The Blues!

The weekend is long gone, and for the first time since I've been in Italy I regret the fact. Sunburn, ringing ears and horribly ridiculous pictures seem like long ago memories...fading away inch by inch; replaced by grammar and methodological facts.

This sentence alone lies testament to the fact that I've been so busy that I haven't had time to write anything until almost a week later! Its almost 7 pm and I've been here, at school, since 9 am. We had our final exam today, which I think went really well. After a great lunch at a local restaurant around the corner from the school to get our minds off of the much dreaded final, we had to get back to work. Now, however, is lesson planning time. It seems like that is all I ever do. I spend hours, sometimes as many as 12 hours, to plan for a 50 minutes lesson. Does it sound like I'm over doing it? You would be surprised at how long it takes to think of and plan every single aspect of a lesson, including how we think the students will respond and therefore, how to best go about a problem/ situation.

Enough of lessons; and due dates; and upcoming portfolio reviews...

Two weekends have gone by from when I first started this entry, and although I wish that we could still be sitting on the steps of the Piazzale Michelangelo watching the sunset over Florence, I have to remember that I've almost made it. I'm only a few lessons away from a TEFL certificate. 3 long and busy days. Only 4 more sunsets in Florence.

It seems unreal. I can't believe that less less than a month ago I was counting down the days, the hours, until I set foot on Italian soil. Now I'm counting down the days until the TEFL course is over, and I leave Florence for new sights and new experiences.
Next stop? Lucca! The story behind that choice is quite complicated, but in short Lucca is close to Pisa and has cheap and very nice hostels, and Pisa is where a friend Daisy is looking for an apartment. Considering the fact that will be homeless and pretty much a happy wanderer from July 31 onwards, I thought that I could tag along with her (and teach her Italian!) as well as get a place to rest and store my stuff: a refuge of sorts.
So, I'll be exploring the ancient city of Lucca for 7 days, most likely stop over in Pisa for a day or two, then I'm off to Perugia!