Day 8: Bologna

Today was the first time we would experience an Italian school as we met at Liceo Malpighi where the children from our host families attend school. The day started a bit earlier than what we are used to, but luckily they eased us in with some typical Italian snacks for a breakfast together. We enjoyed plenty of chocolate-based biscuits and cakes, some which we have seen before in Australia but others such as chocolate biscuits filled with coconut cream which were new. In return, we had brought a range of typical Aussie foods for the Italian students and teachers to sample including Shapes, Tim Tams, Chicken Biskits, Wizz Fizz, and lots more. Everyone had a great time comparing the typical flavours from each country and arguing about whether Vegemite was pleasant to eat.

Next, we enjoyed a quick break outside. Our students were surprised to see how tiny the yard was compared with the wide open spaces at THS but were still happy to join in playing pallavolo (volleyball) over the makeshift net. We discovered that we value sport much more in Australia as the students here at Liceo Malpighi complete just one hour of PE per week and it is far less structured than what our students are used to. Italian students who are interested in sport would instead train and play as an extracurricular activity outside of school.

We enjoyed the opportunity to share some typical Australian slang with the Italian students and found that it was an excellent ice breaker as teenagers from both countries had plenty of their own slang to share with each other. Our students also gave the Italian students an insight into how different school is in Australia by sharing their experiences of Performing Arts which is not taught at Liceo Malpighi. When the English teacher at Malpighi asked his students who would like to study music or theatre if they were offered, almost every single student raised their hand. They were completely in awe of our students' opportunity to play a musical instrument and put on productions regularly.

Throughout the presentation, some Italian students answered questions about what we were telling them and were rewarded with Minties. Therefore, we couldn't resist putting them through the Mintie challenge of creating the longest continuous thread out of the wrapper. They didn't do too badly either!

Already intrigued by the aspects that distinguish this Italian school from our own, we were treated to a tour of the school which was quite short due to the small size of the campus. However, we noted that the classrooms themselves weren't so different after all as we visited a biology, chemistry, and physics lab. A key difference was that, while at THS our students study a range of subjects from several learning areas, the students here make a choice fairly early on in their schooling to focus on one aspect such as sciences or Humanities for example. 

Following our tour of the school, our students joined their host siblings in some group research projects to find out more about some local historical attractions. Different groups researched and wrote information about the due torri (two towers), the invention of Maserati, and the various piazze (squares) around Bologna. It was wonderful to see all of the students warming up and opening up, sharing a joke, and comparing the lives lived on opposite sides of the world. By lunchtime, everyone had made some new friends and learned something about a different language and culture.

In Bolgona there is no shortage of delicious lunch options as among the local specialities are piadine and crescentine which are quick to prepare and eat. The break also provided a perfect opportunity for the students to interact with each other even more and share stories over a meal. During our lunch break, we even ran into a couple of the students from Bologna who had visited us in Australia on exchange last year! It was a special moment to see them again, especially in their own environment. These are the kinds of relationships we hope can be achieved on this trip as well by our students immersing themselves in the Italian way of life with their host families.

The final item on our agenda for the day was a more hands-on workshop in which Italian and Australian students alike discussed technology, innovation, and design thinking to create a portafoglio (wallet) that suited one of their classmates' needs. Of course, this was an optimal way for the students to find out what is most important to each other and what kinds of features would assist individuals when it comes to their most precious belongings. With some Italian music playing in the background, students chattering happily and sharing ideas, and expert teachers available to prompt creative thinking, it was an exciting atmosphere all around. The proof of how engaging the workshop was was in the fact that at 5pm, nearly two hours after our school day would ordinarily finish, our students were still bubbling with excitement as they left with their host siblings to spend another evening and night in an Italian home. A domani mattina!