Reflections
Morning March
It is confirmed, I will take the long route to my class, even in broad daylight or early hours. It is 25 minutes of climbing uphill, but the reward is la bella vista. If I take the shorter route via tunnel, steps and dark labyrinths, all I would see would be mouldy walls and graffiti.
This morning as I marched up the slope with my laptop and my heavy bag of text book, exercise book, dictionary, water bottle, and snacks, I saw many lovely scenes that brought a smile to heart.
In the narrow cobbled streets, friends greeted each other and stopped to chat. Delicious aroma waffled from the bakeries.
As I approached the Uni, I saw the golden leaves of the trees lining my path, gleaming under the sweet morning sunshine. My Uni is on the hills, over-looking the beautiful country side and the valley. I was in a hurry, but I allowed myself a few seconds to take in the scene.
Pensive Mood
I thought to myself: no wonder my new-found friend Kumi, who has worked in Nomura, and who had recently quit from Merrill Lynch to come to Italy for a six-month course, is not sure if she would accept JP Morgan’s job offer for January next year.
‘’Money is important, but it is the way of life here that money cannot buy,’’ she explained.
Our impression of Japanese must be that they are hardworking and efficient and probably very ‘’pragmatic’’. But I have always been impressed by their inquisitive minds and openness to learning new languages. In my class in Singapore, we have more Japanese than Singaporeans! I have also known of Japanese in Singapore who eagerly learn Spanish. Here in Perugia, again, there are lots of Japanese youths.
None of them took up Italian because it is helpful for their work or would gain them career advancement, or because their companies had sponsored them. (Most of my friends and relatives back home had asked me if these were the reasons for taking up Italian.) Most of them paid out of their own pockets.
Yesterday I managed to download my work emails, after searching high and low for an internet café that would allow me to download from my own laptop.
I wonder why I bothered. The emails contained nothing but politics, bitchiness, and self-serving justifications, not to mention inefficient ping-pong-ing of correspondence. They choked up my in-box and chalked up the minutes I had to pay the expensive internet café.
It is easy to say, ‘’oh but you are a student and not leading a ‘real life’…’’ Sure. As a student I enjoy free movies at the cinemas in town, free screenings on Thursdays and Fridays at the Uni, subsidised meals, discounted purchases, etc.
I am sure if I were to work and live here I would not be waxing lyrical. Won’t I? But maybe I still would!
Why?
I have not come across such cheerful, enthusiastic, and passionate teachers in all my student life in Singapore – from Primary school to Uni. For three solid hours straight Marina went on and on energetically and patiently, and managed to even make the class so interesting and humourous. It is us students who were tired. She even told us that she had been teaching for the past 26 years and truly enjoys it.
Which guy in Singapore, at age 29, stays home for Sunday family lunch and chats with his parents, uncle, aunt and grandma the whole day?
Which girl, at age 23, visits her grandma, stays with her to do her homework while the grandma watches TV, and moisturises her feet?
The grandchildren do not spend their hours glued to computer games or being silent anti-socials. They are polite and sociable; they thank me profusely for offering my hot chocolate or for emailing them the photos I’d taken; and they make an effort to converse with strangers like me who stutter and mutter in a foreign language.
The Singapore government spends tonnes of tax payers’ money to have sleek expensive TV campaigns to promote ‘’family life/ values’’.
All the government needs to do, and perhaps even more cheaply, is to sponsor some students to live (and study) with families in Italy for a month, or even just two weeks. If they learn nothing about the language or culture, at least they might have learnt some family bonding and social/ interpersonal skills.
Part of the reasons why these grown up children are still so close to their family, according to my Italian teachers back home, is that the boys are ‘’mammoni’’ – mummy’s boy. And that the kids are just being practical by living with parents – it saves them a bundle.
Well, if living with parents saves money, but develops affection and bonding, then it’s not such a bad thing after all. At least it saves tax payers’ money on campaigns that preach something that should be taught at home in the first place.
Just One More Look
Class started at 10 am this morning, but ended only at 2 pm, with 10 mins loo-break every hour. If you drink fast, you can dash to the ever crowded ‘’bar’’ to buy and down a yummy cappuccino.
By 2 pm we were starving. I picked up items from the canteen for my 2.60 euro menu, but ended up paying only 1.60 euro, with an apple to take home too. Incredible. Maybe I have not figured out which is side dish and which is main course yet.
Halina, Kayoko and I walked back together after lunch. For the second day in a row, we stopped halfway, to admire the beautiful hills and valleys, before we huffed and puffed uphill.
And tomorrow, though we will have eight straight hours non stop (except for half an hour’s lunch break – thanks to some make up classes!), we are sure we will pause at the same spot, to say, ‘’e bellisima!’’
