New year, new look, new approach

First of all, tanti auguri to everyone! Happy New Year 2011!

In shame, with my head held low, I must admit that I'm woefully behind on the updates (in case you hadn't noticed). I realize the point of a blog is not to publish what was happening to you four months ago, but what's happening now. So, with a fresh new year, I'm going to begin from where we are now, and I'll fill in the details as needed. 

Number One: The Job

Well, as some of you know, I came to Genova with absolutely no job prospects. That meant I was in for a lot of pavement-pounding. Since I am in Italy, it was of course an interesting experience.

At the first ESL school the woman I met was friendly and open. And when I say “open”, I mean more than willing to tell me about the current economic crisis in Italy (hit even harder than other European countries, which in turn were hit much harder than Canada). Actually she was in a terrible mood: she lamented shockingly low salaries (claiming that some office clerks make just 5 euros, or $6.65 an hour) and the fact that some teachers in public schools, even after many years, don’t make enough to live on. “Why did you come here??” she asked, as incredulous as politeness would allow.

So, uh, you’ll call me when you have something, then?

The proprietor of the next school had taught English in such unusual classrooms as trains and cruise ships. I got a job interview on the spot and was offered some contract work right away....but, given the fact that the place was a chaotic mess, I had a feeling I wouldn’t enjoy working there. Also, it seemed to be the kind of fly-by-night school that unfortunately exists in large numbers: first interested in making a profit, then maybe imparting a few English-language skills solely through exposure to a native speaker who wants to “teach English” for a few months while partying it up in a foreign country.

The last school of the day was almost impossible to find, due to the completely baffling street numbering system here in Italy. There are two sets of numbers: red for office buildings and black for apartments (or is it the other way around...). They are not in any way related to each other, but they are interspersed along the block, which means you might have red 80, followed by black 3, after which you’ve got red 81 and 82, then black 4, then red 83...you get the idea. If there is some pattern to be found, I might never have enough time to find it out.

I lost count of how many people I asked for directions and, after some pointing and explaining (neither of which was extremely useful) they all asked for “one euro”. Ridiculous! I thought and walked away.

I finally found the place after receiving instructions from an old man who could’ve been the godfather of the Godfather: a short, stocky, dark-haired Italian with a rasp like a death rattle. His short, stocky, dark-haired Italian wife was next to him in the teeny porter’s office; it looked like they had been there for maybe sixty years.

Once at the building I finally realized what the others had been talking about: it was next to an elettrodomestic (appliance) store called UniEuro!

There have been a lot of moments like that since I got here.

Given the lack of funds, I did feel obligated to work for school number two for a while. Unfortunately all my instincts were right, and the time I spent at that gong show was miserable. However, luckily it was only a month before I found something much better. 

I'm still with this much-better school and am quite happy there. Most days of the week I travel to company offices in and around Genova, teaching English to business executives. Sometimes I also teach one-on-one lessons at the school. The pay is fairly good, my co-workers are interesting (all four of them), and my boss is very quirky. Just how I like it.

I'm also doing a bit of English tutoring of my own on the side. To advertise, I took the poster I'd used for piano lessons, changed the graphic and the language, and it was good to go! I put up the poster at various university buildings and have received a lot of inquiries as a result. And boy, am I ever glad that I started studying Italian all those months ago, as it would have been practically impossible to arrange all of this without it.

Number Two: The Learning of Italian

I've been here in Italy for almost five months now. I don't get to speak Italian as much as I'd like -- in fact I have basically the worst job possible in terms of learning the language, since I have to speak English all week! However, lately when I've told people Ci provo di parlare bene (I try to speak well) they say No, non provi, riesci! (You're not trying, you're succeeding!)
At times I can understand exactly what someone else is saying. It's a great day after three hours of church, for example, when I can think, "Yup, today I understood pretty much everything!"
Other times I only catch words here and there and can only get at the fringes of meaning before the person's gone on to the next phrase.

But there was that one time I had a whole conversation with an old woman without any teeth! Now that's a sign of progress. I think it should be added to the How To Know How Fluent You Are list:
Stage One: You can understand a drunk person.
Stage Two: You can understand singing.
Stage Three (true fluency): You can understand a drunk person singing! 

Number Three: The Apartment 

Near the end of September I finished my five weeks of Italian class, which had also included a room in an apartment with other students. I had to find my own place...and was really lucky to stumble across something great on only the second try, even if Italy hasn't yet discovered the wonders of craigslist (gagh!).

Here's what was great about it: it had a view of the sea!

That was pretty much enough to convince me. Other benefits included a roommate who spoke English (she's Italian but lived in London for a while), proximity to town, and not way up in the hills somewhere. Because hiking hills sucks. 

Number Four: So, Is It Like Totally Still Summer There, or What?

Actually, if you can believe it, it's snowed here. Twice.

But it's really not very cold (ok, after seven winters in Toronto it doesn't feel cold).

If I ever do say it feels a little nippy, every Italian for miles shrieks "But you're CANADIAN!!" 

Number Five: Whether I Have Found a Hot Italian Man Yet

The short answer is No. The long answer is also No.

Number Six: So Are You Going to Stay Forever, or What?

Well, that's definitely not in the plans. Italy is an interesting place to be for a while, but I don't think I could live here for the rest of my life. (Confession: Italian food is great, but it's not my absolute favourite.) In later posts I'll write more about that.

Okay, I think that about does it! We're all caught up! Stay tuned for other updates as they happen...