Just Gotta Dance

In Italy, my policy is to seize the day, or carpe diem for you folks who enjoy dead languages.  A few of my roommates were having a bad weekend because their Fall Break plans to venture to Napoli fell through.  I suggested a trip to a church upon a mountain that we'd all been eager to see.  We set out early and found the station where we could take a tram to the top of the mountain to see Basilica di Superga.  The girls spent weeks planning their trip but one of them was randomly called by the Italian immigration office to appear on Monday morning so they had to cancel the trip without being fully refunded their money.  The pilgrimage to Superga was well worth the effort and truly turned the day around for everyone.  We reached the top after a 18 minute tram ride and hiked another 100 meters (ish?) to the church.  What we experienced was amazing.

Basilica di Superga

This incredible church was built in the 18th century and now houses the tombs of the Savoy family.  This site is perhaps most well known for a horrible tragedy in 1949.  The community of Superga used to be home to Torino's airport and on a particularly foggy night in 1949 the entire Torino soccer team, 5 time world champions, crashed into the side of the basilica.  It was a particularly tragic event that is still fresh in the minds of many Torinesi and each year on the anniversary of the crash thousands of fans climb the mountain to honor the fallen team.  Here soccer is as much a religion as catholicism, and in talking with several locals about the event, each expresses the fleeting nature of life and the need to truly experience every day in the fullest.  We eat, we drink, we be merry - and that's the Italian way of life that truly inspires me.

After visiting the church we decided to go to Galleria 8, the local shopping mall, to perhaps see a movie or enjoy a pizza at Eataly.  While walking around I spotted a Wii dance competition happening in the center of the mall and I knew I had to try.  I convinced Natalie to join me in defeating a pair of Italian middle school girls who really didn't forsee their imminent demise.  She was reluctant at first but I assured her she couldn't look more ridiculous than me while dancing, and I was right.  Should be good for a laugh:

Check out the video here.

Sporting the shirt I won after winning the Just Dance 2 competition.

I've gotta say it feels pretty good to just let go and not really care what the passersby are thinking (if you notice, we did draw a small crowd).  Oh, and victory feels pretty good as well.  I had a blast just dancing around with Natalie and she was in such a great mood after the competition she completely forgot about the botched trip to Napoli.  I woke up today really energized and feeling blessed to be in such a lovely city surrounded by such history and such beauty.  I told the girls we should visit another baroque church in the afternoon and go see my friend Elisa who works at a local chocolate shop.  We walked around the bustling center of Torino and ducked inside the Basilica della Consolata, an indescribable church with marble and gold embellishments upon every surface.  

Guilded Ceiling of La Consolata

I silently explored the chapels and corridors in awe of all the beauty and glory inside this single building - this country is so extraordinary.  The locals just strolled in, crossed themselves, and sat down on the pews for individual moments of silence.  To have such a work of art within which they can worship, how blessed they are!  Just as praiseworthy is the chocolate shop, Al Bicerin, directly across from La Consolata where my friend Elisa works.  It was built in 1763 and functioned as a neighborhood cafe' and local meeting point for Alexander Dumas, Puccini, and Nietzche among others.  Back then they served a drink called bicerin made with coffee, chocolate and milk cream which you can still enjoy today.  The girls and I escaped the chilly autumn air and settled into a cozy corner table among locals, each enjoying a wine glass full of this delightful beverage.

Bicerin: chocolate, coffee, creamy goodness.

All in all it's been a fantastic weekend.  I marveled at how blessed the Italians are to walk amongst such rich cultural heritage and feel a sense of belonging.  Then I further ruminated on the ways in which I consider myself blessed - every day I have the opportunity to experience such beauty, scale mountains to revere breathtaking monuments, walk along the bustling cobbled streets of the city, happily sip a historical hot chocolate in a centuries-old shop, and even dance in front of complete strangers with reckless abandon.  There's much to be thankful for, and I plan to embrace each day with the same zealous demeanor.