It is confirmed, I will take the long route to my class, even in broad daylight or early hours. It is 25 minutes of climbing uphill, but the reward is la bella vista. If I take the shorter route via tunnel, steps and dark labyrinths, all I would see would be mouldy walls and graffiti.
This morning as I marched up the slope with my laptop and my heavy bag of text book, exercise book, dictionary, water bottle, and snacks, I saw many lovely scenes that brought a smile to heart.
In the narrow cobbled streets, friends greeted each other and stopped to chat. Delicious aroma waffled from the bakeries.
As I approached the Uni, I saw the golden leaves of the trees lining my path, gleaming under the sweet morning sunshine. My Uni is on the hills, over-looking the beautiful country side and the valley. I was in a hurry, but I allowed myself a few seconds to take in the scene.
Pensive Mood
I thought to myself: no wonder my new-found friend Kumi, who has worked in Nomura, and who had recently quit from Merrill Lynch to come to Italy for a six-month course, is not sure if she would accept JP Morgan’s job offer for January next year.
‘’Money is important, but it is the way of life here that money cannot buy,’’ she explained.
Our impression of Japanese must be that they are hardworking and efficient and probably very ‘’pragmatic’’. But I have always been impressed by their inquisitive minds and openness to learning new languages. In my class in Singapore, we have more Japanese than Singaporeans! I have also known of Japanese in Singapore who eagerly learn Spanish. Here in Perugia, again, there are lots of Japanese youths.
None of them took up Italian because it is helpful for their work or would gain them career advancement, or because their companies had sponsored them. (Most of my friends and relatives back home had asked me if these were the reasons for taking up Italian.) Most of them paid out of their own pockets.
Yesterday I managed to download my work emails, after searching high and low for an internet café that would allow me to download from my own laptop.
I wonder why I bothered. The emails contained nothing but politics, bitchiness, and self-serving justifications, not to mention inefficient ping-pong-ing of correspondence. They choked up my in-box and chalked up the minutes I had to pay the expensive internet café.
It is easy to say, ‘’oh but you are a student and not leading a ‘real life’…’’ Sure. As a student I enjoy free movies at the cinemas in town, free screenings on Thursdays and Fridays at the Uni, subsidised meals, discounted purchases, etc.
I am sure if I were to work and live here I would not be waxing lyrical. Won’t I? But maybe I still would!
Why?
I have not come across such cheerful, enthusiastic, and passionate teachers in all my student life in Singapore – from Primary school to Uni. For three solid hours straight Marina went on and on energetically and patiently, and managed to even make the class so interesting and humourous. It is us students who were tired. She even told us that she had been teaching for the past 26 years and truly enjoys it.
Which guy in Singapore, at age 29, stays home for Sunday family lunch and chats with his parents, uncle, aunt and grandma the whole day?
Which girl, at age 23, visits her grandma, stays with her to do her homework while the grandma watches TV, and moisturises her feet?
The grandchildren do not spend their hours glued to computer games or being silent anti-socials. They are polite and sociable; they thank me profusely for offering my hot chocolate or for emailing them the photos I’d taken; and they make an effort to converse with strangers like me who stutter and mutter in a foreign language.
The Singapore government spends tonnes of tax payers’ money to have sleek expensive TV campaigns to promote ‘’family life/ values’’.
All the government needs to do, and perhaps even more cheaply, is to sponsor some students to live (and study) with families in Italy for a month, or even just two weeks. If they learn nothing about the language or culture, at least they might have learnt some family bonding and social/ interpersonal skills.
Part of the reasons why these grown up children are still so close to their family, according to my Italian teachers back home, is that the boys are ‘’mammoni’’ – mummy’s boy. And that the kids are just being practical by living with parents – it saves them a bundle.
Well, if living with parents saves money, but develops affection and bonding, then it’s not such a bad thing after all. At least it saves tax payers’ money on campaigns that preach something that should be taught at home in the first place.
Just One More Look
Class started at 10 am this morning, but ended only at 2 pm, with 10 mins loo-break every hour. If you drink fast, you can dash to the ever crowded ‘’bar’’ to buy and down a yummy cappuccino.
By 2 pm we were starving. I picked up items from the canteen for my 2.60 euro menu, but ended up paying only 1.60 euro, with an apple to take home too. Incredible. Maybe I have not figured out which is side dish and which is main course yet.
Halina, Kayoko and I walked back together after lunch. For the second day in a row, we stopped halfway, to admire the beautiful hills and valleys, before we huffed and puffed uphill.
And tomorrow, though we will have eight straight hours non stop (except for half an hour’s lunch break – thanks to some make up classes!), we are sure we will pause at the same spot, to say, ‘’e bellisima!’’
posted by "Jenny" at 9:37 PM
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