Research Paper

ShaQuella Perine - Heyman

Winter in Rome 2011

Research Paper

“How does the incorporation of religion in schools impact the Italian and the ‘Other’ youth of Italy?”

Growing up, I was raised under Protestant beliefs, morals and values. Attending church was not an option but a requirement and my life style reflected one that someone would consider a common Christian. Church every Sunday, bible study on Tuesday and choir rehearsals on Thursday. In the sixth grade I began attending an independent school in the heart of the Central District of Seattle. Since Seattle Girls’ School is an independent school, it is an exception to the rule of the separation between church and state. While it has never been deemed as a Catholic school or one of any specific religion, we were able to learn about religion in certain history classes or even English discussions. Now studying in Rome and learning that the public school students have a religion class from kindergarten throughout high school, this concept intrigued me mostly because it is so foreign to me. My religion and relationship with God has made me who I am and with religion being taught in schools I assumed that religion would also play a great part in the lives of these students. As with any assumption, there were some that were corrected through my research. Initially I thought that this class was a way to separate the native Italians and Catholics from those who are of other cultures and religions. I also thought that this class was unfair to the students, because even with the option to “opt-out” of the class, it is teaching difference in an insignificant way amongst young children. However, through this project I have learned that even with a case study or research that resembles one as this one does, it does not speak for or represent every situation and the circumstances in its entirety.

In researching this topic it was very important for me to pay attention to lecturers and different guests that came to speak to us that may have knowledge on this specific subject. Simple networking between our professors, teaching assistants and our guests has given me the ability to perform great research. Also, when we took the trip to the middle school, Manka introduced me to the religion teacher there, Francesca. It was then left to me to make sure that I met up with her. Though the language barrier initially made me very nervous, Stephanie was able to help set up the interview, interpret and also in a way conduct the interview.  Shara, a Professor at Temple University in Rome and also one of our guest excursionists gave me the privilege to have a conversation with her about this religion class in the schools. She happened to briefly mention one of her experiences with her daughter while talking to us about modern art. I could potentially call our conversation an interview but it was much more informal than the coffee shop and laptop setting that I had with Francesca. Though the circumstances were slightly different because of our schedules, this in no way took from the information and perspective that I gained from her. Then there are articles that I found with the help of Julie and access to the University of Washington library. I struggled in the beginning since this is only my first year and have not been required to use it yet. However, with the exception of my limitations, my research did not suffer.

I asked Francesca to tell me her story, I wanted the “who what when where and why” of her life as a religion teacher. And we were both excited with the knowledge and experience that was going to be shared, she began, Stephanie interpreted, and I took notes, mentally and physically. She is a mother of two children and was never impressed or satisfied with the role of the priest. She was raised in a Catholic home but did not agree with the teachings and approach of her priest. She initially doubted the bible scientifically, as well as historically; she was not convinced that the scriptures were accurate. In order to teach her children the correct way, she then decided to go and take classes when her children were in elementary school. Two days out of the week from eight to ten every evening, she took classes and taught as a general teacher in the mornings. The courses were taught by university professors and started with the study of philosophy and then she was inspired to go to a university.  As a teacher you only needed to graduate from high school up until a few years ago.  So she hadn’t gone to a university prior to becoming a teacher. She then got her bachelors and then went into a three-year theology program; then into a Specialization for 2 years to be a pastor.  It was initially for priest only and she was the only woman in the class. After that it took a year to get her PHD in theology. Though her job description is a religion teacher, by way of her degrees, she is a theologian.

In the first year of the middle school class she teaches human morality in connection to concept maps with quizzes at the end of each chapter. Throughout the textbooks there is a lot of significant religious art such as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and other art from various artist. They also learn about Egyptian religion, not from the Catholic perspective but historically, similar to comparative religion and the teachings of religions in a general form.  At the end of the first book, they learn about Islam, their eating habits, health, how they do things and the figure of Jesus and Mary in Islamic belief. At the end of each book there is a conclusion and article summing up all that was taught in the textbook.

The school system has made many changes over the years. In 1929 was the first accord between the Vatican state and Italian state regarding any religion and was revised in 1984 reestablishing a relationship between the Vatican and allowed the rationale of why and how religion is taught in school. Italy is a “secular state”  so they do not have a national “religion.” The Vatican teaches people then people are able to teach in the schools, but not in the universities. It is not obligatory to anyone, they have the right to refuse to take the class. The ones who do choose to participate are in classes with teachers that are appointed by the Vatican. In the case of this school, there are four alternative options for the students who choose to not take the class, they can either leave school early or come late depending on when the class is offered, have an alternative activity, do an independent study or be assigned to a different project by another teacher. The alternative activity is provided by the school, but cannot be “academic.” This seems as though it can potentially be punishing the children that choose to take the religion class because both groups of students are missing out. Depending on the qualification of the teacher and their capacity to take that time out of their schedule is whether or not they will be able to take the children out of the classroom and give them another assignment. In nursery school, the children have one and a half hour of religion class a week. And the primary teacher takes the “opt out” kids to another classroom. Middle school and high school students have one hour a week.

No other religion has asked the government for permission to teach in schools. Jewish kids go to Jewish private schools where they can learn there but Muslims don’t have a “pope” to go to and talk to in order to make that happen. Some Muslim kids talk about going to study the Karan outside of school and being hit on the hands for not learning Arabic well enough, but in Italian schools, teachers are not allowed to hit kids at all.

