Month: June 2015

For the rest of Republic Day I took it into my head to walk around the wall but with my unerring wisdom I took it into my head in the middle of the day (mad dogs and Englishmen???) without hat in my inimitable fashion and nearly died of sweaty heat. Once you get half way there’s no turning back!! I staggered home and did my writing up of lesson thingo. I did manage to rouse myself enough to go out again in the late afternoon for a mild passeggiata but that’s all.

Today it was back to class, maybe a little better today because I’d concentrated on getting my head around the past imperfect. But the class isn’t a compatible class at all which is probably at the heart of my restlessness this week. This means I haven’t got any playmates at the end of the school day…just a lot of emails from last weeks friends!!

I went food shopping, came home for lunch, wrote up the day’s lesson and then, more sensibly, went for my 3.5 giros around the wall in the afternoon. I haven’t done the 3.5 kms for a little while so the bum protests.

Today is Republic Day and a holiday in Italy. No school which is probably just as well as yesterday school wasn’t good!! It was the start of a new week and a new class of 5. Which by the end of the day was a class of 3!!

One woman who ended up being my partner was a Doctor who worked in the Women’s and Family Clinic in East Brighton…Catherine. She was a bit scary and clearly very ernest about her Italian, had been having private lessons in Melbourne and was very good. After a morning session in which she had to partner with me she asked to be moved to a higher class at the morning tea break!! Oh well!! Another German woman who already speaks at least 4 languages asked to be moved to a lower class because she was a beginner in Italian (imagine how good she’ll be by the end of the week though!!). Then there was 3…Alicia and her dog were one and the other, another woman from Melbourne (St Kilda), Karen. She’s also better than me but was happy to sit with this class. I seem to have really met my waterloo with classes…that point at which it is just too hard for me to move forward. I am very depressed and frustrated and think I need to give up at this point. Certainly school has taken a turn for the worse this week.

Susana came with me for morning coffee and then she headed back to Rome. Hence I spent the afternoon, after school, laundromatting and doing some shopping to prepare for the holiday today. Today I must study…I can’t avoid that thought, awful though it is. It is high 20s and going to be consistently in the 30s from here on in. Glorious weather for a day of celebration Italian style. The Guinigi Tower has been draped on all sides with the Italian Flag!! It looks splendid. The only problem I have with holidays is that I can’t get a coffee until 11am…my regular place is always closed on Sundays and holidays.

Must open the books now and see if I can make the Past Imperfect stick in my brain.

Yesterday was a quiet day with Susana getting herself ready to depart. Firstly I had my lovely phone calls from Angus and Kirst and Rose to fill my morning with cheer!! Then Susana and I had breakfast (she was desperate to have eggs…not me, I’m the perfect Italian, Cornetto only!!) in the sun on Piazza San Michele. Susana then rented a bike and we just cycled around the wall a couple of times, then back home for a while with Susana packing and booking etc etc.
I went out for a little passeggiata and then in the evening we went out for another delicious meal. End of day, end of weekend. Now ready for the new school week which will be short because tomorrow is a holiday for Independence Day.