Keep in touch Pantheon Institute!!!

November 3rd was the first day of my internship at the Pantheon Institute. I was pretty anxious that day, because it was the first time I tried this kind of experience and, as every time you under take a new activity you are riddle with doubts. I was especially worried about my English. I hadn’t practiced it for ages and I didn’t feel confident at all, but no excuse, this time I had to try it! Today, when the experience is about to end, I can say that my early concerns have turned now into the feeling that time has run too fast here. But let’s start from the beginning!

During my stay at the Pantheon Institute I had to carry out different tasks, such as checking the information on the student handbook, filing, writing brochures of tourist information. Leafing through the pages of travel guides and navigate through the tourist websites, I found out about amazing places in my country I knew very little about before doing this research. Now I am an expert in beaches, local food and public transportation of the places I made a study on, and I am ready to take up a career as a tourist guide. Joking apart, that was a very pleasant task to carry out. By the way, I apologize for any language mistake you could come across reading the brochures!

The language tandem with American students was a very nice experience too. Organizing the event and joining it was really fun. It gave me the opportunity to practice the language and, least but not last, to meet American guys!

Another thing I was asked to do, was that of making sure that the discounts to local partners offered by the Pantheon Institute to the students, were still valid. That meant having to walk for hours through the shops of Trastevere, as a tourist in my own city. What’s better? I have always loved my city, especially Trastevere.

Living it in the early morning, when the air smells of freshly baked bread, old men meet for their coffee and newspaper, and you wander through the alleyways and the ancient buildings, made me feel so good and inspired! Not to speak about the feeling I used to have at the beginning, every time I walked out the door of the school and found myself surrounded by music and foreign voices speaking out loud. I felt I was on holiday in my own town!

If I had to describe this experience in just one word, I would say “journey”. A journey through Italy while writing the tourist brochures; a journey through the ancient Rome; and a journey through my “English world”, realizing thanks to the several jobs I did here as an intern, what I know and what I still need to improve at a linguistic level. And in this short journey I have been together with very nice people who have warmly welcomed me since the very beginning of the training, making the job easier than I thought it to be. Defenitively a positive experience! Keep in touch Pantheon Institute!!!

Come ti chiami? What's your name?

When you are studying a foreign language it is very important to practice it with native people, but it is not so easy to meet them, but not here at the Pantheon Institute! Some Italian students were invited to meet our students and practice together Italian and English.

It is not the first time that the Pantheon Institute has organized an event like this and after the successful experiences of last years, we decided to repeat this experience again.

The Italian students were from “Roma Tre” University, studying Foreign Languages, so the Italian and the American guys had the same objective: practice a foreign language and, why not, make new friends!

After a short introduction by Linda, the Student Service Coordinator, the American and the Italian students started immediately to chat and it didn’t matter if they made some mistakes, also because a language exchange does not include fixed rules, people can talk about whatever they want!

They spent a couple of hours together and they also had a light buffet. At the end they exchanged their contacts, so they could keep in touch and continue practicing Italian or English.

We hope to repeat these meetings between Italian and American students also in the next semesters because this is a great opportunity for our students, not only to practice the language they are studying, but also to learn more about Italian culture and customs from Italian young people.

Autumn

The changing of seasons is one of the reasons I am thankful to be from the Midwest City of Chicago. Winter brings the holiday cheer, spring offers fresh hope, summer warms everyone, and then there is autumn-the season of change.

Since I have lived in Southern California for the past three years for school, I have missed the fall season so much. I took the crisp air, apple picking, colored trees, and falling leaves for granted. Being abroad in Rome, I had no idea what to expect of the weather during this season.

Well for starters, I have experienced the hottest climate of my life. From August through November I have been able to still wear shorts, sandals, or even a sundress. The other day it was pouring rain, and I was ecstatic to be using an umbrella while wearing a raincoat and boots. But, by the end of day, the sun was out, and baking all under its rays. The climate in Rome has been consistently warm for the past three months. But, I realized something marvelous about the weather.

