Sciopero!!!

'Sciopero' is a word that I learned early on in Italy, and it is one that I now like to think of as a very good friend. Although I live in northern Italy, it seems that snow days, late starts, or early releases are extremely rare occasions. Apparently it snowed three times last year. And that was a lot. So I had resigned myself to not experiencing that absolutely delicious, cozy, snuggly feeling you get when you wake up and realize it's a snow day.

However. Even if the weather here isn't iffy enough to merit a school cancellation, the teachers (and students) are. Whenever a teacher is absent, instead of getting a sub, we are left to our own devices. The students in my class begin to play cards, go outside to smoke (which is still very strange for me, since they can ask their also-smoking teacher for a light and nobody bats an eye), get a bite to eat at the school's cafe, or throw various objects at the blackboard. We've had late starts and early releases because one teacher was sick for a couple of days, so we rearranged our schedule with the other teachers so that instead of having a free hour in the middle of the day, we could have an extra coveted hour of sleep.

As for the word 'sciopero:' it means strike, and it was probably during the second week of school that I first heard it used. One of the school secretaries came into our class, announced that on Monday there would be a sciopero, said something about our parents, mentioned the words 'all day,' and then left. Seeing as we had talked about parent-teacher conferences previously, I assumed from my rather limited knowledge of rapid-fire Italian that this meant that on Monday our parents could come talk with our teachers at any time of the day. I even wrote it down in my planner.

However, when I mentioned these 'conferences' to one of my teachers, she responded with some confusion. I knew I was on the right track though, so I repeated myself: 'You know, Monday, when our parents come in to talk with all our teachers?'

'No.' This time she replied with such conviction that it began to dawn on me that perhaps I had misunderstood. The teacher then proceeded to explain that on Monday, there would maybe be a strike. Maybe. This part confused me a little. Were we supposed to come to school or not?

Apparently, the Italian government and Gelmin, the organization in charge of education, are not very popular right now; with teachers being cut and their salaries being lowered, it seems to the people as if education is far from the government's top priority. Thus, some teachers want to strike. However, others (such as the teacher explaining this to me) believe that striking is simply taking away more time that could be used for teaching. So really, it all depends on which teacher you get. If, when you get to school, your first hour teacher doesn't show up within ten minutes of the first bell, you get to leave for the rest of the day. It doesn't matter if every single one of your other teachers shows up; as long as the first hour teacher remains missing, school is out!

So today, I forced myself out of bed and got ready to go have first hour Religion, which is optional and thus less than half the class attends, and as the teacher is quite lenient, we tend to not do much. Normally I wouldn't complain about having a relaxed class, but during first hour on a Monday morning my head really starts to nod. Upon arriving at school, I noticed that everyone was gathered outside talking. I met up with my classmates and was promptly informed that today was a 'sciopero' day, and so we were waiting before entering class in hopes that the professor wouldn't show. He didn't show.

We all quickly exited the school, then stood right outside in an excited circle, and I watched as the others texted or called all of our other classmates to tell them the joyful news. As we walked, elated, to a cafe to have breakfast, I asked if this happens often, and they said that it's never happened before. I consider myself quite lucky to have participated in a successful 'strike!' There was also a student-led strike a couple of weeks ago that was held all over Italy, and apparently it was quite the success. I was giving a presentation on American History that day, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another student strike so that I can also participate in that experience!

Until next time, I hope everyone's enjoying autumn and enjoying life! Love from Italy,

Sara

PS-last week, while enjoying the warm weather and sunshine, I took a walk along the harbor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something large and white floating in the water. Thinking it was bread left for the fish, I looked and realized that it was a JELLYFISH. And then I realized that there were five more!!! It was very exciting to me. I walked on, passing a large Aquarium that blocked my view of the water for a bit, and when I came to the water once again, my mouth literally dropped open, because this side of the harbor was absolutely full of jellyfish! I asked a fisherman why there were so many, and he informed me that when the water is warm and clear, they always come into the harbor. Luckily, I had brought my camera with me, so here are a few pictures!