07 June 2012

Lucca Italian School




After a week or so of unpacking, sweating in the sweltering July heat and nightly upper 90% humidity, rushing from long line to long line in post office, police station, and tobacco shop for a wide array of forms, stamps, and permissions in an attempt to make our beyond ninety day stay legal (we had a week to do it), trying hard to form intelligible questions for and understand answers from the officials we encountered along the way, wondering why everyone seemed to be staring at us, confused as to why we kept blowing a fuse in the house, not sure why we didn’t see more kids around playing, hoping to get beyond ‘cave man’ language, we realized it was time to look for help. We found Lucca Italian School (LIS), located outside the walls and just a five minute bike ride away.
   
The best way to cut Italian pizzas. One of many skills learned at LIS!

    All four of us sat at a table in one of their bright, cheery classrooms with Angelo and Eva, two of the three (the other being Daniela) founders of the school. They sympathetically (it was obvious we weren’t the first confused beginners they’d dealt with) explained what they offered, making full use of gestures and drawing when needed (and yes, they also speak English but only use it when absolutely, absolutely necessary). We decided Lauren would begin the next week.

Eva demonstrating beautiful dough-rolling form
    Eva made Lauren feel immediately welcome with abundant smiles, laughter, and warm-hearted teasing. After each daily four hour session Lauren would come home energized, motivated to study, and full of stories about her day. While I could appreciate this a bit second-hand, I really began to approve of her lessons after she came home from an evening cooking class with Eva and the next day proceeded to make a most delicious dinner of home-made ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach, lemon chicken in such a savory and sweet, succulent sauce that I was tempted to simply drink it, and a cool and refreshing panna cotta.

Federica
    Ingrid would be starting fourth grade at the local elementary school before too long and, well, there was this little problem. She didn’t speak Italian. Enter LIS. Federica, a recent college graduate, came to our house a couple of times a week for a month or two and began to give Ingrid a base so that at least she felt she knew some Italian. Perhaps even more important, however, was that Ingrid had met someone who was patient, liked to have fun during her lessons, and helped to boost her confidence so that, when she did begin school, although a very, very nerve-racking day, it was not one of sheer terror!

    Lauren and I rotated weeks so that one could do classes while the other watched the kids. In all each of us ended up doing five to six weeks at LIS  between July and early October (I’ve also done a one hour private conversation class every week or two since December). My fellow students ranged in age from fourteen on up into their seventies and came primarily from all over Europe, the United States, and Japan. Class size was always small, between four and eight typically, allowing for plenty of individual attention and a good sense of camaraderie amongst the group and teacher.

Marina
    Marina taught me first. I soon seemed to detect a slightly different rhythm to her speech and indeed quickly found out that she was a proud Napolitana! How exciting! We didn’t end up making it to Southern Italy, but Marina brought a piece of it to us. Her smile was contagious and her patience and understanding of our trouble with the language genuine and never-ending (and she cooks a mean pasta casserole). Grazie di tutto Marina! Sei bravissima!

Eva
         
   Besides a few conversation classes, I mostly encountered Eva in the kitchen. She is the master chef and meal planner extraordinaire of the school. Eva knows how to get it done and make it taste good. Although it takes three times as long, she even lets her students attempt to do the cooking themselves. Don’t worry, Eva won’t let you do it the wrong way. I remember my first encounter with the mezzaluna, for example. After her demonstration of its proper usage I gave it a try but Eva appeared promptly at my side and re-taught me the tried and true technique for success chopping herbs. Eva is quite the jokester, so watch out when she makes an outrageous request or comment, she may just be kidding around… or not! Eva, sentiremo la tua mancanza!

