Arrivederci Napoli

There was trepidation for sure when we started this journey over two months ago. And now, somewhat unbelievably, it’s over. Surprising how easy it was to fall into the rhythms of Napoli and working again and dorm life. Surprising, but not really, how attached you can become to kids in such a short time. And […]

The Penultimate Day

We were informed on Friday that there would be a school assembly on Tuesday, and Toby and I should put on a dimostrazione (dog and pony show) to display what we’ve been doing with the kids and what they’ve learned. Aiyaiyai! So the goal with the deaf kids was to teach them a foreign language […]

Desultory Observations

1. Honestly the vaunted Neapolitan pizza does not hold a candle to the Umbrian pizza. I’m sorry, Dan, but the crust is too thick on the edge and soggy on the bottom. Pick up a piece and the entire topping slides off in a gloppy mess. We have tried them in the “best places” according […]

Carmine (Car-mee-nay)

The first time I met Carmine, now almost five weeks ago, I was melted. Big dark eyes, sticky-out ears, shy smile. He was one of the few kids at Filippo Smaldone who didn’t talk at the top of his lungs. Actually, he barely speaks which is why I was asked to work with him. Carmine’s […]

Shining Through The Grit

The children from the rione di Sanità surely live in rather spare and dark conditions. At least that is what I gather from walking the streets. You can peak here and there into the ground floor apartments, where, when we pass by, there is likely to be someone cooking in the front room. But the […]

Are you kidding me?

It started off well enough, this Wednesday morning in Naples. Two days ago Francesco, our bus driver, informed us that he had a wedding to attend today and would not be driving his route. He informed all the parents as he picked up their children. That meant that we would be making the 40 minute […]

This is What It’s Like

WEEK 1 I have been given the task of “pulling out” the deaf students from their classes in order to…, to what? At first I am given no direction. Antonio says, “maybe you_________” many times over, but there is nothing specific to fill in the blank. I am desperate for some instruction. What is the […]

Of Toilets and Teaching and Other Odd Things

I’ve always prided myself on being pretty adaptable to anything on the edge of my comfort zone. I’m not saying I don’t like a nice hotel, but I don’t need one. The dorm is located in an enormous palazzo, with tile floors and marble steps and 13 foot ceilings. It is dirty, unkempt, and cold. […]

Pizza Street

In Portland Oregon, just the threat of a dusting of snow can keep the superintendent up all night pondering whether to close down the schools. In Napoli, school was cancelled by 7:00 pm the day before we suffered this weather catastrophe. Ah, but there’s wind, a fairly strong wind, but nothing Portland doesn’t see regularly. […]

Istituto Fillipo Smaldone- We Make a Start

You wouldn’t know it by the view from its ample terrace that looks out on all of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the background, but our school is in one of the poorest and oldest neighborhoods of Naples, known as la Sanità. This terrace may be the place to come to lower the blood pressure […]