, very relevant. It’s also interesting because we talk a lot about how so many aspects are culturally determined, so I learn a lot about the modern Italian culture. The professors are also aware that I am American. There are a few others in the class buuuut I sit in the second row everyday so I am usually the one who gets called out to compare Italian to American cultures. One particular occasion occurred a few weeks ago. We do a lot of conversation analyses during class in which we listen to/ read transcriptions of conversations and analyze them. Since a lot of the research for this subject is done in America some of the ones we look at are originally written in English. This day we were looking at one that was originally in English so we had both the English version and the Italian translation up on the screen. A girl from my program also in the class and I started giggling at it  because the English version was written phonetically and the English was terrrrrible so it was giggle-worthy. This caught the professor’s attention so she asked us what was so funny and we told her. Obviously then she decided that the whole class needed an insight into our humor so she asked me to read the English out loud. I tried to make it sound normal but reading it how it was written it came out in the most ridiculous/offensive southern accent. The Italians loved it. I received a round of applause and all hopes of hiding my American-ness in that class flew out the window with my dignity.

Anyways the class is manageable and interesting. I obviously don’t understand everything but I do what I can and follow along pretty well. I even have a few “friends” in the class (aka people who let me look at their notes when I miss something). We were warned ahead of time that the professors all have god complexes and never had any time or interest to hear what any lowly student had to say. In some senses the warnings were just. The whole University is set up a lot differently than Northwestern and all in ways in which things are much harder for students. Professors have office hours like a few hours a month and you have to go online to find out when they will occur because they change all of the time. There is pretty much no form of advising. My professors show up anywhere from 10-45 minutes late to class everyday but the students all show up on time because lots of times there are not enough chairs for all of the kids in the class. The list goes on. Overall, I am very happy to be experiencing this university for a semester, but soooo glad that I don’t actually have to attend/graduate from it.

BCSP

I am also taking two classes through my program. The first is just a required “advanced language and grammar” class in which we (surprise, surprise) learn grammar and do a lot of practicing via reading newspaper articles. It’s fine. I definitely wouldn’t take it if I had known I didn’t really need to. The upside is that the professor is the same one that I had in presession. Did I ever talk about her? Christine Dodd. I love that woman. She is incredibly sweet and sooo full of passion for the Italian language and culture- especially from a Bolognese perspective. She could talk about Bolognese food, wine, films, music or people for hours on end . She also has a very childlike energy and a light, easy laugh.

I am also in an Italian cinema class taught by the director of my program, the one and only Director Ricci, who constantly belongs on the cover of Italian GQ. Italian films never cease to be really weird with unsatisfying endings but the interesting thing is that in order to enjoy them you have to know something about the history and the director- so taking a class on it is the best way to watch Italian films! We focus on films from the ‘40s to the ‘60s, as Italy transitioned from its status right after WWII through its economic boom in the 50s. It is very interesting to see how the films are so reflective of the country at different times and we are becoming quite the experts on this very specific subject. If you want my two cents on the formal aspects Fellini uses to create his character-based narratives, I would be happy to share. Do I pull off being pretentious? I don’t think I do.

Middle/Elementary School

Okay so the other form of school I have experienced in Italy is a glimpse into middle school and elementary school here via my “internship”. I don’t really know what to call it. I go there to teach English to 4^th graders and to 7^th graders (something like that… they organize things differently here) and I just love it. Mainly because they love me. Like, just by default of me being twenty years old and from America. Or so I thought. Last week I arrived a little early to the elementary school class and realized that the reason they always cheer when I walk in the room probably has less to do with me and more to do with the fact that they have English grammar lessons right before I come which they absolutely hate. So since I save them from that I am basically the best person in the world. Instead of doing grammar they get to listen to me ramble about hamburgers and football (AMERICA!). Whatever I think they like me for me too. It’s so funny because they think about America pretty much the same way I think about Italy. They always ask me how beautiful it is and I am like psshhh what you guys have the beautiful country! There is just so much magic in the unknown and unfamiliar I guess. Overall it’s just a bunch of adorableness. The first day of my elementary school gig I had to like introduce myself and they asked me all these questions using words they knew. So basically they asked me if I had any brothers or sisters like 100 times. It was so cute though because they were just asking like “do you have any uncles” and then I would answer and their teacher told them to take notes so they were like trying to write down my whole family tree. It was ridiculous and cute. I am definitely going to be testing them on the middle names of my second cousins next week. The middle schoolers are actually a lot easier because they understand more English so I feel like my lessons are a little more effective. They also have to stand whenever I enter the room, which is legit. They also love asking me about American pop culture and sports teams. I even have a Spurs fan in my middle school class, which is so random! But the boys all gave me their respect when I told them I go to school in Chicago and like the Bulls. One day a girl asked me if I knew who Brad Pitt was and I was like duhhh and she freaked out because she thought I knew Brad Pitt. Like we were friends. I tried to correct her but not that hard. They also ask me at least once a day if I know Gangam style and then ask me to do the dance. Sorry, children. Not this time. I also had my first embarrassing language-barrier moment (okay...maybe not my first) in which I used the Italian word for "to sweep" which apparently has two different meanings, one of which I was completely oblivious to. Middle schoolers are just as immature here as they are in America. Good to know. 

