Home Is Where The Heart Is

Ciao Guys,

Allora, I have reached halfway I have been here in Milan for a month now. I have done 4 weeks of teaching, and now I have another 4 weeks to go (I think!) Scary how time has flown. It definitely hasn't been easy. I have had a week where I have doubted my ability to teach, whether teaching was really the right profession for me to go into. However much I enjoy it, however much I enjoy watching children learn and develop. I have had thoughts, am I meant to be in this field? It is a field I have been focusing on for a long time. It's all I know. 

I got the opportunity to spend a long weekend in the Mountains last weekend 19th to the 22nd. (Italian holiday called the Carnival - I had no school on Thursday and Friday!) It was a new experience and absolutely breathtaking, however I didn't really enjoy myself as I was stressing my head off over week 4. I wanted to make my lessons work, to prove that I could do this. So I spent most of my weekend doing work, and not truly immersing myself with the family and relaxing in the mountains. 

The view was amazing, I have never ever thought of going to the Alps and here was an opportunity too so, I took it. The air was so fresh, it was so beautiful. I am not overly fond of snow, because I am a huge klutz but it was pretty, so pretty. Though a few times during the two hour trek, I thought I was going break something. (I use the word few loosely, it was more like every few minutes haha). It was hard work trekking up and up but it was worth it for the grub, maybe not so much for the view, sure you could still see the mountains but the view wasn't as clear, yet it was still a sight to see. So I would definitely recommend a trip to the mountains, just to admire the view. You don't have to go skiing, I didn't go! One: because I don't have insurance, two: I am absolutely petrified of heights. 

Anyway here are some pictures.

 

I have spent the past 4 weeks throwing myself into doing work, making resources, writing lesson plans, trolling through the Internet to find half decent ideas that I could use that didn't rely on an interactive whiteboard or the Internet. I haven't actually been enjoying Milan. The city is beautiful, and I have been walking around, but I haven't really been seeing the city. 

So this week I took some time to relax and try not to stress out. Though I secretly was still stressing as I was worrying about getting my reports and lesson plans done. I took some time out to go and watch the football. Yes I like to watch football. I may look like your typical girly girl. (which I am) However, I really enjoy watching football. So for the first time ever (first time watching a live football match at a stadium), I went to watch football at the San Siro Stadium. It was an experience. I watched Inter Milan play at home to Celtic. You could hear the British fans from miles away haha. I wasn't really taking a side, being an impartial watcher was a little strange. You kinda wanted one side to score but then you are also yelling 'get the ball away!' haha. So the end score was Inter 1 - 0. This was the second leg of the Europa League, so Celtic were knocked out.  Anyway here are some snaps of the stadium.

(San Siro Stadium)

This week I also decided to go and check out the Cementeiro Monumentale with my friends. It was beautiful, I mean very beautiful sculptures, but also it was slightly scary and sinister. The sun came out in time for me to take some nice shots with my crappy iPhone 4S. 

Here are just a few snaps from the cemetery. 

So after trekking round a cemetery, it kinda has made me want to go out a bit more and not stress too much. Of course the money issue limits things. I should just stop being a fatty and stopping buying so much food to eat haha. 

I need to stop stressing so much and open up and enjoy myself a bit more. After all I only have a month left. And I have already been way too organised and started buying stuff to take back home haha. (That is where all my money has gone haha.) 

I am missing home, I have started to feel homesick, missing home comforts, my family and friends. The life that I am use to, back home where I had no clue of what I wanted to do ,after everything blew up last year. Though it was complicated at times, I do miss home. I want to have papa's curries, or mama's food (that always comes second best to pop's but still, I miss it.) 

So yes I am feeling a little homesick, but I don't have long left and I should fully throw myself into it and enjoy myself. It won't be long before I am home.

So yes Sam! Stop stressing! Stop being a worry-guts!

(I had to throw in this song! Ha, Got to love Lady A.)

Home is where the heart is.

Ciao,

See you soon 

Sam x

From Milan With Love

Hey Guys,

Sorry for such a late post! I have been meaning to blog, but I have been incredibly busy! Anyway! Milan is beautiful. In fact I am pretty convinced that anywhere in Italy is beautiful. I fell in love with Rome a couple of summers ago, and I most certainly have fallen in love with the beauty of Milan. 
( I am having great difficulty writing this blog, as it keeps deleting my words or changing it! I think it is because I am in Italy and the website keeps trying to change it to Italian or something! Really starting to bug me, it is taking me twice as long to write a sentence.) 