As I learned from talking with Shara, every school does not have the same curriculum or approach to the way that their religion class is taught. In public schooling, it is quite possible that there will be students who are Chinese, Bangladesh and other children who don’t speak Italian.  Francesca teaches with the interdisciplinary approach, she takes religion and makes it a broader picture. She takes what’s happening in that time period with a more anthropological, and historical viewpoint.  Also teaching of what they wore in that time, how things were and especially for immigrant children, she uses a lot of film. That way they can use the films to better communicate what’s going on. They then talk about the films, how they were made, art and literary critique and research projects. She also teaches the context of which the bible was written. According to her theologian knowledge, a lot of the metaphors and parables in the bible were not literal as many people take them. Such as in Genesis when God created “Adam and Eve.” Many people take this as though their names were Adam and Eve but Francesca tells us that these names translate to man and woman in Hebrew, which is the original language the bible, was written in. Also, that the “tree of knowledge” didn’t exist, it is to show that God gave everyone the capacity to know the difference between good and bad. And exercise their free will. She then tells us that when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God gave the perfect time and place for the “natural phenomenon” and allowed them to cross the sea.

Throughout the class, she reminds her students that it is not a catechism. A catechism would be teaching them the ways of Catholicism for them to be Catholic and understand their religion. A catechism goes beyond simple education but goes deeper into preaching in a sense.  In translation, Francesca said, “They are going to be watching a protestant film, Martin Luther, it is a historical film. This is not a catechism, this is religion and because it is within a secular school, it is historical.” Teachers can have their license revoked if they are too Catholic based in their teachings. The Vatican state has rigid rules, but in order to teach religion in schools, four years of magistrate and a university degree in other schools are required to teach. And without the university degree, you can only teach at an elementary school level. Then they have to take a test given by the Vatican and they must pass in order to teach, then the Vatican proposes who should teach what school, but the Italian state pays the salary. The first four years of them teaching, every 15 days they do professional development with older teachers. But this is the way of the Romans, not in all of Italy. In her professional develop a nun got her license revoked because it is not a catechism and they can’t make prayers in the classroom. It’s considered disrespectful to kids of other religions. Since 2004 the examination through the state as well, not just through the Vatican. The Vatican would renew the contract every year but now, the exam is in the first year in the regular teachers and the forth year for religion teachers. In the first or forth year, there’s a teacher tutor, at the end of the year, there is a presentation to then get a 10 year contract. Not one single immigrant parent has taken their child out of one of Francesca’s classes. They want their children to understand, with the consciousness, that’s when you can have intellectual dialogue. Many non-Christians have been in her classes. This year, in one of her classes, she only has four students because all of the other kids decided to have an extra hour at home, but all four of those students are immigrant students. A lot of the kids who don’t take the class, take Italian instead but in other schools that doesn’t work because they’re aren’t that many immigrants. So they then have the opportunity to do their homework in other classes and if there are more than three kids, then another teacher takes them out. Francesca told us about how one time a teacher took eight students to do a photo project on the graffiti of the neighborhood.

Speaking with Shara from a parental perspective, depending on the location and population of the school is whether the religion class can be classified as traditional or non-traditional. Francesca’s class would be considered non-traditional because of her interdisciplinary approach. In Shara’s experience, in the suburbs of Rome where the schools lack diversity and are very traditional, the religion class is very much like a catechism. The most unfortunate part of this situation is that taking children out of the class will be more frowned upon than them staying in the class and not being Catholic. We had a great dialogue of how this can conflict with the teachings of the home and how bringing school and religion together is quite confusing for the child. As I shared with her the format of Francesca’s class, she respected it but acknowledged that it is not that way in every school.

In this research project there were many things that were unrevealed or simply too much to discover in the time that was given. I could not interview any and every religion teacher and get testimonies from loads of students. Surveys across Rome to calculate the number of ethnicities in a class and to know who does or does not participate in the class was not feasible. Also, all of the objectives and regulation pamphlets of the class itself are in Italian. Even with Stephanie being practically fluent, translating and transferring that information would have been time demanding and unreasonable. In conclusion of my research, I have decided that the impact on the students varies amongst the students. It can be determined by the atmosphere of the classroom or even by the curriculum of the teacher. Unfortunately, in the time and with the resources that were at my disposal, I cannot say what the exact impact on the youth of Italy is from the incorporation of religion in schools.

Writing Assignment #8

I interned at the primary school, Iqbal Masih. This school is very diverse in each classroom and is primarily immigrants. This school has two teachers for every classroom and these teachers follow the same students from kindergarten until the fifth grade. If the main teacher does not speak English and therefore is unable to teach it, there is an English specialist, Sumeneta that takes those classes and teaches them English. First grade has an hour, second has two hours and third, forth and fifth have three hours a week. In the classes they listen songs and stories and read along with them. They have a new story every week and come back to school act out the story in groups. They speak Italian mostly and then there are some students who speak two and three languages. It’s usually between French, Romanian and Spanish. The students also have an hour of religion class a week. The curriculum for this class varies within schools depending on if the school is traditional or not.

            Starting at this internship in the beginning of the program, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve always enjoyed children, and teaching but the language barrier scared me a little. Throughout our time at the school, I was able to make relationships with some of the students. Two girls even mad a picture for me. Once when we were in the courtyard, a little girl told me “tu mota bella” and at the time I didn’t quite understand so when she asked Sumeneta and told me in English, “you are beautiful” as I smiled and attempted to repeat it Italian, she laughed and smiled. For the rest of their “break” which is like a recess, I tried helping some of them with English and they tried helping me with some Italian.

