Our first day in the classroom went very well. After a few minor changes in our schedule, the volunteers began conversing with the energetic and lively Italian students. We will be teaching with Rita, our Italian teacher for the two weeks and be based in two high schools. One site is the Scuola Media Statale Galileo Galilei Scientifico and the other is the Scuola Secondaria Galil...eo Galilei Liceo Classico. For sale of brevity, I will refer to them as Scientifico and Classico, respectively. Both are comprised of fourteen to eighteen year olds, most of whom study English for 5 years.
We were welcomed by the Presidenza (principal). He plans to give us a tour of Monopoli, when free time is available. He is a gracious and most obliging host, whose demeanor and personality make him most comfortable to be with. He is also a journalist and plans to write about Global Volunteers for the local newspaper. This is a good thing! The Presidenza is responsible for 4 schools with over 800 students and 80+teachers.
The volunteers spent the remainder of the morning in the classroom with Rita and were impressed with the students and the level and caliber of the curriculum they are studying. We are also being asked to work with a special group of the students, who are translating an Italian guidebook about Monopoli from Italian to English. In the afternoon, we provided tutoring to two local residents. We expect this group to grow to 4 by the end of the week. One is very advanced in English and the other is truly a beginner. The volunteers will split up and address their needs accordingly.
It was a long hard first day…and I haven’t shared our food experiences. Everyone always wants to know ‘what did you eat?’ Well, food is KING in Italy and we are very fortunate to be seaside and have access to delicious seafood daily. Breakfast is pretty much the same every day. Lunch is always very simple with a panini, our lunch of choice. Dinner, on the other hand, is a more elaborate culinary adventure. We dined on pasta with salmon and zucchini for our primi and grilled steak for our secondi. Dessert was panna cotta, but we didn’t get any because we were not fast enough. By time we were ready for dessert, it had vanished. The other diners appeared to be very satisfied, while we had to find another choice. So fruit was my choice – the peeled tangerine and the volunteers tried and enjoyed an apricot torte. Oh and I almost forgot, the antipasti bar was superlative tonight – at least for me – clams, mussels, small pieces of grilled fish filet as well as the usually cheeses, salads and meats. I know it sounds like a lot – you just have pace yourself and take small portions.
So now, another day has passed and we all retired feeling the anticipation of the day to come. Buona Notte
-Phyllis
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