A peak into my daily life

This post is just for fun and the more I think about writing it the more silly it seems to me, but I figure you'll all enjoy it bc 1) It's a typical post I would do, wanting to share everything I do with you guys and 2) It gives you a little better idea of some of my every day life things.

First, I really do love my apartment!  It has a small kitchen with a stove top, microwave (although even that operates much differently!), and refridgerator.  I have basically been eating only pasta for dinner at my apartment.  I have now branched out to buying some packaged meals that you put in a pot, add water, and let it boil for awhile.. things like risoto with mushrooms, seafood, and even picked up some soup.  I love pasta, but have been trying to think of different ways to make it bc after my first two or three days I realized I would get tired of pasta VERY quickly if I didn't change how I made it!  Since then I have tried a few ways to cook it and have found a serious favorite!!  One way I'll cook the pasta is just plain, add a little bit of olive oil (of course!) and add either cheese, garlic, or garlic and red peppers.  One time at the grocery store I picked up some crab meat (you know the fake kind that is orange and white?) and decided I'd try putting that in the pasta.  I was super excited and thought it was going to be really good!  I cooked up some pasta, added olive oil, boiled some carrots to add, put in some mozzerlla cheese, and added the crab meat.  Oh, I should add that in the middle of cooking this meal my power went out!!  The circuts are easily overloaded and I am usually very careful to turn things off if I'm not using them.  This day I was not!  Well, anyways, that pasta meal turned out to be a flop! Even after adding some spices to it.  So now for my favorite pasta meal, I try to to make it all the time bc I'm scared I'll get sick of it, but I really do love it!!  I picked up some little packages of cubed meat at the grocery store one day thinking it was prociutto (very common here) and I'd add it to my pasta.  I brought it home and translated the package and found out it was actually bacon, but was still okay with that.  I cooked some pasta and put the bacon and mozzeralla in with the pasta.  I thought maybe I'd have to add some spices to give it flavor, but figured I'd try it without first.  It definitely did not need any spices.. it was pack full of delicious flavor!!!  Their bacon doesn't taste like ours, it's a little different, and I still have not really been able to describe it, but it was DELICIOUS!!

This is a picture of my fabulous meal, accompanied by a glass of vino (again, of course!)

Second, it's not really a daily thing, just a funny story.  So I wanted to buy vino (wine) at the store one day but realized I didn't remember seeing a corkscrew at the apartment, so held off.  Well I couldn't find a corkscrew and was at Porta Portese (the flea market type thing) for the first time with the girls and someone pointed out a corkscrew to me.  I decided to buy it, and she jokingly said "Oh, you'll probably use it once and it will break".  Well I think she jinxed me.. I didn't even finish using it and it broke!  The screw part was in the cork, with nothing attached so I had no way to get it out.  Finally, after about 30 minutes and using pliers I got it out!  Since then I have bought another corkscrew (a better one) that has not given me any problems!

Third: Laundry... I will be so happy to go home and be able to do laundry in a washer!!  I have no washer in my apartment and while there is a laundromat down the road from me I decided it would be easier (and MUCH cheaper!!) to do wash by hand.  For the most part this has not been a problem, but I have discovered that pants are the hardest to wash by hand!  I have a medium size bucket (pictured below) that I put water and detergent in to wash the clothes.  Then I fill the sink up with clean water to rinse the clothes out after washing them.  Then I need to wring everything out (I never realized how much water the washer wrings out of clothes!), and then hang them on the drying wrack.  The drying wrack has become a permanant fixture in my living room (luckily it's a relatively large living room) and so have all the towels that I strategecially place around the bottom bc my clothes are usually still very wet and drip on the floor.  Although, I guess I can be grateful that I have a large drying wrack bc the other girls do not have one, and are constantly being creative to find a place to hang their clothes, although they do have a washer.  Washers are tiny, if you have one in your apartment, and pretty much no one has driers in their apartments.

