The Spirit of Back to School

Back to school season is one of my favorites. The school clothes that are of fall fashion and cozy. The idea of being an organized student, (or this year...teacher.) And my favorite part of back to school. The paper. I have a mild obsession with blank paper. I am not sure if there is a name for what I've got, this infatuation with notebooks, but whatever this syndrome is, it's back to school season, and I love it!

Although it is still August, back home in the states, the students are already back at the books. In Italy, not quite, they are still hitting the beach. I, however, am getting prepared for a wonderful year of teaching.

This means I am completely redoing lesson plans. Now, as much as I love education, lesson plans are very tedious items to complete. To help my brain from exploding I am painting nails in fall shades, reading Washington Irving, watching movies about Halloween (Hocus Pocus) and then settling on marathoning it with 'Sex and the City.' Which may or may not be responsible for my decision to be Carrie Bradshaw for Halloween this year.

Now before anyone decides that I am a devoted teacher, to be completing lesson plans on a Sunday IN ITALY, let me just tell you it is completely necessary. The notebooks in Italy are not exactly up to par. The spiral isn't complete, therefore, my pages have fallen out of the entire thing. I really miss notebooks and the USA.

My useless notebook

My comfy setup

 

So maybe before moving to Italy I thought it would be only a year for travel. Exploring a new culture. Learning a new language. Although these are all true, it is also a year to explore my profession, and become an excellent teacher. Yay! for back to school!

All About West Virginia

After doing a lesson with my students about my home state today, I had to think back on all the wonderful things about West Virginia. Before moving to Italy, I could tell you many not so great things about it. But, after experiencing a place that has always been romanced, I really miss home.  I am learning to appreciate what I have. I have a great life in West Virginia filled with wonderful opportunity. It seems this bit of independence in the spectacular land of Italy, has led me to a bit of enlightenment. I now believe, being an adult does not mean you lose dreams altogether. It simply means you dream big, while appreciating what you already have. Perhaps I have grown a bit. (No, I am not talking kilos.)

Right before my WV lesson

While I appreciate the life I now have in Italy, of beauty, a profession, new people, and eternal learning of languages, I want some of the many comforts of home...not to mention air conditioning.
Here is a list of the things I miss most.
1. Jiff Peanut Butter. There's nothing quite like it.

2. Back to school season. (And notebooks that don't fall apart due to a lack of an actual spiral.)

3. My car. Well, maybe not my car. But driving.
4. The feeling of football season.

5. V8

6. Being in the country, yet in the city (town) at the same time. In Italy a city is a city is a city. I miss the country side.

(At Cooper's Rocks)

 

7. Barnes and Noble. Who knew the books in Italy would be in Italian. Strange.

8. Vegan options. I really love Black Bear in Morgantown.

9. Working with children. I am solely cut out to be an elementary teacher. I love 'em.

(I do not know these children, but the image made me giggle)

10. But most of all, I miss these.  

My wonderful girlfriends. Nothing like them.

Adam. He's pretty great.

My family. These are my parents. A small representation of my family.

What does it mean to...Become Italian

My friend and co-worker showed me this commercial and I must share it with you. I have to say, the stereotypes are pretty spot on true. This is my life for the next nine and a half months.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fBFm4OD2W0

A European Holiday

Greece. An island of Greece.  The land is barren, like Spain, or the southwest of the US. It's given a silver hue due to olive trees.  The water. Oh the water. It's blue and green and crystal clear all at once.  The evenings I spend by the sea, reading, staring at Turkey.  The closest I have come to the east.  To an entirely different lifestyle.

The desolate land of Greece is haunting, in a good way.  It, this ancient land, with biblical trees, pristine waters, and gray brown ground, has secret.  Something it wants you to uncover.  Maybe Poseidon really did spring from these waters.  The best way to find the answer...four days of sunbathing.

My holiday to Greece (and Turkey) leave me with a few questions for the big man.
1. How can you make the sea such a deep blue, yet foam from the same waters such a crisp white?
2. Why do you allow such a fear in people that leads to discrimination, when in reality, the world is mostly good?
3. Why, with my love of sea/ocean, did you put me in West Virginia with great friends in family. There is no beach there?
4. How is travelling alone both liberating and bleak?

I once again made a video to my holiday. This is to the song Mykonos, which is not the island I was on, but I do have fond memories of the tune, so...why not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxyy-xANZ-k

As much as I enjoyed Greece, I was very happy to come home to Italy.  I am again shocked by how familiar everything is.  Just two months ago Italy was foreign. Now it is where I live, where I work, where new friends are, where I buy my food, where I laugh, and where I sleep.  I realized at the airport how much I missed being surrounded by Italians. Although I don't claim to speak Italian, I understand it much more than Greek. I realized how much I missed the word, allura, which simple means...well, then.

