September 19, 2010

  • Final countdown

    Two days!  It actually hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I haven't really done anything (except a lot of reading!) but don't feel like I've been too bored at all. So that's good. I'll still have a another 9 days before starting work anyway, although I'll have all the new things to get accustomed with! 
    Might have to start doing some lesson preparation at that point too, although of course it's kind of difficult when I currently have no idea whatsoever what courses or levels I'm going to be taking. All will become clear soon enough! My boss also said in his email that there will be some lessons I can observe and plenty of time to get used to things over the first few weeks, so I'm not too worried. 

    Had a nice but eventful day yesterday!

    In the afternoon I went to the other event I was talking about in my last post, which was the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo exhibition. I was so glad to spot that this was back on again. In the past I've always gone to it in Bristol, and it's one of my absolute favourite things. I managed to go this time last year shortly after I had arrived, so was pleased to make it this year too! It's held at the Brescia Natural Sciences Museum, which is rather hidden off a back road about 1.5km from my house. Pootled down there while it wasn't raining, and thought the exhibition was fantastic, as always. Only one snake this year to give me a fright! I went round twice and would really quite like to go back again. I think it's such a shame it doesn't seem that well publicised (or maybe just attended) here. In Bristol the museum is always completely packed, and when it's on at the Natural History Museum in London you have to pay to go! I highly recommend it to anyone! 

    Anyway, once I had dragged myself away from that, I had decided to go to the supermarket on the way home, which meant exploring a different one since good old Pam (the supermarket I usually go to) is in the other direction completely. I knew there was another one opposite the hotel my parents stayed in when they came to visit last February so decided to try that.  I was walking happily along, past the Wind shop where I was debating whether or not I can save money by taking up their offer of buying an internet key and activating a new sim and then having half price internet for 6 months, or whether it's actually more sensible just to pay full price and keep using the one I've got (probably the latter as I think the saving I'd make would be about €5 overall, but I would have a new internet key...). Anyway, whilst contemplating all this, I was just walking on autopilot because I knew exactly where I was going. Or so I thought. I turned up the side road I thought the supermarket was on, and then realised I'd been walking for quite some time and hadn't yet come across the supermarket. Then I got to the end of the road and realised the hotel wasn't there either. Yup, I'd missed the right road and had therefore walked three sides of a square going the other way to get to it. Found it eventually and got (I hope) last little bits of food to last me the last 2 and a bit days! 

    On the way back past the bus stop (right opposite my house), I checked times for later that evening. There was a bus to my destination at 8.42pm. Perfect for getting to 9pm Taize meeting. However, when I came to leave, I was a tiny bit later than I wanted to be because I'd got caught up watching the coverage of Popey in Hyde Park (it was great to be able to watch the BBC for a bit as live coverage is available abroad whereas iPlayer isn't...). Then, it was absolutely pouring with rain, and I mean POURING. I equipped myself with my purpose-bought large umbrella (because here when it rains it really does rain...) and headed down to the bus stop, a journey of about 1.5 minutes from my front door. It took me a minute or two standing around in the rain to notice there was a sign pinned to the bus stop saying "fermata soppressa" ie.no buses stopping there until the end of service on the 18th. It was the 18th. GREAT. The alternate stop for the number 17 when there is a deviation is miles away. Got totally drenched walking through endless puddles to try and make it in time (my shoes did NOT enjoy that), but the bus was going down the road as I came round the corner. Missed it by about 2 minutes (I blame the Pope...). So I ended up having to walk all the way to destination. Luckily it's not actually too far, but I did turn up at the church totally drenched and with very wet feet indeed, but also very happy to be there. 

    My last Taize service in Brescia :( So glad I was able to make this one, otherwise my last one would have been the one way back in June! 
    I have been really lucky to have found such a great group of people here to share the Taize experience with. I do hope that I do manage to link up with the Udine group in a similar manner. It's looking hopeful as the exchange of emails so far with the couple I met has been positive and I do hope to go on the 28th. It's just a shame the really well established group meet so far away from Udine. Maybe someone can give me a lift...we'll have to see. 
    Anyway at the end of last night's service I declined the chance to make a speech, but I did get to choose the last chant. I was very glad we hadn't done "In the Lord" during the service as I was able to choose that, a nice joyful one (most of my favourites are quite slow and wouldn't really do for the end of the service, or are ones not many people know...). I made them do it in English even though we always do it as "El Seynor" or "Meine Hoffnung". Really enjoyed that.
    Afterwards we all went off to Il Cavallino for pizza - yum yum. I also treated myself to una birra and was surprised when they served it in English style pint glasse (pointed out by one of the Italians who was drinking with me). All in all a very enjoyable evening, and I got a lift home and got back at about quarter past midnight.

    Probably got to sleep around 2am. Then, after hearing some loud crashing around at just before 3am, I woke up, but was trying to doze back off again when there was panicked knocking at my door. I hadn't yet woken up enough to respond properly as I wasn't convinced it was actually knocking at MY door, but then my flatmate burst through the door and put my light on, saying that she'd called the police because of the people banging the door down. What?! So apparently the noise that vaguely woke me up was someone banging really hard on our door... and because the neighbours have apparently been robbed before, she decided it was best to call the police.  So, at 3am, we had the carabinieri turn up. SIX of them...all with their guns of course...really rather a surreal experience. Not actually the first time carabinieri have come round in the middle of the night to where I have lived in Italy - in Trento my flatmate had to call them because of some trouble with an ex-boyfriend threatening to kill her stunned. Anyway there wasn't much for them to do here obviously, except ask us both for documents and laboriously copy down the details. This is the third time Italian police have taken my details...I'd better not do anything wrong!! Anyway, all very bizarre. The policemen were swearing their heads off and also had a good joke when Isabella said she was Sicilian, calling in one of the colleagues because he was Sicilian too... laughing about needing to practise their English - the young one who was taking down our details said that he'd stopped a Danish couple last week who were horrified that someone so young couldn't speak English.... all very jolly. But really quite strange as well. Poor Isabella was absolutely terrified, as I daresay I would have been if I'd been awake enough to hear the noise properly. We managed to go back to sleep again though and all is back to normal now.... 
    Oh and at least I found out that I'm not the first to have had trouble with the crazy neighbours...apparently the girl who had this room before used to say it was so awful she had to keep her window shut the whole time!! I couldn't bear the heat if I did that, so I suppose it's noise vs heat!! I do remember thinking how peaceful it was during the winter months though... fingers crossed for normal neighbours next time. Though, with the dubious location of the flat (opposite the station...) we shall see!!!