Jasmine: September 7th

I spent the weekend in Spain, and like Italy, it was amazing being immersed in a whole different culture.  I feel like I have already learned so much in the past two weeks, from seeing the sites of Rome, to talking with the people of the Italian culture, to visiting the schools of immigrant and non-immigrant children - it has been a fulfilling experience so far.  Even though I was only in Spain for three days, it was interesting to be able to compare it to Italian culture.  I took Spanish for three years in high school so it was nice being able to communicate more with the people there.  We had to get from the airport, to a bus station, to a metro station, to our hostel.  It was definitely an experience trying to find our way, but we finally found it.  I flew to Rome with my family so I had them there to help me navigate, and where we still didn't really know where we were going, having your family there is different than being in a group of students so travelling to Spain was a different, but good, kind of experience.  We went to the beach, we went shopping, visited the Picasso Museum, and did a walking tour of some of Barcelona's historical sites.  I noticed that some of Barcelona's structures reminded me of the sites in Rome, and sure enough, when we went on the tour, the guide told us that there was much Roman influence in Spain.  Throughout our trip, we had to ask people for directions in Spanish, ask how much things cost, etc. so it was helpful to know their language.  It reaffirmed my beliefs of how important, valuable, and useful bilingualism is.

I think it is important that even though you don't really know how to speak the language, to at least try your best to do so.  I feel that language is so important to a culture, a people, that when there is a language barrier, it is so difficult to communicate with one another, and to build relationships.  I've read a lot about the American sentiment on immigration, and immigrants learning English, but when many Americans are put in the same situation, in a nation that is not their own, viewed as the foreigner, the "other," it becomes a totally different, hopefully eye-opening experience.  I remember flying into Rome and not having any idea of what people were saying.  It really puts you out of your comfort zone, coming to a country where you have no knowledge of their language, so going to Spain, it was a bit more familiar.  It made me attempt to put myself in the shoes of an immigrant, and think of how hard it would be to immigrate to a foreign country without any knowledge of the culture, and try to work, go to school, and provide a suitable life for yourself and your family.  I can't even imagine how difficult it would be.  I think sometimes people don't realize the struggle, the journey of an immigrant, and if they did, the attitude towards immigration would be a lot different in the world.

In Spain, I also noticed many Filipino immigrants, like I have in Italy, doing services such as cleaning, caretaking, etc.  I encountered many other different ethnic groups as well, mostly as vendors.  It was interesting because as many immigrants as I have seen in Italy, I felt like I was surrounded by just as many in Spain.  It would be interesting to look into that as well because I wondered if the Spanish view/perspective on certain immigrant groups is the same as it is in Italy.  It is always interesting to see the parallels on certain topics such as immigration and education in different countries, and I look forward to visiting the immigrant schools and refugee camps in the coming weeks so that I can expand my knowledge on these issues.

Photos: City Tour

Sterling: September 4

Today everybody got up early and met in front of the UW Rome Center for our last day of class before the three day weekend. First, we took the bus to the train station, and from there we caught a train over to St. George's English School, where Manka used to go to school when she lived in Italy. Going to an International school was definitely an interesting experience after having visited Di Donato School yesterday, near Piazzo Vittorio. My expectations for the school were already high, especially after finding out that tuition is around $20,000 a year--more than many people pay for college! However, the school exceeded even my own expectations. When we arrived, we were welcomed with a friendly greeting and allowed to go outside to observe the kids at recess. We were led through a beautiful hallway decorated with artwork and paintings that I would have thought was professional if not for the labels stating the names and ages of the students who created them. There were also beautiful murals on the walls and a plasma screen TV in the hallway. Just before we walked outside, there was a table set up with "milk and biscuits" for the students. Outside, we watched the kids run around the playground and play games of tag and soccer. They were all wearing matching blue school uniforms except for their shoes, which varied from student to student--I saw one girl in high top converse with bright red shoelaces.

After observing the kids at recess for awhile, we were led back inside and split into groups to visit classrooms. Megan and I visited a grade 4 class of about 20 students of every ethnicity from French to Russian to Sri Lankan. I was especially impressed by the teacher's ability to inspire the kids and really make them enjoy learning--students were literally jumping up in excitement to answer questions during a math activity. Megan and I talked to the teacher for a bit and learned that she taught in Scotland for 15 years before teaching at an International school in Portugal for 2 years. She has been teaching at St. George's for 5 years, but she is not fluent in Italian. She explained that teachers come from all over the world and do not necessarily have to speak Italian, because classes are taught in English and children are encouraged to speak English while at school. Students who arrive at the school and do not speak English or Italian are given intensive language lessons in order to become fluent and perform at the level of the other students academically.