Follow the Leader

What an interesting day.  In Project Management we had to do a leadership practical class which involved me and the German running around the school and surrounding town trying to convince people to let us take pictures of them with silly faces.  This was supposed to demonstrate our ability to lead a team and convince others to follow us.  We received points based on the types of people we photographed: students-3, staff-4, strangers-6 and I was, of course, determined to beat the German.  Now I will admit to having a leg-up on him with my understanding of Italian language, but let's not discount my disarming smile and undeniable charm.  Oh, and feminine wiles.  Doesn't it mean you're a good leader if you can convince 3 guys at a bar who just got out of a funeral to take silly pictures?  Ok, yeah, kind of wrong.  But let's just say the German started gloating too soon with his 108 points, because mamma came back with 178.  This was added in some capacity to my midterm grade, meaning this plus the video presentation got the... what was it again?  Oh yeah, the "A."

Lovely obliging ladies from the administration office

To top things off, this evening I had my didactic debut in an English Conversation lesson.  Me, a teacher.  Ha!  In the interview I made it clear I've never taught any subject before in my life, but the community center called me back last week and offered me the position.  It's one class a week, Tuesday evenings, for adults that want to practice their English in an informal setting.  I realized this weekend I have absolutely no idea how to teach English - I was terrified they were going to ask me about past conditional tenses or indirect pronouns.  Eek!  My current method for helping the foreign roommates is to tell them "this sounds good" and "this doesn't" but I can't explain why, it just is.  Luckily, I had the interwebs to guide me through How to Teach an ESL Conversation Class.

graphic representation of languages in my head.

I watched some podcasts this weekend with tips on how to command a classroom's attention and present a lesson plan.  Today I spent about an hour creating a powerpoint of fun images and questions for the class but I still couldn't wrap my head around being a teacher.  It's almost scary how much freedom is involved in this position, I was told I could talk about whatever I want as long as I am able to judge their level of comprehension/ability.  There were 9 students total and most of them were between 30 and 50 so I was afraid they wouldn't take me seriously with this precious baby face of mine.  Well, I told myself to feign confidence (as I often do when speaking Italian), as this usually works in getting people to listen to you and follow orders.  Well I think it worked.  I started out with a joke in Italian (thank goodness I'm amusing in 2 languages) and it went over rather well.  

I introduced myself and did some games and activities to get them acquainted with each other.  I had them laughing about American culture and British accents that are difficult to understand.  I had them try to guess the capital of Texas and my responses were: Miami, Santa Fe, Houston and Dallas :)  At a certain point I told them to write a few sentences down and a matter of moments later I saw all their little pens writing intently and I thought - wow, these people are actually doing whatever I say, incredible!  Before I knew it 1.5 hours was up and I'd successfully facilitated a course in English Conversation.  Whew!

My favorite part of the lesson was explaining to them the Hook 'Em Horns hand signal used at my University in comparison with that same gesture's significance in their culture -- a mildly offensive sign that your significant other is doing you wrong.  Ahhh, cultural nuances.  Now I just have to worry about what the heck I can talk about for 28 more lessons.  Suggestions welcome.

Today Sucks

The title of this post might just give away how I'm feeling right now.  Ugh, gross.  I finished all my midterms yesterday, felt generally fine about them until I got to class this morning.  Which class has me scowling and feverishly typing from my favorite corner of the library right now?  You guessed it, Accounting.

He gave us our tests back today and I tried not to get my hopes up even though I felt fairly good about it.  Well, the grading was divided among 4 sections at 25% each.  The first section I received 90% correct, the second section 100%, the third... 0%, and the fourth 90%.  Yeah, what?!?  I asked him what he meant by 0% on that specific exercise (which involved math, no surprise I screwed it up) and he said yeaaaah that wasn't what I was looking for.  Well, um, sir, could you give me partial credit here because I obviously set it up properly but didn't use the correct method for the final answer?  Hmm... sorry, your grade is around a 75, but don't worry it's no big deal.