Even though it may be hot here, the leaves may not change, or maybe I can’t find a pumpkin pie at the supermarket, one thing is for sure. Autumn is still in the air, for change is always consistent.

Change is scary, vulnerable, and sometimes life altering. The study abroad experience is a drastic change. One moves for at least a four-month period of time to live in a foreign country. There are many reasons a student chooses to study abroad. The motives can vary drastically. Some see it as a season of European travel, while others desire to stay in one city and long to capture every aspect of it. I chose Rome because I saw a rich cultural opportunity beneath it, one that would be rewarding for the rest of my life. Italy is where my mother’s family is from, and therefore I saw it also as a chance to learn the language and understand more of my cultural heritage. It’s a personal choice.

No matter where one studies, what one’s major is, or whom one comes with. The experience is personally rewarding, challenging, and constantly shifting. Thus far, I have encountered autumn within myself. Despite the weather, I have been living a season of change.

Living with people I have never met in my senior year of college is strange; but I have learned in a deeper way that friendships can be formed among a group who come from different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives. Living in an ancient city filled with religious relics, rich history, and lasting architecture has taught me to appreciate how the world has changed through time. Living in a place where the Italian language surrounds me, has stretched me and shown me new aspects of communication. Lastly, living in a foreign culture where time is not of the essence has revealed a new way of living in the moment.

For me, studying in Rome has not been a season of discovering who I am. Rather, it has been one of learning to appreciate new perspectives, one of growth in my personal beliefs, and finally, one of choosing to embrace autumn.

Bailamos! by Olivia Dickow

I have no rhythm. Even though I was born Italian, I have never felt this trait was inherited unto me. Well, my thoughts on dancing were about to change when the Pantheon Institute organized a thrilling event. They invited students to come to a Latin dance session. Due to my immediate insecurity, I obviously ignored the sign up sheet. However, my roommate had other plans and made sure my name was written.

A few minutes before heading to the school for this dance sensation, my roommates and I panicked as to what we were to wear. What was the proper attire for Latin dancing? Should we wear leggings, a casual dress, and black heels? Or should we wear sweat pants, white t-shirt, and gym shoes? In the frazzle of the moment, we chose the more fancy option.

When we arrived at the gym, we realized we should have chosen the later more casual apparel. For our Brazilian guy instructor named, Reyna, was in workout clothes and already sweating. His welcoming presence and no comprehension for the English language, got the six of us there so pumped for this incredible experience. We walked into the dance room, and realized from the beginning that Latin dance actually encompassed many diverse unexpected genres.

With dance music already playing, we started laughing when our instructor began to lead us into zumba dancing. Obviously, this has become one of the most popular aerobic dances in the States. But, apparently, it was just as popular in Italy. As I tried to mimic my instructor’s moves, while glancing in the mirrors at my friends, I could not take myself seriously. Honestly, I

did not even care.

After our Shakira number, we did the vampira dance. It included basic zumba moves, but with vampire poses throughout random pauses during the song. I just wished someone had gotten those faces on camera. After complete and utter success as actresses, Reyna set the new mood for our second portion to the class.

He passed out purple, blue, yellow, and orange boa scarves. He put on his sparkling white glittery fedora hat, and then turned out the lights. The burlesque atmosphere got us jumpy, excited, and all together hyper. He put on the Christina Aguilera hit from her latest movie, Burlesque, and we let loose under the spinning cosmic lights. This evening just got better by the minute.

Sweaty, barefoot, and utterly energized, I did not want the class to end. As we all shook off embarrassment, worries of the day, and those extra calories from the pizza overload, we just had such a grand time together. Dancing in Italy, laughing with new made friends from the program, and posing for pictures with Reyna, was an evening well spent. I no longer care that I don’t have rhythm. I just want to go back and experience it all over again.

Quieres bailar?