Using my experience yesterday at Di Donato as a point of comparison, this visit really underscored the disparities in education between the wealthy and the working class within (and beyond) Rome. Students at St. George's have access to an almost overwhelming array of opportunities--even as we were walking through the hallway, we passed by a class of kids baking bread as a class science project. At Di Donato, the economic and class differences are striking, as most of the kids come from working class immigrant families, and they are enrolled in the school in large part because of its proximity to the train station, allowing parents to drop off their kids on the way to work. I look forward to going back to Di Donato once school is in session and witnessing firsthand the classroom dynamics and methods of instruction that teachers rely on given their limited resources. While both schools are similar in terms of ethnic diversity, they are worlds apart in many other respects, which I look forward to exploring in greater depth.

Yesterday 9/3 was a jam packed day full of hot, smelly bus rides but wonderful meetings and events. First we went to the International Migration Organization and we will meet senior reseachers Ugo Melchionda and Rosella Celmi. I was really inspired by Rosella. She is the only person in her department which concerns education and identity in Italian schools. She showed us a video of one of her projects which really emphasized this idea of looking/listening/and sharing one's identity and experiences between schools, teachers, the children and parents.

Our next stop was the Di Donato School in the very multi ethnic neighborhood of Piazza Vittorio. There we met with the school's parent association. The association started informally with parents trying to create networks among each other and grew into this major resource for the school. The parent association provides all sorts of activities for the children, trying to get them to interact more outside of the school environment. The association also provides language classes in the afternoon, a study hall, and sports. The parents of children are also invited to come out to the classes. It was amazing to think that the decorated room we were sitting in was painted and put together by one of the students father. We saw pictures of the abandoned building before it was turned into a school --- it was in terrible condition. However, with the help of the parents, it was transformed into a place for learning.

Later in the evening we watched a documentary of the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio and had the honor of meeting the director right after. I was SO inspired by the film. The documentary really showed that it often takes a lot of time for any "success" or progress to be seen or felt. While there may not seem like a lot of progress is being made, the efforts from people (like Rosella Celmi for example) and small organizations (like the parent association at the elementary school) are making a difference. The documentary showed how important perseverance and persistence is. In the process of accomplishing anything there will be times when you'll be let down and times when you will really, really struggle. Things may seem impossible but this orchestra (an orchestra made up of immigrants from all over the world) now makes music for all to hear.

It was a really wonderful day! I of course ended it with some delicious gelato! The perfect ending to a day in Rome, Italy!

-Megan Valencia

Marissa: September 2

So today was a very busy and interesting day.

First we had a check in session to see what everyone did over the weekend, this is always nice because I think it’s fun to hear what others did and enjoyed. We then went into the Frames of Reference Exercise. I have done this exercise in 2 other education based courses at UW Bothell. I think the more I do them the more I want to say and the more I understand my true lenses. Having been raised middle-upper class, in a catholic (nearly all white) school, and living in an all white neighborhood for the majority of my life has definitely impacted who I am today. Nearly every aspect of the list given today to refer to had had some impact on me. I hate that we were timed because once you get going it’s hard to stay focused for such a large subject, and really cover everything. I feel like no one got a full picture of anyone, but it was good to get a least a small picture.

Then next we went to The Save the Children place and we talked to Angela. She was very helpful and seemed very passionate about her job. We basically learned all about immigrant minor unaccompanied children coming into Italy and what the Save the Children Foundation tries to provide for them. They tell them their rights and the proper procedures to stick to to secure their rights and their place in Italy. It was interesting when she described the medical procedure the doctors do to determine a child’s age (within 2 years). I also found it interesting that some of the youths lie about their age because they think it is better to be older and that they will have more opportunity. I really liked the Doctors Without Borders video even though it was kind of hard to watch. The conditions these immigrants are living in are sad and disgusting. I was shocked to see how different the southern part of Italy is compared to what I have seen in the north. Prior to school starting I traveled with my mom and we drove from Rome to Venice and from Venice to Cinque Terre and from Cinque Terre to Florence and Pisa and then back to Rome and I never saw anywhere that looked as bad as where those immigrants were living. I really liked how Angela talked about how there are laws like the one about only being in a center for up to 20 days but how that never happens and some stay for up to 3 months.

