Little Italy 24

[BananaGio]

Ciao tutte!

photos are gorgeous Rosa. Love that one of the 3 of you. You all look lovely. And your new one too Franca. Must say that AI has some very beautiful children!
Minerva its such a tough one. I agree with what you say re women here, it worries me to think ds is growing up with so much exposure to the Mr B style attitude to women and I find myself pouncing relentlessly on his innocent "no she can't do that because (cue patronising and slightly pitying face) è una femmina" comments. On the flip side I find the drink culture, the way kids seem to grow up so much quicker, the random weekend violence in town centres in the UK almost equally worrying and on one hand I feel I can have some influence on his views on women whereas unless I locked him up between the ages of 12 and 22 I could have very little influence on him aspiring to the getting bladdered at any opportunity culture in the UK. Boh. Its a toughie. I too was thinking Uni in the UK if he wants to until the fees were tripled overnight! Now I think he'll be living at home and going to La Sapienza unless we have a windfall!
Ostuni area is so lovely. Havent been to Puglia in so long and keep meaning to do something about it.
Welcome back Buch! And good luck with the book-keep us posted -another buyer here.

It's interesting to share that most of you would prefer kids to go to uni in the UK, which is not mega-easy with an Italian qualifications (due to lack of understanding of the system more than anything else...). Gio - you could always avoid fees by going to Scottish unis...
Anyway, we are flying to the UK in November to have a look at more schools, and see how it goes. We have a few more months to think about it.

And on a lighter note, my Dsis is getting married next year (June) so things are going to get busy soon... Wedding dress shopping anyone?

I agree Gio, we (the Little Italians) have produced gorgeous children! [smug]

I agree re the binge drinking scene in the UK, though - according to recent statistics - the new generations here in Italy are catching up quite quickly.

Minerva, my dh, who is an academic and worked in the UK for quite a long time, isn't too worried about admissions in English Universities (I think he's being too optimistic, but that's another thing). Probably the easiest route is to get a 3 yrs degree here and then do a master in the UK, when you are a bit older and more mature.
In general I'd prefer if mine went to secondary school here, as in Milan there are still some very good Licei... but who knows what will happen in the next few yrs? If state schools get completely destroyed by useless government and indiscriminate cuts, if we have to move for dh's job, etc etc etc.
Not to mention the fact, that it might be useful for them to learn Chinese.

As for wedding dresses... I like Alberta Ferretti ones. Or I'd probably find a good sarta and copy a Chanel dress...

Ah Gio, I totally agree that we can influence our children re their view on women etc.

At the moment the only bizarre thing I find is that ds seems to be very sensitive to his female class mates' ability in playing football . But I am quite happy that he has a good number of female friends and is happy to play with them.

I am training dd to harrump every time she sees a velina or semi-naked woman cavorting. (sample: Miss Italia advert "Mummy why are they doing those things?" "Because they are poor girls who didn't study at school, and all they can do is wear bikinis and put lipstick on, aren't you glad you have brains?"

Not exactly feminist dogma I accept, but at least she isn't aiming to be a velina herself.

I'm very happy with school, but shudder at the very thought of university here, especially as everyone down here just goes to Bari, except they don't actually go unless they have an exam, which they fail, and then at 36 they graduate.....and then stay at home with their parents being fed and watered anyway.

Lots of students from Puglia here at both the Bocconi and Politecnico Buch! Sadly you are right, many universities in Southern Italy should be improved. The best one is supposed to be the one in Naples, especially if you want to study law or Oriental languages, or literature...

I have reduced my problems in explaining the velina phenomenon by not having a tv...

So you are holding out without the Tv Franca well done... I am limiting the time they watch now and being very strict and trying to make sure dh does as well.
Glad you like the bimbi , Franca your 2 have grown far too much its scary ..If you think that LI started about 5 yrs ago now that's scary!! ( Also how much time have we spent on here ?
Buch love your Dd's velina education think it should be compulsory.
I still just don't get this Uni wasting time stuff. Its like the racket in the school books that is another think I will be ranting / fuming about when the time comes. Why the F* can't the school reuse the books each year and the kid is made responsible for them for a year? If he defaces/ rips / ruins them then you have to buy another. You say make a token contribution of Eu50 a year e basta. But Nooooo you have to buy the whole lot so somebody, no multiple people make shed loads of money and at the end of the year you are left with stuff you can't sell as they change the requirements to stop genitori from doing it.
It is so logical and simple but they just will not get it here will they?
Rant over off to hang the washing out as its stopped raining !

Yes, it's been 5 yrs already, I can't believe it!

Rosa I totally agree re books at school. But some things seem "impossible" to be done here in Italy. I have been trying for more than 3 yrs now to convince other parents of the opportunity to convince the consiglio di istituto to write a note asking parents to refrain from parking in doppia fila in front of the school (as it gets really risky crossing the road) but every time I mention it they look at me as if I was barking mad.

As for the University, I think it used to be quite easy to take longer than the expected amount of yrs at my time, because university classes were overcrowded and exams were huge. For my second exam of Italian litature I had to study 20 books, including knowing the parafrasi and comment of Purgatorio and Paradiso. Sometimes you'd lose 3 solid months of hard work on one exam and get failed.

Well, up here many schools are organised so you can get books in "comodato d'uso" at least in superiori - so you pay for them in full only if you damage them. Is this not the norm?

Foryourdreams, we have a fair few Bari (mainly engineering) graduates working in my company, and they are pretty good (if perhaps a bit older than the locals).

I have a friend who went to UK uni from a liceo classico in Venice (to do classics), and the whole process was a nightmare for him and his parents as the systems were just not "compatible"; this is some time ago though. It was much easier for me to apply to italian universities with the IB, which was actually surprisingly easy.

