please. ragazzi.

Just to give you a sense of things: from today, an example of your typical classroom interaction.

Barbara's talking about Cromwell and William and Mary and the Glorious Revolution, and writing notes on the blackboard as she speaks. The kids are causing their usual commotion. I'm sitting there at the teacher's desk next to her, "assisting." In reality, studying the class register and trying to match up all the names and faces.

Barbara (in English, almost yelling): "Is it clear? James II took the throne after his father Charles II died. Do you understand?"

Class (in Italian, in their mock-innocent singsong way): "Prof, why don't you go out with Professor Bologna?" [Their physics teacher.]

Barbara (exasperated, in Italian): "Ragazzi! Please!" (Pause. You think she's going to start talking about William and Mary again.) "Ragazzi, please! I have a boyfriend!"

Nadia: "Ooh, how long, Prof?"
Andrea: "Uffa, Prof, monogamy -- who needs it?"
Class: "Come on, Prof, you still need to go out with Professor Bologna."

Barbara: "Ragazzi! Why don't you ask Miss Browne if she wants to go out with Professor Bologna?"

?! Uh, gee Barbara, thanks for the assist...

Class: "Okay!" Pause. "Does Miss Browne have a boyfriend?"

Barbara: "I don't know, why don't you ask Miss Browne. In English!"

Class: "Okay!" [Some commotion as the class discusses how to say this in English, as I wait. The official line is still that I don't understand Italian, although by now lots of the kids are awfully suspicious of this notion. Still, I think they're not quite sure what to believe.]

Class: "Miss Browne, are you engaged!"

Me: "Uh..no."

Squeals. "Ma come no?!"

Class, in English: "Will you go out with Professor Bologna!"

Uh. Which one is Professor Bologna again?

Barbara: "The young one... short, dark hair?"

...That description matches everyone in this school.

Class: "Or Diego!"

Who the hell is Diego?

"The Spanish teacher!"

Dear me, ragazzi, this is so innappropriate. Your math teacher, though? He's not married, is he? Put in a good word for me, will you? Thanks kids!

When in Rome, I guess, right?

No, I didn't actually say that. I was thinking it though. This is proprio typical classroom exchange. And this, mind you, is my best class at CEI: my most studious, most well-behaved, highest-level-of-English class. Just to give you an idea.

Also, afterwards in the teacher's room, Barbara was recounting this to one of the older teachers . "Oh, those kids, they never give it a rest! They're always trying to fix up all the young teachers."

And the other was like, Fix up all the young teachers! Why, that's a great idea! "We should organize a dinner, with all the young teachers! I'll come too, even though I'm old. And we'll invite Professor Bologna and Diego and all the others so Cate can get to know them!"

lol. It was just kind of funny the way she reacted, though actually I would appreciate being able to get to know the other teachers at CEI. It's amazing what a young staff it is, and from the brief interactions I've had with them so far, they all seem cool: bright and energetic and hard-working and funny. And they've been very very sweet and welcoming. Such that even though my CEI students and my CEI responsibilities are much more challenging than those at Galilei, I feel much more comfortable and at home at CEI than I do at Galilei, with its big anonymous hallways and its stern dinosaur teachers who look at me as though they're evaluating me as much as they are their students.

Anyway, tomorrow I actually will be -- not evaluated but "observed" -- by an American ESL consultant hired by the embassy to come around and check up on all of us. I know I shouldn't be, but I'm kind of nervous despite myself.

Also, P.S. -- I should mention that as Italian acronyms are always pronounced like words, CEI is pronounced "chay." I just realized that with the frequency with which I use the school's name, my writing will have a lot more flow to it if you're pronouncing it that way in your head rather than sounding out the initials C-E-I.

Okay loves, until soon. I'll post my photos tomorrow and update you on this "observation" visit. Goodnight..