Laura
    Laura, who hails from just outside Lucca,  brought loads of energy and a fun-loving spirit to the classroom and often used interesting listening selections and movie clips brought in on her laptop. One great activity I remember was watching a staged conversation between two Italians who used only hand gestures. That in itself was entertaining, but in pairs we subsequently had to try to write out their conversation! Yes, it was difficult, but quite fun imagining what they were saying while also giving us some clues into Italian body language and expression. Laura was also a reliable source to provide current slang and certain other expressions you might want to know (just to be able to hear clearly and understand if used by others around you, of course!). Laura, sempre ci fai bella figura! Spero che tu possa andare spesso in Germania. Stammi bene!

Antonella
    After awhile I moved to Antonella’s class. Antonella has taught for many years and is a master of the language, including all of the particularities of typically Luccan speech. She also helped me figure out appropriate phrases to use in stores, not always as easy as it might first seem. It’s a good thing, too, for much of what I had been imitating and using myself turned out to be a bit on the rude side! Antonella clearly loves what she does and takes a genuine interest in her students and in making sure they’re learning as much as they can. We had so many good discussions in her classes, ranging from the more serious Amanda Knox case to one student's assertion that all Italian opera stars were ugly and the ensuing debate he had with Antonella. I stayed out of that one but enjoyed the show! Antonella is one classy lady and a fine teacher. Ti ringrazio tanto, Antonella!

Susanna
    Susanna came on board permanently after I stopped taking classes but I have come to know her a bit. I discovered her home town on a bike ride where I took a train north and then biked back through the hills. She sure has one heck of a commute, and her hometown of forty people is out-numbered many-fold by its animal residents--quite a different world from Lucca--so you know she is another highly dedicated member of the team! Sweet and laid-back, Susanna surely makes a great impact with her students. Susanna, grazie per venire a la festa e ti scriverò magari in quanto riguarda il coniglietto che regaliamo a Ingrid (tipo ‘Aiutaci!’), va bene?

Angelo
    Angelo is a most unassuming co-director of the school and chief of financial services, but don’t let his modest attitude fool you. Not only is Angelo a whiz on all questions cultural, historical, economic, linguistic—and who knows what else (he rarely lets on but speaks excellent English and German, among others, and mostly self-taught), he also plays one heck of an accordion and belts out the Italian folk songs so well that you, too, will find yourself doing your best to keep pace singing along and forget that you ‘don’t know that much Italian yet.’ In all senses of the phrase, Angelo rocks! Magari verrai alla zona italiana ‘North End’ a Boston per suonare un giorno? Grazie mille, Angelo!

Daniela
         
 Daniela, co-director herself, is the goddess mechanic, able to put all of the pieces of the Fiat together into an appealing and smoothly running whole while deftly taking care of any routine maintenance or hiccups in the motor along the way and keeping the paint waxed and shiny without the passengers ever realizing what went on behind the scenes to make their ride possible in the first place and continue to be so amazing day after day. Besides that, she’s a great teacher. Over the course of many one hour conversation classes, Daniela proved at the ready to talk about anything and to help clear up specific events I’d heard of in the news. She didn’t bat an eyelash when I would suddenly ask her a grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary question in the middle of a conversation; she always had clear examples to help me emerge from my gobbledygook. Daniela also informed me of events, places or local characters that she knew I’d be interested in, leading to several great adventures, including our family’s favorite place to spend time together, Le Parole d’Oro. Her sense of humor and ability to put anyone at ease also help to make her an excellent personal guide to the language and culture of Italy and a great person to chat with. Daniela, complimenti di tutto, in bocca al lupo, e grazie per aver condiviso la tua conoscenza e il tuo tempo. E stato un anno indimenticabile!

Caroline and Niko know what a party's for!

    Lucca Italian School helped us in many ways, from the outings they led, pizza-making parties, singing with Angelo, advice on doctors in the area, to of course getting us up to speed so we could communicate better in Italian. Most importantly, though, they helped us to feel a part of a community, something that isn’t always so easy to find for foreigners in a foreign land. Teniamoci in contatto amici!

La festa era divertente. Arrivederci!




12 comments:

  1. This is a great recap of the teachers at LIS. I studied with Antonella, Laura & Daniela while in Lucca this April. It was a fantastic experience and oh how I wish I could've stayed a year!

