georginabarry – Third Space

Italian family life.

I wanted to write a little about the experiences I had observing Italian family life during the time I spent as an English teacher to the children of two different families. I talked to the mothers about some of the stereotypes surrounding the Italian family life so let’s establish whether or not any of them are actually true.

The old movies present Italian families as huge, often with more than six children but in more recent times Italian families have become much smaller, often with two to three children. The structure of the Italian family has changed a lot since the traditional model depicted in films. In the past Italian families, especially those of the South, were made up of a lot of children and often the women did not work. The two mums that I worked with assured me that this was no longer true! They had taken some time off work to be at home during the early years of their children’s lives but said they couldn’t wait to get back to work after their children were old enough. The social revolution has also changed the concept of the family unit itself resulting in new types of families made up of single parents, unmarried couples, divorced parents, couples without children and same-sex couples. All these models are very far away from the stereotypes we see in films and read about in books!

One thing however that I think is quite true and will not change any time soon, is the close-knit ethos of the Italian family. They still spend a lot of time together and typically try to gather to eat in the evening and share the days events (without the television on!). Not only this but there are still strong family ties between members even when they create new family units. For example, the children’s grandparents would visit often, especially in the evenings and would stay for dinner, would help to look after the children whilst the parents cooked. I really liked this element of family life, the families were so close and it was nice to see such a huge influence from an older generation on the lives of the younger ones. Heirlooms of the traditional family can still be found in the modern day model but all in all I think the image below of 20 dark-haired, olive-skinned members of the same family sat around the table eating pasta on an evening is long gone!

Filed under: 26 - Create and give an activity

The day I ate a horse…

Just a quick post about a fairly unusual local dish of Verona which is the use of horse and donkey meat in several dishes, (although donkey meat is less common). I read that it’s actually a tradition which dates back to barbaric invasions. At the end of the Roman Empire, northern European tribes settled in Verona and used to eat horse meat and it is a custom which has continued to the present day. (I don’t know how true this is but I haven’t heard any other explanations so I’ll have to go with this…)

It is not unusual to find horse meat on the menu in a restaurant and is actually used in several dishes. It is used in a stew called pastissada, served as horse or colt steaks, as carpaccio, or made into bresaola (air-dried and salted meat). Horse fat is used in recipes such as “pezzetti di cavallo” (pieces of horsemeat) and another favourite dish is horse on a bed of rocket, dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Eating horse meat has always been quite a touchy subject and there have apparently been several campaigns in Italy to ban its consumption. However many argue that it is a part of the culinary tradition of Italy, especially in the Northern Veneto region. When I was in Verona I got the chance to try a pasta dish which contained a horse meat ragù and I have to admit it was incredibly tasty.

Filed under: 5 - Local Food

Living in a hotel isn’t as good as it sounds…

Having to find a new home is always a daunting prospect, even in the UK where you actually kind of know what is going on, never mind in a huge capital city! Because of an overlap with my semesters between France and Italy, I had to get a flight straight from Verona to Paris…knowing that I had nowhere to live! I’d already messaged a lot of people who were advertising their apartments on Facebook pages and on the French equivalent of Gumtree but with no success.

I decided to book into a hotel for three days, being very optimistic that within those three days, I would’ve found some dream-like Parisian apartment with beautiful shutters on the windows, with a balcony located right in the centre of Paris, overlooking the Eiffel Tower of course. Safe to say, this wasn’t the case. My friend from Paris warned me of the difficulty in finding an apartment in Paris but for some reason I thought I would be the exception. I didn’t get one single reply from all the messages I had sent out to French people searching for a ‘coloc’ so begrudgingly booked a further four days in the hotel. Everything got so much harder when I started university because I was not able to spend all day glued to my laptop looking at advertisements.

Finally, on day six of living in a hotel, one girl replied to my message and I was able to go view her apartment. It was not in a great area of Paris, it was really far away from my university and I’d also be living alone for the next five months which was not something I had hoped to have to do, but I was so desperate I had no other choice! I handed over my deposit and got ready to move out of my hotel on day seven, not totally happy with my new home but thought it was better than paying for another three nights in a hotel. And then I get the phone call telling me that the girl has decided to give the apartment to another girl and that I could go pick up my deposit cheque the following day… Fabulous.

