Traveling to Venezia (Venice)!

So the day starts with a minibus ride of almost 2 hours to reach the train station in Torino (Turin) to one of the best new Italian train cars we have ever been on, for 3 hrs. To arrive at Piazza Roma in Venice. 

Goodby to the world as you know it... To a collection of 122 islands connected by walking bridges. No cars, trucks, motorcycles, or bikes. Solo piedi -only by foot... Or boat. It is puzzling to imagine every item in the. It was delivered by boat. How many manhours does that add up to in a day? No wonder the prices are higher here. 

Jordan, Nancy, Greg, Me, Sky, Shakela

Academia Bridge (wooden) crossing the Grand Canal

The private water taxi picks us up at the main dock and off we go, with the threat of rain hovering overhead. It's grey, but we can see the amazing palazzi, docks, and vaporetto (water us) stops along the way down the Grand Canal. We arrive at the hotel, balancing ourselves and our baggage as we disembark in the small canal where Albergo Salute is located. Our vaporetto stop will be, Salute, and we are a short walk from the Peggy Guggenheim Museum and the Academia Bridge - the only wooden one that crosses the Canale Grande. 

So I wonder about the number of trips up and down the Grand Canale it takes to stock a pharmacy, to bring the ingredients that will make up our Continental breakfasts. How many kilo of coffee travel that route each week? Every year?

A gondolier from our taxi

The Parish of St. Stephen

How old are Venetian children before they see their first car? Road? Truck? So many questions!

We unpack and meet up for a quick overview of getting around. We have a mediocre dinner near St. Mark's and try to beat the rain back across the Grand Canal. Tomorrow morning we have a guided walking tour. Seeing St. Marks Piazza for the first time is awesome. It still is awesome for me... My 8th time seeing it.

The students are duly impressed and the rain begins. Is this the Aqua alto? That happens in Jan and Feb. where is o sole mil?.

We make it back and listen the the seagulls and rain as we fall asleep. We've been in Italy a week already!

Buona notte.

Wednesday Afternoon

We enjoyed ourselves emensely at Elena's School. We had lunch with the students (pasta, veal and peas) and got to spend some time talking with some of her colleagues. The two classes went well (see previous post) aand we had lots of fun with the high school students. We also read "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems. The kids really loved saying NO int he right places, and telling me he should NOT drive the bus, especially in Italy! We talked about the book, and I left the next 5 versions for them to use with Elana in upcoming weeks, and I had brought some temporary tattoos of Pigeon that I had gotten at NCTE. All but one of the high school students wanted me to put one on them. It was really fun! I can't find the photo on the iPhone or iPad, so they are on the camera, which right now I cannot get onto the blog... Technology!!! I'm too old for all these changes! (Ok, not really!).

The students in the second class really liked singing Head and Shoulders... and when I said the first class had sung it better, the competition kicked in! They sang it louder and faster, and we all laughed! When we were getting ready to leave, some of the students broke into a rendition of something that's  to the tune of "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain" (which seems appropriate in a town that is in the ALPS!

Grazie Tanti, Elena for a lovely visit to your school. I think next time we need to spend more time with you there!

We then boarded a bus to take to the small town of Cogne, which is north of Aosta, for a visit in the Alps, at Grand Paradiso Park. It was the first National Park in Italy. We stopped at the Roman aqueduct, Pont D'Ael, and Augustan Bridge, which is more than 2000 years old. The arch crosses the Grand Eyvia Torrent. They have built a walking path inside it, which has a glass floor, so you can see all the way to the bottom. It is a bit frightful, and I videoed my way across, behind Schuyler. She did great, and coaching her through took MY mind off how weird it felt. There are beautiful waterfalls and streams.

Again, my Aosta Angel, Elena, found this as a point of interest and she recommended I make the arrangements for the bus to take us there on our visit to Cogne.

We arrived at the park after seeing many waterfalls, high snow capped peaks, and steep drops off the side of the road... It was amazing scenery, and we were so amazed to see the hight, the size of the rocks, and the many streams coming down from the spring melt.

We arrived at Congne, at the Bellevue Hotel, which is something out of a Hollywood movie. The setting is at the valley where two huge mountains meet, with a white mountain in the background behind them. We walked for a while, but the photos I took are... Yep, ON MY CAMERA. 

We met Elena's Cousin, Laura, at the hotel, which she runs. We had tea, coffee, and the most chochlatey hot cocoa I have ever had. Laura served us a delicious torte and cakes in front of a roaring fire. She was wearing an Alpine dress, and spoke perfect English. She studies in Oregon for a year when she was in high school, and then spent a year in a Swiss school learning how to manage a hotel. It is an elegant place, built in the early 1920s, and caters to the wealthy. The town has decided not to become a tourist place, and treasures the business they get from skiers in winter and hikers in spring, summer, and fall, but does not want to become a commercial center. 

