Today a beautiful long article by Sandra Fetticci appeared on the website of Piuculture.it describing Loona’s course of Italian for Foreigners. For non-Italian speakers, here is a summary in English.
During a hot Monday evening in July, strolling along Via Calpurnio Fiamma in the Tuscolano area, you can encounter a table covered with books and papers, in front of a window surrounded by graffiti. It is the entrance to the Spazio 136, and seated at the table are Loona, Faruq and Nello, who are talking about verbs, cuisine, curriculum vitae, politics, integration policies, and having to kneel on dried chickpeas if you haven’t done your homework. Welcome to the free course of Italian for Foreigners promoted by the Institute of Culture Brazil Italy Europe — ICBIE.
The lesson begins with personal introductions. Breaking the ice is the smiling Faruq: “I’m 33 years old and come from Dacca, the capital of Bangladesh, and I arrived in Italy in 2007. I have a degree as an electrician and here I work in a greenhouse.” He calls himself a good music listener and among his passions he cites the tango. He loves Italy but his future will be in Bangladesh: “I didn’t come here to find work but to have experiences. I wanted to get away from my family, but the distance made me understand how much it is important to me.” A few days ago he passed the test for Italian comprehension, level A2, and he is glowing: “Tomorrow we will have a dinner with friends, and Loona and Nello are invited, too.” Loona Tirabassi is the young volunteer teacher who holds the course: “Faruq lives together with Mizan, another student who works as a cook. Together they make a marvelous roast lamb and they are kind enough to invite their teacher.”
After overcoming his initial timidness, the 46 year-old Nello becomes loquacious: “I come from Piatra Neamt, in Rumania. After getting a degree in computer science I started to teach at a campus for 14 to 21 year-olds. It was tough work, but I liked it a lot.” Nello really loves his country: “I would have liked to work there, and come to Italy as a tourist, but instead…” Instead, with the fall of communism the situation hasn’t improved and after changing jobs he was forced to emigrate: first to Italy in 2002 for a month, then to Vienna and back to Italy in 2004. That time he remained for a year, until he was stopped by the carabinieri: “I was without documents and because Rumania wasn’t in the European Union yet, they took me to the Ponte Galeria holding center, waiting to be expatriated. We were constantly watched and we couldn’t leave. They were nice to us, some of the guards were married to Rumanian girls, but after that experience I vowed never to return to Italy for at least 20 years.” In 2010, though, I was back: “I did various jobs, from a painter to an electrician. Now I’m unemployed for the last year, and I help my wife who is a care giver. Nonetheless, I consider myself lucky because her employer accepted us as family members.”
The Italian course aims at teaching useful day-to-day things: along with verbs and comprehension there are exercises regarding practical situations, like spelling your name for a public official or responding to a work offer. We continue with the preparation of a CV that began last week. In the space for ‘desired work’ Loona invites the student to reflect upon an occupation that he really wants to do. “So that it becomes a job that he really wants, relying upon consultants to find a way to succeed.
At the same time, there is ample space to let the students express themselves freely: “Everyone wants a chance to talk and I get the feeling that they don’t get an opportunity to do so in other situations, where this kind of exchange is lacking.” Learning is also based on creative ideas that become occasions to be together outside the class: “Nello brought his recipe for cornulete, typical Rumanian brioches, written in both languages. The idea is to gather together dishes from various countries and organize an evening when everyone prepares a typical dish, chosen by another.” The friendly atmosphere invites jokes and pranks: “Faruq, you didn’t do your homework, do you remember the corporal punishment that we decided on?” And when he responds with a crooked smile: “You’re pretending to have forgotten because you’re afraid that I’ve brought the bag of dried chickpeas!”
This kind of interaction, of cultural exchange and education perfectly fits the ICBIE mission, whether in Salvador or in Rome. Congratulations to Loona and thanks to Sandra for this lovely article!