So I go on to book a further three days, this time in a different hotel on the opposite side of Paris (after a week of living in a hotel, you have to downgrade!). I went to see a few more apartments but none of them really appealed to me. One of them was just a mattress on a floor, the other one was so far out of the centre I’d have had to travel about an hour and a half every day to get to university. I really did think all hope was lost until I came across an apartment on a website called ‘Autroisieme’ recommended to me by a friend.

The apartment was with an Italian lady and her daughter. I hadn’t really anticipated living with someone a lot older than me but I didn’t think it would be so bad seen as she had a daughter who was the same age as me. When I went to visit the apartment, it was a lovely surprise to see how beautiful it was. It was located in the 3rd arrondissement, in Le Marais which is a gorgeous area full of lovely bars, amazing boutique shops and hosts loads of cultural events. The lady and her daughter were so welcoming and I instantly felt at home. She told me that there was someone else who was interested in the apartment and that she would ring me back the day after to see if they had chosen me. I was really worried that they wouldn’t choose me but I got a phone call from her the next day telling me that they were more than happy to live with me.

I was over the moon that I had finally found a great apartment, in a great location with two amazing people. The fact that they were Italian but spoke fluent French and not much English was great for my learning because I was forced to speak to them in at least one of the two languages I study every day. I had a really great experience in my new home and I was so sad to leave at the end of my semester but they assured me that I was welcome back at any point and even got an invite to their home in Catania.

So after 2 weeks of living in a hotel, my Parisian adventure began and I could finally settle into my lovely new home.

Ps they also had an adorable puppy which made living there a lot easier!

My apartment was on the third floor of this beautiful building.

The kitchen was cosy and perfect for eating dinner together.

My bedroom. There was another part to my room but was difficult to fit into the picture!

This was the living room. There was a long table in here where the lady hosted lots of dinner parties.

Filed under: 25 - Create your own activity

It’s your turn!

Tocatì festival in Verona normally takes place every year at the end of September and I arrived just in time to catch all four days of the festival. In Italian ‘tocca a te’ means ‘your turn’ and is used particularly when playing games with family and friends (you know the kind- Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit etc.) which is why this festival is aptly named ‘Tocatì’ and celebrates traditional games, which are played in the streets of Verona. Some of the games include draughts, chess, backgammon, tug of war, ultimate frisbee, trisella, table football, boules…the list goes on. The festival is not just for adults though, there are some simpler games for children such as hopscotch, board games, musical chairs and more. The streets are quite literally transformed into one giant playground with certain roads closed for the four days to ensure the safety of everyone. The festival seeks to illustrate that roads and streets are not just places of transit but are also places for meetings and exchanges with others. There was a real sense of community during the festival with all generations and kinds of people taking to the streets of Verona to take part in the festivities. (Some took the games a little more seriously than others- I watched a game of draughts for 5 minutes in which time neither player made a move!)

This game is called Trisella. Small wooden balls are thrown into the corresponding coloured holes.

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Backgammon- I’ve never really understood the rules of backgammon, so can’t help with this one!

But the festival is not only about games. There are also many food stalls and tents selling food and drink from all around Italy. A great way for everyone to relax after a strenuous day of playing games all day! Below is a one of the very first pictures of me in Verona with some friends on the second day of Tocatì.

In the evening the fun continues with bands and musicians playing all around the city. We stumbled upon two incredible beat boxers and then an amazing tribute band who got everybody up on their feet and dancing in the middle of the street. I really enjoyed Tocatì and it was great timing that the festival began on the day I arrived in Verona, it brought the city to life. Seeing what a sense of togetherness the festival brought about in the people of Verona made it so easy to settle in here. If only we didn’t have such poor weather here in the UK. I don’t imagine it would have the same success as it did in Verona if we all had to stand outside at the end of September playing games on the street!

Here is a link to this years Tocatì festival if you’re interested in finding out a little bit more about the festival.

Filed under: 28 - Festival Fun

Who needs a bag of crisps when you have these as a snack?

I say “Italian food”, you immediately think of pasta and pizza. The stereotype is (kind of) true, Italians LOVE their pasta and tend to eat it nearly everyday, but that’s not all they eat. Living in Verona, I have sampled many different varieties of food and drink, not all necessarily Veronese but things from all different regions of Italy. One that stood out to me is arancini, which are stuffed risotto balls coated in breadcrumbs and then fried, popular in Sicily but available throughout all of Italy. They are normally filled with mince, mozzarella or tomato and taste really amazing. The name ‘arancini’ derives from the Italian word for orange (arancia) due to their shape and colour which resemble an orange. You could describe them as a “snack food” and are easy to find on most street vendors. They also serve as a great way to use up left over risotto (I imagine left over risotto is more of a problem in Italy than here in the UK!).

