Weeks 161 to 164 – May 7, 2023 – The last weekly blog
I am back. It’s been awhile since I have been attending to my weekly blog. I think this might be my last post for my weekly #pandemicreflections. I made a little joke with myself to blog on a weekly basis while we were in the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 5, 2023, the WHO (World Health Organization) declared the end to the COVID global health emergency. The pandemic is “over” and so will these blogs.
Hmm… it’s taken me a week to get back to “normal” after adjusting to the Pacific Time Zone after my 2-week trip in Italy. Although I was “working” during my time away, I did not bring my laptop to blog or write. The week before that, I was in the “hustle” to get my marking done for the end of term. I was reading papers until the very last moment before I departed on April 15, 2023 to YVR and Verona, Italy.
I think that sums up my last for weeks: marking, travel, and recovery (during work). I had full intentions to write a blog for each week missed during my time away, but I did not expect the pandemic to end as well. Seems timely. As a result, this blog post will be a fairly lengthy one, but hopefully succinct enough for folks to read. I had incredible time in Italy and I think that I’ve returned home a different person.
First, I would like to mention that I am very proud of the Elementary Cohort and I greatly enjoyed my time and work this these teacher candidates. The last two terms with this crew exceeded my expectations. It’s amazing to learn alongside this crew. Although not perfect, I am grateful that they were willing to take risks with me, provide feedback, and find the good in the work that we were achieving.
With last year’s EDUC 491 Elementary Crew and this year’s Elementary Cohort in EDUC 394, EDUC 391, EDUC 421, and EDUC 405, I feel humbled and honoured to have them in my pedagogical journey. They helped me to understand what is possible in my practice, but also develop my teacher efficacy in higher education. They gave me the agency and autonomy to create new learning opportunities.
I am the learner. I love that. I am also grateful to my grad classes as well, EDUC 639 and EDUC 633. They also helped me to delve deep into online learning that is community oriented, collaborative, and co-constructed. It’s not perfect, of course. I’m still learning and developing, but this is the joy of teaching. I never want to give the illusion that teaching is “perfect.” It isn’t. It’s messy, divergent, and creative.
After submitting my grades, to the best of my ability, I was on the first flight out of Prince George, BC and I met up with my twin bro at the Vancouver airport to have fancy breakfast at the Fairmont hotel before meeting up with my friends. This trip was a vision had 23-years ago to celebrate a milestone birthday of my friend. The dream was to make pasta in Italy… and we did. And, I made a new friend too. 🙂
Laugh and giggles throughout. I had no expectations of Italy except that I wanted to bring a block of cheese home as a souvenir. We saw many churches, ate lots of yummy food, and engaged in the local culture when we could. Anna and I regularly attended a local coffee shop near our B & B, and we loved our server, Amber. We loved the cappuccinos and delicious sandwiches. Verona was a great place to be.
Travelling in Italy was amazing. I have never traveled abroad without family. I did once to Hong Kong for a family reunion, but this experience to travel to Europe was a new experience. I had no expectations. I would consider myself a follower in this vacation and enjoyed every minute of it. I cannot believe that I had the chance to ride a gondola. That said, I appreciated more of the local experience better.
It’s easy to get caught in the “tourist trap.” It costs a tonne as well. That said, “you only live once.” That was my mantra for this trip… YOLO! My friends bought some beautiful glassware from a local artist in Venice. Of course, I enjoyed the pasta and the eating experience… LOL. Unfortunately, we were did not make it to Florence to meet David due to a train accident. Instead, we went to Desenzano del Garda.
It was a beautiful lake community. We were already at the train station with hopes of going to Florence, but all the trains were full. This was an excellent alternative. The train took us to Desenzano station and we walked down to the lake. We arrived early so there were not many people around. We had a cappuccino, the skies cleared up, and we walked around through the town. It was a short day trip.
You can imagine that I took a tonne of photos throughout the vacation. I’m finding it somewhat challenging to choose the photos to best depict the trip, but I am really enjoying the scroll through my pics as I write this blog post. We did a lot during this vacation and I’m only highlighting a few points. The highlight of the vacation was going to Castello di Montalero to cook, meet friends, and explore.
Honestly… I must have took hundreds of photos at the castle, before the castle, and after the castle. So many to choose from, but I choose this one with Charlie. He was the youngest son of the owner and our guide throughout our 5-days at the castle. He was super amazing and engaging. He brought us to wineries, local vendors, and places of interest. He kept our group together and entertained.
We cooked a few times as a group of 10. We worked with a couple local chefs to make different types of pasta and other foods like focaccia. Admittedly, it was the best focaccia bread I’ve ever tasted. We are doing it all wrong in Canada. I was so amazed by the quality of food in Italy, but also the way of life. I was so enamoured by one of the chefs and the principles she lived by. I learned so much from her.
We met people from the UK, USA, and Ireland. As different as we were, we were able to get along. That is serendipity. So many laughs. So many giggles. For me, it was a week of humility and humbleness. I was learning so much. I can only laugh at myself. I even adopted a new name during my trip…. “Alice.” It’s my real first name, but how it’s pronounced in Italy was so beautiful (see Google), I opted to go by it.
I soon found out (on my last day at the castle) that “Alice” also means anchovy. Charlie told me this when we were at the market, but I soon learned that the crew all new a couple of days before and didn’t have the heart to share it with me. Huh. I am one small salty fish. Dang. Who knew? LOL. Another thing to laugh about and embrace. I loved my 5-days at Castello di Montalero. We are planning to go back.
The Italy vacation ends with Rome. You’d expect Rome to be a destination place… and it is. But this place was packed and catered to the American tourist. I was continuously fascinated by the scale of the Colosseum and Vatican, but I will admit that I favoured the rural and remote areas of Italy. I appreciated the culture and the straightforwardness of life. Also, folks were generally very well dressed. 🙂
As I reflect on my Italian experience, I can see three clear exemplars of Italy and how they are metaphors to how I would like to approach life. It’s an interesting way to end my #pandemicreflections with what’s really important to me. I can see that I enjoy the simple things in life. I love being with people and I love listening to people’s stories and passions. That is really fuel to my fire. It’s the relationships.
Now, I’m back home in Prince George. I’m not sure why I thought it was a good idea to fly home the day before I went back to work full time. The transition was not kind but found some solace knowing my travel mates felt the same way. I am grateful to be sitting here at my desk with the sun shining on me typing on my “new” computer (because my old “temporarily died… now gifted to my kid).
I think that I will be returning to the castle. We are already making plans for 2025 and going to Florence as well to meet David and possibly visit Torino. We heard good things about that place too as a good place to visit. I have no regrets and very appreciative to have this weekly blog to reflect on the quality of life and changes over the last 3-years. 164 weeks of blogging. Looking forward to what’s next.
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