We actually watched miss italy for a bit last night. Terribly amateurish programming, I have to say...

Books are free here in Lombardia for the elementari. Maybe even for the medie. Paid by the state. I do think it is waste though, they could do with less books.

A dear friend of mine did History in Cambridge, after Liceo Classico, but she was fine, apart from being overwhelmed by the amount of toffs around her department . Lots of other friends (including me), did MAs and Phds without problems. They really enjoyed the experience.

I think that the main problem is that the best Universities in the UK would only consider applications from students graduating from Liceo Classico or Scientifico with top grades, which are really difficult to reach, at least here in Milan, and at least in my times, when teachers loved to be strict.

DO they do IB over here ?
Hence my thoughts to do the last 2 years of senior school in the Uk and then proceed to a UK uni. Mind you mine have not even started school and they might not be interested in studying at all and desire to be a footballers wife or worse.....
From what I have heard they do not have a book club or similar here.There is bound to be some form of second hand giro I just need to find out more about it. However some mums I know have been tearing hair out about the cost of some books they have been asked to buy.... MInd you amazon.it and other online book stores are wiping the wind out of the 'reccomended' book shops as written on the elenco given.. !!!!!. I also came back with a couple of study copies of Shakespeare from waterstones saving about £15 for a mum. I know the unis have a book sale at the end of the year as I have seen them advertised.

I used to buy second hand copies of books at Libraccio when I was at secondary school. In september there were also some students mercatini selling textbooks. Not sure they still do it.
Regione Lombardia covers the cost of text books for the elementari (and medie I think)
Lots of libraries around my Uni used to sell books at a 20% discount, and I also used to borrow from the Library. I was lucky that at my house there was always money to buy books.

You can get IB at some private schools here, and also that place nr Trieste, I can't remember the name.

Hey Buch good to see you and good luck with the book, I for one would like a copy!
It is totally uncertain where we'll be for the next couple of decades but I would also like the DCs to end up at UK unis when the time comes.

Rosa, up our way the only school who does the IB is the United World College of the Adriatic in Duino - but entry is on selective basis and on scholarship only. I did not do the IB in Italy, I was abroad on a scholarship.
Also, there will also be a second hand book "market" even in Venice I am sure. I still remember my mother's look when she got the first bill at superiori: it was un milione... Early nineties!

I remember the cost of those Vocabularies of ancient Greek and Latin! Thankfully I still have them and can pass them on to the dc if they turn to be secchioni like me and dh

turn out

And the weight ..Another whinge a locker at school to keep your books in so you only take home the ones you need ........
Just made 24 cupcakes and they don't look bad.......

Oh how they weigh! At least at the elementari they leave them at school in their armadio and take them home over the weekend for the compiti.

Mmmmm I could do with a cupcake now.

This morning I wasted 1.30 hrs at the asl to change the pediatra as mine is retiring (unfortunately, she is very good) to be told that the others in her practise are all full. Che palle. So now I have to go back and look for a new one, I know nothing about. Uffa

Franca, I feel your pain. Living in a small place I only have access to one paed. Fortunately she is not too bad, but occasionally she spouts some nonsense (which I ignore). Once she told us that children under two should not do international flights... We had just come back from South Africa...

Rosa, I hope one day you will explain your cupcake secrets - when I make them they just do not work out right (not "fluffy" enough somehow).

Cannot wait for the end of the week. I am knackered, for no real reason. And tomorrow I have to go to the meeting for the rappresentante di classe. This year we have a lot of new children in her class, whose parents unfrtunately are of the whiney variety ("Mio figlio beve solo acqua depurata" and so forth). Not looking forward to the meeting...

Its the season ours is next week. I am rapp di classe for DD1 and I expect to do another year ! DD1 is full of a summer cold loking really heavy eyed but no febbre and refusing to give in ..voglio stare fuori etc.
My cupcakes can be heavy but since I found the hummingbird vanillia one they seem to work every time. I have since ordered the book and am awaiting its delivery... Domani I am going to do vanillia with a raspberry or strawberry in the middle and covered in cream and chocolate..Well I am going to try !

Oh gosh I wish I lived closer to rosa and get to taste all her baking experiments!

I am knackered and in a foul mood for no reasons. I think it is the prospect of spending another afternoon at the park... I am tempted to offer the dc to take them to the cinema to see the puffi, just to avoid the park... che noia!

Franca I would go with the puffi ! I have both dds with heavy colds here . Minirosa went down this afternoon and dd1 yesterday. No febbre however they are just full and the little one is very grumpy and like glue. Typical just over the weekend but lets hope it goes as fast as it came.( and they don't pass it on !)
Cakes look nice but I made the cream too sweet as I was worried it would collapse in the heat !
Got to make another 48 for Sunday !

No, they didn't want to see the Puffi , as they had to go to the park, especially ds, who plays football there with his friends. Apparently the world collapses if he doesn't spend 12 hrs a day with his peers. Thankfully my mother watched them for about 45 mins, while I went to the supermarket... how glamorous, eh?

The cakes sound delicious.

Ds is full of snot, and has been like that since we came back from the seaside. Has no voice too, but that's because he shouts all the time

Franca you should count yourself lucky re the park, I had a children's party. I am now drinking wine to recover.
Rosa are the cupcakes an order? There is a mum at DC's school how has a little business doing cakes, she is really good and seems to be doing ok. I use equal amounts of butter, sugar, eggs and flour for mine like a spong, is that the recipe you follow?

I feel your pain. I had a children's party 3 days ago, at the gonfiabili by the park. The level of noise was unbearable.
Then park yesterday.
Park today (though today was more enjoyable, as it wasn't as busy as usual thanks to people leaving the city to queue on the highway to Liguria)

The dc are watching an old Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movie. Bliss!