Modena

With the resurgence of sun and warmer weather, Luigi, Simo, and I were inspired to get out and do something a bit different on Sunday. We decided to make a quick trip to Modena to see Enzo Ferrari’s house-turned-museum, and take a walk in Modena’s historic town center. We started off at the Ferrari museum, which is focused on the history of the Ferrari brand (there is a second museum at the Ferrari headquarters in nearby Maranello) and features a collection of new and classic Ferraris. I learned

about Enzo and the progression of the most well-known car brand in the world over the past 100 years.

the showroom

The "Enzo" model

See the resemblance with Nonno's "Ferrarina"!!

We then spent the next part of the afternoon strolling through the historic center of Modena. The center of the town is no doubt the Modena Cathedral (or Duomo in Italian). It was originally constructed in 1184 and is considered the best example of Romanesque architecture in Europe. Romanesque architecture was the predecessor of Gothic architecture, and the two styles do have many similarities (thick stone walls, large arches, lots of exterior inscriptions, etc.). What I enjoyed about visiting the cathedral was that I got to experience a building we had talked about in Art History class first hand. It was a great feeling to be able to appreciate such an amazing building beyond just its aesthetics. 

We then proceeded to check out the Ducal Palace. The palace housed the Dukes of Modena for over 400 years, but is now home of the Italian Military Academy (Italy’s version of West Point). After walking through Modena’s picturesque streets for a little bit longer, we turned back for Carpi and capped off the beautiful day with a gelato. 

Ducal Palace

Italian vs American School System

I recently had to give a presentation in French class explaining the differences between American and Italian school systems.  There are a lot of points of difference between the two systems, but I found these ten to be the most interesting/important:   

1. Italian high school lasts 5 years versus 4 in the US.
2. Italian high school is 6 days a week- Unfortunately, Saturday is a part of the school week, but the days are much shorter (from 8-1 most days)
3. Students specialize at a younger age- At the beginning of high school, students choose a track to follow for all 5 years. It varies from Humanities and Social Sciences to Environmental or Applied Sciences, and even Linguistics. Beyond this, middle school students have to choose and apply to a high school. They can choose to attend more general high school like mine, a technical institute, or a vocational school in which you can specialize in subjects like tourism and cooking.
4. The grading system is very different- Italian students are graded on a scale of 1-10. A 10 is nearly impossible to get, a 6 is the borderline between passing and failing a class, and a 2 is pretty much the lowest grade you can get. While Italian students try to get the best grade possible, the only thing that actually matters is getting a 6 or above. There is no GPA or equivalent metric that measures your cumulative grade performance and impacts your future.
5. The final exams are what matter- Instead of SAT’s and GPA’s to determine your college future, Year 5 exams are what really matter. Students are tested in any of the 10 subjects that they’ve taken, and the questions cover all the material they’ve studied during the 5 years of high school. The results of these tests are what determine where a student can attend college.
6. Everything is more static- We stay in one classroom for all of our classes for the year and the teachers change classrooms. We also don’t change classmates. Barring school transfers, you will take classes with the same students for all 5 years.
7. There are no school sport teams/orchestras or bands/drama groups, etc.-   In Italy, there are only a few school clubs, but they aren’t very popular and they are held outside of school hours. All extra-curricular activities takes place outside of school which creates a different atmosphere at school itself. There is a much less sense of school pride and spirit; school is a place to take classes, and nothing beyond that.
8. Less homework, tougher tests- Very few classes give assignments to do during the week. Instead, almost all of my time is spent reviewing and studying for tests and interrogations. The tests are usually very in-depth and require a good amount of studying, and the interrogations are cumulative, so it is crucial to review material even from the beginning of the year.
9.  Relationships with teachers are more formal- Whereas in the United States a teacher can be a confidant, advisor, or even a friend, teachers in Italy have a much more formal role. It is advised to speak to them using the formal tense and with generally more formal language (it is a cardinal sin to say “ciao” instead of “buongiorno” to a teacher)
10. Lessons are almost always lectures- If the teacher isn’t giving a test or interrogation, we spend the class period taking notes. Teachers tend to use only one method to teach, giving a lecture. We never use more creative methods to learn or do other activities in class. 

A picture of me in the newspaper while our class attended a lecture on the Mafia

We set-up ping-pong in the living room

Sassuolo vs Napoli game this past week

My Bike

Over the past 5 months, one of my best friends has been my bike. It’s a shorter bike than I’m used to, and features a basket on the front and a rusty kick-stand. If only it were fitted with an alligator shaped squeaker on the handlebars, it would be perfect for a leisurely ride on a Florida golf course! But don’t get me wrong, I love my bike and it’s well suited for urban life. The basket is always useful, and the height is optimal for navigating the crowded, chaotic streets. Being able to put your foot on the ground without dismounting is crucial, and allows me to navigate with much more precision.

My bike is my main mode of transportation. I ride it to and from school (as long as it isn’t too rainy or cold) and to and from soccer practice (rain or shine).  Living in a city means everything is a little bit closer; the city center is about 5 minutes away, and both the school and soccer fields are only 10. In fact, there is nowhere that I go on an average day that requires a car. While the change from country to city is a big part of why I have started biking more, I think that it also reflects a cultural difference. Italians in general focus less on driving, and more on alternate modes of transportation. Biking is very popular, and so is riding the train. The railway infrastructure is much more developed in Italy and is a convenient and affordable alternative to driving.

After living in rural Vermont where driving is the only practical mode of transportation, it is a nice change to live in a bike-friendly city.

Work Week

This past week I taught English at Cate’s school which was a nice break in the routine and also a great way to give back to my host community. Typically, third or fourth year high school students take a week or two off of school as part of a school-sanctioned “work week” to gain work experience. Getting work experience during the year is also incredibly important to Italian students because, unlike in the U.S, there isn’t the same opportunity or expectation for Italian students to get summer jobs or internships. This week, most of my class worked in various schools throughout the region (normally at nursery schools or primary schools), but there were a few people who found work in a gym, library, or other local business.

Cate’s school is in the center of Carpi and serves grades K-8. The school itself is quite small, there are only one or two classes per grade, and I got to help out with the 5^th-8^th grade English classes. There’s a new English teacher at the school (the original teacher is on leave) so I wasn’t the only one learning the ropes this past week. The new teacher recently finished her collegiate studies and seemed excited to finally get a chance to put her knowledge to use!

The day normally consisted of three hours of lessons and then an hour or two grading tests/homework.  While the teacher gave the lessons, I assisted her in some explanations, and answered any grammatical/pronunciation questions that the students had. I also got the chance to give a presentation about Vermont in Cate’s class. I talked about the geography, history, typical foods and pastimes, etc. all in English, and it seemed as though most of the students understood.  But, one of the nicest parts of the week was my schedule. I only taught for 5 days, that’s right, I had Saturday off!!!!! 

The students were great to work with and seemed to be genuinely interested in me. I thought it was funny that the kids begged their teacher to leave some time at the end of the class period to ask me questions and learn more about life in the U.S. Overall, the work I did this week was really gratifying; I felt like I was able to generate some enthusiasm in the students and hopefully it made learning English enjoyable.