Smile! Or cry!

A little part of the time I spent in Poland, I dedicated to watching tv. You cannot imagine how good and nice it is to finally watch programmes produced by your native tv stations. I loved to listen to Polish language, I cherished watching some fragments of Polish soap operas that I hated back in the past when I lived there.

One thing that I am always interested in and enjoy the most wherever I am are the tv spots and ads. And I saw one spot for an important language school in Poland that I absolutely need to share with you today here.

Of course it made me think. In Poland we were always a bit... hmm.. lazy about learning foreign languages. I must admit happily it starts to change (please note that I'm stressing the word "starts" here). I can see that more and more shop assistants at least try to communicate (and don't run away pretending there's a very urgent phone call they need to make at that very minute) when a foreigner comes in asking about the availibillity of colours of the T-Shirt he has just spotted on the display window, people don't turn around acting as if they didn't hear if a tourist asks them about direction to the nearest bank or post office. I'm not referring only to the English lg. I really hope that in a few years Poland we'll be more like Sweden (when children start learning languages in the kindergarten and sth like 70% of population speak English at an intermediate or higher level) or rather than Italy, France or Spain...

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Sunday catch up.

Good afternoon everyone! I finally found some spare minutes to dedicate to my blog... The weeks pass quickly and I've noticed that I haven't been able to put more than 1 post a week recently.. That's sad, but here in Sicily, it's all about summer: the tourists come in summer and so do the American students who come to my school... Right now, for example we have a special program whose main subject is Nutrition in Italy. It's all about the way the Italians eat, what they eat, why they eat it, is what they eat healthy or not (comparing to American food, I'm sure they don't need to study a lot to find the right answer; of course no offence!), they are going to study the Mediterranean diet, it's elements, benefits and drawbacks, etc. In fact, tomorrow they are going to visit one of the big supermarkets to find out what the Italians stuff their fridges with... I can tell you/them: right now, it's definitely gelato : )

On another note. Look what I received for my name day from my bf's parents this week:


I feel so embarrassed since I never really celebrate my name day, it's always too complicated to choose the right day you should be celebrating your name day on. In Poland the same name is usually repeated several times during a year but the tradition says you should be celebrating it on the first date calendar indicates after your birthday. The problem is the first date that the calendar indicates is not famous at all for my name so no one would really remember it. Therefore it's kind of perplexing... Anyway, I loved the earrings, they're silver and the flowers are made of jade! : ) On the other hand, I wonder if jade will be lucky for me... What I mean is that several months ago my Mum bought me a bracelet, earrings and a pendant, all made of coral and to my surprise it turned out it's not for me at all. First I lost an earring, then after some weeks the bracelet and then another earring... The things didn't want to "stick" with me... Strange but I believe it's true...

Well, anyway, today on the beach I read Vanity Fair and these are the intresting things I found:

1. How do you like this Dior spot with Marion Cotillard (she played Edith Piaf if you remember). Very Hitchcock style, don't you think? This spot is called Lady Noire but at the end we can see there'll be another part of the film called Lady Rouge. I forsee it will be in colour, in the 50's style, and Cotillard will look like Kim Basinger in LA Confidential. That's my guess. Cannot wait to see if I'm right.

2. Did you know that in England until several weeks ago there was a radio that played 20 min piece in loop from 6.00am to midnight?! It wasn't a song though, it was a songbird recording registered 20 years ago by Quentin Howard (creator of the radio station) in his garden. The radio conquisted 500.000 listeners but had to stop and was taken over by another station called Amazing Radio (which plays normal rock, jazz music)... If you're curious about the "bird piece", go to this website.

That's all for me today. After Ella's review (thanks!!!), I may go to the cinema this evening to see Hangover : )

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Exam.

So the day is finally coming... Tomorrow at 3.00 p.m. I'll sit another exam in my life. I feel weird, the last time I took an exam was... hm... 2 years ago? Sth like that. I'm not used to all this fuss about it anymore. It doesn't mean I'm getting nervous (at least not yet), but I know that I have worked hard for the last 4 months (dedicating almost every Sunday to study) and I would hate to think it was wasted time and that I could have gone for a walk or met my friends instead of sitting at home and swotting.