I decided to have a go at making some of my own, but decided to add a slightly different filling of sautéed mushrooms in the centre of the risotto. I used the recipe from this link “How to make the perfect arancini” as getting a recipe as such off someone in Verona was a lot harder than expected!

Here are some pictures of the process and then the finished arancini. It was quite hard to make them without a fryer so I would say their colour was not quite as orange as I would’ve hoped but they still tasted really good!

The cooled risotto mixed with parmigiano cheese and mozzarella.

My attempt at rolling the risotto into balls. It does get quite sticky so make sure to keep your hands wet with a little water. Remember to put your chosen filling in and then plug the hole with a little more rice.

Coat the risotto balls in breadcrumbs.

Fry them for the required amount of time and hey presto, the perfect Italian snack.

Filed under: 12 - Favourite Foods

Santa Claus is out of a job in Verona…

Christmas is a wonderful time of year wherever you are but spending the run up to Christmas in Verona was a particularly magical experience, after all where better to spend it than the city of love? The city was dressed up with beautifully elegant street lights, an overwhelming amount of trees (nearly every shop had its own Christmas tree outside), a huge shooting star appeared out of the top of the arena and not to mention every piazza was transformed into a winter wonderland with markets selling mulled wine and traditional christmas panettone.

But Verona and a few other cities in Northern Italy have a tradition which is very specific only to them. If you’re waiting for your presents to be delivered by Santa Claus on the night of the 24th December, you’ll be waiting a very long time as it’s someone else who delivers the presents and surprisingly on the 12th December! Santa Lucia is one of the oldest traditions of Verona and whilst it is principally for children, everyone in the province gets involved.

The legend has it that in the 13th century there was a terrible case of “eye ache” especially amongst children and so people decided to ask Santa Lucia for relief from the symptoms by setting off on a barefoot pilgrimage to what is now the town hall, then known as Saint Agnese Church. Children were obviously very reluctant to do this so parents promised them that they would receive many presents if they did and so when the children accepted, the epidemic ended.

On the night of the 12th December, children eagerly await Santa Lucia who delivers their presents riding a flying donkey. I was lucky enough to take part in the tradition due to the fact that I was an English tutor to two different families who had very young children. You could tell how excited the children were in the run up to the evening of the 12th, with all members of the family getting involved. I bought the children presents to add to their piles from Santa Lucia which they seemed very happy with. (The tradition also served as a great way to get them to try very hard with their English when their mothers told them that Santa Lucia would not visit if they didn’t do their work)! It is normal then for families to get together at lunchtime or in the evening of the 13th to have a meal and give the children chance to show off their new toys delivered by Santa Lucia.

(Unfortunately the phone I took all my photos on at Christmas time in Verona has broken so I’ve included a picture that I found on the internet of beautiful Piazza Bra and the star shooting out of the arena.)

Filed under: 9 - Local Traditions

“Love at second sight.”

One of the most widely accessible pleasures of Paris is that of simply walking its streets. I very much consider it a city where people walk not merely to get around but by choice and for pleasure. Every time I step out on to its varied pavements and cobbles, I find myself discovering new buildings hidden down little side streets, whether it is simply a beautiful block of apartments or a previously unknown museum, there is certainly something wonderful about the architecture and designs that Paris has to offer. I live in the third arrondissement of Paris which makes it part of the historic district “Le Marais”, boasting a wealth of small boutiques and vintage shops. But the building I am going to describe is by no means small and is actually quite incongruous with its surroundings.

When I first saw the Centre Georges Pompidou, I didn’t quite know what to make of it as it just seems to appear out of nowhere and seems quite poorly placed as you walk out of Le Marais. But after reading into the history of the building I started to see it through rather different eyes. Opened in 1977, it houses the Public Information Library, a centre for music and acoustic research as well as one of the largest modern art museums in Europe, bringing together in one place a variety of art and literature. It is, of course, named after the President of France from 1969 to 1974, Georges Pompidou who commissioned the building. I read that National Geographic described the building as “love at second sight” which is understandable due to its ‘inside out, upside down’ kind of nature. All the functional structural elements of the building are on the outside of the building and are all colour coded; green pipes are plumping, electrical wires are yellow, blue ducts for climate control and all the safety elements and devices are red. The theme continues inside with all pipes and wires visible in the roof of the building, making it a very unique space inside. After visiting the Musée National d’Art Moderne, I really started to appreciate the building as only a building such as the Centre Georges Pompidou would be appropriate to house such incredible pieces of modern art.

