I'm outta here

It's Monday, the first day of my summer break. I still feel like I'm on autopilot, stuck in the routine of getting up, catching the bus, starting class at 10am...blah, blah. Gigi leaves for the farm again this afternoon. We had a lovely weeked just chilling out. Wednesday I will train to Rome and then take my flight to Copenhagen for the start of 13 days in temperatures between 18 and 21 degrees. Ah, bliss. To escape the heat in Naples will be an unexpected blessing, although my travelling companion is probably wishing he was heading to somewhere a little warmer.

I am not taking my laptop. It's a full on break. I will endeavour to post a blog while I'm away but if they don't appear then you know it's because I'm having too much of a good time with my lovely Danish and German friends.

Just think of me cruising the delightful northern European cities of Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Muenster and perhaps a quick pop over to Sweden on a day trip.

Bella Napoli

You're Welcome

Forgive me, but I have to purge.

Imagine you are an English teacher. Perhaps you teach at an Italian highschool. You are obviously not a native speaker, but you should be able to cover the basics right?

After you introduce the alphabet (yep, the English alphabet is different to the Italian one as ours has 26 letters and theirs only 21...missing J, K, W, X & Y) and some numbers perhaps you'd teach standard polite phrases. You know - Hello, How are you? What's your name? My name's...? And you'd cover please, thank you and .....'not at all'. What?

Now perhaps it's a reflection of American English infiltrating Australian English (because let's face it Australian English is different to UK and US English), but surely everyone should learn 'You're welcome'. It's internationally recognised as a standard polite response to 'thank you'.

Sure there a several other options available including 'Don't mention it', 'My pleasure' and more colloquially 'No problem' or even more so 'No worries mate'. But 'You're welcome' is pretty much okay everywhere.

But no, I have had two students argue with me (yep argue) that 'You've welcome' is incorrect.

Why? Well, some random Italian high school teachers have told them that 'Welcome' translates to only benvenuto as in 'Welcome aboard' and it's not to be used after 'Thank You'. I don't mind that students don't necessarily know (although at intermediate levels I am somewhat shocked) and am happy to inform and teach, but I do mind the arguing. It's the blatant 'you're wrong, definitely wrong' comment with a defiant wave of the hands that gets up my skirt.

The insult was only compounded by the fact that I know that both of these students have travelled, and have needed to speak English during their travels. Surely, they can't have met only rude, ignorant people in English speaking lands who only use the very formal, very British 'Not at all' ?

Then there is the little matter of trying to explain to Italians how important the use of 'please' is. They just don't get it really. They think it's unnecessary, and then whinge about the fact that they were refused service at a pub because they asked for a beer without a please attached to the end of the request. Or that the woman selling bus tickets got snappy because they didn't use 'please'.

Let's not even go there.

Summer dreaming

It's not that I'm counting but I have eight days of teaching left and then I'm officially on my summer break. I finish on 27 July and am not expected back in the classroom until Sept 10th...at least that's what I've been told. I have booked tickets to Denmark and Germany for 1 - 13 August and am very excited to visit some wonderful friends there and go back to two of the countries I toured through in 1994. Then it's back to Naples for the peak of the summer break, when most of the city is empty (and somehow that is strangely delightful). I am hoping that we manage to run away for a few days at the beach. We have booked tickets for 29 August to fly to Venice and then train to Udine to join Gigi's family as they celebrate the wedding of his cousin on 1st Sept. I'm looking forward to seeing them again, and participating in what I expect will be slightly unconventional nuptials for Italians.

Other plans include a trip to Almaty in Kazakhstan. I just have to work out how to get to Istanbul from Naples. Why Kazakhstan? Well, Uncle Russell and Aunty Kathy (yep, never too old for 'uncle' and 'aunt' usage as it makes me feel younger) have recently moved there on a four year work contract. I figure it's my only chance to visit Kazakhstan, and it's certainly easier to do the trip from Italy than Brisbane.

In the meantime Gigi has run away to a farm just north of Naples and is labouring away digging and planting a new orchard. He tells me he is wearing boots, overalls and a hat (god forbid, Italians just don't wear hats as it contradicts their sun worshipping policy) all supplied by the priest that runs the establishment. He's enjoying it immensely.

Eight days...sixteen lessons...I am feeling increasingly Italian as I lose motivation with the rising temperatures and lazy atmosphere that creeps over everyone at this time of year.

Naples in July