Piana Degli Albanesi

The Rotary club of Piana Degli Albanesi invited the exchange students from Palermo for a day to see their city. I guess that people from Albany moved there when the Ottoman empire took over Albany in the fifteenth century, the government of Palermo/Sicily were friendly to them. Albanian heritage is still evident in the language and culture. All the signs in the city are bilingual, which was pretty neat. Note: all photos from today were taken by Katelyn. Not me. Which is why I actually have pictures to post.

After meeting up with some members of the club, we went to a church. The church was about to have a service so we didn't stay for long. I loved the bright murals on the walls, the colours were rich and vivid. There were some things written in Greek on the walls, and apparently some services are in Greek.

First church.

Next we went to another church (just down the street). On the way there we saw someone selling snails and another person selling fruit. The snails were trying to make an escape out of their buckets.

Selling melons.

The second chuch was different - less bright, but with more gold. This church was empty so we got to go right to the front and look at the paintings right up close.

Second church.

Off we went again, this time to a store that sold religious items, but mostly paintings. Nearly all of these paintings involved gold... and Jesus... The person explained a lot of things about the paintings, but I didn't understand much of it.

We then went to a museum, but the museum was either closed or about to close so we didn't get to stay for very long. We did get to see some traditional clothing and cheese making equipment, as well as articles on the history of the area.

The mosaic in the museum.

Then we went to another church and saw more paintings and mosaics. I know this sounds sort of repetetive and boring, but it actually wasn't. Each church had a different feel, a different tone, and no painting or mosaic was quite the same.

We then went for a three and a half hour lunch. I was confused arriving at the restaurant, there were a lot of people around and I thought they were all Rotarians, and that I'd have to give some humiliating speech about myself. Turns out this was just the type of restaurant it was. Groups reserve by table, and are served all the same things (as far as I could tell). We had cold appitizers (including cow's lips, I think, though at first I was just told that they were "meat", so I tried it. I've noticed that when I don't recognise a dish and am told "meat" or "the inside of an animal" it is frequently spleen, or lips, or stomach), hot appitizers (including stomach - didn't try, wimped out), risotto, pasta, meat (lamb or sheep? but of a cut I don't recognise.... or at least bones I didn't recognise....), fruit, then finally dessert (which was really good - I had seconds. It was a dough filled with sweet creamy filling, some of them including a touch of chocolate). And,

of course, this meal included bread, coffee and wine. I felt like a champ after finishing this. I didn't think I was going to make it after learning how many courses there were. I still managed to try everything I wanted to, most of them things I didn't recognise.

I had a really great day in Piana Degli Albanesi - better than I thought I'd have.

Vending Machine: 2, Michelle: 0

Since my first attempt, I learned that the vending machine can be somewhat tempermental, and its default setting is sweetened. Another clue is that it says "dolce" (sweet) under "caffe espresso". Still, I was detirmined, and pushed my coins into the machine. After resetting the sweetness level to zero, I watch with dismay as sugar pours into my cup, followed by a stirring stick and then the coffee. I do notice, however, that there is a bit of a pause between the cup appearing and the sugar pouring in, and I decide to try a different strategy for the next round (once I save up enough coinage). I am not about to lose this war. I will get my unsweetened, deliciously bitter coffee.

Protest!

On Thursday Oct 8 I attended my first protest, which I was very excited about. My classmates told me about it the day before, and I was reluctant to go - I was afraid of getting arrested, detained, pepper sprayed or beaten by police (think G8/G20, Seattle, Olympics). My classmates and teachers did not understand this concern. "Can't you protest in Canada?" they'd ask. "Well, yes, " I'd reply, "but you might get arrested". I guess here you apply to protest (and there might be a fee involved - not sure), and police are called in to keep protesters on the streets, not damaging stuff, direct traffic, etc. The protest was against cuts to education, and there were students from all over Palermo in attendance. I think there might have been similar protests in other cities in Italy, also. Groups organized by school, and a truck at the front had a large sound system and microphone, where a group played music. The protest started in an area downtown, and went for quite a ways to near the port. All along the way police stood guard and directed traffic around us. It was fantastic to be a part of such a large excited and passionate group of young people

.

The Weekend!

I have school here for six days per week (adding to 33 hours of instruction time per week), so when the weekend comes around, everyone is pretty tired of school work. On Saturday night I usually hang out with friends, and we eat pizza, with toppings I've never tried before. My first weekend we had french fry pizza, and a hot dog pizza... Last weekend was bbq sauce and chicken...

