Another month in Italia: exams, teaching and real life!

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April 8, 2015 by chloehathway

It’s been another month between my blog posts! This time though, I actually have a good reason. My semester is split into two halves, and each half has different classes in. I tactically chose my modules so that I took two modules in the first half and two that run all the way through until the end of May. This way, I have a freer second half of the semester (and more time to profit from the good weather!), time to revise for an exam and to write an assignment. Having now done the first half, I am really glad I chose to do it this way! The pressure is certainly off a little bit now. However, the past 5 or so weeks have been pretty busy. I spent a lot of time in uni, plus settling in to my teaching placement (and getting to grips with the dreaded lesson planning!). With considerably busier weeks than what I had in France, I was keen to make the most of the weekends, and have pretty much travelled somewhere every weekend.

It’s been a busy but great few weeks. Having a lot more lessons in the first half of the semester has definitely forced me to improve my Italian at quite a quick rate. You just can’t sit in a four hour lecture on Italian Sign Language and not concentrate and make legible, coherent notes! The good news is, I passed that course with a pretty good grade, which leaves me a little bit of breathing room to do slightly worse in one of my harder modules. I took a course in LIBRARY STUDIES (God help me) this half of the semester and the exam is in June, so I have a LOT of reading to do in the coming weeks. Luckily, with my good grade from Italian Sign Language, I don’t necessarily have to pass the Library course. It’s a complicated system from my home university, but basically things could certainly be worse right now!

This brings me to Italian exams. Never have I seen a more chaotic system! Everyone turns up on the day of the exam at 9am, and quite literally stands outside for a few hours until their name is called for a 15 minute oral exam. One of my friends had to wait for 3 DAYS outside an office as there were so many students! That being said, I was lucky and took my exam at 10:30am. And let me tell you, an oral exam on an academic topic in your third language is difficult. I’ve never had to think on my feet so much! However, I had studied hard for it and it paid off when he gave me 28/30. I think I’ll take that! And of course, we rewarded ourselves with post-exam cupcakes. I mean, it would be rude not to, right?

B-Sweet, Parma. Best cupcakes and cheesecake around!

I am also about half way through my teaching placement. When I began this blog I categorically stated that I did not want to and never would be a teacher. Hilariously, I actually really enjoy my placement. The kids are so funny and ask such random questions (“Do you eat cereal?” or “Do you have a credit card?”), and dare I say it, DON’T HATE ME. In fact, they actually look forward to my lessons! The teachers I work with are really welcoming and appreciative of the effort I put in, which is actually a lot. I have never had any teacher training but I have to hold down hour-long lessons practically on my own, so lesson planning is a pretty long process for me. I like to have options in case the original plan goes wrong (this is quite often given the stone-age computers in school that don’t support my PowerPoints.)!

The kids are aged between 11 and 14, which is quite a challenging age. They’re old enough to answer back, but not quite old enough to understand that their current education (particularly in English) is shaping their future choices and careers. I have a completely new-found respect for good teachers who dedicate their time to difficult children to give them a better future. I still don’t think I could happily train as a teacher post-graduation, but my outlook has totally changed. And luckily for me, I am actually enjoying being a teacher for a few hours a week! (That’s probably my cut-off point, though…)

Of course, the past few weeks have not just been full of studying, exams and teaching. I mean, it is Erasmus after all! I’ve been to Bologna again, Milan and even learnt how to ski! I can now officially make it down mountains! (I’m really proud of this as extreme sports are not my forte…) My family also came to Parma last week so we visited a few nearby cities, and I got to be a tourist in my own city for a few days! I certainly have a new appreciation of Parma. Erasmus nights have been attended, great coffee has been drunk and the sun has started to come out. Spring is officially here and I’m really excited for things to come!

The glass ceiling in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Milano

Folgaria: the first time I have ever been on a mountain!

Proof I actually did ski!

Bologna nights

Il Battistero di Parma

Parma Cathedral. I can’t believe I had never been in here until my family came to visit- it doesn’t even cost! I loved the inside of this cathedral more than the one in Bologna and even Milan.

On the roof of the Duomo in Milan. Amazing!

Views fro the roof of the Duomo, Milano. Where mountains, skyscrapers and Gothic architecture meet. We live on a wonderful Earth.

Buona Pasqua from Italia!

Next possible stop: Budapest. And if that doesn’t work out, it’ll be Naples in two weeks! I’m really looking forward to making the most of the sunshine and this beautiful country. After all, you only do a semester in Italy once!