Today was the first day of my course :) The lectures were very interesting, and I now have half a shelf with my name on it. My name, for the purposes of this course, is Ms Openshaw. The training centre only uses surnames apparently, which is a bit strange for me (having gone to a Quaker school).
I cannot wait until they start showing us the Montessori materials - especially the maths!
Monday, 5 September 2011
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Hooray, trousers!
From about 8pm yesterday until 4pm today it rained continuously. It was proper rain, with huge, noisy drops and intermittent thunder and lightning. Oddly, as our apartment block has an enclosed courtyard, it seemed to be kind of raining indoors, which was cool. The upshot of all this is that the temperature has gone down by about 5 degrees, which in turn meant that when I went out this evening, I decided to wear trousers under my dress. And oh my, I didn't truly appreciate how amazing trousers are until today! No mosquito bites on my legs! And wow, of course it solved the annoying problem of the backs of my legs sticking to chairs!
Trousers also allowed me to fully experience the amazingness of the transformation that has taken place in the main square. Bergamo has a large, historic piazza (imaginatively named Piazza Vecchio - literally Old Square). This piazza is very beautiful, containing a library with a white marble colonnade; a tall, elegant clock-tower; a beautiful cathedral; a charming fountain; and a handful of slightly over-priced coffee-shops. But this week, it's been temporarily transformed. A formal garden has been laid out, filling the whole square with beautifully laid-out flower beds and soft fake grass. Strange futuristic lighting has been artfully hung among the potted trees which have suddenly appeared. And then today, the icing on the cake - concealed speakers, playing relaxing music, and also some giant beanbags have appeared! Giant beanbags! Only truly appreciable with trousers.
Trousers also allowed me to fully experience the amazingness of the transformation that has taken place in the main square. Bergamo has a large, historic piazza (imaginatively named Piazza Vecchio - literally Old Square). This piazza is very beautiful, containing a library with a white marble colonnade; a tall, elegant clock-tower; a beautiful cathedral; a charming fountain; and a handful of slightly over-priced coffee-shops. But this week, it's been temporarily transformed. A formal garden has been laid out, filling the whole square with beautifully laid-out flower beds and soft fake grass. Strange futuristic lighting has been artfully hung among the potted trees which have suddenly appeared. And then today, the icing on the cake - concealed speakers, playing relaxing music, and also some giant beanbags have appeared! Giant beanbags! Only truly appreciable with trousers.
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Bureaucracy, and how to avoid it
So far, I've met two main attitudes among Italian people: 1) those who follow all the rules to the letter, whilst simultaneously complaining about and apologising for the level of bureaucracy in this country; and 2) those who say <<va bene>> and break all the rules.
For example, the two very helpful people who tried to sort out my internet issues. The first one said that he'd have to send the internet key away to be fixed, and that I needed the warranty, etc. The second one simply took the sim out of the broken key, swapped it for a new one, and handed it to me with a smile.
For example, the two very helpful people who tried to sort out my internet issues. The first one said that he'd have to send the internet key away to be fixed, and that I needed the warranty, etc. The second one simply took the sim out of the broken key, swapped it for a new one, and handed it to me with a smile.
New Blog
Hello!
I've decided to start this blog in order to keep in touch with people in the UK (and elsewhere, if anyone else is interested), while I'm away in Italy. I'll be here until the end of June, learning how to teach 6-12 year-olds using the Montessori method. This has been my ambition for the last 20 years (literally!) - so I'm hoping it's all it's cracked up to be.
I've decided to start this blog in order to keep in touch with people in the UK (and elsewhere, if anyone else is interested), while I'm away in Italy. I'll be here until the end of June, learning how to teach 6-12 year-olds using the Montessori method. This has been my ambition for the last 20 years (literally!) - so I'm hoping it's all it's cracked up to be.
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