My laundry station

Finally, the coffee maker here.  Now, I am fortunate to have a bar (what they call cafes here in Roma) at school so I can get any sort of coffee there during the day, but I still sometimes like to start with a cup of coffee when I first wake up.  So I found the coffe maker, shown below, and was very confused on how to use it!

Finally after much research I figured out how to use it, and was able to share my knowlege with the other girls (they had one and also had no idea how to use it!)  So it comes apart in three parts.  You can see the first divide at the bottom, that unscrews from the top part.  That larger, top part is where the coffee ends up after it's made.  The smaller bottom part is where you fill up the water, and there is a metal filter that fits in the top of that and that is where you put the coffee.  Then you put it on the stove (as you see), turn the stove on high and wait for it to whistle like a teapot.  It was an adventure the first time I made coffee, but have got it down to a sience now!!

Hope you enjoyed the fun little information about my life here, more updates from Firenze (Florence) and others will be up soon, although don't know how much this week bc my family just arrived today!!!! :)

Laptop!

I received the laptop mom and dad sent me, after much hassel!  I could see, through tracking it, that it was sitting in customs in Milan.  Finally a week and a half later I received a form I needed to fill out to get the package.  Of course the entire form was in Italian, so the secretary of the elementary school and myself worked together to fill it out.  That is where we ran into more problems.. the form wanted information on me like my Italian Social Security number, and things that I do not have.  We tried calling their office and there was never any answer (after doing some research we learned this is not uncommon).  Finally we just filled out what we could and hoped for the best.  And two days later I was staying after school to use the laptops and get work done and they called my room to tell me my package was in the one office!! Needless to say I was incredibly excited!  I actually ran next door where another student teacher was working, burst in her room with a huge smile on my face and yelled, "GUESS WHAT I'M GOING TO THE VILLA TO PICK UP!!!"  (The villa is a building in the middle of our campus where the middle school classes are held and many offices are)  She immediately picked up the keys to her room and said "I'm going with you!"  I kept telling the woman as we opened the package to make sure everything was okay that she made my day!!

Happy Humpday (Wednesday)! :)

Well, in my last post I promised everyone I would post more often, and I'd really like to.  Unfortunately sometimes that is not what life wants I guess.  I have had very limited computer use since the last time I updated because my computer charger is not working.  I have a replacement that I will hopefully be receiving any day now (it arrived in Italy on Saturday morning).  I have internet access in my apartment with my phone, but it is very difficult to write a whole blog post on my phone!  I will give a short update now, and elaborate more when I have my computer and include pictures at that point.

Last week one only a three day week in school.  I had last Monday and Tuesday off and got lots of things accomplished around my apartment such as cleaning up, making a very comprehensive list of what I want to see while in Rome, and doing laundry.

Having a three day week of school was very nice, I have now decided that we should have that every week! :)  Over the weekend myself and the four other student teachers from Iowa State as well as the one student teacher from University of Northern Iowa traveled to Florence together.  The six of us got the train right after school and spent the whole weekend in Florence.  If you have never been to Florence I would definitely suggest to add it to your list of places to go!  It was beautiful and very calming, which we all decided was the perfect way to spend a weekend when you are student teaching.  I have many great pictures from Florence and will do an entire post on Florence with pictures and more of what we did when I have access to my own computer (as I am currently using my school's).

I had a VERY bad sore throat on our way back from Florence, but it luckily was gone Monday morning.  Although I was left with terrible congestion and my voice sounds horrible.  (Those of you who were lucky enough to experience me CONSTANTLY losing my voice--for no reason too!--in high school can imagine exactly what I sound like right now)  My co-op teacher left yesterday afternoon for a conference and will be out all week.  Today was my first solo day, although there is a sub with me and she assists in many ways, I'm essentially the person in charge.  There were some trying times, as there will be with any fifth grade class, but it's such a great learning experience.  Although my voice sounds much worse than it did this morning!

I will update again when I have more access to a computer and plan to do several small updates when that happens.. so you are not forced to read something as long as my last one.  I will definitely post about Florence, my school/class, and some small daily things.

One Week Down

Well, as of yesterday I have officially been in Rome for one week!  That really kind of blows my mind, it does not feel as though a week has past.  Although at the same time it seems like forever ago that I first arrived.. time is such a funny thing.