The good thing about this exam is that my bf took a half a day off for me, so he's accompanying me to Catania and then we can stay the whole afternoon together wandering aimlessly and maybe doing some little shopping ; ) And then.. (if I'm not too angry, depressed, disillusioned, etc.) we could drop in on a quiet restaurant or a fancy pizzeria : ) Yoghi e BooBoo is my favourite :)

And even if I leave the exam room completely dissatisfied, the day after I'll start thinking about organizing our weekend trip to Milan and I won't think about the exam for at least one week. The next exam date is scheduled for June so I have time...

OK, wish me good luck, I go to watch Everwood. I'm starting the second season now (I know I know I'm late!) and I can officially declare, I'm addicted : ) I got hooked just like I got hooked on Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters and Prison Break ... : ) Oh, talking of which, when are they going to show the 17th episode?

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Preparations.

Well, I feel much better today. Not perfect well, but I'm recovering step by step. The good news is that I have finally bought the plane tickets for my parents to come to Sicily and we've also decided to go to Rome! So today I've booked the hotel in Rome! It looks cool, very stylish : ) Just take a look! Hope my parents will like it. I want this holiday to be unforgettable for them, really. I love booking the hotels. I think with time I became very picky and choosyand there are more and more things which I consider important in a hotel. One the other hand, with time I also gained some experience. It should be close to a metro station or a bus stop, there should be a good cleaning service and breakfast. It should be in a quiet surrounding so that after the whole day of sightseeing it is possible to sleep and rest during the night (which is sometimes difficult to find in the the city centre), the technical problems (air conditoning, heating, etc) should be resolved immediately, etc...

Today in the evening there will be the second meeting of the "condominio" in my appartment to decide about "the future of our building entrance"... We'll see...

This week the University in Rome confirmed that my final exam will take place in Catania in the end (there's sufficient number of students who declared they wanted to sit the exam there). I feel relieved, no need to book tickets, going to Rome, finding the right bus, etc. But... it's in... 8 days now! I start to panic! The Easter weekend will be soooo tiring! Fortunately according to the weather forcast there is suppose to be the rain and the temperature will drop significantly (it already has, I think).

Ok, it's quite quiet in the office at this time of the day so i think I'm going to revise for the exam now.

Have a nice evening! Jo.

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.. a day like these...

This week has been a very stressul one. It's all about work, time (never enough to do all the things you need to or want to do), tiredness (in order for me to feel good I need at least 8.5-9 h of sleep per night which is hardly ever doable), deadlines, classes, correction of homework, etc.... Plus this week one of my colleagues has come down with a flu and doesn't come to work and so we need to substitute her all this time... which means of course cancelling my private classes, postponing and then having to recuperate them etc...

Then on Monday another thing happened. At my school we take turns to keep the Emergency cell phone in case a REAL emergency happens to students and the school is closed or they're away for a weekend for instance. This week is my turn to have this phone. So on Monday I came back home from work at 4.00 p.m. and at 5 I started my private lessons. Usually I put my cell phone on the silent mode so that I am not disturbed by anyone (I ask the same of my students). But I cannot turn off or put on the silent mode the Emergency phone... And so at 18.55 the phone rings (I started my last class 25 mins earlier and was supposed to finish at 19.30). That was my colleague, who told me that there's this student who is having diarrhea and a stomachache who had come back from Egypt 3 days before and who didn't want to call us or tell us about his problems before because he had thought he would feel better with time. So I said to my colleague: "Can he wait sth like 30 mins so that I can come to school and take him to the hospital?" My collague (who I like a lot but who very often tends to exaggerate and to make a mountain out of a molehill) said that it was absolutely impossible and that in that situation she would close the school (which normally closes at 20.00) and take the student to the hospital. Well, my mistake was to agree on that (my position at school is higher than hers so I had to give the final decision). I finished my class at 19.30 and immediately called my colleague to find out what was going on. She said she was in the hospital with the student waiting for his turn to see the doctor. What's worse it's the same collague who came down with the flu. In fact she felt terrible and had a fever the whole day on Monday and so by (maybe involuntarily) making a victim, she made me feel even guiltier about all this situation. On the other hand I did everything I was supposed to do- I answered the phone and proposed to come in 30-40 mins after the phone call. It wasn't even a REAl emergency, he wasn't bleeding or suffocating. And if he was, I would immediately call 118 and ask for the ambulance to come and take him. We're not doctors after all! Besides, having an emergency phone does not mean that you cannot have any post-work activities, hobbies, pastimes or that you should stay at home ready and alert.

