There is life in Catania

I was both pleased and relieved yesterday to discover a new side to some of the Catanese people. My fellow teachers and I agree on the general traits of Sicilian people we have met and the students we have spoken to, regarding things such as their knowledge of other countries, their hopes and ambitions. Many people seem to think and do similar things.

However yesterday was a real revelation. A student of mine, the one who helped me with my Italian, kindly agreed to help me set up a post office account, so that I can transfer money without losing it in commission and the exchange rate next time I have some saved up. She came round to help me register for the account on line. She knew that all things Italian are less than straightforward so I was very grateful that she had taken me along to a friend of hers who works in the Post Office, earlier in the week, and he explained how it all worked. He was very nice and she asked me afterwards if I'd noticed his rather striking blue eyes. Yes, I did happen to notice them and had to concentrate hard on what he was saying rather than let them distract me.  I also noticed his a) wedding ring and b) religious figure under his computer screen, so that helped me focus. But he was very helpful and we have to return next week to set up the account.

So after we had registered online yesterday, Giovanna took me along to a talk that was connected to her course at university, on gender studies. There was a woman writer who had been an active feminist throughout the last 40 years, attending demos in Catania. Catania, of all places! I never knew that such things existed here: the general feeling is that most men are in the dark ages and that they've never heard of feminism. So to hear that women were actively standing up against this was wonderful to know. We went along to a small room in a centre that seemed to be an alternative sort of meeting place - I am very keen to see what other events they have there. The women there weren't the usual type who look you up and down if you are wearing inferior outfits or haven't brushed your hair. No they seemed to be normal women in alternative clothing and after the talk (if we'd been able to stay) there was a VEGAN dinner! VEGAN! I haven't even heard the word in Catania, and had earlier had to pick bits of ham out of a supposedly vegetarian arancino - it was amazing! Giovanna's lecturer was there and she was a delight to meet - she has lived in the UK for 8 years so spoke English fluently. We gabbled away together and I discovered she'd worked at Warwick University and so of course knew of the internationally important Cultural Studies Centre which had been at Birmingham University until the stupid place closed it down. So that was fabulous. And she asked if I liked Catania - Giovanna said no, I hated it - and she totally understood why and said she'd had to return and had now got stuck there. So it was marvellous to see liked-minded intelligent people who up to this point have been nowhere on the radius.

Afterwards things just improved. We went to a talk - I had no idea what it was about as Giovanna and I take a while to communicate anything! - and it turned out to be on an international group called Sea Shepherd, who patrol the seas and oceans and actively fight against people like the Japanese who are still whaling, often illegally. We had missed some of the talk and it's probably a good thing because there were clips of poor dolphins being killed. I can do without seeing that. But there was a wonderfully inspiring clip of a Sea Shepherd patrol stopping a huge Japanese whaling ship which was trying to refuel. There were two tiny Sea Shepherd boats against this huge bully of a ship. The Japanese ship started to ram the tiny boat and the captain told them he was not moving and that if they continued to ram, they would turn the boat over. Eventually, the Japanese vessel had to give up, because they presumably could not justify killing anyone in their bullying tactics. This lad said about standing up to bullies - and he was right. It was great to see people defending the lives of our intelligent sea creatures with such dedication and passion.

There is a Sea Shepherd group in Siracusa, down the coast, which is patrolling the waters and protecting the sea urchins and other creatures, who are protected in that area. You can read more about it on this blog and also here. I missed them explaining this so I asked Giovanna's friend afterwards, who gives up his time to volunteer. He grabbed his English-speaking friend and pushed him towards me so the poor chap got the job of explaining everything to me. However, his English was excellent (his mother is an English teacher) so he and I had a good natter about things - turned out he'd spent some time in Bath of all places! He and his friends are Environmental Science students! So afterwards Giovanna and her friends and I hung out for a bit and it was so, so nice to have met some interesting and intelligent people who care about the same things as I do - I really hope we can all meet up again and that I can continue to find new things to interest me.

Oh, and many Sea Shepherd members don't eat meat either!!! :-))))) You don't know how happy this makes me feel.
http://www.seashepherd.org/

Lungomare

First view of the sea

It is nice to be on the coast, as who doesn't like to look out to sea, even on a day where there's no sun? It takes about 5 minutes, if that, to walk down to the lungomare, where everyone walks or jogs up and down. Couples strolling along, kids with families, dogs on their walks. I have tried to do some walking every day recently, to keep the endorphins hanging around and to keep cheerful. Couldn't the other day as we had a terrific storm with lots of hailstones that looked like snow on some roads, lightning and torrential rain, and thunderclaps that shook the doors.

