I started school last Monday, and it is by far the most boring thing I have ever experienced. I don't understand anything the teachers say, so most of the day I am just studying Italian by myself. Some of the classes that I am supposed to be paying attention in include: Italian (I don't even understand the language, how am I supposed to understand the literature?), Math (I have absolutely no idea what we are studying), English (the only class that I understand), Art History (even though I don't understand what she is saying, this class is pretty interesting), Physical Education (this class is an absolute joke. I run maybe 3 minutes, then do whatever I want. Side note, basketball is not a thing here, so when I made a 3 pointer, they thought I was Michael Jordan), Italian History (again, don't understand, but very interesting), and finally Physics (my least favorite of all the classes). I study each of these subjects for a total of 3 hours week, so my schedule varies depending on what day it is. It may sound like a lot, but they also give me 3 hours of independent study on Monday mornings, and 2 hours on Friday, where I usually study Italian. (That's a lie, I just sleep).
Italian schools are so much different than American schools. They have five classes a day, each for an hour. The class is basically ran by the students, and the teachers are simply there to guide their learning. Nearly all of their grades are determined by oral interrogations. By this I mean one student gets up to the board and talks about the material for about 25 minutes. Every week. I don't know how they do it, but they can. Their "presentations" are graded on a scale of 1-10; the lowest possible score being 2, and the highest is a 10, but this is impossible. The average score is a 5, but you need an average of 6 to pass the course, otherwise you have to retake the entire year over. Insane standards, but these kids are brilliant.
My Italian is definitely coming along nicely. I still don't know enough to uphold a productive conversation without speaking a little English, but I'm getting there. Hopefully by the end of March I will be able to communicate more than the basics. Most of my day is spent conjugating verbs, and trying memorize new vocabulary. I have an Italian course 2 days a week, and that helps a lot. The tutor asked me today if I wanted to help teach his English course next month, so I think that will be fun!
I'm starting to settle into my new life here. I just recently started taking the public transportation alone, and I usually only miss my stop by a kilometer, which is progressive. (The first day I took the bus, I had to walk almost 3 kilometers, almost a mile and a half, in the cold because I missed my stop...). I'm starting to go out with friends more, but all they do it study, so it's hard. I have nothing to study, so I mostly just sleep... I think that I am going for pizza tomorrow with my class, but I'm really never sure what they are saying so I'll find out tomorrow.
I know this blog is a little all over the place, but I am trying to write this while guests are over, so it's hard. I'll post some pictures at the bottom to show you what it's like here. Thanks for reading. Not sure when I'll post again, Time is flying by here, so it could be awhile.
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