The Teaching Queen.

Did I mention I picked up a teaching job while abroad? I teach english to Italian high school students. I meet with them and their teacher every thursday for one hour. My partner is Jay. He tries to come up with lesson plans, but always takes the easy way out. Hah. Before I began, I had heard horror stories from other EAP kids who taught during the beginning of the week (Monday was Jordan and Anna). They explained that their students didn't listen at all and were very rude and hard to manage. Their teacher didn't even try to interfere!  They brought an air horn to class the second time they met. Tuesday and Wednesday came and I began to panic. Jay and I met with the teacher, Simona, the week before to teach her advanced level english class and even she warned us that "your normal class does not behave. They don't know much english and they could care less to learn it."

Today was our second time teaching our normal group of students. They are actually really obedient! Like all other classes, only a few of the students talk to us, but they really like us! Simona told us after class that they always ask her when we're coming and if they could take us out after class to show us around Siena. Is that not the cutest thing anyone can say?!!!! They're roughly 2 years younger than Jay and me, so they're basically in our age group. They love Linkin' Park and The Doors. Haha! So cute! They noticed that I cut my hair and always yell GOOD-BYE before they leave. Again, so cute!

They taught Jay and I about Siena's Palio. We had to pretend we knew nothing about it, even though we learned everything about it in culture class. Best kept secret: we know the Palio AND we speak Italian. In return, we told them about America's version of Thanksgiving; what we eat, how it started and who were the Pilgrims, why it is... They've never seen a whole turkey before! Haha. It's so cool learning about what's different in our cultures.

After class, I came home and traded my boots for moccasins. Without realizing what I had just put on, I looked in the mirror to discover that I looked like a pilgrim, fully equipped with a dirty olive green long-coat, black leggings, high socks and moccasins that could pass for those weird pilgrim shoes. I am... an American?