Weeks 13 & 14, 23-1-22
Hello, friends!
Hard to believe we're into the last third of January. And I've effectively not gone back to work. As I mentioned, our break ended on January 10; however, I still have not taught a full lesson. The week of January 10-17 was the settimana dello studente, student's week, which meant that instead of having lessons there were video assemblies on topics that had been voted on earlier in the year. This week I went to school on Monday, but the students were striking. Then on Tuesday my green pass, my digital vaccination card, expired! So I was not and still am not allowed to enter the school building until I get my booster shot (which I've been working towards for 8 weeks now, so I'm happy that everyone else now has the same sense of urgency that I do).
All of that is to say that my "break" has continued, and will continue indefinitely until we find the right loophole for my booster shot. This week I'm going to share some of my reflections on language, as a primer for next week's reflections on bureaucracy, immigration, and some of the obstacles I've encountered since I arrived. (I've been saving up this one for when everything is "resolved", but this seems like a great time to jump into it).
During one of my days off I went up the mountain, but instead of going towards the castle I went the opposite direction. There is an entire network of trails through the mountains. I've struck gold! I am irritated that I didn't find this sooner, but I know where my new favorite spot in town is. Click here for a video of the bay.
Looking out towards all the trails I've yet to get to!
Very happy post-hike selfie.
I spotted a tiny rainbow this week!! The first one since I arrived. (This is not a situation where the camera didn't pick it up. It was actually just that tiny. But I was excited. It's like a rainbow fountain spurting out of the brush.)
Word pictures
- Needing ice after a long run, and promptly realizing that I never bought an ice pack. I emptied the frozen veggie section of my freezer onto my legs -- peas on one shin, squash on the other, and Mediterranean mix on both knees.
- The fisherman are starting to recognize me. While I was reading one day, one named Giuseppe walked past and said "you're not running today!"
- A free hour during the settimana dello studente due to a tech malfunction. The students decided that they wanted to be the teacher and I would be the student. I sat in a random desk in the middle of the classroom, and they all crowded around the computer (definitely not socially distanced, oop). They spent 60 minutes teaching me about all the local desserts, which holidays and events they are associated with, and how they are made. They were shouting over each other to tell me details, and disagreeing about some. They always asked me if I'd understood or if I had any questions after each one (which, of course I did). After school as I was leaving the building I overheard one student from that class telling a friend, "Today I taught Antonella about Mondragonese desserts." A fun moment of bonding.
- Another tech malfunction, "Non c'e` zeta", "Z doesn't exist!" -- Many of the computers in the classrooms are in various states of disrepair. On one morning the Z key stopped working in one classroom. When they called the tecnico to bring up another keyboard, he asked what the problem was. One of the students shouted "Z doesn't exist!"
- Misidentifying Patrick Dempsey during a school-wide trivia game. It was the only question I jumped in on, and I hadn't even look at the photo. I saw Grey's Anatomy and made the guess. They lost a lot of points, and didn't listen to anything else I suggested (rightfully so), even the ones about American culture which I did know.
- Classical music in the teacher's lounge -- A student with a developmental disability thrives with one-on-one instruction; however, the school system here does not make space for that. So this particular student usually works with their aide in the teacher's lounge. Last week I walked in and the aide was talking about classical music, and playing different videos on YouTube. All the other teachers started making suggestions -- we listened to the Papageno / Papagena duet from the Magic Flute, Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Ravel's Bolero, Vivaldi's Gloria, and the Flower Duet from Lakme, to name a few.
- Another day in the teacher's lounge, I stepped outside to eat a snack (because I don't like pulling my mask down inside the building). When I came back someone had put a backpack on my chair. There were no other chairs in the room, so instead of asking whose bag it was, I got up and walked out of the building. (I did need to run an errand, and had enough time until the next hour started).
- Self-soothing during a stressful day by listening to the entire extended Sound of Music soundtrack.
- It has been much sunnier and much less rainy these past few weeks. I've made a habit of walking to the beach to read. There are birds and stray pups running around, but if I go right at lunchtime for everyone else, it's totally empty. I love it.
- Students on strike!! See below.
- Seeing another teacher running -- we stopped to talk and I asked what distance he typically runs. He responded "lungomare." I was expecting something numeric, but I did know what he meant!
- A new vegetable in dialect -- "caurefiur" is cavolfiore, cauliflower.
- Completed my mid-term report for Fulbright. Their online portal is only compatible with Internet Explorer 5.5. So so specific and even more outdated.