Catching up: calcio and seaside hiking

Heeeeeeey there. Hi. It’s been a while. A really long while. Sorry! I hope I didn’t lose you! These past few weeks have been pretty business as usual with a few adventures thrown in here and there. Ok, I am lying. Honestly, everyday still feels like an adventure to me, and since I am almost three-fourths of the way done with my European sojourn, I don’t think that will change. These past few weeks have included:

Going to Parma (I’ll go ahead and fill you in. There’s not much in Parma. But there is Parmesan cheese. And it’s really really good. SHOCKER. But yeah, it was good enough to be worth the hour-long train ride there and back. I had Parmaggiano style risotto and it was heeeavenly)

Bologna/Inter soccer game

Starting my internship (teaching English to an elementary school class and a middle school class)

Halloween

Cinque terre trip

Florence

Rebecca and Kristin visiting

A few weeks ago we got our program directors to agree to get us tickets to a soccer game at the stadium here in Bologna. It was sweet. Okay what it actually was was really cold and rainy BUT still an experience. The fans are pazzi (crazy). They are constantly yelling (man are they masters of swearing) and waving flags. Most of the things they did I am pretty sure would be illegal in any stadium in the US (like setting off colored smoke bombs and a cannon at random intervals) which was casual. We got tickets in the “rowdy” section but we weren’t really in the thick of the crazy fans (probably safer). I did enjoy the two ladies sitting behind us though. They had some attitude! Constantly shouting “DAI! DAI!” (come on!) and “vafaculo!” (I will let you look that one up) which was appropriately Italian. Oh and the hand gestures! There must be some little conductor in all of their heads because they are all able to  throw their arms in a frustrated manner at the exact same time. It’s beautiful. Anyways I found myself watching the fans more than the actual game and then I stopped being able to feel my toes so we decided to leave a little early. The rest of the fans stayed strong though. Respect.

Halloween was a few days later, but it goes largely unnoticed in Italy. However, most of my friends here are from the University of Wisconsin Madison so they were not about to let Halloween slide. So basically we all dressed up and pretended that we were in America for the night. My friend Emily and I planned on going as US presidents but then our costumes turned out more like The Blues Brothers (which I was fine with. We looked super chill.)

Next day? CINQUE TERRE!!!

We set a leisurely departure time for Cinque Terre of 2:30 pm, giving ourselves plenty of time to recover from our Halloween shenanigans and pack and everything. Right? Nope. Still ended up running to the train station just because we can’t bring our Italian selves to be on time anymore. Because you literally never have to be “on time” for anything here. Except for trains. Not that the trains are reliable. They sometimes leave twenty minutes late, sometimes a little early. You really just never know. So anyways, we sprinted to the train station and then ended up having plenty of time. We just have to keep it exciting! After a long but beautiful train ride through the country side (mountains and rivers and fields, oh my! I was surprisingly reminded of Colorado for a lot of the ride. We passed over some really large rivers, which I was not expecting) we arrived in Cinque Terre without any problems.

Another lie. After three successful transfers we ended up missing our final stop. After a little panic, we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a train going back the other way and instead of being early for our hostel check in we waltzed in right on time. Tutto al posto.

You should know that this trip was marked with little mishaps as mentioned above. Like a lot of them. But it was still one of the best weekends I have had here, if not one of the best I have ever had. Can’t take the good without the bad I guess.