Let's start with the day I arrived here in Milan. I woke at an ungodly hour (I woke at 3:15? We were out the house by 4am. I couldn't sleep, partly because I am an over-thinker and the fact there was a helicopter flying really low around 11 / 12ish that night. So basically got about 3 hours sleep. I am not a morning person so I was definitely pissed and tired. Hell hath no fury! I was in no mood to talk to anyone. 
After getting to the airport and flying to Milan Malpensa Airport it was about 11 Milan time. I got the coach to the city centre and met my host family. (Mary, a teacher at my school). We went back to her apartment and she showed me my room and then we headed out into the city centre as she needed to do some shopping and it gave me the chance to see the city. 

(Castello Sforzesco) 

(Parco Sempione)

(Duomo) 

After walking around the centre we headed for an ice cream shop by the Duomo. ( Still haven't been inside! I have been here for over two weeks!)
It was called Cioccolati Italiani, basically Italian Chocolate in English. It was amazing, I got a cone and it had melted chocolate at the bottom of your choice. I went with white chocolate. That was a mistake because it was stupidly sweet haha, but still good at the same time. (I did feel sick afterwards though haha) 

(Pistachio & Coconut Ice Cream) 

The next few days was training day. I met my fellow tutors and  they are all so lovely and really supportive. We had a few drinks to celebrate the end of training.

 (Selfie at the Duomo! Photo taken by James)

(Just part of the gang, photo taken by the lovely Amy)

At the beginning of the month (02/02/15) we all started at our schools. I was surprisingly not nervous, I am passionate about teaching and I enjoy working with children, I knew it was something I could do. I pretty much winged my first two lessons. As I didn't have the time to look through my plans. They went well, my last lesson of the (first) day didn't go as well as I had hoped. But I haven't let it knock me down, after all I don't know the children or their abilities and they were just super excited to be in my class. 

I feel proud of myself for not letting this lesson bring me down, I am normally a very pessimistic person and if anything bad happens I tend to dwell on it for a very long time. I knew what to do and what not to do for my next grade 2 lessons and improve on my teaching. Overall it has been a great first week of teaching. 

I have eaten so much food, already I know I will be getting fat! My host is an amazing cook, I love Italian food! I has had the chance to learn to make Italian coffee. It is amazing, no other coffee will ever be the same.

(My laptop or rather this website really should stop editing what I write, it is really getting on my last nerves. Stupid Google translate.) 

(Pistachio & Milk) 

(Coconut & Strawberry Cheesecake) 

(Amazing Chocolate) 

To end our first week of training we headed out for drinks. Friday night to an English pub which was called 'The English Pub' how original. We went there to 'watch' the rugby haha. Then Saturday night a few of us headed out for happy hour. Happy hour here in Milan is different to happy hour back home. Here you get one drink: cocktail, wine, beer (whatever) and a buffet! Pretty decent deal. The drinks here are definitely stronger. I had an Apple Martini and it took me ages to finish it. 

As week two of teaching began, we started to get familiar with our classes and their levels, but towards the end of it all I was desperate to go out and see my friends. I needed a break! And hanging with my friends enjoying happy hour was just what I needed! I have been spending way too much money on food, at the supermarket...damn chocolates! And I have been finding that they lack in fruit well at my host family's home (well fruit I like anyway) So I have been paying for my own fruit ha. 

9/2/15 - Food!

Take out pizza! Cost just 6 euros! You can't get a pizza at that price in England! It also taste so much better than it does in England. I also had Gelato...I have made it a weekly thing ha. This gelato place is on my walk home from school. Dangerous territory especially with ice cream being my favourite type of food ha. The flavours were Hazelnut (which is amazing), strawberry and some weird chocolate thing, I didn't like it. 

(I went for sushi! Yes here in Italy I am eating sushi, and it tastes a lot better than it does in England. It was also all you can eat. I made the mistake of having that gelato pictured above before going for sushi haha.)

Anyway, probably bored you with this post...or made you extremely hungry (sorry!) So lets end it here! I shall try to blog again soon! 

(Midnight gelato selfie! I finally found mango!)

Let's end it here, Happy Valentine's Day guys! Sending my love from the beautiful (but rainy) Milan!

Love,

Sam x

Arrivederci England! Hello Milano!