So today I talked to the director and explained my point of view. It's really difficult to know how to behave in such situations. I know my boss relies on me and trusts me so I would never like to disappoint her or to think of me as of a person who doesn't care. We agreed on having a meeting next week (after my colleague comes back) and prepare a list of procedures and indications about what to do and how to behave in such situations.

I'm glad to have discussed it with my boss. I feel relieved. I know I didn't commit any serious mistake but I wanted to clear it.

But, to finish off, some good news. Finally today at 9.00 p.m. we are having a meeting with our neighbours from the building to talk about reparation of this famous hole that soon will become sooo big that the postman will fall into it when leaving the mail... there's also the problem of the sewage system that needs some maintenance... It all costs a lot but on the other hand the value of the appartment goes up.

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Work = ...Work?

How was my weekend? Well, here's the list of things I did:

• having classes on Saturday morning
  
• washing clothes
• doing some shopping at Carrefour
• buying a present for my Friend who loves animals and in particular cats and dogs very much:

• cleaning the appartment
• ironing
  
• correcting students' homework
• meeting our friends for a dinner in Blu restaurant (the food wasn't as good as I expected but the good company was the most important that evening)
• having latte caffé in my favourite local bar with my bf on Sunday morning
  
• making a decision about what to do with the hole in the main entrance to our building which "appeared" just under the mail boxes (some of the floor tiles got broken and so there's this hole getting bigger and bigger everyday) which becomes a real problem especially for the postman. We decided having talked to an engineer and ask them about the cost of the reparation.
• having delicious lunch (both on Saturday and Sunday) at my bf's parents.
  
• studying Modulo 10, 11 and 12
• watching Ferzan Ozpetek's old film (2001) "Le fate ignoranti"
  

• It was good. Not perfectly good or fabulous but good. He's one of my favourite film directors ever. Has this unique capacity to see through people's eyes and paint people's souls without exaggerating.
  

This week is really pleasant for me... The students are on their Spring Break (yes, they have one week free which means they travel and visit countries in the whole Europe), so the school is all mine (until Tuesday at least). It's calm and silent. I need it in this period more than ever. I bring my books, my "modules" to school and I study. I wish it was April 18 today... After the exams. I could finally think about taking up step or aqua fitness classes again... Grrrr...

The good news is that just after that (2 weeks approximately) I'm going to Milan again! And funny to say but it turns out that I do my shopping only when I'm away, therefore Milano rulezzzz! : )

Ok, going back to Modulo 11. Speak soon. Jo.

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Weekend = Work?

That's how I'd like to start my weekend tomorrow with my bf... Two relaxing days during which you can do absolutely nothing unpleasant or tiring. Days during which you can boost up your energy and prepare for the following week. Unfortunately the more we have, the more we want and so I'll start my weekend working and studying (I finally decided to take my final exam on April 17)... Hopefully Sunday we'll be THAT real weekend day... I cannot wait. Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Jo.

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Weekend

It's already Tuesday today and I didn't have any time during the weekend to blog... Grr... It's hard to keep the pace... Anyway this weekend I went to a party. It wasn't just a party but a party after the graduation from the university of one of my bf's friends. Graduation is a very big thing in Italy, especially that in comparison with an ordinary European student, it takes the Italians approx. 2-4 more years to graduate... Yes, this is incredible... Instead of devoting 3-5 years to studies and then pass all the exams, forget about all this crap, and start a successful career, they usually put down roots fat the universities for long loooong years until they became like 30-35 years old, with no work experience, still living with their parents (of course, and where do you think they could get the money to rent a flat if they "studied" so hard all this time?!) with no plans, no perspectives, carefree as teenagers... Of course I'm not referring to those ones who after a year or two decide to quit their studies either because they want to work or to take a gap year to gather some invaluable experience abroad, or those women who met love of their lives and find themselves cut out for housewifes, mothers, etc. I'm referring to those who waste time on having parties every single night, who sleep until noon and skip classes.

So this is what I discovered during the first year.. Then I discovered the parties... That's just indescribable.. They are like weddings receptions organised in the most spectacular villas, restaurants, etc. You can expect sth like 30-... (100?) people dressed up like Christmas trees screaming: "Tanti auguri, dottore!" ("Best wishes, "doctor!"). It's a big event, after all.. (?) Parents are so happy and relieved they finally don't have to pay for the university anymore that they spend shedloads of money to throw this "festa". Incredible, I know... Anyway this time the food was more than horrible.. The place looked like a Renaissance style palace with artificial columns and decorations... Bleh... The only positive thing about it that at the table I met a couple of very nice sisters (one of them turned out to be my bf's collague) and with whom I'd like to go out one day for a pizza for example. This was on Friday.