I also had the pleasure of seeing the pope from my balcony! He came by twice in his popemobile and that was pretty exciting. The city had prepared by repainting street lines, cleaning the streets, then blocking traffic all around where he'd be going. He was in Palermo to speak to young people about resisting organized crime, and to speak in support of those already doing so. I'm not religious, but it was still interes

ting and exciting to see such a world figure.

Welcome to the South

I have decided that watching movies in Italian definitely counts as studying, but is actually enjoyable. I actually really like watching movies in Italian, despite the fact that I don't understand much. One of my favourites so far has been "Benvenuti al Sud" (Welcome to the South). This was an Italian movie I saw in the theatre. The story was about a man who moves from northern Italy to southern Italy. As I've mentioned before, culture, and dialects, can change depending where you are. The south has a bit of a reputation as being overrun by poverty and crime, so the man is very anxious about this move. He arrives in a place with a totally different society - he doesn't even understand the Italian the people speak! I enjoyed this movie because I felt that I could relate to the main character. Being from an area in Canada with a high Italian population, as I told people that I was going to Italy, their faces would light up. As I told them I was going to be in Sicily, advice would change from language suggestions, to safety concerns. Of course, like the character in the movie, I have completely fallen in love with the people here, and haven't really had reason to be concerned for my safety any more than I would be in a city in Canada. The people here have been more friendly than anything, and even strangers have been encouraging my use of Italian. When getting gelato, asking in poorly pronounced Italian got me an extra cookie, not looks of annoyance.

Vending Machine: 1, Michelle: 0

Last Friday my class had an Italian test. I also had a test but mine was much shorter, so for an hour an a half, I didn't really have much to do but study Italian. During this last hour, I was getting pretty tired of sitting in my too-small desk and decided to get a coffee from downstairs. I stumble through a request to leave, and head off downstairs. I throw my coins into the coffee machine and hit a button. I see a cup come out and grab it, excited, thinking, for once I did something right! It was not to be so. I look into the cup and realise there is just sugar in it, so I put it back in time to catch some coffee. I consider stirring the coffee, but I really don't like sweet coffee, so instead I knock it back, leaving the sugar mostly behind. I see that the machine has buttons for how much sugar you want, so I resolve to try again at a later date to get some unsweetened coffee, and hurry back to class. Stay posted for updates in this battle!

Things I do Wrong

Apart from still not understanding very much Italian, here are a few of the things I just can't seem to do right:

1. Waiting in lines and walking in crowded areas.

This shouldn't be difficult, but for some reason it is. I'm always waiting for people to allow me through, so I never push forward. This, of course, gets me nowhere. While buying bread, my host sister is always saying, "ok, go now!", and while at a protest with friends, I was always being left behind in the crowds.

2. Buying stuff

Again, should be simple, no? In Canada, one would simply hand the money to the cashier, but in Italy, you place it on a plate or tray in front of them. This is easy, I am just not the brightest.

3. Getting coffee from a vending machine

This deserves a post of its own.

4. Understanding English

When people speak in Italian, I frequently look confused, and sometimes people translate for me. When I still look confused, they probably wonder if I can speak or understand any language. The answer to this is no, I seemingly can't understand anything. Sorry.

5. Understanding the school system

Just when I think I have things figured out, something will change. Today, rather than going to Latin, I thought I'd study Italian in the library. This involves going to the library, hoping it is open, or that the librarian will be there soon, and praying to be allowed in. Why?

I sometimes (ok, frequently) wish I could screw up less often, but we all know that's not possible. This list is only the beginning, stay posted for updates!

Settling into a Routine

On Tuesday,I was placed (seemingly randomly) in a fourth year class. I was pretty nervous looking around the room, blinded by my first impressions. The desks were small, and there was quite a bit of graffiti on the walls, which I'm not used to. A girl quickly grabbed a desk and put it next to her, occasionally translating the lesson so I would know what was going on. During break, some classmates showed me around the school, pointing out the gymnasiums, garden, library, labs, and coffee bar. After break was philosophy. At first I had one person translating and explaining the concepts, but soon several students had joined in, and after a while the lesson became a question period of what I thought of the beginnings of philosophy.

