Ciao a tutti! I am back again with another little newsletter update. Time has been flying by here, I can’t believe it’s almost February! We’re wrapping up the semester at school with lots of tests, and everyone is feeling the anticipation for Carnival starting next week.
I really experienced a shock back to “reality” once my family left at the beginning of the month. And I won’t lie that the transition was pretty tough… It was hard to see the people I love and know return back home to their lives while I had to remain here in this new life. But once I got back into my routines and had a few days to recover, I’ve been doing much much better.
I’m happy to say that I am still greatly enjoying teaching. Most recently I’ve been working in a majority of my classes talking about MLK Day and the Civil Rights Movement. It was a challenge trying to find a way to discuss about some heavy topics in a way that was approachable for non-English speakers. But after several class periods working through the content and helping the students understand the vocabulary, I think overall it was a success! It’s crazy to think about how Italy never experienced anything like the Civil Rights Movement and segregation - I think that was one of the hardest things for the students to conceptualize. The fact that racism, discrimination and segregation did exist in the US, and not even that long ago (and how it is still prevalent in many ways today). But anyways, I hope that they walked away from those lessons with a little more knowledge of the US, and hopefully some new vocab words (aka boycott - man they could not get that one down!).
I came into this new year expecting a lot more stability and reliability with school - that’s what the Fulbright Commission has repeatedly told us. “Once January comes around, things will be a lot more smooth sailing.” And I have to admit that it’s still not quite “smooth sailing.” I’ve really had to come to terms with the fact that every single week will be different. There’s always something new going on, there’s always some class that’s different or has some other activity. Sometimes the students just don’t show up, or for that matter, the teachers too. Sometimes classes that are normally quiet will be rowdy, and vice versa. And sometimes the rowdy classes will be even crazier some days (shoutout to the 4th year agricultural students who really gave me a tough time this week). It’s really teaching me how to roll with the punches and be flexible. I have to accept that sometimes the lessons I’ve planned or the idea I had about how the day will go just won’t happen. And that’s okay. It’s all part of the experience - witnessing how the Italian school system works and learning how to work within it. I just have to put the past behind me and keep moving forward.
Besides school, I’m happy to say that I’m continuing to have new experiences and meeting new people! Last weekend, one of my co-English teachers, Gisella, invited me to her home for the weekend in her hometown, Cerami (about a 40 min drive from Nicosia). It was such a lovely weekend! I met her two kids, Greta (11) and Giacomo (13), as well as her husband, Giuseppe. It was a relaxing weekend without a lot of plans - I played a lot of card games with Greta, read and did some lesson-planning, and got to experience a little of Cerami. On Saturday, when we arrived after the school day, we went to the Festa di San Sebastiano (one of the religious festivals unique to this small town). Just about everyone who lived in Cerami (~1,000 or so) was crowded in the square where the church was and they were shooting off fireworks. After that, people stood on the roofs and threw little handkerchief bundles of candy into the crowd. And after, the main event was a “battle” of some sorts trying to pull down this tree made of laurel leaves with oranges and bread hung all around it. It was one of the most unique, fascinating experiences I’ve had here in Sicily by far.
I really connected with her family and it felt really nice to spend time with them and have company. We all cuddled up on the couch one night in our PJs and fell asleep watching a movie, I went with them to church on Sunday (my first Italian Catholic mass!), and we shared many delicious meals. Her son, Giacomo, asked if I could stay the whole weekend and celebrate his birthday on Monday - I just couldn’t say no to that! And it was a lovely birthday celebration with extended family.
With some of my other weekend adventures where I come back exhausted and ready for alone time, I came back from this weekend rejuvenated and my heart full. I feel so incredibly grateful for the generosity and hospitality they all showed me. Gisella has told me this week at school that her daughter keeps asking when I can come back, so I’m sure I’ll be going back soon for another weekend of fun, family time.
Speaking of new experiences, yesterday I also had a one-of-a-kind Italian afternoon on a farm. Maria and I visited one of our colleagues, Felice, at his countryside property and we spent the afternoon there watching him do all his animal chores and getting a tour of everything. I was blown away by all the animals he had! Two horses, a pig, a bull, two cows, three calfs, baby chickens, rabbits, two dogs and a turkey! Not to mention all the cats that were running around the place.
Once the sun set, we hung out in his kitchen and Felice showed us how he makes ricotta and cheese! It was such a cool experience watching how the milk changes into various forms of cheese. I tried fresh, still-warm cows milk for the first time and ate bits of cheese throughout the process. And once again, I was blown away by the generosity of Sicilians as I left with a bag full of goodies - fresh ricotta, a block of harder cheese made from last year’s milk, homemade tomato sauce, and a bottle of wine that Felice made 20 years ago (!!!). Classic Sicily.
Recently I’ve been struggling with some feelings of isolation. I think out of all the Fulbrighters here in Italy, I am by far the most removed from everything else. It’s not easy for me to just hop on a train or a bus and go see other people in nearby cities - firstly because there’s only two other people here with me in Sicily. And secondly, the buses we do have in Nicosia are very minimal and infrequent. So I can’t say that I’ve been doing the classic “young person in Europe things” traveling somewhere new every weekend, and doing fun things with fellow Americans. But I’m trying to not let that get me down, and I’m really happy I can still have these incredibly unique experiences with the Italians who live here.
And that’s that! I’m writing this on a sleepy, Sunday morning. I need to get myself together to head over to Sunday lunch with Maria and her family soon. This weekend is going to be simple and relaxing. I have some cleaning to do and want to make some progress on some new hobbies I’ve picked up (whoo for reading in Italian and learning how to play the harmonica!). I’d expect the next newsletter to be all about my Sicilian Carnival adventures! I’ve been told that Italians really go hard for this holiday, so we’ll see what fun I get up to. Ciao! Till next time! Un bacio <3
Nice to hear from you again! I can't say how happy we (me, Jim, and the kids) are to hear about your experiences. I'd say you are getting to do a lot! More than I imagined, thinking that you would be fully imbedded in Nicosia the whole time. I didn't realize you would have time to travel, but, what do I know ;). I am very impressed with how open and friendly the people are, inviting you into their homes and sharing their interests. It's quite an immersion for you, and, probably a very fortunate location compared to some. You seem very happy and having experiences that will guide your future! Love, Julie
jealous of all the farm animals