Cuckoo in Moncucco

Despite being only 30 minutes from the bustling center of Milan, life in Moncucco is slow and a tad bizarre, but in the most charming way. Take, for example, my sleeping accommodations; a classroom in the town's Scuola Media, outfitted with two twin beds, two chairs, some cafeteria tables and a big chalkboard with "Home Sweet Home" written on it. I share it with sweet-as-can-be tutor, Carly, who I also worked with in Cuneo.

Living in a school is not as bad as it sounds. For example, I walk down the stairs of the Scuola Media and I'm at camp - a far cry from the hour-long commute in Milan! We have full reign of the school after hours and a few days ago we discovered an Audio Visual room with a flat screen TV, so we borrowed Chocolat from one of the Italian camp counselers and had a movie night! There's also a computer lab with internet access and a lovely pool with lounge chairs.

Our daily routine is just that, very routine. We eat our meals at a La Ca' di Ran, one of only three restaurants in Moncucco. The name is short for la Casa delle Rane (house of frogs). It's owners are delightful and prepare typical dishes for us each night ranging from mushroom risotto to stuffed peppers to breaded pork chops remiscent of my mother's!

Unlike other ACLE camps this is an Italian camp where Carly and I are only required to teach for 2-3 hours per day. We've been practicing our Italian frequently with the other 6 local counselors and mothers who come to the pool every evening.

In Moncucco the preferred mode of transport is bicycle. The 88-year-old grandfather of one of the Italian counselors arrived at La Ca' di Ran this morning for a coffee. His bike was parked outside. But, by far, the most active inhabitants of Moncucco are the mosquitoes who nearly mutiliated us during our first night's sleep. But by our fifth and final night here our classroom is smelling like a Citronella factory, we're doused in Deet and all is ok.

http://www.lacadiran.com/

There's Nothing like Home Cookin'

I finally got my film developed from Sorrento. Some great photos of my host family, The Garguilos. I stayed in grandma and grandpa's section of the house and the rest of the family lived in an adjacent cottage. Here we are enjoying one of many delicious meals in their garden.

Milano Misbehavior

From the mountains of Cuneo to the suburbs of Milan...my teaching adventure continues. The temperatures this week are above 35 degrees; record highs for Milan. A good test for what I will face in Thailand next month.

I live in an apartment in San Donato with 3 other tutors who are all really cool. The only problem is our commute. One hour to and from work each day including two different subways and a bus - none with air conditioning. Conditions at the camp are far from Sorrento's Camp Paradise. We are in a school with no sports facilities, no water, and cafeteria food reminiscent of my elementary school days.

Above all, the stress of this camp stems from unruly children. It takes two tutors to discipline a class of only nine students. From throwing pencils, to yelling and talking back, to outright refusals to participate, this is by far my biggest challenge yet.

Is it Friday yet?

Red Eyes Reduction

An unpleasent eye infection has been nagging me for about a week now. I believe it was caused by overexposure to the sun. I made my first visit to an Italian hospital today in Torino and I was quite impressed with the ease in which I was treated. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes and didn't even need to present insurance. I found the nearest Farmacia and got two prescriptions filled for only £15. Hopefully I will see some relief soon.

ENTrekking

On Sunday morning I had a brief meeting and coffee with the other new tutors and my camp director, Bruna, to discuss a loose outline for our Cuneo camp. High on Bruna's agenda was to ensure that a Risotto del Pescatore, salad, fruit, and coffee would be a suitable lunch for our first day...I love Italy!

I said quick good-byes to the team and hopped in the Panda with the boys to begin our 6000 foot ascent to il rifugio Genova-Figari, but not before making a pit stop to buy lunch fixings in Entraque; a colorful and spirited village that epitomizes this region of Piemonte. Two of the boys went in search of pane while Alby and Andrea hand-selected a variety of meat and cheese. I explored the adjacent antique shop and took some photos with my temporary digital camera, on loan from my incredibly generous host father, Mario!

Back in the car, my nagging Moscato-induced headache swiftly subsided as I breathed the fresh Alpine air, noshed on prosciutto and listened to a Beatles compilation. After a few wrong turns we finally arrived at the base of the mountain and it was breathtaking. The terrain was rocky but never too steep, and the trail wasn't at all crowded so we climbed at a steady but leisurely pace. We splashed through trickling streams and hopped from stone to stone, avoiding soggy shoes and socks. After about 1.5 hours we arrived at the sparkling turquoise Lago Brocan and found just the right lunch spot between a few large rocks. Suddenly my trekking buddy Marco unveiled the most spectacular fleece I have ever seen. It really speaks for itself, but in case you need proof, here it is.