Where is Etna? Hidden from view

But back to the lungomare, where you still have to tread carefully thanks to careless dog owners, and where you can walk alongside the sea until you reach a spectacular view of Etna. Last post you will see her rising above the city. Last weekend, however, she was nowhere to be seen, hidden behind grey cloud, as if she wasn't there at all. Yesterday you could only see some of her and there appears to be more snow, following the storm.

There is a little harbour area with boats: I even thought it looked nice yesterday so I must be feeling more cheerful this week. There is also a little building with a sign saying it was a Spanish defence post, or something, from a few hundred years ago. It doesn't look that old to me and has graffiti over it so I didn't take a picture.

Quite pretty for Catania

Last weekend the weather was grey and the sea was being blown by the wind. I stood and watched the waves hitting the rocks; always quite mesmerising. The surf was being blown up in tiny droplets, into my face. It is normally much calmer.

January blues? And how to buy shoes

I haven't blogged since I returned, because I have been finding it difficult since I came back: the inevitable result of two weeks back home with Christmas films, snack items and the family.  But I am back into the teaching rhythm now, and this week's lessons mostly went well. I was focussing on pronunciation with one level, which was rewarding, and another group made some nice comments. I have some new students this term which has changed the dynamic in some classes.

The sailing boats

Coming back to the sun is one good thing, although even that was missing when I first arrived. The last two weekends have been warm and sunny and so I have taken to walking along the lungomare, the sea front, and then sitting for half an hour or more to soak up some vitamin D and warmth. I took my coat off last weekend (it was way too hot) but many of the Italians still feel the need for an added layer and they can spot that I am foreign and ask if I am not cold. Today I walked up to the end and I think I saw two cormorants fishing in the sea. There were some boats on the water, as last Saturday; I think they are people having sailing lessons.  At the end of the lungomare Etna rises above the city - she really does have some strange hold over people. You can't help but stare. There is always wisps of smoke at the top (last week grey, today white) and a bit of snow on the side.

See what I mean? You can't take your eyes off her

The sea is about 12 feet or more below the road so don't get the wrong idea, there are no nice beach walks. The most we have is some scrappy bit of grey sand and these enormous boulders - you look in the sea and there are more round rocks there too. There's also some weird, huge concrete blocks in two places. Ella, Jo and I sat on one the other day and listened to the waves.

The round rocks

The sun on the sea is dazzling, and one night last week it was the moonlight that looked beautiful on the water.

It is harder than I ever expected to live somewhere else, specially not speaking Italian well. I am determined to improve - which is not helped by the fact the promised lessons have not materialised - but I have got books and people willing to help and I have been practising as much as I can. Today a really nice girl, one of my students, helped me; we talked about how to buy clothes and then mooched around some shops and she made me speak to the shop assistant...she'd make a good teacher!

I want to meet more people my age. My housemates/fellow teachers are all lovely, but I am not into the same things. There is a conversation group that meets when I'm teaching plus there are people who want to meet for conversation exchanges so I will see what happens.

Sun on the water

It being Sicily, you expect romance, what with all the dark, good looking men. But by their own admission, Sicilians are not the best choice. Too many jealousy issues, affairs and men living with their mothers. My January blues involved affairs of the heart. I really liked someone, he really liked me, but for simple reasons it's a no-go. One second it was yes, the next, no. And it has been hard because we can't communicate well. So I'm afraid I let it send me into a gloom. But that's life, I guess, and it is not a stupid film where love wins the day. But I have had some invaluable support from people back home and for that I am very grateful.

Perhaps it's because it's an island, but most Catanese love Catania and have no interest in venturing outside it. It feels a bit claustrophobic. I have just finished watching Sue Perkins's trip up the Mekong River - what a wonderfully interesting and thought provoking series. She really challenged her own and the viewers' perceptions and learned so much from visiting such different places. Totally recommended viewing and a welcome reminder that there is life outside Sicily.

Finally, I am hoping today won't be my last blog - I have a bureau in my room where the lid falls open if you don't lock it. I was bending to clean (of all things) when it fell open and whacked me hard on the head. There's a small bump there and it's still sore even now.