Ohhh Latina...

Hello, people all over the world (start a love train),

This post is about Latina, a sad little town just south of Rome. It's not jealous of it's ancient older brother, though it should be. Latina was built in the 1930s, by Mousolini, and given this fact, 80% of the city is still fascist. They don't march around town, though we tutors were told the lack of discipline evident in our pupils was due to the town's political upbringing.

Latina is flat, ugly and without attractions. There's nothing to do but watch others parade around in brand name clothes and wonder who they're impressing, or trying to impress. My after work schedule was the same every day - go home, shower, try to use the internet, sometimes successfully, eat dinner, prepare the next day's lesson plan and sleep.

The kids were cute, but difficult. Screaming and fighting were their favorite things to do, other than ignore English tutors in preference of soccer.

Thank goodness my host family was incredible. They walk a different life than I do, spending money here and there, on clothes, beach houses, boats, Louis Vuitton bags, and expensive African art, though they treated me like a son, and I responded as if they were my family. We sat around the TV several nights, laughing our butts off at an Italian version of America's Funniest Videos. I felt validated. They took me out to expensive restaurants and stuffed me full of steak. We would talk for hours. The day I left, they were in tears, and the boy, Alessandro, cried, "No..." (which means the same in both our languages).

Though I don't have the time to finish uploading all of my Latina vids, the following will get you started. More will follow soon.





Jeff