One of my empty classrooms on Monday morning. Note the hazard tape lines on the floor in front of each desk, and the "REVOLUTIONS" banner on the wall. The students were striking because the radiators did not work, and the windows need to be open for ventilation. We teachers asked if we could have an assembly, and the principal said no. If the teachers and students were both not in classrooms, it has to be registered with the state as a non-instructional day. So the students effectively put us all in detention, sitting alone in our respective classrooms. One of the co-teachers suggested that we also strike in support of the radiators, but one of the teachers' unions objected. I will learn more about the teacher's union system here.
This is a photo of 5 wood pellets inside a drain pipe. This week when I purchased my pellets, the plastic bag snagged on something sharp. I didn't lose too many, but I had to hold the (heavy and cumbersome) bag in an even more awkward way to make it home. The next day I was walking back from school and noticed the pellets sitting in the drain pipe.
I ran past this cat a few days ago. The second time I went past she was lounging. What a perch!
I also ran past this Peroni bottle in the gutter of the lungomare. I liked the snails on it. If you look closely at the bottom left corner of the bottle you can see the reflection of me crouching to take the photo.
Reflections on language
I've been accumulating these for quite some time. Since it's a quieter newsletter update from a travel standpoint, we'll chip away at my list of newsletter topics.
I've been reflecting a lot on language, obviously from the perspective of a foreign language educator, but this reflection is more about the way we use language as we move about the world, or more accurately the way that language shapes our worlds. I've had 2 main thoughts, one on language and identity, and another on translation. (After seeing how long my thoughts were on language and identity, I've decided to push my thoughts on translation to another update.)
I did a lesson on the New York Times Where You Should Live quiz to teach about geography and American cities. One category of filters is Demographics, and includes age and racial identity. My students had asked me a question about that category, and as I was responding (in Italian) I used the word razza, race. How could I not? I was explaining something to do with.... well, race! And they all gasped. They then explained to me that razza is an offensive word. I was flabbergasted. How can you have conversations about anti-racism without using the word "race" itself? There were only 5 minutes left, so I asked them to indulge me for the rest of class. I explained that in America "race" is not offensive, and is in fact a really really important word for moving towards racial equity because it's impossible to talk about, understand and dismantle racism without talking openly about, and using the word "race." I explained that not to use the word race is to take the "colorblind approach" to anti-racism, which is in fact not an approach to anti-racism. I then asked if razza is a slur, and they said no, it's just offensive. It would never appear in an official document, and shouldn't be said in conversation.
So I asked how they talk about race, and they said that they use nationality. ACK! I started to ask another question about how they distinguish between nationality and racial identity, because those are different systems of oppression. They said that there is not one, and did not seem to understand the difference.
We then ran out of time, but in my own reflections and conversations with Italian friends, I articulated that what is most damaging about this is that it presumes that anybody with citizenship in a European country is white. White nationalism is written into the language. There are so many people whose nationality is Italian and who are POC. (And the history tells us to expect this -- Italy has a legacy of colonialism, and of migration, and is currently experiencing a wave of migration. For these, and countless other reasons, nationality is not and never has been the same thing as racial identity.) But the language necessary to distinguish between these two discrete but intertwined systems of oppression has been stigmatized, even in a classroom which is centered on American history and culture (and boy, do we need the word 'race' for that).
I did get some context. One of my Italian friends explained that in Italy the word razza is inextricable connected to its history of fascism. While this is useful historical context, it still exists alongside a lot of racism and xenophobia (more on immigration next week). Citing Italy's history of fascism as justification for conflating race and nationality is not moving anyone closer to anti-racism and justice.
Obligatory Regina update! We had a staring contest as I was walking to work on Monday morning. I think I interrupted her breakfast.
Post-run sunset, feat. the moon.
I watched a seagull make these footprints as I was stretching on the ledge, also after a run. There is a theme here.
As a disclaimer, I'm wondering if some folks on this newsletter might not agree with everything I shared. If so, I'd be curious to hear your reflections! I'm looking forward to writing the second half of this train of thought on bureaucracy, nationalism, immigration -- hopefully along with an update on the booster shot situation.
Con tranquillita`,
Antonella
Appendix: Ground Rules
- This is a time for me of reconnecting with a number of practices that have been interrupted by the pandemic; by the 3-part-time-jobs, recent-humanities-grad, gig-economy work routine that I've just left; and by the inevitable ebb and flow of intersecting needs. This is just that -- a practice, a practice of connection, a practice of reflection, a practice of synthesis, a practice of perspective.
- This is not meant to replace my 1:1 interactions!
- This should serve me. There is no right or wrong way for me to structure these. Like my bullet journal, if the structure becomes cumbersome, it means my needs are shifting and I need to re-evaluate what I am including and how I am preparing to write.
- This is not a finished product, ever, by any standard. I will not fret over punctuation, word choice, or syntax. There are many spaces in my life where those things do matter, quite a lot, but they are not a priority here.
In case you missed it!
Here is the link to the archive of my past newsletters.