On Friday 11th November our students and I had a Latin-American dance class with a Brazilian instructor.

We took the bus and went to a gym on the Aventine Hill. Since we arrived early we had a walk around the beautiful Aventine Hill, a very peaceful place compared to the rest of the city centre, and reached the Giardino degli Aranci (Orange Garden) which offers an amazing view over Trastevere and the dome of St. Peter’s.

Then we came back to the gym and met Reyna, the Brazilian instructor, who explained us how the class was structured: we were going to practice different kinds of dance: zumba, merengue, burlesque and group dance that are well-known in Italy. Then he told us that we had not to think about our movements, it didn’t matter if we made mistakes: we just had to enjoy ourselves!

We started with some warm-up exercises to loosen up our muscles and then we began to dance. We danced with many different songs, among them: the well-known “Waka-Waka” by Shakira; “Danza Kuduro”, the summer hit in Italy; “El Pam Pam”, a group dance; “The Vampire Dance”, a typical dance of Brazilian Carnival. We ended with a burlesque dance, Reyna gave us some colorful feather boas and told us to free ourselves and not to feel inhibited, so he turned off the light and we danced feeling less embarrassed.

We spent a very pleasant time and had a lot of fun, the instructor was very nice and we

hope to have another Latin-American dance class again very soon!!!

20 October 2011 - Rome like Venice?

On October 20th, Rome was thrown into disarray due to the heavy rain since the early hours of the day, resulting in widespread flooding across the city.

At the height of rush hour many pedestrians found the capital's streets virtually impassable, with large amounts of people opting to take shelter in doorways. People walk past a paddle next to Rome's ancient Colosseum and near the most famous monuments.

Most of Pantheon Institute staff could not reach the center of the city and had to come back home; the school was strangely empty and classes were cancelled.

Trees were felled, subways were flooded and some roads crumbled. Private schools in Rome urged parents to keep their children home for the day, saying classrooms were flooded and roads near schools impassable.

Rome's agency for mobility reports that the many Metro A stations were closed due to flooding and some bus routes were diverted, in particular the northern periphery services.

Hours after the rain stopped, cars remained trapped in massive traffic jams on the outskirts of the city.

The mayor of Rome called for a state of emergency Thursday after a heavy storm caused flooding, traffic delays and the death of an elderly man."The intensity of the storm was unexpected," said Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, who also activated a toll-free emergency hotline for people to report emergencies and request information.

Looking at the impressive pictures taken during that uncommon day, we hope not to repeat that experience again!!

Discover Italy... and taste it!!

Nothing says Italy like its food, and nothing says Italian food like pasta!

Pasta's origins are very ancient. It's said that they go back to the Etruscans, they used to prepare the first lasagna made of spelt (a kind of cereal like wheat, but far more resistant against bad weather and diseases). Later on, the Romans used to make a very simple dough with water and flour from which they made a kind of lasagna.

In Italy one can find pasta in a great variety of shapes and with many different types of sauces, furthermore you should consider also that each shape of pasta is typically matched with a particular sauce based on constincency and its ability to hold sauce.

There are several kinds of pasta, it seems to be 350 different shapes, even more counting regional differences. Shapes range from simple tubes to bow ties (farfalle, which actually means "butterfly"), to unique shapes like tennis rackets (racchette). Moreover pasta can be found in dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca) varieties.

For Italian people it is very important that pasta is al dente, means literally “to the tooth” that is cooked so as to be firm but not hard.
It is estimated that Italians eat over sixty pounds of pasta per person, per year easily beating Americans, who eat about twenty pounds per person.

Considering the importance that Italians give to pasta, we decided that the prize for the winner of the September photo competition “Ancient and Modern in Rome” should have been a basket with a great variety of pasta: truffle pasta, paccheri, black sepia pasta, lemon pasta and chitarrine all’uovo. Congratulations to Daniel who was the winner!!! Have a look at his beautiful picture and at all the other photos on our website photopage.