After that we went back to class after a short break and talked about our group experience talking with an immigrant. It was cool interesting to hear a lot of similarities in the immigrants stories, like how a lot of them left their children in their country of origin because they don’t like the Italian system. It was also good because a lot of what we saw demonstrated was in the readings like the reading about the difference between coming to Italy as an Albanian and coming to Italy as a Pole, and the different way they are treated. Also how 2 groups talked to a Filipino and found out nearly exactly what was said in the reading, that the Italians like them and they are normally domestic workers.

Then we had a speaker, Leonardo Carocci. He seemed like a really nice guy, but his humor at times was lost in translation. I think Social Mediation as he explained it is a great way to take problems on head on. I like how he kept going back to the fact that you have to be truly in the community to understand what’s going on and help it. He made some great points and I just wish we could have understood his jokes. He seemed like a great speaker.

week of september 1st

As some of you noticed from yesterday's, Monday, September 1st's blog, I am asking students to write blogs for each day, aswell, so everyone gets a sense of the students' perspectives and travels. 

This past weekend, students had long weekends.  Some used these weekends to go out of town, to Venice, Cinqueterre etc. Others did intense tours of Rome, including climbing the 500 plus steps of St. Peter's and others relaxing after weeks of travel.

Today we were back with a tour de force visit to Save the Children where Angela Oriti spoke about minors' rights and what was happening in detention centers all over Italy, especially in Lampedusa.  So currently, all immigrants who come in an undocumented way are put into detention centers even if they are unaccompanied minors.  A number of them are asked and given different tests to ascertain their age. Angela spoke of the terrible accomodations they are provided, as well as the lack of information many of them have.  This is the first year that NGOs have been allowed to come into these detention centers.  Unaccompanied minors are then transferred to other centers in Southern Italy where there are very few resources and efforts are made to provide them with guardians. If these guardians are not found and when they are 18, they are repatriated.  In fact, the EU now does not allow for undocumented immigrants from one EU nation to go to another (even those that are denied asylum status in one country) and they are forced to go back home.  Angela, like Jami last week, spoke about the very small number of people who seek asylum in Italy and the even smaller number that are granted asylum.  After talking to us about the detention centers and minors' rights at these centers, she showed us a very sombering video shot by Doctors without Borders in the agricultural lands of the South where a number of immigrants are being exploited and the squalid living conditions they are living in, for many of them worse than their experiences in their own countries.  It is very difficult to come to terms with Italy's laws around immigration. Now, immigrants according to the legal framework, need to show that they are offered jobs even before them come into the country - Angela was pointing how ridiculous this was since employers in any country would not hire people before meeting them.  This has become a way of exploiting people since now even a larger number are here as undocumented - this has allowed different industries, especially the agricultural industry, to take advantage of these people and offer them extremely low wages. 

On a personal level, this has been a great learning experience for me but very depressing since I see the conditions in Italy as deteriorating for immigrants. A number of people who are dedicated to their rights and we are meeting along the way give us some home but overall it is a difficult time with the current political situation. 

Maia: Monday, September 1

So this was the last day of our four-day weekend, and I just stayed in Rome and explored. On Friday I explored by myself; I rode the busses around town and saw a bunch of sites. I got to see some new parts of town (Piazza del Popolo and the northern part of town), and it was interesting to see who got off and on at different stops. It kind of reminded me of Seattle, because the ethnic and age composition of the both the passengers and the passerby varied depending on where we were.

Saturday Anjali and I did some shopping by our apartment in the Trastevere area and we went out to a Korean restaurant near our apartment with Megan (Monday I had Chinese with a bunch of people). Then on Sunday, Megan, Sterling, and I went to the Sunday flea market, Porta Portese. We also went to a park near our place, and visited churches in Trastevere, the historic center, and by the river. While I've been able to get by with English and little to no Italian, I definitely noticed my lack of Italian at the market and when Megan and I were trying to find our way back.

Today we figured out where some more delicious gelaterias and cafes are. My favorite gelaterias so far are Gelato a la Scala (by our apartment) and Giolitti (by the Pantheon/Piazza Navona), and my favorite cafes are Tazza d'Oro and Cafe St Eustachio. Manmeet, Brukab and I also attended a lecture on an international arms dealer and how he got off the hook in Italy. While he is somewhat of a special case, we thought it was ironic that an internationally-known criminal could get off while many regular immigrants have severe difficulties even getting permission to enter the country.