I have really started to feel at home here on the Cassia (and am even speaking like I know what I'm talking about!).  via Cassia is the main road that I live off of, and last week I walked up and down it to see what was on the road.  I am only about a 7 minute to my school which is very nice, especially because the weather here is still in the low 70's and it has only rained one day since I've been here.

The view from my balcony, looking up the street, towards via Cassia.

View from my balcony, looking the other way.  Some other apartments on my street.

I have met five other student teachers at the school.  One of the girls has been here since the beginning of the school year and will be leaving right before Thanksgiving.  The other four girls are all from the same university and they arrived a week before I did.  They will all be here the entire time I am here.  It is nice to have some other people who are here student teaching.  The four girls I mentioned live in the center of the city, unlike me, and I spent the weekend at their apartment so I didn't have to take the bus every day to the city.

Friday we celebrated Halloween at school.  All the kids dressed up, there was a parade for all the grades, and parents, and then each grade did a performance (they either sang a song or did a dance).  Our fifth graders did a great job on their dance and I was so proud of all of them!  After school I rode the bus home with the four girls to their apartment.  They live only about five minutes from Piazza Navona, and Friday afternoon one of the girls and myself walked there, to the Pantheon, to the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele, and the Trevi Fountain. And I had my first gelato while being in Rome; Strawberry and Vanilla... YUMMY!!! :)

Piazza Navona

One of the three fountains in Piazza Navona

Making a wish in Trevi Fountain.. hope it comes true! :)

Trevi Fountain

Monument to Vittorio Emanuele.. as I was informed by my fabulous tour guide, many Romans do not like it.  they think it is ugly and looks like a typewriter.

Inside the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Raphael's tomb in the Pantheon

Standing right outside the Pantheon.  Silly me did not take a picture of the Pantheon from the front, but I will be back so I'm not too worried!

The girls had traveled to Naples when they first arrived in Italy, and they had met a guy from Chile who was traveling around Italy (and Europe in general).  They became friends and he was in Rome on Saturday, and it was his birthday so we met up with him.  We had lunch and then got gelato from Giolitti, apparently a pretty famous place in Rome.  I tried mango, fruit of the forest (it was like berries) and raspberry, also very good, I think I will try chocolates or something other than fruit next time.  In the evening we went to the Capitoli Museum which had lots of great pieces of art!  It also had a special exhibit with Michaelangelo and DaVinci's original sketches on display.  It was phenomenal to see that!

On Sunday we went to Porta Portese flea market in Trastevere.  It was really neat to just walk around and look at all the vendors.  I even got a new pair of boots for only 10 Euro! :)  After that we sat near the Tiber River, eating some sandwiches.  We then walked up to Santa Maria church, which is also where you will find the Mouth of Truth.  The legend is that you put your hand in the mouth of truth and if you are untruthful, it will bite your hand off... luckily I still have my hand! :)  (A picture of that will be added later, it is not on my camera)  The church was neat to go into especially because the mass that they give is similar to the one I go to at home (just spoken in Arabic), so it was neat to see the set up of the church.  After that we walked back to the apartment and I gathered my things and headed back home.  I managed to figure out the tram/bus route that I need to take very easily and can now do it no problem! :)

Sitting near the Tiber River

Santa Maria church

Relic found in Santa Maria church

Santa Maria church

I'm sorry this post has been so long, but I hope you made it through the whole post, and more importantly enjoyed it! :)  I am going to try to update more often so the posts are not quite as long, it was just a busy week trying to adjust to the area.

And HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :)

Plane, Internet, and Door Problems

Well, I have arrived safely in Rome!  It was been an exciting trip so far...