I am at a classic school, so students learn Italian (they study a lot of Dante), English, Philosophy, History, Ancient Greek, Latin, Art History, Law, Religion, Math, and Sciences. I took primarily science courses in Canada, so many of the subjects here confuse me. So far the only thing I'm good at is math, and everyone in my class seems to hate math, so I stand out a bit (this has helped me though - my classmates help me with Italian and I help them with math). Some of the subjects are familiar, but from a ways back. I studied the basics of the Roman and Ancient Greek civilizations in grade 7, and European history a few years ago, but still, many of the lessons have no context. I sometimes get frustrated and want to say, "No, really, I am smarter than this!", as I feel so stupid in class.

Though my classroom lacks in physical beauty, the students and teachers more than compensate with enthusiasm. My teachers are eager to help me with lessons, always asking me about school in Canada, or how I was enjoying Italy, and students are forever being kind to me. I feel guilty about how I treated exchange students in Canada. I never thought I was mean to them, but compared to people here I have been nothing but cruel.

After school my family has lunch together, which I like (especially because lunch is usually really tasty and hot, unlike the crappy lunches that I make at home). The first few weeks I had to continually explain that not having seconds did not mean that I didn't like the meal. My family has mostly gotten used to me having "small" portions now.

Flights and First Days

I had a fantastic itinerary for my trip to Palermo: four flights, five airports, over a span of 24 hours. I flew from Spokane to Denver, to Philadelphia, to Rome, to Palermo. I left my hotel in Spokane at 4:00 am on Thursday and arrived in Palermo at midday Friday. Some of the highlights from my trip: the map of North America where all the Canadian cities were in the wrong places (Yellowknife in Alberta, anyone?), having to run through the Philadelphia airport (while being constantly goaded by signs saying "Terminal A - Ahead"), the sandwich bought in an airport (each half being just an inch wide), having my tv not work on the cross-Atlantic flight, getting many stares as I washed my hair in the airport bathroom sink and almost not making my flight out of Rome. Arriving in Rome was fairly frightening, not knowing the language, though arriving in Palermo was possibly scarier due to the fact I thought the airline had lost my luggage (luckily they hadn't).

My first days in Italy were overwhelming, but exciting. My host family is fantastic, and are eager to help me learn about the language and culture here. My second night here, my host dad brought me to Old Palermo to show me some of the city. It seemed like every few minutes he'd say "This is an important church." Sicily has a rich history, with a culture that has many influences. This area has seen many conquerors and leaders - Greek, Roman, Arabic, and Norman, to generalise - before becoming a part of Italy in 1860. This give Sicily a unique culture, quite different from other parts of Italy. I am not even going to pretend to know a lot about this region, and I hope to know much more by the end of my stay.

On Sunday (second full day here), I had my Rotary orientation. This was in Caltanissetta, south of Palermo. I got to meet the two other exchange students in Palermo, both girls from the United States. At the orientation I met the other three in the region (again more girls from the United States), who live in Catania. There was a presentation from the District youth exchange officer, however much of it was in Italian and I didn't understand it. We then presented ourselves. All the other students were able to say something in Italian, but my presentation was entirely in English. I was frustrated and embarrassed by my lack of language skills. After the orientation, five of us went for lunch with the Interact Club of Caltanissetta. After being in Interact for four years, including one year of being secretary and one of being president, I was excited to speak to another club, however, thanks to my terrific Italian, I was unable to do so.

Monday was my frist day of school. Liceo Meli has approximately 1800 students (about the same amount as half of the population of Rossland), split into several sections. My first day, I followed some English teachers around, who were happy to have a native speaker to present to the class. The classes are quite different here, in that students remain in the same room and the teachers move about, and you stay in the same set of classes. Everyone was very friendly towards me, though, and I quite enjoyed my day.

That night I attended a Rotary meeting for the Palermo club with the two other students in the city. Again, we had the pleasure of presenting ourselves. Luckily I went last and got some ideas from the other students, so I gave my introduction in Italian. Well, all I said was "Hello, my name is Michelle. I'm Canadian and live in Rossland, BC." I am aware of how pathetic this is, but any progress will be really obvious!

First Post

Hello all!

I have decided to start a blog! I am new to blogging so allow me to apologise in advance for poorly done posts. I hope to post once a week or so (depending on if something exciting or interesting happens), though there will be quite a few this week as I get up to speed.