            As far as my frames of reference, interning at the school has opened my eyes to other cultures in a way a school in America could not have done. I don’t think I have seen that many different ethnicities in one classroom at once. It was amazing. As I observed them in their classes, they interacted as kids. I say that in that way because it was almost like I expected them to be any different than children in the states. Almost like being in another country changes the nature of a child, and it doesn’t.

            I would like to know what Iqbal Masih would do if the 30% rule is implemented because majority of the students in the school are not Italian and are at least second generation immigrants. What will it look like for them? Are they then willing to put the children in jeopardy and splitting up the classes who have been with their teacher for years? Will they have to make it so that the teachers don’t follow the students? I could ask the principal or any of the teachers any of assisted this quarter any of these questions.  I got the impression that we all made a cordial and substantial enough relationship with all of them just from interning there for a few weeks.

            Overall, I am so glad that I was able to experience the school and the children that I interacted with. Not only will it be able to help add to my final paper but also it has certainly broadened my perspective of life.

            To Manka and Julie, thank you so much for allowing us to have this opportunity. Being the genie pigs was an experience but it was worth it.

Multicultural Literature in Contemporary Italy Reading (pg. 77-204) Reflection:

Multicultural Literature in Contemporary Italy Reading (pg. 77-204) Reflection:

“Crossroads Identity”  (pg. 99- 107)

            This is a beautiful story that is most likely the story of many immigrants. Kuami, being born in Italy, he feels like Italy is his country and though Africa is his “home-land” all that he aspires to be and do, cannot be done or achieved in Africa.  The story line was compelling, for a child to speak to their parents the way Kuami started off talking to them was unheard of in my family. I was relieved when in the middle of the story we found out that he was actually just trying to find out how he would bring up such a conversation.  It makes me wonder how many second generation immigrant children feel more connected to the country that they have been in all of their lives more than the one that they “came from.” I find it really interesting because for a long time I considered myself to be from Mississippi but born and raised in Seattle. I would think of it that way because all of my morals and teachings were of the ones my mother learned in Mississippi as she was growing up. Not many people in Seattle answer with “yes ma’am and yes sir” and for that reason, I did not feel like I could “be” from a place that does not reflect the way that I act. Though a part of that is true, all that I have ever known is in Seattle and I now take pride and accept that I am simply different than what is usual.

            Identity is very thought provoking and captivating because it is always more than what you see and initially think. I’m sure there were many Italians who would look and see Kuami and automatically think that he was just another African. But it’s deeper than that. He considers himself to have two homes, his motherland is Africa but he is Italian. He mentions in the story that he doesn’t know how to maintain in Africa because technologies and functions of his world in Italy do not function in Africa. According to the thesaurus, synonyms for identity are the following: individuality, self, selfhood; personality, character, originality, distinctiveness, differentness, singularity, uniqueness. I find it Ironic because as people we always try to make identity about togetherness. We group people together to make “identities” so that we can “identify” who they really are. The dictionary definition is “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is” and my question to that is how do we make a feeling factual? The identity is up to the person and how they feel. That’s why I appreciate this story so much. It’s a sense of relief because it proves that no one has to be what or who they are expected to be. Ultimately, it is up to the people themselves.

            The best part of the story has to be the ending. I was nervous to see how his parents would react to the son’s feelings of not wanting to return to Africa. I’m unsure of where these quotes originated from, but the power in them are awesome. As they conversed and spoke their own piece, each had something wise to say to the other. Kuami said some very profound statements. Starting with “Can’t you see THIS is my country.” Putting emphasis on the “THIS” gave that statement so much power because he meant and even in reading, I could feel it. Then he later says to further explain his feelings, “It is true that an elderly man sitting sees farther than a young man who is standing, and that a child does not put his father on his shoulder to help him see the sky. However, it is true that the blacksmith of a village can be the apprentice of another.” In so many words, I comprehended all of that in him simply saying that his father cannot live and choose his life decisions. Also, that just what he is in Africa, he can be something greater in Italy.  The father once said to the son, “I know that traveling, one finds wisdom and that intelligence is the fruit that is gathered in the garden next door, but nevertheless, even hot water has to remember that is was once cold.” Then the father is trying to tell the son not to forget where he has come from. But I don’t think the son has forgotten at all, he respects Africa that is just not where his destiny is.

            This reminds me of a conversation that I had with one of my older cousins, no matter the closeness to family or anyone as a child. It comes a time when every man has to make a life for himself and do things that will ultimately benefit them and the family that they will build one day. And that is another thing that identity is about, being who you are because that is who you want to be. It’s a process and can also change over the course of time. The story could not have had a better title, because in the story he was definitely at a crossroad.

Multicultural Literature in Italy (pages 28-64) Reflections/ Responses:

“Return” –

I found this story really especially interesting because here you have a half Somali and half Vietnamese girl returning to her “home” which is Cambodia. I also found it interesting that I initially got the impression that she left Cambodia as a young girl when she was actually 21 years old. The narrator mentions on page 35 that her father would only like for his children to be somewhere under his personal protection. With that, he took them from Cambodia in 1970 to “protect their skins.” As any father would think to do, he did what he had to protect his family. Though their escape could be referred to as refugee status, Fatima was able to later return.