The trip started with a completely sold out flight from Newark, but I was lucky to have someone very friendly sitting next to me and we talked a bit throughout the trip.  After we pull away from the gate we are sitting in one spot for a little while.  I figured we were waiting until a runway was free, but instead an announcement came on telling us an auxiliary light was on in the back of the plane so they are contacting maintenance about it and they will keep us informed.  Next thing they are telling us is that we need to go back to the gate for it to be looked at and hopefully it will be a quick fix.  Luckily, while at the gate they allow us to walk around the plane.  Finally, 2 1/2 hours later we are in the air and on our way to Rome.  The rest of the flight went smoothly as did my arrival in Rome.  I found the car company that was picking me up and there were two other parties who were riding in the car with me (a couple on their honeymoon and a family of four visiting the city).  Both these parties were staying more in the center of the city so I was able to see a lot as we drove through.  We drove RIGHT BY the Coliseum.. within just a few hours of me being in Rome!  I arrived easily at my flat and was let in.
By this point I was exhausted and tried to connect to the internet with my wifi device before unpacking.  After many failed attempts to connect to the internet I forgot about it, and about packing, and took a long nap.  After waking up I tried the internet again and tried calling the help number, but they are not open on Sundays. At this point I decided it was time to unpack and headed to bed early.

This morning I took the time to sleep in and try to get over jetlag before school starts.  Got myself some breakfast, dressed for the day, and packed my bag.  My intent was to go to the school for a little while and then venture to a grocery store.  After finally getting ready I go to unlock the door to my flat and cannot get OUT!  I tried many different ways to unlock the door and finally, after 25 minutes of trying, I was about to leave my apartment.  Needless to say I felt very dumb and frustrated.  It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the weather on my 10 minute walk to school.  Arrived at the school and received a tour of the school (will talk more about the school in another post) and spent some time in my classroom.  After the school day was over I headed to my next adventure...

...The grocery store!  When I first entered I walked, slowly, around the entire store to see what there was and try to figure everything out.  I only picked up a few things and will head back there in a day or two and try to figure more out.  Headed home, I felt it was a successful day, until I reached the door to my flat.  AGAIN, I had trouble with my lock, but this time I could not get into my flat!  After several attempts I walked across the street to the woman I am renting from and had her help me.  I now know how to enter AND exit my flat successfully  (hopefully!)  And to make the ending of the day even better I was able to get my internet fixed, it took them a few hours, but I am not complaining!

Off to bed so I can have a great first full day of school tomorrow!! :)

An Ending and a Beginning

As my time in my special education student teaching placement comes to a close I'm wondering where the time has gone.  When I started in August it seemed like I had forever working in my classroom with the kids.  Now, with only four days left with these kids, I am trying to remember everything I can from my teacher and the kids.  Over the past 7 weeks I have learned just as much from my students as I have from my teacher.

From my teacher I have learned:

How important it is to be flexible, especially in a classroom like learning support.  I have also learned from her how to be flexible when students show up in your room when you don't expect them to be there or when no one shows up when they are supposed to.

That some things are not worth "fighting" over.. some things you just have to let go.

How to use humor and be yourself in the classroom.

To be nice to everyone, especially people like janitors and lunch ladies.  Having a smile on your face every day can definitely spread to others in the school.

To feel fortunate if you are in a school where everyone is friendly and welcoming.

It is good to be honest with your students, they will appreciate that.

Along with many other things.

From my students I have learned:

How to laugh with them.

They will notice everything, even those students who you do not have any contact with (learned this when dyed my hair and a fourth grade student who I do not remember seeing previously said to me in the hall, "You changed your hair!")

That the littlest comments from them can simply make your day.

How quickly they can find their way into your heart, even those who drive you crazy.

I have 4 days left in this school and I am not looking forward to that last day when I have to say goodbye to them.  On the flip side of all this sadness, I am greatly looking forward to my new student teaching placement, and my new adventure.  In exactly one week I will be leaving the United States, headed for Rome, Italy.  There I will finish my student teaching at the American Overseas School of Rome (AOSR) in a fifth grade classroom.  I am excited to explore a new country, city, and culture as well as see how this school operates especially with the many different cultures that attend this school.  I decided to keep a blog of my experiences because I know lots of people will be curious as to what I am doing while I am there.  I hope to learn a lot and hope you enjoy reading about it all! :)