She was absolutely gracious, and what a view we enjoyed as we chatted. She had to leave for an accordion lesson, and one of the staff gave us a tour of the spa, pools, lounge, told us about the milk, wine, or hay saunas they offer, and showed us several of the guest rooms. Elena's dad's cousin, (Laura's father) has hand selected every decoration, antiques, and piece of furniture used throughout. It was like a dream... Yes... I would be happy to work there to enjoy such beauty!

Photos to come when we get back home!

We returned to Aosta to a dinner at the Crazy Cow, which was just beyond our hotel parking lot, with Elena. We have spent lots of time together, and she has been such an asset to our time here. We have a new friend and will miss not seeing her for a while! We enjoyed (ok, not everyone) some local dishes, especially with Fontina cheese and local mushrooms. 

It was another enchanted day. 

Tomorrow we leave for Venice. Thank you, dear Elena. Your research into Valdosta, Georgia made our paths cross, and I will always be grateful. Will definitely stay in touch with you. Grazie!

We were unable to make a connection with the new mayor, who was only sworn in last week. He wants to meet us next time, so I left the Valdosta banner with Elena to guarantee a VSU return to Aosta!

Mercolodi Primo, the First Wednesday - Valle D'Aosta High School

The atmosphere from last night was excellent, and it is a place I will definitely return to.  I think the students were also impressed. 

Today is Wed., We have officially be on the road a week. Who can believe it???     

We began or day at Elena's high school. A

It was amazing! There was a TV screen with the daily schedule, including our names as special guests! 

I will have to add photos later as they are on the iPad, iPhone, and Cannon camera. This is something to think about in the future... Photo organization! (I have just done this, but need to remind myself to find a better way before next year). 

The school (INSTITUT AGRICOLE REGIONAL     REG. LA ROCHERE 1/A    11100 AOSTA, ITALY) is a private one with students from ages 15-19 who plan to work in agriculture, tourism, or other related areas. The school has its own vineyard and we were happy to receive three bottles of their own wine. Can't wait to taste it! We met some of Elena's colleagues, and one gave us a delicious package of pastries. Yummy! 

The students were excited to see us arrive by their own school bus, and we went to meet the headmaster. I gave him the VDT book on Georgia agriculture, some info about GA, pens, a VSU Bag, a set of sticky notes, and a VSU tee shirt (from Dork's) which he immediately put on! Great photo of the group outside. Then off to two of Elena's classes. 

It was fun to meet the students, and mine are beginning to say more clearly, "Mi chiamo..." And the Italians appreciate that gesture! 

My students shared Where's Walrus with both groups, and had lots of small group conversations in English. Then I read in English, Don't let Pigeon Drive The Bus! and they all chimed in with "NO!" or "NO WAY" about giving permission. It was easy for me to interject Italian words when I noticed they did not seem to comprehend what I had read. After, they liked how the pigeon kept trying... and I had a temporary tattoo of Pigeon I had gotten at a NCTE Conference. The high school kids ALL wanted one! It was very funny to see them getting so excited about it. But it was wonderful that they had such a good time.

We finished up with a round of Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes... and when they were not going fast enough, I said in Italian that the previous class had been able to go VERY fast.  Ahh... A little sense of competition is the same around the world. They begged me to give them another chance... and we did, and they did! It was lots of fun.

I have so much more to write, and I promise to come back to this day. The students were so welcoming, and a bit shy at first. We worked with two classes for 2 hour sessions each and shared 2 pounds of Jelly Bellies I had brought for them to try. They liked the different flavors, and were motivated to work with us! (Bribe of food = cooperation!). 

One girl asked Ray, "Is it your university that let the boy walk on the US flag?" When he asked how she knew that, she said she had looked it up on line and read about it and saw the photos and video.

Hmmm... 

They loved using the American flag toothpicks in their drawings, just like the elementary students had done yesterday. And when we were leaving, they sang a round of "She'll be coming round the Mountain" for us. They are great students, and we cannot wait to hear what they have to say about our visit...

We had a delicious lunch from the canteen and met more of Elena's colleagues. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. We felt very appreciated. 

Valle D'Aosta Market a Martedi

Awoke to the sound of the marketplace being set up. It's probably double the Sat. One with fewer food vendors. Set out to find the bargains and truly enjoyed walking through.

This was the view from our window during set up.

And of course, the fake looking scenery in the background. 

Everyone seems to be doing ok. 

A day to catch up on sleep and maybe email and blogs and more local shopping. 

Lunedi - Classrooms

Buon giorno! 

How do YOU get to school? Today we arrived by taxi, because I was not sure of how to get to the school. The Luigi Einaudi School is on Via Delle Pace, and happened to be the one we came across on our walking tour on Friday, when it started to rain. 

Ray drawing a simple alligator for the students to try

We started our school week at the Einaudi School in a 4th grade classroom. 8:15 to 10: 15, class 5B, teacher  Tiziana NEGRINI (t.negrini@mail.scuole.vda.it).

The students were very excited to see the American teachers. After introductions and some questions  and answers, Ray drew an alligator on the board, while I showed the children photos of ones from the Okefenokee Swamp. They wanted to also draw one, and they labeled it, "Georgia Alligator". We then broke into small groups to do our activities.  