A critical incident in this story is a reoccurring one. I noticed in here writing that a certain emotion was apparent on a few occasions whiting her arrival. Though she is not “Cambodian” the Cambodian land is where she was raised and made quite an impactful moments of her life. Her feeling is almost unexplainable but the expression speaks for itself. On page 29 she says, “On foot we crossed the border and I mentally went and kissed the little sign in Cambodian Khmer land. My eyes filled with tears, I took a fistful of earth and I put it in my pocket, my earth.” For her, Cambodia is obviously more than just a place on a map; it’s on her heart. On the following page she says, “There was no longer the innocent serenity of carefree life, but rather melancholy in the eyes of the elderly, and resignation.” Though this can be interpreted as depressing, if one were to red between the disappointment of what Cambodia has turned into, they could imagine her reminiscing about what it used to be. Which once again gives her that sense of home and comfort. Ending her day and recapping thoughts she explains her current thoughts as she falls asleep, intoxicated by recollections deep in my memory, I finally fell sleep and slid into the night. Throughout all of these quotes, even if it has to be implied she is overwhelmed but emotion and overjoyed for her “return” home.

“Give Me Back my Coat” –

            I’m almost completely speechless. I’m unsure how I should respond to this story. I’m quite confused actually because at first there wasn’t much enthusiasm in committing suicide, it was actually depressing at first, as any death would be. The narrator speaking of all of the ways he thought to kill him made me believe that he would never actually bring himself to condoning his own suicide.

Then while he was walking to the café his tone changed. I could hear it being spoken sarcastically, maybe as though his happiness was only a trick to trick him into going through with it. He says, “I had taken a short cut and after 15 minutes I had arrived in the square. I felt uplifted who has just finished his performance and sits in a sweet peace to smoke a cigarette behind the scenes…The wind made me feel and the idea that on that very day I would kill myself.” Something about this statement seems unreal to me, like he shouldn’t be serious. However for the rest of the times he would only get happy at the thought of killing himself. Since his coat seemed to mean so much to him I thought that maybe that would make him even more excited to commit suicide. No, it was the opposite, as though he felt like he needed to say goodbye to hid coat as he went to the café to secretly say goodbye to friends. But if he truly wanted to rid himself from the world that badly, his coat would have done it anyway. Whoever stole his coat was like fate giving him another reason to hang in there.

“Light Bear and Peanuts” –

As we have talked about continuously, identity is the main point of this story. Truth is based off of her parent’s perspectives, she does not know who she is. As many “mixed girls” have complexes, in her case it was her parents that were making it worse on her by degrading her natural beauty that made things harder than they had to be. I found that she went through two breaking points throughout the story. The first one is when she admits to herself that she just wants to be accepted by everyone and not to be stared or judged but either Italians or Indians. On page 477 she says, “I wanted a whole population to accept me and put aside its traditions, its dogmas, and its castes. I wanted it to put itself away in order to reach out to me: for how I am. I wanted an entire population to accept me: to compensate for the refusal of one single man.” Being able to group her father into the same category as strangers. Even with her coming to this point of articulating her feelings I can only imagine the feeling its like she’s exiled for existing. Her second breaking point is more towards the end of the story when she’s fed up, for just getting by without understanding why it’s so important to fit in so badly. On page 52 she says, “Now, I don’t really it: why is it okay to have a black husband but not a black daughter? If you get pregnant by an Indian man do you think that the result can be pink, so it goes well with the bathroom too?” Here she questions whom she has allowed to shape her views of herself as well as of India and Italy as countries. With that she began to liberate herself of expectations and the built her own identity to be what she felt she should be.

“The B-Line” –

This captures every emotion anyone from any ethnicity or place embodies when they are suddenly in a place where a language barrier no longer is just a barrier between communication with more than one person, but also a barrier between oneself and comfort. Any man who has allowed himself to push the boundaries of comfort and contentment can relate to what many teenagers would call an “awkward turtle moment” there he is on the B-Line without the ability to understand and be understood. The feeling of his incompetence is indescribable. I love the analogy that he starts the story with, “I have buried all of them. And now I have a graveyard of words inside of myself. The words I use to use at work, on the metro, in encounters on the street, these words are all void of memories, I speak with people, without touching the words inside.” The story doesn’t give much background but I am assuming that this is an immigrant who does not speak the language of the country that he is now. It is not that he does not know words; his brain just doesn’t currently hold the capacity to hold a conversation in that particular language. Even with that opening statement, he is a bit uneasy. The tone seems to be one of shame and discouragement yet with a bit of frustration. But who wouldn’t be frustrated under those kinds of circumstances. It’s things like that, which make me wonder how lives for immigrants who don’t initially have a network are. Also, how is his life once he gets off the B-Line? I almost wish that there was more to the story, I feel like I’ve been left to hang to dry.

“The Beggar” –

I found this story intriguing because a lot is left out in the beginning. I was unaware that he was a blind man and even that he was begging for words. It wasn’t until in the middle of page 58 when the narrator announced that he is a poet did I know that he was indeed a poet. I found it interesting that he would read the words with his hands, making the shapes out by sharpness of the edges. I was reminded of Helen Keller because she too was blind and read with her hands. It is a bit different being that she would read Braille, but the power and sensitivity of their touch is amazing.