No big deal?  I know these Italians aren't familiar with the American 0-100 grading system because they use 0-30 or something, but 75 is not acceptable!  I studied so *%&@$*%^ hard for this test, you guys don't even understand.  Obviously my %s in the other sections should somehow outweigh a dumb error in math!  I got, well, upset to say the least.  I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that I can be a bit... sensitive at times.  Well I had to leave class and go to the bathroom.  Once I closed the door I starting doing that ugly crying, you know the kind - rapid intake of breath, intermittent sobs, mascara running, all of it.  Next thing I know there's a knock on the door and I have to try to explain my sorry state to Martina, one of the Student Services Coordinators.

back when studying gave me a reason to smile.

I went back to class attempting to retain my dignity.  My classmates patted me on the back and passed me notes of encouragement, but I was just... mad.  I can probably make it up with the final test, but ugggghhhhh this really sucks.  Today sucks.  I mean I've been out of the game for almost 2 years and the first grade I get in grad school is a C.  I guess this means I have no future in accounting, ha.

Also let me mention that going to a small school has its many advantages, but when you're curled up in a ball on the floor of the bathroom sobbing like a baby about your bad Accounting grade, let's just say word travels fast.  I went to find my advisor, the President of the University, and once I entered the waiting area the Registrar and his Executive Assistant both did the tilt-of-the-head + "heeeeeeeeeeey..." ugh, yes, I know you know.  He wasn't there to listen to my rant, so I'm complaining to all of you.  My apologies, but I refuse to be a C student; I simply refuse.

Someone remind me of something I can be thankful for today...

Amendment:  I may have thoroughly upset myself for nothing, folks.  Isn't that embarrassing?  My teacher emailed me this evening and said he reevaluated the results of my exam (I didn't ask him to) and he's decided to give me partial credit, raising my grade to an 82.  He said he found his penalization excessive and though he can't give me more credit, he regrets having graded the exam so severely.  *whew!* Thanks to everyone for all the words of support and kindness, I definitely needed it today, but apparently the anxiety and melancholy was all for naught.  The day seems to have turned around after all.

Manage This!

I've been stressing out this weekend because I've got a 45-minute presentation to do tomorrow for Project Management.  Whaaaat?  45 minutes of pure, unadulterated management-speak?  I'm pretty sure that has to be in the Guinness Book of World Records or something.  How could I muster even 20 minutes worth of anything to say about Project Management?  Arrgggh.  Well, I decided if I'm going to beat the German guy (let's face it, there needs to be an obvious winner when there are only 2 students) I've got to have a wild card.  What can I use in the presentation to not only take up time, but also definitively trump his project?  That's right, I needed a video.

The video project always seems to secure the grade.  I remember making videos with an old tape-deck handheld camcorder as early as middle school with my co-director/actress/producer/etc, Madison.  Our public debut was in 8th grade Science class with Dr. Universe Presents: Newton's First Law of Motion - an informative vignette analyzing the motion of a shoe thrown at a schoolboy by his scorned lover: "A."  We managed to borrow theatre department costumes for an English final in 9th grade titled A Day in the Life of an Elizabethan: "A."  And most recently, with over 14,765 views on YouTube (and hundreds of derisive comments from irate Italians), Mamma Roma in 10 Minuti, a classroom sensation for an Italian course in college: "A."  The numbers don't lie, folks.  Videos, even those with low production value, earn the good grades.

Photo Courtesy L. Shultz Arts Agency

*Watch the Videos*

So Saturday I sat down in my director's chair and dusted off my typewriter to produce what will surely cement my presentation as the best attempt to entertain and educate members of a mock business meeting.  We've got to basically present our semester project and infuse the showcase with any theory/terms/concepts we've learned thus far.  My project is an art exhibition featuring Spanish artists which will take place at the end of the semester under the theme "Sustainability of Self" which I can discuss at length in another post.

