Language and more...

Maria-The greatest challenge I face is the language...I have to think before doing anything...I take a bus...make sure I know where I am going...I go to the grocery store...make sure I know what I need or have looked up how to ask for what I need. You feel very vulnerable when you feel you cannot communicate. I am constantly dependent on the help of others...mostly people from school. It's a new experience feeling that vulnerable and dependent - quite humbling actually. The other day my sink was clogged...I mean no water going anywhere. I found out I needed a product called Niagra ( a drano type soluti0n). I go to the store...it took me half an hour to get anyone to understand what I needed. Just when I was about to give up, someone in the checkout line translated for me - she was probably sick of listening to me sound like a fool, yelling "You know Drano...something to unclog a drain." I hate to admit that I think the louder I say it the better they will understand. The silver lining in all this is that there is some sense of accomplishment when you are able to take care of all of your needs...I unclogged the drain, made Michael dinner and lunch for the next day, washed clothes, hung them out on the line-because remember no-one has a dryer in Italy and made sure all our clothes were ready for the the next day at work. I go to bed exhausted, but somewhat satisfied by my accomplishments. I made it through another day.

I am now in the thick of things at school. I didn't think that a school could be much more affluent than Westport, but Rome takes the cake. The students daily school bus is a coach bus (I take the city bus to school- these kids ride in luxury). Some kids have personal drivers and did you know that in Italy kids could get a license at 15 to drive these small cars - they can drive anywhere except major highways, so their cars line the parking lot. So it's as if the driving here isn't crazy enough, now add in the 15 year old out for a joy ride - chaos in action!! The lunches they serve at school are amazing - food here is important - it is a social event...there is always a pasta, a meat, a fish, several veggies, a potato, salad and a desert. Many teachers make lunch their big meal of the day, because the school lunch is tremendous. Each day they offer a salad, a meat, a pasta, a fish, a starch (rice/potato), cooked veggies, marinated tomatoes and/or egglplants and you can have as many servings as you like. Me, well I haven't yet worked out the eating one large meal yet. I eat a big meal during the day (how can I resist) and then another big meal in the evening. I must figure this out or they will be rolling me back to the states. The school has a very good reputation among international schools. There is no real curriculum, little to no assessessments and the no clear standards that I can make out...maybe I just need more time to understand the "international way." I am keeping an open mind. The campus and the students are beautiful and I am learning the names of more and more students each day. There are lots of Valentinas and Giovannis, and Clodios andLorenzo and many Allegras - I do find joy in their passionate way of living and learn from them each day. I am feeling more at home at school each day! We had our first whole school meeting and the 4th grade presented information about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The whole school sand "We Shall Overcome"- it made me realize just how small the world really is!

Michael and I walk everywhere. We walk to the bus stop and to the school. We walk to the grocery story and out to eat. We walk through the streets of the historic district! We like most Romans shop regularly - no-one does large weekly shopping. Everyday, you see lots and lots of people walking with their groceries for the day- they buy just what they need. The choices in the grocery stores are limited - not the abundance of choice we have in the states, but the produce and dairy are fresh! Michael is exhausted from all the walking. I don't think he or I, for that matter, are used to this much walking - if it wasn't for all the food we are eating, we would be quite thin. The Romans for the most part are thin. They wear comfortable shoes all the time - lots of walking shoes and boots. The surprising thing though is how many people smoke here - young and old. It's so interesting, they take care of their feet, but their lungs...hmm not so much.

Michael began school this week and seemed to enjoy himself. He is making friends with both the "international" and the "italian" students. However, he is too exhausted to post anything...here's hoping he regains his energy and shares this thoughts on this experience soon! Well, that's all for now! Ciao!