On Saturday morning I worked at home and then in the evening we invited a couple of our friends (they're married, he's British and she's American) who 1 year ago decided to buy an appartment here and stay six months in Sicily (during the winter) and six months in the US (where they run a successful agritourism and where they keep chickens, hens, rabbits, grow their own fruit and vegetables and cook for the tourists who come to visit them for lunch or dinner). Therefore you can understand my excitement when I was about to choose what to prepare for the evening. First I served the Italian bruschette with tomates and basil. As for the main course, I opted for sth warm, good for winter, i.e. goulas. It turned out to be a delicious, hearty one dish meal. I served it with noodles. And to finish off we bought some sweets from the local pasticeria. To sum up, the dinner was great and everyone loved it. I really love these evenings when I prepare some new dishes that are appreciated by my guests and my bf.. I think I'm lucky, so far so good.. at least in my humble opinion : )

On Sunday we had some bricolage work to do at home and in the afternoon we were at home, reading and studying (I'm in course of gaining my degree in the post-graduate studies but I'm definitely NOT going to throw a party afterwards : ).

And this was my weekend...

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Why Sicily?

Yesterday one of the American students at school added me as her friend on the Facebook. I was glad, it made me feel appreciated and esteemed, even though the girl is like 8 years younger than me. Today she said she took a look at my pictures and liked them a lot. Then, all of a sudden she added: "And I saw your bf... He's so cute! Now I know why you had decided to come to Sicily!". Well, I just blushed and smiled but actually that's the sheer and inescapable truth- I came here for him! To be honest I never really regretted that decision. Of course I have my better and worse days, at times some moments of hesitation and I feel quite homesick when the Easter or Christmas time comes and I can't get back to my family in Poland, but on the whole it's an amazing adventure and experience that I'm undergoing! I'm extremely lucky having a steady job, wonderful colleagues and a pleasant working environment. I feel lucky being able to claim that my boyfriends' friends became my friends and that his family accepted me fully and completely (although we aren't married or engaged). But the best is that I still feel like during the first meeting with my bf in Rome more than 4 years ago. That despite the fact that we live together and see each other every day, there's still an enormous amount of love, respect between us. Of course there are ups and downs and we quarrel quite a lot (mostly because I love everything to be neat and tidy... and my bf... well, not always... or because of some cultural background differences) but then we kiss and make up and we plan on our next holidays or another short but romantic weekend in Milan... And then it always dawns on me... It makes sense, I say to myself.. and I'm happy. Like now when after the whole day of school and lessons, I'll call him to ask to take away some pizza for dinner when coming back from work since I'm too worn out to prepare anything... : ) And then we'll watch sth together and just relax. Another idle, agreeable evening... : )

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School & Teaching

I still haven't mentioned it I think but apart from being a Main Office Manager, I am also an English teacher. Actually it is my first job. Something like 2 years before I graduated from the English & French Linguistics Department at the University, I started giving private lessons. Then, just after the graduation, I started teaching in public and private schools. At the beginning I did this because I wanted to be more independent, I started to care about my look, I started to hate window shopping. Then after coming to Sicily, I wanted to find a job as a teacher but the strange system (politics?) in country says you cannot teach languages unless you are a native speaker of the language. And so you can find people, whose education has nothing to do with didactics, methodology, who aren't prepared to teach (people who have graduated from Chemistry, IT departments, etc.) Absurd, I know. And then I found this wonderful Institute where everyone speaks English, where I have opportunity to speak and use the language on a daily basis. I feel extremely lucky. However this does not mean I stopped being a tutor. I give private lessons at home to teenagers and adults or I organise private courses in hotels, offices, etc. and I find it really enjoyable and rewarding. I love to see that my students pass all sorts of exams (school exams, Cambridge and Trinity exams, etc.), that they come back from holidays with a smile on their faces because they managed to buy a bread, send a postcard or ask for directions to a local museum. It makes me proud and happy. It doesn't mean it's always bed of roses since I am a very strict, severe and demanding teacher. Oh yes I am.

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