The sun slipped in and out of the clouds as we all took a delightful nap. When we awoke the clouds had become ominous, and then the raindrops hit us. Waterproofing ourselves and our gear, we began the descent with more caution than before and enjoyed the misty vistas that accompanied the rain. A curious "Camoscio" wandered onto the trail with no trepidation and proudly posed for my camera before wandering back into the dusk.

http://www.entracque.org/
http://www.rifugiogenova.it/

Culture del Cuneo

I was not the only foreigner to arrive in Cuneo this weekend. On Saturday, people from over 30 nations around the world descended upon Cuneo's main thoroughfare, Via Roma, for the city's annual Culture del Mondo festival.

The street was alive with the sound of international music and the tempting aroma of each country's cuisine, from Bangladesh, to Albania, to China and Brazil.

Thanks to Cuneo's close proximity to my boyfriend's hometown, he was able to join me for the festivities, along with his two friends. We strolled Via Roma before dining at a gorgeous restaurant called San Michele. As we relaxed in the elegantly appointed dining room I could hear the blaring Latin rhythms and loud crowds outside. After a delicious meal and superfluous amounts of wine, we joined the revelers who had clearly spent too much time at Mexico's tequila bar.

Bob Sinclair's Sounds of Freedom competed with the adjacent tent's Bhangra beats, but no one seemed to mind...the dance party was in full swing. Despite all of the buzz, we called it an early night in anticipation of our early morning trekking adventure in the Alpine mountains.

Capri in Hi-Res!

So everyone knows that my camera is broken and is being fixed back in the States, hence the latest grainy photos on my blog. A 10 Euro disposable camera just doesn't cut it in Italy. But thanks to James, I'm happy to post some amazing new photos from last week's Capri excursion. Here is the view from the top of Capri, after we exited the Funicolare! And may I introduce you to Captain Courtney!


And just one more for good measure...

Joe & D

Nana & Grandpa - I found this sign just up the street from my host family's house! Small world.

Tutors of the World.....UNITE

Tutors from Ireland, England and the US joined forces in Sorrento for an incredibly successful first camp. On Wednesday night we all hit the town for a makeshift 4th of July celebration. No BBQs or fireworks here, but we did teach the National Anthem to some locals.

Our last day of teaching was yesterday, and the much anticipated show, Pirate Idol, was attended by all the parents and the Mayor of Sorrento. My group is the oldest and debuted our rendition of "Captain Jack is Back" (to the tune of Sexy Back) cleverly written by my teammate, Keiran and choreographed by me. Here's the chorus:

Go, go, go every pirate
Go, go, go get a sword
Go, go, go get a spear
Go, go, go, victory's here

If you find yourself singing the words as you wait in line at Starbucks, I won't be surprised. It's very catchy. Much like all of our camp songs, which are incessantly running through my head.

After the show we had a final goodbye dinner at our camp director Tiziana's house. She is extremely gracious and has bent over backwards to accommodate all of us. This photo was taken at her house after a delicious home-cooked pasta dinner.

Today I awoke before the roosters crowed to catch my flight back up North. My next camp begins on Monday in the mountain village of Cuneo. About 30 minutes from the French border and one hour from Torino.

"You Drive It"

Sunday was devoted to exploring Capri. Our group: the 3 other American tutors, the English tutor, James, and my beautiful host sister, Gloria who has also been our tour guide extraordinaire!

There is no better way to visit Capri than by boat. So when we were handed a boat rental brochure that read, "Capri Boat: You Drive It. Lowest Prices and No Stress," we thought it was too good to be true. Surely we couldn't drive our own boat without signing our life away, providing 5 forms of ID, taking a 2-hour boating course and having our finger prints taken? But after only 10 minutes of instruction (in Italian) and 18 Euros each, we were sailing into the turquoise sea...and loving every minute of it.

Nearly tipping several times from the wake of cruise ships and international yachts, our small but mighty "motoscafo" safely made its way around the rugged eastern coast of the island and towards one of Capri's most important landmarks, I Faraglioni. I decided to take the helm and maneuver the boat through the famous hole in the rock formation. No sweat!

After a quick swim off the side of our boat, we awkwardly anchored at Grotto Verde (Green Grotto) and dove off the boat for a group swim through the incredible cavern. It was a seriously surreal moment...very Survivoresque.

Back on the boat, we noshed on a packed lunch that our Camp Director, Tiziana prepared for us (fruit, sandwiches and Italian-style Twinkies) and navigated ourselves back to port for a stroll through Capri's luxurious shops and gardens.

After having a gelato and experiencing a great celeb sighting (Eva Mendes) we ended our Capri excursion with a coffee in Piazza Umberto, listening to the chime of the bell tower as we enjoyed the sweet island breeze.