Brown bag lunches may be a fixture of Americana but we’ve got a lot to learn from the Italians on the art of the gourmet bag lunch. In Arezzo I was packed five mind-blowing meals to take to my job as a teacher. The only indication that they weren’t from a nearby restaurant was the Tupperware.
The size of our Tuscan childrens’ lunch bags should have tipped us off that we’re in for something big. And we were: Proscuitto with melon, fresh mozzarella and vine-ripened tomatoes, farro salad, and zucchini stuffed with meat and cheese. Thanks Host Mom, Giulia!!
the gourmet Italian brown bag
zucchini stuffed with meat and cheese
Prosiutto and Melon
Fresh Mozzarella & Pomodorini with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Salt
Send an email to Courtney, the author of this post, at Courtney@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
We came, we sweat, we learned, we conquered. A grueling week of ACLE teacher orientation in Sanremo officially finished today with this photo and a resounding sigh of relief. At 150 20-somethings strong, this week’s orientation was the largest in ACLE history. We were a team of many hidden talents and nationalities: Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans, Canadians, Scottish, English, Americans, and Irish. From here we’ll each embark on our own Italian journey…some to Bari, some to Rome, Veneto Tuscany, Lombardia and beyond. Stay tuned for the exact coordinates of team Jet Set Zero! Here’s a clue: we’re 4.5 hours away from Sanremo by train…
The United Nations of ACLE
Send an email to Courtney, the author of this post, at Courtney@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
Lynne and I are part of the ACLE teacher training staff this week and Perrin and Sarah are two of the 140 trainees from the around the world who have come to Sanremo to learn how to be an ACLE tutor in Italy. Next week we join forces to work together as tutors in an English immersion camp. Tomorrow is D-Day when our fate will be decided. Where in Italy would you like to see us go?
Send an email to Courtney, the author of this post, at Courtney@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
The hunt is on for a job in Quito. After applying for a mysterious Magician’s Assistant post found under Quito’s Craigslist, I sat back and tried to work some mental magic and will the magician to respond. Laurene and Freddie have both gotten jobs teaching English, but try as I might, I couldn’t motivate myself to apply for teaching jobs. We recently met a bartender who had partied with Guns N Roses when they played in Quito recently, and I had seen some places who were hiring bartenders. Except I don’t know how to tend bar. Right.
Rabbits out of hats, Getting sawed in half = I'm in!
My day had started out pretty good- I slept until noon since I have become an insomniac since living here (along with half of our apartment) and have trouble falling asleep before 2 or 3am. My recent obsession has been researching shamans in the Amazon and contemplating going to live in the jungle to learn from them. Other than that, I had lunch with a new friend who took me to a local hotspot for wealthy Quitenos and we feasted on the Ecuadorian version of sushi. Things were looking up. (more…)
Send an email to Jenna, the author of this post, at jenna@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
Hey all! Well now that Courts the Bailey sisters and I are all together it’s time to fill you all in on the work sides of our adventure; something’s gotta fund the dolce vita!
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.
Send an email to Lynne, the author of this post, at lynne@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
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:
November 20th marks a holiday that we don’t officially celebrate in Canada…Teacher’s Day. This is a very significant occasion where all students show their gratitude to their teachers by bringing them gifts. It’s a seriously big deal in Vietnam. And although I had only been a teacher for a total of one week at that point, my students still made me feel special by presenting me with a card and ice cream (they know me so well already!). The school put on a dinner and social as well. I got flowers too but that was from one of the other teachers…a story for another time. But it was nice to be recognized for my efforts all the same.
My GE5 class!
Send an email to Kris, the author of this post, at kris@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
In less than two weeks of our arrival, I found myself standing in front of Vietnamese students in a well-respected Saigon language centre. My job hunt had been fairly straightforward – a combination of luck, skill, preparation and networking landed me at the very school that the Jet Set boys taught at one year ago (an amazing coincidence if you consider how many schools there are here).
We’ve been in Saigon for two weeks now, and still no luck on the English teaching job front. Honestly, I didn’t really try very hard for the first week and a half. I was soaking it all in, getting massages, and being lazy, because I could. When the realization comes that you need money, and you need it fast, all of a sudden the urge to get a job becomes much stronger (go figure?).
There are a few things I didn’t think about before I left when it came to looking for jobs: (more…)
Send an email to Serene, the author of this post, at serene@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
Thailand
Popular Posts
Newsletter
Previous Seasons
Friends/Heroes/Allies