Our hostel was actually more of an apartment meant for like four people that fit 8. Luckily we were seven and we all like each other so it was perfect for us! Dinner was pretty much the only item on the agenda and after wandering around for quite some time we found a lovely place right by the sea and I got a pesto pasta in a region that is known for its pesto. This was a big deal for me. Pesto is pretty much my lifeline- and this was probably the best I have ever had. Sorry, Central Market pesto, you finally met your match. After a little exploring by the marina we went crashed way earlier than our young college-attending selves would like to admit.

Friday morning we woke up bright and early for our full day of hiking. Nothing could stop us!! Except, yep, you guessed it…. We went into the office for the national park and asked for tickets only to be told “all the trails are closed today” and that we couldn’t take any train between cities because someone had died on the train. Or been hit by one. Or the guy who drives the drain died. It was really unclear. Shocked into silence, we left.

And that was the end of our trip.

Not really. Five minutes later Emily and I went back inside and she told us that the more difficult trail was still open, we just had to take the train to the next city to start it.

Okay. Perfect. Totally the opposite of what was said the first time but LET’S GO. So we went. And it was lovely. When we got to the second city we were greeted by the incredibly beautiful sea. Shouldn’t even attempt to describe it.I will just put my pictures (even though they hardly do it justice either). However, in order to complete the image, one must know that the waves were tremendously loud. I don’t know why Neptune was so angry, but boy he was. Oh and also the smell. But I think everyone has their favorite sea smell. So you can just imagine that too. Lots of salt, lots of freshness, and lots of greenery. Okay.

 Our only other mishap of the day was that when we got to the second city we had no idea where the trail started. So we headed to the sea, because obviously why wouldn’t we it’s so pretty. But that trail was blocked. So we wandered some more and found ourselves in the middle of  some gardens/vineyards on the side of a hill with no trail in site. Whoops. After adjusting our aim a little we hiked for the whole rest of the day through vineyards, up mountains, along the coast, through olive groves, over rocks and up more hills. Add in a picnic lunch by the shore, one of the best gelatos I have had in Italy so far (maybe because it was by far the most deserved), countless movie quotes from Jurassic Park and Madagascar (thanks, Lauren), some made up songs, and a meeting with the nicest couple from Neenah, Wisconsin (the same town as two of my friends that we were with, Lauren and Monica. They knew Monica’s dad and uncle. Smalllll world) and you pretty much have our day. As for the evening: teamwork produced salad and pasta carbonara, and cards all night long. I mean, until the girl talk took over and then we passed out.

On Saturday we only had one more city to hike to so we took a train to the fourth city (the one we ended with on Friday) and then hiked to the fifth. The weather was a contradiction to the day before. Friday was abundant sunshine and blossoming flowers whereas Saturday was low-lying fog and mysterious lush greens. Best of both worlds, in my opinion. I really will just let the pictures do the talking. After a much harder hike (probably because we were feeling the one from the day before. Or because it started going uphill and I don’t think it ever stopped) we made it to the final city feeling very accomplished. And it was just in the nick of time because fifteen minutes later it dropped about ten degrees and started raining. So naturally we took this as our cue to go the beach and frolic in the sea. (by the way, mom, I knew it was on the Mediterranean, I just couldn’t remember which subdivision it was. It’s the Ligurian, by the way). This decision may have resulted in shivering all the way home but, as always, #noregrets.

Final mishap of the trip? Totally not our fault. One of our trains was, in typical Italian style, late. So we missed our transfer in La Spezia- so we were stuck there for two hours waiting for the next train. Our wandering around La Spezia caused Lauren to deem it the “Hollywood of Italy”. I think the jury is still out on that one. But after a donut and some more cards in a bar, we finallyyyyy got on our way home. OH I lied there was one more mishap. During one of our transfers we went to the platform that was indicated on the screen. Right at the time of departure a voice came on the overhead speaker and said something that none of us paid attention to. That is, until people near us started running. Luckily Emily looked over and saw like two platforms away “Bologna”- aka our train. Running to catch a train? Become a regular hobby of ours. This time it was validated because we made it with about 30 seconds to spare. Those tricky Italians! Always changing things last minute, keeping things exciting.

Basically, by that night we could not have been happier to be back in Bologna, nor more grateful for an incredible weekend by the sea.

Stay tuned because really soon I am going to post about my classes and my teaching job because I swear I go to class and have a whole lot to read. Like all the time. I just took two tests this week, which I think both went fairly well weeeeeee!