I started with a short PowerPoint to introduce Where's Walrus?.  I had made (smart to have posted it to the Blazeview site before leaving the U.S.), which included Stephen Savage's video clip of Walrus leaving the studio. The additional you tube videos I had on real walruses would not open, but the teachers got the info for later on. 

We read Where's Walrus? in small groups, each with a copy. The children liked my beanie baby puppet with the sparkling top hat and his own suitcase, and enjoyed that I had said he wanted to come to Italy with us to meet them!

The children were excited and they laughed at each page, and some pointed to the zookeeper's face. The classroom teacher LOVED how the expressions told the story and was very happy to learn that we were leaving a copy of the book with her after we finished. Each child was asked to draw a picture of where Walrus might blend in in Aosta. They immediately got out their pencils and began to draw. As they were finishing up, I passed out US Flag toothpicks for the VSU teachers to poke through, as if the children's walruses were holding the USA flag. It made for a great souvenir and everyone seemed happy. 

We had such a good time in the first class! In the second one, the teacher aid spoke English, so it was a little easier on me to communicate, knowing I had back up. Teachers: Tiziana and Lucia (tzanardo@libero.it) and l.gal@mail.scuole.vda.it

The VSU students felt more comfortable, since they had been successful with the first group. We again talked about where we lived, and that there were alligators nearby. Ray drew his on the board, and then the children did their own. 

Again, we moved into reading Where's Walrus? and then asked the children to think about Aosta and where Walrus might be hiding here.

As with the first group, location served their knowledge. There were many instances of drawing the Arc of Agustus, but one that fascinated me most was the Roman centurion at the Roman Theater, which is in the centre or Aosta. Although the girl did not get to finish coloring her drawing, the most important parts, the wall, the zookeeper, and Walrus, were completed. This is my favorite one, so far.

Angela's class

The children were really excited to have the American flag toothpicks. I had purchased 500 of them through Amazon, and they have been a huge hit in both classes.   I figured it would serve as a little gift and a token of memory after we were gone.

It was a terrific morning and we headed out for a quick lunch and then to another school...

We arrived at the school of St. Orso, Mikaela COTZA (School: Ponte di Pietra) + class 5  (School: Quartiere Dora, teachers Fabio BARMASSE - Fiorella SALVADORI) and had more conversation with the children, who were very eager to speak English with us. We were in the classroom of Angela Morrone (angelamorrone1@gmail.com).

Walrus winning a cup for skiing

At first they were shy, but by now we had learn that by singing Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes , got the children more comfortable, it was fun, and we could be silly. They then sang with the Italian words for each part. The teacher was happy to get the songbook I had made prior to leaving the US, and I pointed out that I had listed a website for each song and the English lyrics could be found for each song in the booklet, as well. Thank you, Miss Blanche for making the copies!

After this class, we were with what apparently was an afterschool group. We did not sing or read with them, but in English, they asked us questions, and we answered, and then we asked them questions and they answered. It was more recitation oriented, but at least we were able to interact, and they practiced their English skills.

We met Elena back at Hotel Torino. She had brought each of us an Aosta apron and a box of cookies. So Ray and I would not have two aprons, she bought Ray a tea towel, as she had for Greg. She is so sweet. I am calling her my 'Aosta Angel'. She had booked a reservation for all of us at a beautiful wine cellar  restaurant, Aldente Trattoria Italiana, Via Croce di Citta, 34 (aldentetrattoriaitaliana@yahoo.it) and joined us for dinner.  She was so interested in our school experiences. We will visit her school on Wed.  After a great meal and some talk a out our day, we braved the rain drops to turn in.

Student blog sites...

The 2015 Study Abroad Students and VSU President, McKinney

From Valdosta, GA to Valle D'Aosta, Italy...

Valdosta State University students who are participating in this four-week study abroad in Italy program (Children, Culture, and Cuisine) are from the Early Childhood and Special Education program in the Dewar College of Education and Human Services. This is the first year of the study abroad program. Students will be posting factual and reflective daily blog entries to their sites. This will serve as a place to inspire reflection, and to recall information.

Through a grant, each student has an iPad mini to borrow for the duration of this program to use in their studies. This will also give them a technological edge, as they will have the mastery of using an iPad for data collection and more.

Here are the students' blog addresses.  I am trying to gather these all together, since the Internet has not been cooperative. Please feel free to read their blog entries, but if you comment, tell them who you are!

Skenzel.blogspot.com - Sky

http://iampursuinghappiness.blogspot.com - Jordan

teachingforoutcomenotincome.BlogSpot.com - Greg

teachingbeyondcultures.BlogSpot.com - Nancy

http://thewideeyedtraveler.blogspot.com - Shakayla

And mine, as you have found, is ItalyVSU15.blogspot.com

E N J o Y!

Professor Miani

Mille grazie per Silvana e Cochi Miani for a delicious dinner at their home, for the students, Ray, and me.