It is interesting what we are able to realize in the absence of certain systems, routines, and social interactions.
Since I have been in Italy, I have noticed the absence of many things which I considered an inherent part of my life in America. These things range from Dunkin Donuts coffee to an uptight/stressful ambiance felt at work. I also have experienced the presence of joy in many of the interactions I have had with my students and Italians.
It has been so difficult to pinpoint exactly how the culture is so different here, in Rome, than in New York City/New Jersey but I think there have been a few defining moments that can express these cultural distinctions.
1) The absence of a boss in a suit
-I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have seen men/women in suits walking with briefcases as "a boss". Actually, I am having trouble thinking of even one instance of this. The presence of a high ranked person in a suit and tie is really an anomaly. In Hoboken, on the contrast, I saw countless men and women in suits rushing to work everyday. In each one of their jobs, the expectation is that their boss would be in an even nicer suit. Here, there does not seem to be a need to impose your position on anyone else by means of attire or stature. The facade of "professionalism" (nice clothes, nice hair cut, nice heels/loafers), is non-existent.
It matters more how you interact with people and how you do your job.
2) The presence of a bar in school
-In the way that the river was a gathering point for Mesopotamia, the school bar is a place for teachers. Not to say that our lives revolve around caffeine fixes, but the school bar is a place for teachers to plan, converse, or occasionally chug an espresso. There is also Sambuca, if your day is particularly rough although I haven't seen anyone indulge in alcohol on my watch.
3) The emotional openness of children
-My students are predominantly Italian. They are passionate. They speak with their hands. They kiss and fight. They yell, and then they make up. They hold hands. They hug. They are very affectionate and emotional. All the stereotypes of Italians have been proven true in just the 2 months I have spent with these kids.
-It has been fascinating to observe the way children interact with each other and with me. At least once or twice a day I have a student coming up to me to give me a hug. Sometimes it is the boys and sometimes it is the girls. Boys hug each other and kiss each other on the cheek. It is cute.
They do not feel the need to maintain a "macho" exterior free of affection and emotions. I read "The Giving Tree" to my class and at the end of my lesson one of my students (who happens to be a great soccer player and relatively "popular"), was almost in tears and said "But the tree is SO KIND". He was so moved by the selfless attitude of the tree. Him and his friends hugged each other. Another example of a child being affectionate is when we had a discussion about the death of a staff member. As I was discussing this delicate situation, I had two of my students
rest their heads in my lap. It was really sweet.
-This next example is a sensitive issue for many---particularly Americans. Bullying. I had a student who asked to share a "show and tell". I said yes, expecting the show and tell to be rather trivial. The student stood in front of the class and said "I am sharing this little toy because my Mom bought it for me because I have been standing up to myself for people who have been making fun of me. It's not very nice for people to make fun of me, and I think these people are doing it because they want to be cool. But I am standing up for myself and I hope that I make friends". You could not hear a pin drop in the classroom. Which is saying a lot, considering my class is composed of 85% Italians. I was TOTALLY in shock...dumbfounded by his maturity and confidence, and heart-broken by his feelings. For a seven year old to stand in front of the class and show such emotional vulnerability. Wow. The kids have been treating this student kindly since.
4) The willingness to accept change
-For some reason in America we have developed this way of functioning on a daily basis that is so deeply embedded in routines, paradigms, and programs. We do not like change.
-The curriculum that my school is currently using is one that is inherently based off change. Each teacher is encouraged to use their personal creativity and identity. The curriculum is evolving--- it changes based off of the students response to each lesson. It changes every semester and every year.
5) The multilingual classroom
-Words cannot explain the challenge of having students who do not speak English in your classroom. I have modified the pace in which I speak so that at all times I am able to communicate with students in the room. Even speaking really slowly does not work. I have to speak in Italian sometimes, or I resort to hand gestures in order to get my point across. What a burden it is for these children to be in a classroom where their teacher is speaking a language that they are not able to really understand. It takes survival instincts for them to be able to function.
Many of my students know 3-4 languages. To them, it is normal. But imbedded in their lives, they have the experience of learning another language and trying their hardest to function affectively amidst a culture that will inevitably change. They develop real world problem- solving skills. Out of necessity.
6) Nightlife
-Hundreds of Italians hanging out, sitting on marble steps in a piazza. Or on cobble stones.. Or maybe leaning against Fiats on the side of the road. They have wine or beer. And surrounding the piazza are several bars that are full of people---the sound of people's voices.
Not a single sound of a DJ blasting the TOP40 hits. What a stark contrast to bars in New Jersey--particularly Hoboken or Morristown. Not that I have anything against these places, because I always have fun when I am with my friends there. But really these bars play music SO LOUD. It is impossible to have a conversation with people. In Rome, people go out IN ORDER to have conversations with each other. So the music would not be turned up so loud at a typical bar.
This past weekend I was out at a bar that was playing Latin American music---a live band. There was a very visibly pregnant woman dancing her heart out. My first thought was ---"why is a pregnant woman out of a bar". It was a moment where I had to stop myself and say..."wait a second...why do you think this is weird?" I thought it was so weird to see because in America we assume that if you are out at a bar you are going to drink. And we think pregnant people quite frankly shouldn't be dancing in a tank top. But this woman was having such a great time dancing with her friends/family.....it was probably so good for her, and for her baby. It was a moment of culture shock. Sad to say. But really, if I was out in Morristown and I saw a pregnant woman dancing in the middle of the dance floor- I would probably be totally shocked. Here, it was no big deal. It was beautiful.
Let the adventures continue.... :)
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