I loved this story actually. I’m not sure if it is because I too consider myself to be a poet, but the entire story seemed like a poem. The metaphors and figurative language when talking about the different words was almost overwhelming. When it says, “He would have to wring our MERCY for it was drenched,” I thought of the mercy of God and how much he gives to people. So that could be why it was so drenched, because it soaks so much up. And when the young man gave him the word ABSENCE and it took up more space than UNCONSTITUTIONALLY, I would say that is because absence takes the form of a void and though the word it’s self shorter, the impact it has is greater. I almost feel like the poet was the narrator because the story was poetic. I still don’t quite understand how the poet found his way around and knew what he was looking at if he was blind. Either way, poetry is left up to interpretation, and unlike the other stories this one is like a poem, left up to interpretation.

Artist Statement.

All of my life, all I have ever know are expectations. They come full force no matter from who or for what. The reality of expectations is the possibility of being disappointed and even when it’s unfortunate for someone else, there is no way that one person can please themselves as well as everyone else. The most pressure comes from Faith, family, love and religion. Faith and religion are separated because even with someone considering themselves to be a specific “religion” it is quite common that they lean and have their own faith. Furthermore, what someone can perceive as someone else’s religion can be different than where their faith stands. In the midst of both of these regarding a higher power, there are always things that are expected of you, but there is always a gap between those expectations and reality. And that is the point of my graffiti poster. All these things that are depicted in such ways, really aren’t all that they seem to be. Love is written in purple for loyalty, family in pink for perfection, reality in yellow for transparency, faith in blue for the correspondence of the blue sky and heaven, doubt in green for the sake of insecurities and looking down, last but not least, expectations is in black. I wrote that word in black so that it would stand out the most and cause the most attention because expectations are seen as the mountain to every valley, but it is often hidden that there will be times in reality that will not be as expected because some people have to climb up that mountain and hit some rough patches. In less words, my statement is that there is a huge gap between expectations and reality, no matter what is being expected, and who is expecting it.

“Introduction” (11-27) & “Salvation” (65-75) Reflections/ Response:

I enjoyed reading through the Introduction because it pretty much gave a summary of each story and explained the key points. It gave me a sense of security. When I go to read the short stories for myself, there is a chance that I will need to reference the introduction for context or understanding. I noticed an overall theme of subversion, irony and humor. It seemed to come up in almost every, if not all of the story summaries. If it was not the protagonist, then it was another character that would choose to assimilate to the new culture of where they immigrated. And even when it was self-deprecating, humor made it’s way into the literature. There seemed to be a lot of mockery and imitation of integration as well as the paradox of identity and what it means to be defined by what you once were and who may be trying to become. Pages 25 and 26 were my favorite because they concluded it well, reminding us, the readers of the goal and purpose of these narratives. In the first paragraph on page 25, there is a quote that says, “Man is the lord of the word he stores in his belly, but he is slave to the words that he lets out of his mouth WHAT AM I? I am a heap of words that speaks and always keeps some truth in silence.” This makes me think of the control that we have over our abilities and ourselves. One can only go as far as they want and allow themselves to go. Even with telling the truth and saying what needs to be said, sometimes maturing and knowing what you want and how to get it means to know what to say, when to say and when to be silent. There is so much power in that quote alone. Then throughout the last two paragraphs of the Introduction it says what this anthology is and how it is about how “new writers confront the issues of otherness, difference, marginality and integration.” Then it furthers to say whom it is for and how it is “an invitation for scholars of Italian and migration studies to explore the complex shifts occurring in contemporary Italy. This anthology highlights the testimonies that migrants make visible and therefore they add their voices to the political sphere that devotes so much space to debates on who and what migrants are.” Though we have spoken in class or even individually about what this book can do for us and what we will find in it, the fact that it is laid out clearly in the introduction means a lot to me and I appreciate how well written and thoughtful the Introduction was. 

            The short story “Salvation” was really interesting to me because though he mentioned his salvation, I looked at him as the savior. People were counting on him to be able to make it to their dreams, and up until the end, he had the heart to do so. He helped his cousin for an amount of time until he was deported and in a way, that was “salvation” for his cousin because he was rescued of whatever circumstances he left in his host country. I suspect that he is from India because I know that he is Muslim, but I do not recall a specific reference to a place in the text. However he did not assimilate himself completely to Italian culture. He mentioned not knowing how to make a certain ethnic food but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he had intentionally forgotten or didn’t care to know. I found it interesting that he was against cell phones and the new time of depending on technology. That was enough proof to me that he has not forgotten where has come from, because even with something as prevalent as technology, he has his own opinions on them. The story was a nice and easy read overall.

Writing Assignment #5

Not only with Naples, but with any new city I have an uncomfortable feeling. Even with the prep of the readings, you still don’t know what to fully expect. New places give me a sense of risk. I feel as though I am literally risking all that I have because I don’t know exactly what I’m getting myself into. Some can say that everyday living is that way, even places that you don’t know, anything can happen. But it’s a comfort issue. I give “the cold shoulder” to new places in general. It’s my way of having my guard up. My biggest fear was the thought of now being sure of what would happen, the possibilities of anything, but being in a new city. I had the same uncomfortable feeling when initially coming to Rome.  Not to mention not knowing anyone, it was never anything personal, I just question my surroundings a lot for the sake of feeling like I’m keeping myself safe. Another thing that made me nervous was the fact that he trip was with everyone. We have all made a few trips here and there but they were always in our divided “cliques” and I thought that when we would be forced to be together that there would be some tension. Fortunately, we all managed to get along and the trip actually made a lot of us more comfortable with one another. Before the trip we seemed to always be divided by houses and mixing up the rooms in Naples really did make a difference in the relationships we came back to in Rome.

