Still few days...

Time goes by so fast...
I've just realized this is my tenth week here in Minderhout, it means that apart from the time I'll be at home in Sicily I'll stay here for 4 more weeks...
I had a very nice week together with my mum visiting some Belgian cities, like Brugge, Brussels, Leuven and Oostende even if her pleasant company was really important. It was a very busy week and now a busy week-end, too, thinking on and working with some activities for the students and perhaps for the teachers, too...who knows!!! ;-); organizing my coming back home and the luggage; enjoing my date with some collegue!
And on Wednesday leaving for Pisa: I expect a long journey being in Sicily only on Thursday.
But I'm glad and happy that everything went and is still going very well!

Weekend

This weekend I visited Brugge with my mother (she couldn't miss me anymore).
Bellissima!!!
But I can imagine that walking through the small streets of Brugge is nicer without all those umbrella's, and more colourfull (green I mean) in summer.
And I also saw your Nordsee.
It seems that the water 'walks' hundreds of meters every day and that the tourists have to run very far for bathing when you want to go on the wrong moment. Strange, but good for health of course...

saint Nicolas

It seems that the holy man visited the school on thursday.
How comes that I missed him?
On the first floor I only met two black men who gave me a lot of biscuits.
Maybe he is too old to climb the stairs???

theatre

On monday I went to the theatre in Turnhout with the fifth and sixth classes. It was a play about the middle ages. A bit strange indeed, but wonderful music, extra ordinary players. The language (the 'Vlaams') was still a bit too difficult for me (and for the pupils too?) but I had a good translator next to me.
After the play I went shopping in Turnhout (christmas decorations appear in the streets), had dinner in a nice italian restaurant and finished the evening with a good belgian beer in the beautiful house of meester Kris (and his little daughter is so cute! I think I fell in love with her!!).

pastaparty

I will not forget this wednesday!

We had a nice plan to prepare real italian pasta in the preprimary school.

It should be very structured and organised, small groups, only the oldest pupils.

But what happened when the smell spread all over the school?

The headmaster, Karel and Khader (no porkmeat for him) went in and insisted to taste my pasta. No problem.

And at that moment I decided with miss Greet that we should try to serve all pupils. The school has a nice new place now where everyone can sit together, there was music, help from the teachers... so the party could start.

It was really great to see how this small children liked my homefood.

BUT... what a mess afterwards!

Eggs, spaghetti, sauce everywhere!

I agree now, there are easier things to eat than this long spaghettislings...

Pizza? yes, thank you!

What a nice way to start my long week-end eating pizza! and what a wonderful pizza, in a pizzeria, too.
So, just yesterday I tried my first belgian pizza...or better, my first italian pizza in Belgium in a nice pizzeria, watching the pizzaman while working with the dough. But, the tiramisù tasted good, too, even if I thought that maybe I can prepare one by myself and bring it at school....Perhaps my collegues would like...who knows!
What do you think about?

Sports

On friday, my day off in fact :), I went with the pupils of the two first classes to Brecht for a sporting afternoon. Flemish sports are as tiring as italian ones but I liked it. For the weekend I will try to visit my friend Marianna, another Italian Comenius assistent in Liège. Exploring the belgian public transport...
See you on monday!

Hocus & Lotus

Only 3 simple words to describe this new great and exciting experience..."OH MY GOD"!!! They are also the only 3 words I had in mind since the first day I started working with these two nice dinocrocs! Maybe you can ask why....just because it is the very first time I come in contact with the magic and fantasy world of Hocus & Lotus and even if I have to do it in Italian, that is my mother tongue, it needs a lot of study! And what's more, I have to do it with children who speak Dutch, a very new language for me, and who don't speak or understand Italian, a very new languange for them too. So, I know that it is important for the children I tell and act the stories in the best way I can. That's why I' m trying to do it with care, and that's also why I'm really enthusiastic, being so glad to work with such lovely pupils!!!

Back home and back

During this holidays I went back for a few days to Tuscany to meet my boyfriend. Quite normal, isn't it?
Guess who else were waiting for me at Pisa airport? The headmaster from Scharrel and his wife! By coincidence they also booked a trip to the same area.
... and they also could enjoy the italian rain! It was really belgian weather :)
But now I'm back in town for a few months and ready for my teaching job!

In Biblioteca

Another day, another new experience!
In the afternoon I was to the library in Hoogstraten together with Greete, who helped me to get the card and showed me how to look for some books, seeing my "little" difficulties with Flemish language!
So that, days pass and I try to integrate as better as possible in Belgian lifestyle and habits.
Will I succeed in this exploit?

mercato

Today, after joining juf Greet in the fantasy world of Hocus Lotus I biked with the 5th class to Hoogstraten. Beside some dutch words I learned about vegetables. This can be the moment to introduce you some simple italian words: tomatoes - pomodori, apples - mele, strawberries - fragole. Allora Hoogstraten è la città delle fragole!
By the way it was a nice trip... and nice pupils too (and what about the teachers :)?)

beer

I tried my first belgian beer.
It was called Trappist friom Westmalle.
I like it very much.
Dont worry, I only drank one!

handycrafts

In these first weeks I'm glad teachers can use me in their lessons.
In this way I learn about the schoolsystem and I get familiar with the pupils.
In the 5th grade I made some mosaïcs with those pupils who had choosen this subject.
Mosaïcs are very popular in the south of Italy, for this reason I tried to prepare one by myself representing Sicily.
Do you like the results?

Italy

I can already start teaching a bit in the 6th grade.
I agree with Noor and Greet to tell their pupils about Italy: what does it mean to live on an isle? Which famous italians do we know? Can we name some popular cities, footballteams maybe, and rivers, mountains? And where does pizza come from? Can we prepare it? I really like this and I hope pupils will get to know my country better.

school

My first steps at Scharrel on monday morning.
Fortunately I already know some faces and... some coffee is waiting for me.
I introduce myself in different classes and hope pupils will like it.
At least I feel a real interest.
Honestly, I'm a bit nervous!

cold

My first time in Belgium, I'm sure I will like it but... it's so cold here!
First thing to do: by me a new and warm coat.
Together with my second mother Greet I went to Turnhout and found everything I needed.
Step by step I will discover your place and your country. I'm looking forward to it!

Arrival

After some difficult arrangements with my new local school but mainly after some struggle with the airplane company I arrived on the 9th of october after midnight in Charleroi. Fortunately there I found my new chef Pat to pick me up and bring me safely through the dark and wet belgian roads to my new home at Luc and Yvonne.
All's well what ends well!