Hello From Sicily My First Day Of Classes A City Tour And A Pizza Tasting

Language study travel is not at all new to me. Two years ago I went to the University of Havana to study Spanish, and last year I studied Spanish at two different language schools in Cuernavaca, Mexico. I obviously love the Spanish language and the huge variety of Spanish-speaking destinations, but Italy is a gorgeous country in its own right another perfect place for a language-study trip.I arrived at 8:45 am at the Babilonia Language School. Coffee was served, and a local restaurateur by the name of Ciro, who regularly provides catering services to the language school, was looking after the students with fine Italian coffee and a delicious chocolate cake home-made by his mom. Although the weather wasnt perfect, the space on Babilonias rooftop terrace provided a gorgeous view of Mount Etna and the mountains surrounding Taormina . The rooftop terrace and community/computer room are a perfect place for the schools social activities.Alessandro also informed us that there would be a written placement test followed by a brief evaluation of our verbal Italian skills following which we would be placed in the appropriate level. By 11:20 the placement tests were completed and I was informed that I would be put into the Intermediate group. This was rather surprising to me since I had never really studied Italian and there were two levels below this level: Beginner and Elementary. So after the break I joined five other students who had all studied Italian before. All of them had already spent a week at the Babilonia Language School, and some were there for three or four weeks already.Well, when I heard the word role play I immediately started having heart palpitations because after our private 2-person practice round we would get to act out all these scenarios in front of the class! I am notoriously bad with role plays, particularly in a language that I dont know in front of people whom I dont know. I was admiring the students who went ahead of us who performed admirably well in Italian and were rather comfortable acting out their scenarios in front of the entire group. I am sure my performance was rather clumsy and awkward, but I got through it.Although I found the role play rather stressful the first time around I concluded that it is a very effective way to get you talking, particularly about scenarios that one might encounter as a tourist in Italy. My first official Italian lesson was over, and I felt gratified that I could make myself understood, if sometimes with hands and feet, and that I managed to get my point across, albeit rather clumsily.As far as the schedule is concerned, private lessons are available from 8:30 to 9:25 am and from 2:30 until 5:25 pm. The Language Analysis class is taught from 9:30 until 11:20 am and the Communications Class is taught from 11:40 am until 1:30 pm. Alessandro also explained that there is a coffee break every day from 11:20 to 11:40 am during which students can order a lunch that will be provided by Ciro, a local caterer and restaurant owner of an establishment called Bistro. Lunch can be ordered using a preprinted order form and will then be conveniently ready by 1:30 pm and delivered to the student just after the class. This is certainly a convenient service, and I noticed that the prices were very reasonable, particularly in comparison with Taorminas rather high restaurant prices.Taormina is one of Sicilys main tourist destinations, and the principal draw in this town is the beautiful Greco-Roman Theatre which dates back to the third century B.C. and was almost completely rebuilt by the Romans in the second century AD. The theatre is built as a semi-circle into the side of a mountain with a perfect view of the Ionian Sea and (on a clear day) of Mount Etna. The ancient Greeks were renowned for choosing stunning settings for their theatres, and the natural surroundings of the theatre always played an important role in the selection of the location. The Greek Theatre in Taormina holds more than 5000 spectators and is still in use today for theatre productions as well as a major international concert venue that has welcomed stars like Elton John, Diana Krall, Michael Bubl andFor more practical purposes Peppe also pointed out the local supermarket on the western edge of town and the only coin laundry in all of Taormina. Now appropriately equipped with local knowledge, a crowd of Babilonia students gathered in the evening at 7:30 pm at Bistro, the bar owned by Babilonias caterer Ciro. Babilonia regularly organizes dinners and culinary explorations for its students, and today we got a sampling of four different types of Sicilian pizza. I had a chance to sit beside a lady from Holland, a computer programmer, who had done a trip around the world in 1995 and had many interesting stories to tell. One of the most interesting tid-bits was that she ran into the same French couple by accident four different times in different locations during her trip around the world in places like Fiji and New Zealand. What an almost inconceivable series of coincidences: to bump into the same couple four times in different places on a trip around the world! She took this as a sign and is still friends with this French couple to this day.I could tell that an interest in travel, foreign cultures and foreign languages united us all, and it was wonderful to conclude this eventful day in the company of like-minded people. The party was still going strong when I left to catch a good rest for my driving tour of Mount Etna tomorrow.