This is in English, so you guys will have to wade through it!
It’s been a year since I’ve left Italy. During that time I’ve rebuilt, renewed, and reconnected with my native country! It hasn’t been easy, but always interesting and I find I miss many things about Italy! Now things have settled down for me and I it’s time to reflect on our adventures together. It is with gratitude I write this letter to you. Your joy, happiness, imagination and hard work gave me so much, I grew as a person, gained lots of wisdom, and most importantly can call all of you guys my friends. I hope I’ve given you, as much as you’ve given me, but somehow I think I got the bigger present!
This short film is a compilation of many of the lessons we had together. It’s not all of them by any means, but as many as I could fit in right now. I have many thank yous I’d like to convey, starting with the teachers who helped and encouraged me along the way.
A big thank you to all the teachers who allowed me into their schools and classrooms and put up with my “American” ideas. I am deeply grateful for your time and patience. You all, every single one of you, are a phenomenal force for Italy’s “tomorrow children.” Without the foundation of the English language academics, what I’ve done with the kids would not have been possible. I am extremely impressed by your expertise and I am deeply deeply touched by your kindness, there are no words in either language to express what this meant to me.
To the parents that entrusted me with their kids, put up with my broken Italian, sat through presentations and made sure they got to their “English Conversation Lessons” with Leah on time. I’m down on my knees in awe. You all rock!
And lastly, to all my students. You all are crazy smart. We came up with some interesting projects that were not that easy, and you excelled at them. From puppet shows to voodoo doll auto race games, from virtual world museums to interviews, each group was incredible! Your ideas and enthusiasm made my lessons an pleasure as well as an adventure. This needs to be a longer movie and one day I will make one as I have hours of video and each one of your projects were fantastic and should be seen. So here it is and I gotta say it.., (“gotta” slang for “got to”)
Big HUGE hugs, many kisses, and..
THANK YOU, for just being you and sharing your dreams with me!
The movie, what you are seeing (for the rest of us)
Dreams; what the kids wanted to do when they grow up.
Spontaneous use of the English language to express ideas, introductions
(Poster of Montana the dream of a child who wants to travel there one day, with her horse,Landscape photography, classroom American Indian workshops, teachers, teachers, teachers! A detective from a very ambitious movie. A heartfelt and deep love letter. The NY MOMA constructed in 3D in Second life by a student who wants to live and work in NY a fine artist by the way. A clip from “The Truth About Rapunzel.” An interview about traveling to live in another country. A puppet show. A still from a very complicated movie, (mentioned before) A still from a fake talk show that we actually did from beginning to end. The “Slap.” The ultimate crisis point in the American Indian story “How The Beaver Got His Flat Tail.” The largest tree falls on the beavers tail with a big bang. Each group had their own interpretation of how that happened! Lastly some of the many hand drawn cards I received over time. To this day they touch my heart!