            If anything my fear of Naples has done nothing but increased. Before it was a defense mechanism and now because of Jenny being mugged, I just don’t know how to feel about the place, personally. I understand that it can happen anywhere and I won’t say that I will never go again, but that entire situation freaked me out. Also, Alex blatantly talked to us about how often robbery happens and no one around you does anything about it. I know that this is not America but I feel like people in America would at least try to help. I’ve never been in that type of situation before, or even that close to being with someone who has experienced it so the thought alone makes me nervous. Don’t get me wrong, the program should continue to go to Naples and have Alex’s tour, just with more structure and warning. Though I feel as though I have seen a lot of Naples, I wasn’t there quite long enough to get that comfort of “home” or anything. It took me a couple of weeks to feel that way with Rome so I’m actually not surprised that Naples is just another city to me. The people seem different than the ones in Rome. Romans are a bit more up tight, or uppity for lack of a better word. If Italy was California, Naples would be Los Angeles and Rome would be Hollywood. Where we live in Rome is very elegant and charming, and the people of Rome know that to be true. Naples is just not up to the par of Rome. Though they both have great museums and nice places to visit, Naples needs to be cleaned up. That can go as far as the crime to the garbage on the streets; they both are ridiculous if you ask me. But as I said before, I know that it can happen anywhere and not every city cleans as often as Rome does. It must cost some money for the garbage men to come through everyday with their trucks and truck-brooms, but they make it happen and Rome looks ten times better than Naples.

            Aside from all of that, I love that we traveled there; I love to see new things and learn new things. Being in a different city always begins as refreshing; it just didn’t end as refreshing as it started. And life is not always what it is expected to be, it’s often about what and how you make it. So in spite of our situations, we made the best out of Naples that could have possibly become of it.

Assignment #4

Assignment #4

Open doors are like opportunities. The difference is that an opportunity is “a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something” so often times an opportunity can be controlled, while the doors open to immigrants are out of their hands and they can only take what is given to them. Though a question on the prompt mentions that their also might be doors that are open but not recognized or acknowledged by those who don’t know how to access them, I would take that as though the doors do not exist in their life. Not taking away from what they have or will ever have, but some people are too pitiful to become motivated to actually find those doors. It takes knowing or getting to know the right people in order to get to where you need to go. It was said in a lecture that many immigrants go to their new country with other people and often times have some kind of network set up; for those who start completely from scratch will struggle a lot more than others because they won’t have a network.

Education, while to some is considered to be a privilege, I would say that it is a right. No one should ever be in a position where they are prohibited to learn either by their own means or within a facility. Schooling in America has not always been what I would call fair but after Brown versus The Board of Education, both Blacks and Whites are now able to learn equally. Before, not only were they separated, but also even the quality of their books and teachers differed. Now in America, it is required that children go to school. If they do not, parents are held accountable and possibly convicted for their absence. Though everyone has the option to go to school, there are special circumstances in some people’s lives that cause them to struggle more than others. Too often, socioeconomic status keeps those at the bottom of the totem pole discouraged and unable to really apply themselves because of the lack of knowledge and resources. These ‘doors” that exist to better and higher education are often invisible or simply down a hallway that does not exist in one’s present life.  Opportunity is a set of possibilities formed by a circumstance, but when they are unfamiliar or even depicted in a way that is unappealing, it can be difficult for one to take advantage of them. I’ve heard many people say that going onto higher education is pointless because no one is guaranteed a job in their expected field. Well if there was someone for everyone who needed encouragement about going to school or even simply applying themselves to something greater, no one would be left behind. As great as education in America is depicted to be, there are so many children, so many adults who have been left by the waste side. These “doors” that allow people to be smart, and innovative are placed in certain areas of every city and it’s almost like you’re checked for a name tag or badge when trying to even approach a hallway. In other words, it’s set up to where people usually finsish they way that they started. The school system has been set up to where certain people are at the bottom because of what they learned previously, making it harder for them to get anywhere further than where they came from. Don’t get me wrong, people make it out sometimes, but it’s true when they say that it’s not always what you know, but whom you know. But then the question is how do you get to know someone who has the knowledge to get you somewhere you’ve never been or where no one in your family has been. In my case, I am a first generation student, which means that I am the first in my family to go to college. If I did not have the determination I did to branch out, take risks, build a network and make something more of myself, then I would have been perpetuating a cycle of uncomfortable contentment. Although that can be seen as an oxymoron because they contradict each other, it’s true. Though my family has gotten by and is content with where we are, what we have and where we have come from, financially and mentally it is uncomfortable to know that we could be and do better. Unfortunately, everyone does not have that drive, everyone does not have those resources, and if they are put in a position where they do not have them, where do they find them? In actuality, they probably don’t find them. I’ve watched teachers and mentors literally pick kids that need the help, just based off of what is seen and if they did not take the initiative, not much would have come of their future. America has so much to offer with its education but it is so limited and it is not teaching on one accord. Coasts have different curriculums and children are learning faster in certain areas and if they happen to go to college or even transfer before then, there is a chance that they will either be behind or too advanced. Either way this creates a divide in education and may even be helping some opportunities impossible for some people.