There are so many beautiful buildings in Paris that it is hard to pick just one. Of course I could have chosen the Louvre or the Palace of Versailles but I think it is just as appropriate to celebrate the beauty of new buildings as well as old. Paris is a city which is constantly developing and changing with the times and I think the Centre Georges Pompidou is a perfect example of this.

Filed under: 11 - Beautiful Buildings

Two experiences for the price of one.

Here is a picture of my experience map. I am very fortunate to have had two experiences during my year abroad, one in Verona and one in Paris. To explain a little about my experience map:

Verona:

Important places; the arena and Piazza Erbe which I would pass daily on my way to university. Lago di Garda and Milan were two places we often took day trips to.
I taught English to the children of two Italian families.
Italian cuisine definitely makes an appearance on my experience map. Who can complain at pizza, pasta and gelato for dinner every night?
Of course I have included friends as I made so many new friends who I hope I will stay in touch with forever.
And finally the university. I studied three courses, history of cinema, history of art and contemporary history, as well as a B2 course in Italian.

Paris:

I live in a lovely area of Paris known as Le Marais which is famous for small boutiques and lovely little cafes and restaurants.
At university I studied translation, which I really enjoyed. It has made me sure that I want to do a masters in translation after I graduate.
I have visited lots of museums, big and small. I think my favourite was the Edith Piaf museum. It is not a famous museum in Paris but it was very interesting. The museum itself is in an apartment that Edith Piaf used to live in before she was famous. It is visit by appointment only.
I had lots of visits from family and friends during my time in Paris as it is a little easier to get to than Verona was.
I celebrated my 21st Birthday in Paris. We went to a nightclub on the Champs-Élysées and we got a free bottle of champagne. A very chic affair.
I also visited the cinema a lot whilst in Paris, seeing films in French, English and Italian.
Finding the time to read for pleasure is always difficult when you are a student but I have a collection of French books which I have read since my time in Paris.
French wine and pastry have played a big part in my time in Paris. When I go home I will really miss going to the boulangerie in the morning for a warm and flaky pain au chocolat!

Filed under: 6 - Experience Map

Metro observations…

I know this activity suggests you go out in the early hours of the morning to “people watch”, but I assure you there is nothing more interesting than watching people come and go, get on and then get off of the metro in Paris. I’ve been reading a book recently by Annie Ernaux called ‘Journal du dehors’ which is a short collection of her experiences in and around Paris between 1985 and 1992, a lot of which are focused on the metro and the R.E.R. train network. She describes in short accounts, sometimes one sentence long, sometimes two pages long, the kinds of people she sees on the metro, people she finds interesting and intriguing. I’ve finished the book now and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to recreate a few of these short accounts but from my own experiences on the metro. I take the metro almost every day to university and around Paris so whilst I was reading Annie Ernaux’s book, I started to take notice of a few everyday instances that occurred during my journeys on the metro.

Metro line 8, direction Créteil, a young mother, around 28 years old gets on with her daughter, around 5 years old at Invalides. The little girl is carrying a see through plastic lunch bag containing a packet of crisps, a juice bottle, a chocolate bar and a lollipop. The mother opens her magazine, flicks through the pages mechanically without paying attention to any of the articles, merely eyeing up the photographs of “celebrities” and this season’s new floral prints. The little girl smiling with a most innocent grin asks her mum (in French of course) “Which one can I have?” No response. “Which one can I have maman?” Eventually looking up from her magazine she replies “C’est ton choix” (It’s up to you). Bestowed with the important task and great responsibility of deciding which one of the precious treats she should have first, she unzips the lunch bag and carefully surveys each item, as if weighing up the pros and cons of each. (I think the little girl secretly wanted her mum to just pick one). She goes for the crisps. No going back now. She swings her dangling feet back and forth in utter happiness at her choice of the ready salted crisps. The mum takes the bag of crisps off her, utter despair on the girl’s face. Her mum opens the crisp packet properly as the little girl had only opened a corner and was sticking her hand into the tiniest hole to pull out a crisp that was bigger than the hole. On returning the crisps, the mum gets back to her magazine and the little girl eats her crisps, each one better than the previous, whilst staring out of the window into the darkness of the underground.