Hey Guys,

As you may have read in my last post, I said that I have something exciting happening! Well now that I am finally getting all the final details together, I can announce that I have landed myself an opportunity to work in Italy! Eek! 

It's only for two months as a linguistic assistant in a local primary school. I'm quite excited about it, and extremely nervous too!  I have never done anything like this before, so it's quite a big step for me! After last year, I think I need to start doing different things! 
So when do I fly you wonder? Next Tuesday ahhhh. So soon you may say! I didn't want to say anything until I was sure of all the details myself. I wanted to get flights, insurance etc sorted first. As well as gathering the details of what I'll be doing, my schedule and what school I'll be working in. 
As for which Italian city? Well it's known as Italy's fashion capital (That's all I really know it for). That's right Milan baby! 

(Here is the current forecast/ temperature for Milan! So to those of you who think or have asked me if I'll come back nice and tanned, the answer is no. Oh how I wish that it will be warm and I can run around Italy in summer floral clothes! Nope, it seems the temperature is similar to the UK.) 

I have never done anything like this before, so it is quite exciting and scary as well! I mean it is quite daunting flying to a foreign country where they speak a completely different language. I am excited at the thought of learning a new language but I would also love it if they could speak English too! (Which I know they do ha!)

I don't really know much about Milan, other than the fact that it is Milan's fashion capital. So I am excited to explore and indulge myself in all the gelato I can get my hands on. Even if it winter! I love ice cream, especially Italian ice cream! So I am going to get fat on that! 

(Throwback to gelato in Rome! We had it everyday while we were there, so I am looking forward to having more!)

I am only going for two months so it's not long at all, but I will miss my family, my beautiful beanies. They turn one in the first month of my Italian adventures. I am really sad about missing their FIRST birthdays. I want to be there as they make such an important milestone! But I will be sending my love from Milan. Lots of facetiming with the beanies hopefully! The beanies have there presents all wrapped and ready to be opened, just without my presence :(. 

Along with missing them I will also miss my friends, though I am only leaving for two months, my friends have taken the time out of their busy schedules to see me before I fly. Love you all so much. 

I have been sent my schedule and I am mainly working with grade 5 children! Aka Year 6. Which I am a little worried about, since all my experience has been in Key Stage 1 and below. Though I have spent a few weeks with Year 3, and the odd history sessions with Year 4 children. I have little experience with a whole class of Year 6 pupils, working one - to - one yes, but a massive group of them? Er no. So I have had a little panic about what resources to bring. Since all I have is resources for Key Stage One. But I guess there is nothing like winging it! Not that I'll do that ha, but I am sure everything will fall to place when I'm there. (I hope.) 

I have spent all day making these resources! I am hoping they are useful in the year 2 classes I'll be in! Monkey Puzzle is one of my favourite Children's books, and my favourite Julia Donaldson book. 

(I drew the bat, hence why it looks horrendous compared to the others haha.) 

Just some of my birdie friends that will be accompanying me to my trip to Milan. I know reception and year 1 still love puppets...not so sure about year 2! Oscar the Penguin is great with looking after my stickers, and from my experiences in schools and tutoring, children are absolutely obsessed with stickers. Just as obsessed as me! (I have a terrible obsession with buying stickers and post cards.) 

(One of my best friends from school, got me these! As a going away present! She is so lovely, and she knows me well! Some of these stickers will coming with me too!) 

Finally! I just realised that one of my favourite authors Lindsey Kelk, wrote a book called 'What A Girl Wants' which is a second book to 'About A Girl'. It starts of from where we were left off in About A Girl with Tess in London, and she has to make a decision. Which involved her staying in London or taking a job in Milan. It's a great book! I am hoping my Milan adventures aren't as dramatic but still fun nonetheless. Tess had her BFF with her and I am flying solo! But I am sure I will make fast friends with the fellow tutors! That way we can walk around Milan as lost sheep together! 

(Here is what the cover looks like! Well here in the UK anyway, I love Lindsey's books and so far this is a great read! I still need to finish it ahh! Currently Team Nick! haha.) 

Hopefully my next post will be from Milan, but I can't promise anything at the moment. 

Oh and before I forget, here is a link of a fellow blogger and school friend. She is on a great big adventure down under! I am incredibly jealous of her and massively admire her for being so brave for moving to and having the time of her life in Australia! Go check out her blog!

Hana's Blog - Backpacking Hans - Solo

So Milan isn't quite New York, but it is still an adventure. 

Arrivederci!

Sam x