            In Italy, the school system seems to be a bit more effective, for their country. I know that some people come from other countries and are unable to be recognized for their degrees but Italy has a smooth transition of schooling within the country. Kids are in primary school for five years, middle school for three and high school for five. After high school they then take a test based off of their interest and then go to a college that is based off what they took the test on. Since they are subject driven and go where they know they are best, this makes school more effective in general. With the cost of education being expensive, there are many dropouts, not many people can afford to put themselves or children through college. Then there are immigrants who don’t put their children in school because they don’t find it beneficial or they have some other adversities that don’t allow them to do so. The average time to move out of their parent’s house is 35. When it comes to immigrants, they are at a complete disadvantage. They are integrated into schools that are taught in Italian and when they go home they speak their native language. Eventually some learn to speak Italian and they may do well later, but they could be missing something, simply through a barrier of language. In 1994 the Con Viserra   was a law passed that all children, no matter the ethnicity or language or documentation, held the right to be in school. And in 1998 the immigration law was that their language and culture be protected. As great as that is, why not go the extra mile and make sure that the children are able to learn. I intern at Iqbal Masih, and while there are children who are observant and can watch body language and pick up on different things, there are also the ones who can’t. A little girl who is of the Roma community is in one of my classes and she stares in silence for most of the day and is often yelled at because she doesn’t understand. I know that, that isn’t anyone’s fault and no one knows what language she speaks at home, but there has to be a way around that. Immigrants in Italy have these “doors” to education but who leads them to those doors? They say they are available but what happens to the Roma community who is being placed outside of all the neighborhoods with the schools in them? As it is in America, it’s about whom you know and what they know, not always about what you know yourself. But even then, a lot of immigrants don’t always have a network to go to and build resources to get where they want.  Not to mention the discrimination in general, for even coming from another country. Italy seems quite biased against people from other countries, or even those who are not “Italian.” Then we go into “What is Italian?” “What does it look like?” And often times those questions are answered with questions, what does it mean to be an Italian? When talking about his friend, Amedeo, Amara Lakhous said, “He’s like a poem by Omar Khayyam: you need a lifetime to understand its meaning, and only then will your heart open to the world and tears warm your cheeks,” and the same thing can be said about the school system and identity of Italians. It may take lifetime to understand or to establish what it means to be Italian, and it won’t be until then that a surface is scratched.

As far apart as Italy is from America, they both have pros and cons to their education systems and these “doors” of opportunities only get slimmer by the lack of advocacy. No one seems to listen or realize the real problem, which is that the people, who are progressing, leave those who aren’t. And the progression will end all together if people don’t take the time to give back.

Assignment 3

Perine, Sha

Writing Assignment #3

The exercise in the Piazza Vittorio was very uncomfortable. The language barrier made everything more difficult then what it had been if we were in America. Though the interviews were nerve racking, it was a rewarding feeling after each to feel accomplished in having a conversation with someone from a different country and who didn’t speak good English. The hardest part was approaching the people. We never wanted to make the interviewee feel uncomfortable by walking up to them or by anything we asked. It also was quite difficult to find an Italian. There didn’t seem to be many in the neighborhood and the people that we did see walking around didn’t have a sign on their neck that said “Hey I’m Italian.” So it took some courage to just walk up to someone who appeared to be Italian. Then asking personal questions like “Are you Italian?” “Do you live in this neighborhood?” “How long have you lived in this neighborhood?” “How comfortable are you with the immigrants in this neighborhood?” to strangers, there’s always a chance that someone could react in an unmanageable way.  Anyhow, we got over our fears and hesitations and managed to pull off four different interviews with 7 immigrants, three of the interviews had two people in each and the last immigrant interview had one immigrant. Then we interviewed an older Italian man. He appeared to be in his mid 50’s. Some were more helpful than others but overall it was an enlightening experience.

Three out of our four immigrant interviews were with men from Bangladesh, and all together there were six men. One of the men have been in Italy for eight years and brought his family with him. He said that the money brought him here and that it is a lot better then money in Bangladesh. Unfortunately his children don’t go to school and though his face turned down a little, he didn’t seem too upset or disappointed by that. His friend didn’t say much other than that he liked Italy, he put his thumb up indicating that he thinks highly of it. The next two sets of men from Bangladesh seemed a bit redundant; they also were brought here for the money and with their families. Only, their English wasn’t as good as the first one.

Robby, a man from India was our most helpful immigrant interviewee. His English was outstanding and he even told us about his free health care that he is provided. He was going to show us the health card they are given but he didn’t have it on him. He added Laura on facebook and said that he would help her with anything that he could. He’s 24 and moved to Italy when he was 10 and learned English in school. He was a pilot but after September 11^th he wasn’t able to keep it. He owns many of his own shops now instead. Right across from the market is where we found him, selling clothes from a few booths. His family moved from India when his father was “shifted” from Germany because of a transfer in his job.

While walking down the street we often struggled choosing whom to pick to interview and were very hesitant to approach just anyone. We walked around the neighborhood for maybe fifteen minutes, taking note of the many stores and stands that were owned by immigrants. We then began to get discouraged because every time we thought we would come across an Italian, the store would be run by an Asian or and African. Finally as we were coming close to our starting point, the mouth of the park, we seen an older man that we were pretty confident in being Italian and Laura with the brave soul that she is gave him our introduction. “Ciao! Parli inglese?” He responded with an uncertain nod and she went forth. Well, we are American students studying education and immigration in Rome. Are you okay with answering a few questions?” As the man agreed, we finally being able to find an Italian relieved me. We asked him questions like “Are you Italian?” “Do you live in this neighborhood” “How do you feel about the immigrants living in this neighborhood?” Well he does live in the area and feels that the immigration has increased over the course of the last decade. He doesn’t like immigrants because they come from the countries, which are primarily China, and Bangladesh, to name a couple, with a lot of money and buys out shops and settles in. He also shared that he thinks that they get the money from the Chinese mob. Which was interesting because in the movie about the Piazza Vitorrio Orchestra, someone mentioned a rumor of some immigrants getting money from the Chinese mob. After while he was repeating himself and making it clear that he is against the immigrants settling in and that they are making everything worse for Italians.

