Culture Shock

Buon Giorno my lovely friends!  Another week has come and gone in Italy.  This week in the classroom I taught lessons on the workings of the American public education system.  It was so interesting to share this with the students and to see their reaction when I told them that the students change classrooms, and that students in America stay at school until after 3:00 p.m. The horror!  Classes in Italy are done at 1:00.  It was then their assignment for next week to explain the public education system in Italy, and to answer the question "do you think you would enjoy going to school in America, why?"  I am excited to read their insights!  I have one class that has been particularly challenging throughout the weeks, it's one 2 hour class in the afternoon with the younger students (probably about 5th grade) and I get one half of the class for an hour and the other half for another hour by myself. It was a nightmare the first time because I had no knowledge of what they already knew and what activities would work best for them.  Through a lot of trial and error I have discovered that games are too exciting, most grammar activities are too difficult, but incorporating art and SONGS has been surprisingly successful!  It's a great tool to use with them, and it's great to see them get so excited and leaving the classroom singing :) The other really challenging part of teaching the younger students is the disciplinary structure of the school (or really the lack thereof).  There is no principal to send them to, and the really disruptive students seem to rule the classrooms.  It has me thinking of other way to get them settled down and engaged, I think this is one of the most challenging part of teaching and if any of you have ideas please share!  Anyway, this weekend is going to be pretty low key for me again, I am trying my best to conserve my funds since I am here for another 5 weeks.  I however am planning a trip to one of the coastal towns close by with a few other tutors, so I am looking forward to that.  As I have started to slow down a bit and everything has become a bit more routine I have been noticing an increase in homesickness.  I crave to feel the comforts of home and to snuggle up in my own warm bed and be able to speak to anyone I wish with ease.  Don't get me wrong, I am soaking up every bit of this beautiful experience, but as Judy Garland reminds us, there truly is no place like home.  On my morning walks to the gym I have discovered a beautiful park where I have been reading the last few days.  The warm sunshine hits my face, I watch children play soccer on the dirt field, and joggers run by me.  I so enjoy that time and look forward to it.  It is sinking in to me that my time here is really coming to an end quickly.  Days feel long and weeks feel very very short. Emanuela, the teacher I have been helping, took me too the track where she and her team train and she even got out a javelin for me to throw!  I had one of those big "Ok God, I hear you, I understand" moments which are always so powerful for me.  When I start to really feel homesick or I am just feeling down something always happens and I am reminded how very lucky I am to be here and how much I was meant to experience this.  I don't know that I will ever be famous for anything (I would rather not truly) but I know that above all else I havce an exponentially blessed life, full of people with so much love in their heart.  I have found that no matter where I go I am able to find people whose heart speaks to me and to connect on a level that I understand and appreciate.  I haven't traveled so much in the last few weeks but I have found so many things I enjoy here in Macerata.  For example, Katie and I climbed to the top of the clock tower in the city center and I was able to see this beautiful city in a 360 degree view.  It truly took my breath away!  It was Katie's last week here with me and she left this morning to complete her travels in Europe and  head home.  I was sad to see her go, she was the only one who I could talk to and know she understands me but I feel so lucky to have had that support for my first 6 weeks here.  More than anything, this week has made me appreciate my passions (for example track) and made me realize how much I take for granted the fact that I live in the greatest place in the world for the things I love to do, and I am surrounded by the people I love on top of that.  I know most of the revelations I've had have been about my career, but I am starting to look at the U.S. and all of our lives a little differently.  It's so interesting to be completely taken out of the culture I know and have been submerged in all of my life, and get the opportunity to view it from an outsiders perspective.  I see things a little differently, and I think more than anything that has been the culture shock I have experienced, realizing that not everything we do in the U.S. is  the only or best way of doing things.  I am so glad to have obtained this perspective and I hope to let that empower me and when I get home even to take a step back and remember my own biases.