Metro line 4, direction Montrouge. It’s only 3pm in the afternoon so fortunately the metro is empty compared to its 5/6pm equivalent where you have an armpit in your face and everyone is eyeing up the passengers sat on the seats, waiting for them to get off. I have my back to a door therefore cannot see the passengers who get on behind me. All of a sudden music starts. It’s very normal for people to play music on the metro in the hope of acquiring a few centimes, normally it’s a harpsichord or they bring a speaker, wheeled in on a trolley and sing along to a backing track. But this was a first. A man gets on with a bassoon. He plays around 4 songs, which is unusual because normally it’s one song and then they get off at the next stop. Beautiful songs, classical pieces. All passengers look up from their book or their newspaper and pull out their headphones. When finished and the man starts his way up and down the carriage, every passenger rummages around in their pockets looking for something to give him. Satisfied, the bassoon player gets off and hops along to the next carriage to do it all over again. The man sat opposite me gets off at the stop after, whistling one of the tunes he had just heard.

Metro line 4, direction Clignancourt, the buzzer sounds which indicates that the doors are closing. A woman risks it and jumps through the door, getting slightly stuck. It would have been far simpler, and dignified, for her to reverse and wait the 2 minutes for the next metro but no. Two men rush to her aid and prise the doors open allowing her to get in. She sits on the nearest seat, brushing her hair off her face as if nothing had happened. Aware, of course, that the whole carriage is looking at her.

Metro line 6, direction Charles de Gaulle Étoile. A young couple around 25 years old get on at La Motte-Picquet Grenelle. Clearly tourists. You could just tell by their slightly stressed, “we need to do everything in Paris before we leave” kind of faces. The woman looks up at the plan of metro line 6 illustrated above the door. She can’t find the metro where they need to get off and starts frantically scanning the image. She turns to her boyfriend, scared at the prospect that the day will be ruined because they’ve got on the wrong metro line. It appears as if he is used this kind of worry from his girlfriend and he assures her that they are right, pointing up to the image to indicate where they got on, which direction they are heading in and where they need to get off. She looks relieved and can relax for the next few stops before they get off at Trocadéro. I knew exactly why they were getting off there. From that point is one of the best places to take photographs of the Eiffel Tower. I know because I too went here when I first arrived in Paris.

Waiting for the metro to arrive at Saint-Placide, a business woman holds a coffee in one hand and her laptop case in the other. She walks right to the far end of the platform, passes lots of empty seats on the way but sits in the furthest seat away. I wonder why she walked so far away. Two possibilities. She either just wants to be as far away as possible from anyone that could potentially bother her or she takes the metro so often that she has planned where to get on the metro so that she is closest to the exit where she will get off. I think this because I do the same sometimes for my trip to university. Go to the far end of the platform at Saint-Sébastien Froissart, to get off at Strasbourg-Saint-Denis to be nearest to direction I need to head in to change lines. Get on line 4 at the closest end of the platform to get off at Saint-Sulpice to be just next to the exit. Perfect if you’re running late!

Metro line 14, direction Saint-Lazare. A woman gets on at Gare de Lyon with an enormous suitcase. She can barely even lift it onto the train it is so big and by the looks of it very heavy. The train is already very busy as it’s rush hour. Everyone stood by the doors shuffles begrudgingly further towards the back of the train to make room for her and her giant suitcase. It’s clear what everyone’s thinking, “Just take a taxi!” or “Find another way to get wherever you’re going, just don’t take the metro”. I could see in her face that she was regretting her decision.

I could go on and on about things I have seen on the metro around Paris. If you’ve ever taken it yourself I’m sure you’ll understand that it is certainly a “unique” experience especially in rush hour! I’m so glad I read ‘Journal du dehors’ because prior to that I found myself looking down into a book, scrolling through Facebook on my phone or closing my eyes and listening to music on the metro, when in fact it is so interesting to watch people come and go. It’s unbelievable how interesting people can be if you just take a minute to look up.

Filed under: 19 - Watch People Come & Go

A trip down memory lane.

I chose this task because after opening up my third space box (which I have found is the perfect place to keep little paper memories from my year abroad), I realised I had collected quite a number of tickets, leaflets, photographs and other souvenirs so I thought it was time to give the box a little TLC. (I had a minor incident with the box when I first arrived in Paris and realised it had been crushed under some shampoo bottles eeeek.)

