Finding Paradise

Amalfi Coast

The waves on these rocks make a sound that was eerily similar to the sound a rain stick makes.  We sat here for at least an hour just listening and making assumptions about the random pirate ship. 

The Amalfi Coast is nothing short of a dream land and a paradise.  It is mid-October, yet we lived it up in bikinis and summer dresses all weekend.  It all began on Thursday, when we left Florence and took a bus down to Sorrento, in southern Italy.  We arrived in the dead of night and made our way to the bungalos.  We were with a travel group called EuroAdventures, and Bri, Hannah, Ally, V, and I were all from Gallo D'Oro and the majority of the group was Gonzaga students, so that alone promised a great time.  

The bungalos!

The next day we woke up bright and early, took a ferry to Capri, and climbed to the top.  I mean, literally to the top of this island.  It was grueling!!! If you know me, you know I am a fast walker, and love getting places in the shortest time possible, but this was ridiculous.  The guide from EuroAdventure pushed us, and we made the best time he said he has ever gotten before.  We spent the rest of the afternoon around Capri.  Clare and I got lemon gelato, and it had the funkiest aftertaste.  We spent a good twenty minutes trying to figure out what they could have put in it.  Finally, we assumed that they must have left part of the rind as the made it, but if anyone has any idea why the lemon gelato in Capri has a kick to it, please let me know!  We made it back to our bungalos and that night was... how shall we put it... memorable : )  We indulged in cheap box wine (I know, hold you gasps of horrified shock, we are in Italy and should know better) and an amazing dinner and night out on the town.  I would highly recommend the English Inn to any students, as they were friendly and put up with out bathroom pow-wows and Austrian drinking games (so down down down down.......) 

The top of Capri!  Rugged much??

Me, Molly, and Clare walking to the ferry

This is real life : )

Post-swim. 

The beach where we went swimming

Capri

I LOVE all these girls!!!

The next day we went to Positano, which has stolen my heart.  The water was an unreal blue, and the weather behaved, for the most part.  I went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, which was so salty I basically just floated. On Sunday, we went to Pompeii.  The city was incredibly well-preserved and we saw the brothel, the public baths, and the remains of many houses.  The bodies were slightly morbid, but also thinking of how it must have been for them to have experienced the volcanic disaster, put a tragic theme on the day.  Clare, Molly, and I stumbled across a secret garden that was tucked away.  Pompeii is much larger than I thought, it really is a sizable city.  One interesting thing is that in Pompeii, stray dogs run free, and if you happen to fall in love with one as you are touring, you are more than welcome to adopt it!  So not kidding right now, and I mean, it would make one hell of a souvenir, right Mom?!? : )  Thankfully they were all a tad bit mangy and practicality kept us from bringing one back to Florence.  After another bus ride home, we arrived  in Florence, and the dream came to an end.  

Sigh... I want to go back already!

Pure Chaos

Teaching English in Florence very well may be the best experience that I have had since being here.  This was my second week teaching it with Maestra Angela Rumo, who is a saint in teacher like form.  I am in love with these children, but they are the craziest kids I have ever met.  I was put in the 4th grade classroom at Scoula Di Firenze.  The classroom dynamic is something I have never experienced, probably because I think there are laws against it in the U.S. lol  

Imagine giving a room of 8 and 9 year olds a whole Easter basket full of candy and then letting them loose.  At first I assumed that maybe they put me in the A.D.D. classroom, but after conferring with other GU students that were also volunteering in classrooms, the lack of discipline and crazy experience seemed uniform.  These kids don't listen, jump in and out of their seats, yell, throw things, and generally act as if the could care less what they were told to do.  At the end of it all, they kids don't seem as if they are really acting badly, they just seem to know what they can get away with, and love to push that line every single moment.  By no means is this a negative post, I rather enjoyed myself both times, it just was such a leap from what I was used to. 

At one point last week, this little guy was trying to put a golf ball sized ball of aluminum foil up his nose.  Thankfully, he wasn't successful, but then proceeded to start throwing it around the classroom.  Naturally, a small battle ensued over the tin foil ball and before I even realized what was happening, there was a small riot and the teacher started yelling, "BASTA!" The kids all stopped what they were doing and made their way back to their seats.  These small yet all consuming interruptions seemed to occur about every five minutes.

This little tiny girl who sits in the from is adorable, her name is Julia.  She speaks surprisingly good english, and whenever I ask kids a question that they don't know, Julia is "that kid" who loudly whispers the answer and helps them out.  She is precious.

I am working on memorizing all the other kids' names, but it is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.  My respect for teachers has sky-rocketed these last few weeks! 

All in all, I can't wait to see what the next few months bring : )