Well, I tried for a whole day to upload the video so you all could see it and laugh a little - but it's just not happening.  I know, what a tease.  But I'll tell you it's superbly over-acted and my foreign roommates carried out their lines rather well.  I'm fairly sure there's no way the German can top this one, not while I've got modern technology and powerpoint projection in my back pocket.  Haha!  Wish me luck for tomorrow afternoon :)Watch the Videos

Temple of Cinema

I’ve got midterms in a week.  Yikes.  I don’t know how I’m already halfway through this semester, time seems to be flying by.  And I’m feeling sick :( which, by the way, is made so much worse when you realize your mom is over 5,400 miles away and can’t make you a giant Tupperware full of classic chicken noodle soup and remind you dutifully of everything you should and shouldn't be doing in order to get better.  Sigh.

Despite my feverish symptoms, I chose to follow through with my original Saturday night plan to attend a guided tour through the National Cinema Museum of Torino.  Only 3 of us from school opted to join the tour which was offered in Italian, including a trip to the observation deck and ending with an aperitivo in the Museum Cafe.  I'm so glad I was able to go because this is by far one of the most memorable museum experiences I've ever had!

The Mole Antonelliana.

First of all, the museum is in the Mole Antonelliana, decidedly the most famous landmark of Torino.  The structure was completed in 1863 by Alessandro Antonelli and was originally intended to be a Jewish synagogue.  During the first years of the project, Antonelli's plans for the building shifted and became more ambitious as costs doubled and became too high for the Jewish community.  At this point the capital of Italy had been moved from Torino and the Italian citizens demanded the city take over the project.  For years the Mole existed as the Museum of Italian Independence, but in 2000 it became the National Cinema Museum and is now thought to be the tallest museum in the world at 167 meters (548 feet).  Fun fact: an image of the Mole appears on the back of all the 2-cent euro coins!

Looking up at the dome, the elevator goes straight up the middle of the building!

For those of you who don't know, Italy is actually a historically cinematic hub.  Filmmaking was as innovative and influential here as in Hollywood as Mussolini highly encouraged film production during the fascist era.  Italian films are still considered among the best in comedy, horror, and yes - the spaghetti western!  This museum was ah-mazing.  Not only was it packed to the gills with historic memorabilia, but there were tons of interactive exhibitions.  Magic Lanterns, special effects, themed rooms, and my personal fave, rows upon rows of chaise lounges for sitting and watching films!

View from above, staircases wind up the inside walls where there are temporary exhibitions.

What an experience.  We wandered along with our Italian-speaking guide through a comedy-themed room with toilets placed in rows for viewing funny movies.  We walked through a cut-out of Wiley Coyote into the cartoon-themed rooms, and saw lifelike remakes of different movie sets.  They had cameras set up to superimpose your image real-time into the scene of a movie, then as you ambled along down the hallway you realized your minute of smiling and waving in the camera was delayed and replayed on a big screen for you to see - haha!  The collections of movie memorabilia is enough to make this museum stand apart, but then we rode the glass elevator several hundred feet to the top of the building (think: willy wonka-type vertigo).

View from the top of the Mole: Piazza Vittorio, La Gran Madre.

Wow!  I wish this photo could convey the beauty of the city from that high up.  We could see the neighboring hills, even the Alps.  What a lovely cultural trademark this city has, this museum is such a gem.  It is excursions and discoveries like this that make me truly proud to be specializing in cultural heritage management (if we want to call it that).  Sometimes I think Italy is so spoiled to have all this rich cultural history, I mean there are museums of this caliber nearly EVERYWHERE in this country and I can't think of one museum that could be considered this impressive in Austin.  Hate to say it, but it's true.  That needs to change.  

Well, I must say I'm constantly impressed by this city and what it has to offer, I simply cannot wait to discover even more!