The top of my decorated Third Space box.

On the top of the box, you will see:

A ticket from the Eiffel Tower. For my 21st birthday, my friends surprised me with lunch on the Eiffel tower which was amazing. I had foie gras as my starter, roast chicken with garlic mash potato as main and chocolate mousse as dessert. Here is a picture of mine and my friends starters.

A polaroid photo of the arena in Verona. I went to see two operas here: Carmen and Aida. These were my first experiences with opera and I have to say I really enjoyed both of them.
A ticket of an exhibition I saw in Verona: Paolo Veronese. I didn’t really know much about him before I went to this exhibition but it was really interesting to learn about some “home grown talent” from Verona!
My entry ticket for Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. The stained glass windows were absolutely breathtaking.

My student card for my university here in Paris. My university was called ISIT and it was a school of translation and interpretation. I’ve absolutely loved my time studying at ISIT and it has really assured me that translation is what I want to do in the future!
A bookmark I bought from the exhibition “David Bowie is…” which is an exhibition that has toured all over many big cities in the world. It started off in London at the Victoria and Albert Museum but I never got the chance to see it. I was really happy when I heard it was coming to the Philharmonie de Paris. The exhibition itself was incredible, my favourite part of it was seeing the outfit Bowie wore for his performance of Starman on Top of the Pops in 1972.

Side view 1.

On this side of the box you will see:

A ticket to a “Tudor” exhibition at the Musée de Luxembourg. I always loved learning about the Tudors in school so when I saw this exhibition was in Paris, I was very eager to check it out. I also bought a bookmark here quoting the title of Samuel Rowley’s play about Henry VIII. “When you see me you know me”.
A ticket to Musée Rodin. Unfortunately the main museum was under construction when I went to visit it but I was happy in the end. The day I chose to go was so hot therefore looking around the sculptures in the gardens was a blessing! This was my favourite sculpture “La porte de l’Enfer” (The gates to Hell).

A ticket I got from an Italian film I went to see at an adorable cinema in Paris called “Le champo”. It was a really traditional cinema with those old red chairs (I hope you know the ones I mean). There were even little spotlight stars in the ceiling. I definitely prefer these kind of cinemas to the big commercial ones where a small coke costs an arm and a leg!

Side view 2.

On the second side of the box you will see:

My “Codice fiscale” card from Italy. This card was actually really important. Without it you couldn’t rent an apartment, buy a simcard, a phone contract… It is illegal to live there without one, also feels kind of cool to say I have an Italian fiscal code!
A cinema ticket to a showing of Dolce Vita. Even though I had seen this film many times before, it is always nice to go see it in the cinema!

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Side view 3.

On this side you will see:

A section of a map of Verona. Verona has a river running right through the centre of the city and therefore many bridges which was really great for figuring out where you were if you were lost. So in the end I only needed this map for the first couple of weeks I was there!

Side view 4.

Sorry this photo isn’t the best but on this side you will see:

A ticket for entry into Napoleon’s tomb in the “Dôme des Invalides” in Paris. I couldn’t believe the size of the coffin but I suppose it’s to be expected for the King of Rome!

A ticket for a cinema showing of the new Cinderella movie. “Cendrillon” in French. This may not sound very cultural but we went to see it in French, (without subtitles) so I think it counts!!

Underneath of the box.

Underneath the box you will see:

A ticket for “Centre Pompidou”, named after former President of France, George Pompidou. This is one of my favourite museums in Paris if not just for the interesting architecture of the building and the fact that it’s so close to my house! Some people have described their reaction to the building as “love at second sight”. Some people may think it’s ugly because all the pipework, ducts and wires are visible but I find it really unusual!
A leaflet from an olive oil tasting workshop I went to. I never even knew olive oil tasting was a thing! But yes and there is definitely a technique to it. If you do it wrong, you will have a very strong burning sensation in your throat, which I definitely experienced at one point!
A ticket from a cinema “experience” I went to. It was a showing of 3 Tim Burton movies, one after the other, starting at midnight and finishing around 6am! The three films were Dark Shadows, Sweeney Todd and Big Eyes. I had already seen Sweeney Todd before so I used this as an opportunity to have a little nap! But it was such a fun experience and in the morning the cinema gave us croissants and coffee.
A polaroid photo of a group of me and some friends I met in Verona outside the Duomo di Milano. We only planned this visit after about 2 weeks of knowing each other but it was a really great trip!