 

At the end of this year I will miss the ability to spend a couple days in a new country every other week. I will miss the sea. I will miss the language. And I will be happy to be home, again.

 

Estate

Estate-summer. My summer was spent with my best friend. So I decided to document our time. We travelled every weekend. We ate pizza extremely often. We enjoyed Italy for what time we could.

I made this video to a summer song. My options were either "Summer of '69" or the one I chose, "All Summer Long." Although this is an American country summer song, it fits the mood. Summer is summer wherever you go. People want to be by the sea or ocean (or lake.) People want to wear minimal clothing. People want to relax. People want summer to last. (And in Italy, people wish for air conditioning)

Here's the video for my summer in Italy:

 

For some reason it will not show on this site, so here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP9Bvz9nKo0

He is gone, and I am, of  course, upset. But thankful. I am ready to experience autunno, inverno, and primavera in Italy. This is my year. I hope all seasons in Italy are as fantastic as estate.

Jesseanna: Italian Chef

I have been experimenting quite a bit with Italian food. So much in fact, I must go on a diet after Adam leaves. I have stumbled upon a few good recipes, and I would like to share one with you.

 

Eggplant Parmesan

 

You will need:

1 Large eggplant

Salt

Flour

Olive Oil

Ricotta based tomato sauce

Mozzarella

Oregano/Tyme/Pepper

1. Slice the eggplant (So they are circles) and place in plastic bag with salt. Let sit for hour.

2. Rinse the eggplant.

3. Coat in flour.

4. Fry in a pan with about a half inch of olive oil in it. (This is not a healthy recipe, so I will not be making this with my diet.

5. Layer in a pan eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella.

6. Bake in oven until the cheese has melted.

 

 

7. Eat this slowly, because you will want more. Try not to think about the kilos (or pounds) you will gain. :)

 

Adam likes this one so much I have to make it at least twice a week. Let's not talk about my weight. Cheers.



Ninja Turtles, Pizza, and Mafia...

People warned me about Naples. It's dangerous, crazy, dirty.  All of this, I find, is true. The streets are filthy, the cars honk and run past you in a red light, the mafia rules Naples. And yet, when decided on one big trip to go on when Adam is here, we choose Naples. For the history.

Naples is near Pompeii. You know, the town that was covered by ash, leaving people dying with agonizing expressions, discovered centuries later on a dig. Well, we wanted to see this ancient Roman town, and for good reason. It is spectacular. No way would Rome compare in Roman ways.

Pompeii with the volcano that destroyed it in the background

Ancient baths

The amphitheater

In a brothel you could just pick the way you want it.

A man that appears to be praying in death. Although we pray to different Gods

I would probably be doing the same thing.

This is very humbling.

 

 

After strolling through a lost city, we decided to hike the volcano that destroyed it. That's right...another item off my bucket list. We hiked a volcano. Vesuvius.

The view of Sorrento from trekking up.

Um yes. That's the volcano part. It now has low activity, but we were told

because it is a close chamber volcano, the next time it explodes,

Pompeii all over again.

 Me at a volcano.

The hike up was exhausting because the trail is made up of ash. You sink in more than sand.

 

 

Then there is Naples. First it reminds us of the Ninja Turtles. It is dirty and dark. There actually is an underground. Rats probably do know karate, and as in my previous post, the pizza is AMAZING!  We spent our time in Naples at the museum, seeing amazing archeological wonders, (including Adam's favorite mosaic.) Underground. In every pizza joint in town. (We were told that Sorbillo was the best, but both of us liked Donna Sofia better.) Near the sea, enjoying the breeze. Attempting to close our eyes and walk through the two horses in Piazza Reale. (Failing miserably.) And chilling at the hostel, which may or may not have been the best part of the city.

Adam's favorite mosaic is from Pompeii. It is of Alexander the Great.

My history nerd is pretty cute.

This would be great to wake up to right. Don't get on the wrong side of the Mafia.

 The Underground was not exactly made for Adam

 This picture made Naples seem beautiful.

This was the view going into our hostel. I love it!

 Naples by night from the castle we tried to get in, but, unfortunately,

Michael Bolten had a concert there. Yes, Adam did start singing...

 Piazza Reale

A street in pretty part of Naples

At the fortress with Naples in the background.

Um, yes. How relaxing.

 

 

All and all I think we really enjoyed ourselves in Sunny Southern Italy!