ACLE students snuggle up to a couple resident nuns

We have been in Salerno, Italy for four days. The scenery is mixed: by day we work at a nunnery, and by night we play in a sorority.

Some of our Salerno "sorority" housemates

The nuns are kind and quiet. They don’t speak English, although one of them summoned up a “’Bye” at the end of Day Two. They are a presence on the premises but they don’t participate in ACLE activities. From my limited observations, they spend the day reading and keep the bathroom impeccably clean. I know now that if I leave a pack of tic-tacs in the bathroom, those mints will be removed bomb-squad style by the time I return two minutes later. Lesson: Do not litter a nun’s bathroom.

As for the sorority life, there was no hazing process, but we have been initiated into a disheveled house of young adult beer drinkers, including 10 tutors, a “friend of the family,“ and a cameraman. Our cabinet features canned goods and our bathroom features Southern Italian mud and clogged drains. It is a direct departure from our last week at the B&B-style cottage in Lanuvio.

Our beautiful kitchen...actually looks like a fraternity

Sarah, Bogden and I are loving it. We would not trade our new drinking buddies and the freedom of apartment life for a real bed (read: not a cot) or a piece of steak. Well…I’ll have to think about the steak. Depends what kind of steak.

We are surviving just fine.

Five of the six tutors -- Matt, Perrin, Fiona, Melissa and me -- covered in whipped cream goo.

Perrin and I survived our first two weeks of camp and the kids made sure we had a crazed last day. We chased them through a series of “messy games”, such as shaving cream hair style and egg toss competitions.  At the end we  followed camp tradition and let them smother us in whip cream.  We  are sad to leave our fellow tutors and this great camp location but Perrin and I will be reunited with Courtney and Lynn tomorrow in Lanuvio, about 40 minutes away from Rome!

I feel like San Remo is home now so it’s tough to leave but we will be living with families in our new spot and I am looking forward to meeting my Italian mother for the next two weeks.  Visions of lasagna and washing machines are floating through my head.

Rut roh! Collaps-ation after day 1 of teaching. (I'm not really crying...)

I just opened my sister’s computer and was greeted with her latest diary entry, which was simply: “I thought about having my tubes tied today.”

We are here at her hotel debriefing after our first day of prison labor, which consisted of servicing a minefield of diabolical elves aged 5-6.

While Italian children look like dark-haired angels, shaming America’s obese youth yet again, the rest of our high expectations were not met. Here’s a glimpse into Sarah and my dialogue.

Perrin: What the f*ck?!

Sarah: We were surprise attacked by Jack and his hunters [from Lord of the Flies].

Perrin: I’m not surprised; I didn’t think the kids would understand us. We don’t speak Italian. I just felt bad when a girl had to pee her pants for me to comprehend that she needed the toilet.

Sarah: It turns out that it was the last day before summer, and the teacher had relinquished all hope for the children’s redemption. She sat in the corner laughing the whole time we were in there.

Perrin: The rest of the day was better.  The next class was wild about our “Peel peel banana!” song and dance. Those kids really shake their hips, even the little boys had Shakira-esque rhythm going.

Sarah: ACLE does offer a brilliant teaching model. They’ve rocked the typical style of “repetition and strict memorization” found in most Italian classrooms. They replaced it with energetic songs and games that get the children involved.  In just one week they have literally changed my tune regarding children: it used to be True Blood’s theme song, “I’m going to do bad things to you” but now it’s “HIP HOP! ENGLISH ROCKS!”  I rather like it.

Perrin: Agreed. ACLE’s even changing my nighttime behavior. Without realizing it, I’ve begun deploying their body-language techniques to make Italian men understand that, when I hug my chest and make slurping motions, it means “I would loooove a beer!” I’m not learning Italian but sign language is universal.

Sarah: Sdfkjfajl [unintelligible].

Sarah is dropping out of the conversation now. She completely lost her voice while hollering at The Wild Things today. Grandpa always attributes her frequent voice loss to cheap whiskey, but this time it was due to Italian-mother style yelling.

Ready for the next episode? Next week we’ll be teaching 9am-6pm.

Childish behavior is contagious.

Perrin and Sarah in action

Orientation began today so our schedule just got more intense, Courts and I are returning tutors having met doing this job before but it’s all new to the Baileys. Courts and I help run the orientation while the girls are on information overload in order to go to camp at the weekend! Where?? We have no idea and that’s what makes the adrenaline pump! It’s going to be a hardcore week of tuning our singing voice and brushing up on playing games while learning the ACLE methodology.

The ACLE Activity Book

Courts and I will be sleeping in the same place tonight for the first time since we got to Italy as it has been non- stop, however we will be room hopping again tomorrow! Musical Beds in order to be the proud owners of WI-FI.

Lynne and Courtney Circa 2007 - Cirie, Italy

Moving to a different country without a clearly defined plan is definitely the way to go, with one major exception: finding employment. On the job front, doing a little research before you leave can pay off BIG TIME.  It did for team Italy!

As of next week all four of us will be teaching English to Italian children at English immersion summer camps throughout Italy with a non-profit organization called ACLE.

JOB FACTS:

• I found ACLE through a Google search in 2007 and it was my ticket out of my corporate job.
• Lynne and I met in Italy working for this very same program three years ago. Our Jet Set Zero experience will be a reunion of epic proportions.
• Sarah and Perrin are ACLE newbies.  Hazing rituals likely.
• ACLE has an important mission: To prove that the “traditional Italian scholastic system of “chalk and talk” fails to stimulate the emotions and energy that an entertaining atmosphere can provide.
• Instead of  lectures and boring workbook lessons, we’ll be teaching English through songs, theater, art, games, sports and multi-cultural activities.
• ACLE + Italy = one delicious summer.

A lot more on our sweet summer job soon, but for now check out these excellent sites to begin YOUR international job search:

Jobs Abroad
Teach Abroad
National Association of International Educators (NAFSA)
Craigslist (Search Europe/International Jobs)
Dave’s ESL Cafe
Expat-Blog (read success stories and get tips from other expats)