Though we found some pretty good information and made friends with Robby, if we had been a little less timid to begin with, there is chance that we could have made even more progress. After all of our interviews, we sat on a bench in the park. On the bench next to us was a man without teeth and little hair, enjoying himself and looked like chewing tobacco. There were three little boys who looked like they ranged from eight to ten kicking a soccer ball around. And over to the far left of us were a lot of different people, congregated and engaging in many different conversations. In spite of initially feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by the experience, I am glad that I at least took the time to look at my surroundings and take it all in. This neighborhood is a lot different than the Campo and it felt a little refreshing to see something different.

Assignment 2

Perine, Sha

Writing Assignment #2

Identity is difficult to define. It is a noun that is based off of perceptions and feelings, which are both drawn from opinions. No matter what numbers and stereotypes tell us, the person can only truly define one’s identity himself or herself.  Though stereotypes are built off of a piece of truth, but looked down upon when used to identify someone, they are often all that anyone initially has to explain and describe someone else. Even after learning so much information about Romans and Italians, interpretation will differ within people no matter the intentions of the teacher of whichever lesson. As the essay “To hell with Intentions” made me realize, someone can intend something and the outcome of their intentions can be completely in vain because it was not received in the way of which they meant it to. So while my purpose and goal of this assignment is to share what I have learned and show what I have taken away from the experience, I hope that it is not offensive to anyone.

As every race, culture and ethnicity has myths and stereotypes connected to it, Romans and Italians do as well. Before coming to Rome, I thought of Italians as hustlers. Al Pacino gave me the idea that any and every Italian has ulterior motives and possibly apart of the Italian Mob, also that they aren’t well educated. I never thought more into Italians past their great food and interesting accents. As far as “Romans” go, I automatically think of the bible days, the way that it says they would dress and “Roman Catholics.” Then I would think of Gladiator the movie and the fighting, but I never knew much about them as a people. Romans are the people of Rome but they are not easy to spot with the naked eye, as far as I have been able to see, they fit in as other native Italians. Then the question “what is a native Italian” is raised. Well I would say that a native Italian is one that has a lineage of Italian roots and was born in Italy. Then someone else might say that they don’t have to have lineage in a country to be a native. Identity is ultimately left up for interpretation.

The Italian government seems to make it quite difficult for many people in Italy to identify them as an Italian. In America, when a child is born on American soil, they are American. Well in Italy, even after being born there, their citizenship is not given to them as a right. As Ezekiel from Second Generation told us, in Italy citizenship is not a right and is not given to everyone; each person applies for citizenship at the age of eighteen and can either be granted or denied. This causes a potential issue for native Italians and immigrants. This furthers the issue of their possibly not even being an explicit Italian identity because things like citizenship cause there to be a perpetual divide. 

            Even for the people who immigrate to Italy, whether it is forced or willingly, they fall between the cracks. Then their children are left to identify with what they adopt. Some choose to identify with where they come from and others pick up the new culture. Alpha, the Senegalese man who works with Ezekiel, was born and raised in Italy and feels as though he is Italian. He’s comfortable here and has made it home.  Since he is “Black” and his parents are not from Italy, he is often not recognized as Italian.

Today, Brittany was telling our group about a man who told her that culture was based off of language. Further saying that she can no longer consider herself to be Italian because she speaks more English. This idea fascinated me because it reminds me of the Roma. Many people who don’t understand their culture think that they are underdeveloped and don’t want to be helped because of the conditions that they are put in and it may be that they are holding on to their culture. It is possible that some of them don’t want to go to school and learn another language and assimilate, they just wanted to change their location.

Until there is a clear and improved system built around citizenship in Italy and where immigrants and ineligible natives fall, identity will continue to be a struggle. There are too many dysfunctional aspects of the process and understanding to distinctly depict the true image and identity of an Italian. As of right now, I believe Italian identity to be what each individual considers it to be. Those who belong, feel like they belong and if they do not, then they will eventually emigrate out of Italy as some form of discomfort brought them to Italy.

           

Assignment #1 - Observation of Italian Youth

Since we have only been in a little under a week, I have yet to have an actual experience with an Italian youth, but I have made some observations. They may be a little bias, or accidentally discriminatory, but I really do not mean any harm.

Well a few nights ago when we were walking around becoming familiar with our neighborhood and some of the history, a saw a few people gathered together by some of the shops. It shocked me because a boy that looked pretty young, maybe 13 was smoking a cigarette. It looked like he was waiting on some of his friends and to pass the time he smoked. I found this interesting because in America there wouldn't a "pre-teen" as some call them, smoking a cigarette in public and it be found acceptable.

 I find it quite interesting, the many differences that are found just in something as simple as smoking a cigarette. Or 19 year olds casually drinking beer in bars or throughout the streets at night.

Last night, when walking home, we saw our first young person with baggy clothes. It was almost relieving because in Seattle I see it so much, it gave me a sense home.

I'm excited to further the experience with actually meeting a young person and having some substance behind my thoughts.

More to come!!!