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    1. Thanks ktheologus. I checked out your blog and am very impressed with your Italian!

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  2. Your description mirrors my experience with the people at LIS. I, too, wish I could spend a year there somehow. At times when I rave to friends about the school, the people, the great teaching, I wonder if my friends think that I'm exaggerating, because it is truly a uniquely effective and warm environment in which to learn language and culture. I should tell you of my latest adventures there in Lucca and at the school which involved only 4 days studying after spending the first day in the emergency room at the hospital. I think I need to give it some time so it doesn't come across as a shocking recap. But, the best thing about having that experience was that is was with the support and kindness of all the students and staff at LIS. Just hope I can go back one day.

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    1. What a way to start your latest visit! (We've been there a couple of times ourselves, hopefully no more in these last two weeks!)

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  3. Hello
    I just came across your blog. It was linked to a status update by LIS. I've enjoyed reading some of your posts. It obviously was a wonderful experience living in Italy for an entire year. I'm planning a trip there myself; hoping to concentrate on Umbria and Tuscany. Have been twice before but both times were ages ago. This time I want to improve my language and might well enroll in the LIS for a couple of weeks. Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights. I'm from Australia.

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    1. Ciao! I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed some of the posts. As you can probably tell, I'd definitely recommend LIS. We did a trip to Umbria for a week and I think you've got a great plan in visiting both Tuscany and Umbria. In boca al lupo!

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  4. Ciao Erik, What a great blog! I've visited LIS twice and I enjoyed it as much as you did. I will go back in September for two weeks. Wish I could stay longer, but this is great too! Your description of the teachers is perfect. I enjoyed reading it. Also your other posts are great. Made me feel in Lucca. Grazie mille!!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words. September is a wonderful time to be in Lucca. Have a great couple of weeks!

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  5. No matter how much time--two weeks or two months--one spends in Lucca, it's simply not enough. I miss the LIS staff so much; since a fall last year, I don't know when I can get back. They are consummate teachers, encouraging, using humor gently, unfailingly patient regardless of the facility with Italian or the lack thereof. They are proud of their country and its culture, as well as la Toscana and its culture (and Lucca and its own special culture). The people don't seem to think of LIS as a job but a calling. They share materials with enthusiasm and seem to want the very best for everyone. An amazing group! En bocca del lupo!

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    1. Appunto! You said it right. Crepi (il lupo)!

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  6. Ciao!
    It was wonderful to read through your experiences in Lucca and with all the wonderful people at the Lucca Italian School. I had a similar experience in 2011 and it brought tears to my eyes to see the wonderful faces of all those teachers I had the pleasure of meeting and/or working with. You captured each and every one of them perfectly and although I only have a few more weeks before I return to Lucca for another 3 months--it seems like eternity. You brought back to me the wonderful smiles and enjoyable times I spent in those "cheery" classroooms. Their voices continue to resonate in my thoughts. I went to Lucca to improve my budding language skills and I left Lucca with a greater sense of urgency to continue my studies and return whenever I can. Learning a language is extremely challenging and to have such a supportive group of educators to return to is more than just helpful but extremely comforting.

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  7. Dear Erik,

    I came across your blog and learned that you live in Lucca. My company publishes an iPhone app consisting of self-guided walking tours in Lucca. However, these walking tours were compiled three years ago and some of the information may be out of date. We are looking for people who currently live in Lucca to review the tour content and give us feedback.

    Would you be interested in reviewing our walking tours in Lucca or posting a "Look for reviewers" announcement for us in your blog? We offer reward to people who send us feedback. The reviewers will receive gift codes for our iOS walking tours apps. Each gift code is good for a free walking tour iPhone app download, normally priced at US$4.99. We have walking tour apps covering all major cities in the world.

    I look forward to hearing from you.


    Best regards,

    Xena Copilova
    xenac@gpsmycity.com
    GPSmyCity.com

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