I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of my experiences from my year abroad! It was good fun to decorate the box because it brought back some memories that I had completely forgotten all about!

Filed under: 14 - Personalise Your Box

“In the wolf’s mouth!”

Go on then, I admit it… I’m a bit of a languages geek. Somewhat obvious in the fact I chose to study languages at university, but I’m sick of playing it cool. I really like the fact that I get to study something I love as opposed to something that could simply lead to a well paid job. This activity appealed to me because I get to share with you some of the interesting (well I find them interesting) local expressions that I overheard during my year abroad! I’ll begin with Italian, one of the most romantic languages in the world. I’ll give you the phrase, the literal translation and then what the expression is actually trying to say, in some cases there is an equivalent expression in English!

1.) Avere gli occhi addosso.

Translation: Have eyes on.

Meaning: Have all eyes on you.

2.) Essere nel pallone.

Translation: To be in the ball.

Meaning: To show no reaction or response as a result of stress or emotion. (To be spaced out.)

3.) Dare un colpo di telefono.

Translation: To give a blow of the telephone.

Meaning: To give somebody a ring.

4.) Zitto e mosca!

Translation: Silence and fly!

Meaning: Silence, don’t say anything!

5.) Due piedi in una scarpa.

Translation: Two feet in one shoe.

Meaning: Cannot decide between two possibilities.

6.) Avere sale in zucca.

Translation: To have salt in the pumpkin.

Meaning: To be intelligent and quick-witted.

7.) Essere al verde.

Translation: To be at the green.

Meaning: To be bankrupt.

8.) Non avere peli sulla lingua.

Translation: To have no hairs on the tongue.

Meaning: To be sincere and speak the truth, even if it means coming across rude.

9.) Essere un pezzo di pane.

Translation: To be a piece of bread.

Meaning: To be kind and good.

10.) In bocca al lupo.

Translation: In the wolf’s mouth.

Meaning: Good luck!

11.) Essere pieno come un uovo.

Translation: To be full like an egg.

Meaning: To be full/have eaten too much.

12.) Far ridere i polli.

Translation: To amuse the chickens.

Meaning: To be a laughing stock.

13.) Attaccare bottone.

Translation: To fasten buttons.

Meaning: To chat somebody up.

14.) Mettere i bastoni tra le ruote.

Translation: To put a cane between the wheels.

Meaning: To put a spanner in the works.

15.) Piantarla!

Translation: Plant it!

Meaning: Pack it in!

And now moving onto French. I found it a bit harder to pick up on idiomatic expressions in French, perhaps they are just easier to detect in Italian but here goes:

1.) Au pif.

Translation: At the nose.

Meaning: A general estimate.

2.) Être une bonne poire.

Translation: To be a good pear.

Meaning: To be naïve.

3.) Poser un lapin.

Translation: To put a rabbit.

Meaning: To stand somebody up/not show up.

4.) La nuit porte conseil.

Translation: The night brings advice.

Meaning: Don’t rush into things.

5.) Faire l’andouille.

Translation: To make the sausage.

Meaning: To do something ridiculous.

6.) Avoir une poile dans le main.

Translation: To have a hair in the hand.

Meaning: To be lazy.

7.) Avoir le cafard.

Translation: To have the cockroach.

Meaning: To be depressed.

8.) Donner un coup de main.

Translation: To give a knock of the hand.

Meaning: To lend a helping hand.

9.) Donner sa langue au chat.

Translation: To give your tongue to the cat.

Meaning: I have no idea/I give up!

10.) Avoir une peur bleue.

Translation: To have a blue fear.

Meaning: To be terrified.

11.) Faire la tête.

Translation: Make the head.

Meaning: To sulk.

12.) Tomber dans les pommes.

Translation: To fall in the apples.

Meaning: To faint.

13.) Être bien dans sa peau.

Translation: To feel good in your skin.

Meaning: To be comfortable with yourself and happy with who you are.

14.) En avoir ras le bol.

Translation: To have a bowl full of it.

Meaning: To be sick of something.

15.) S’occuper de ses oignons.

Translation: To take care of your onions.

Meaning: To mind your own business.

So there you have it. A few little idiomatic expressions from France and Italy. I think I have used a grand total of two from this list. It’s hard to just slip them into everyday conversation but I’m going to be persistent as they are a great way to make you sound more natural and more like a native speaker!

Filed under: 18 - Local Expressions