Today, I attended the Trinity Exam Conference and Workshop in Naples. Since, I will be teaching students who will take the exam at the end of the year, my boss and I felt that it would be good for me to learn what it is and how to ensure that the students will pass.
In the morning, I was graciously driven to the conference by the new secretary's fiancé. On the way there we listened to his favorite band's (Jamiroquai) new cd. Luckily for me I love Jamiroquai! :) Plus I didn't even know they had a new album so now I am thrilled that I have even more music to listen and dance to in my spare time! :) He dropped me off at the hotel but after he showed me where the train station was since I had to return home using the train.
I arrived and registered. They gave me a burgundy bag filled with Trinity books and supplies. I sat down near in the main room and filled out my questionnaire. Of course, it was all in Italian but I was able to understand it :) The plenary session started. The head guy started speaking. Guess what language...Italian. I thought crap! I hope it isn't all in Italian! Plus I heard something about a coffee break and I was sure he was telling everyone whether or not there was free food and drinks and where to go but of course I couldn't tell! I wanted to make sure I wouldn't miss out on that!!! :) Shortly after about 30 minutes, he stopped talking and handed the mic over to another Italian who spoke English. I was relieved. I could understand. She talked about the overall mission statement of Trinity. For those of you who don't know, I didn't know until I attended the conference, Trinity thinks that students should learn English in a way that allows the students to communicate and use the language in real life. They feel that learning the grammar is nice, but the overall concept should be to express themselves and learn grammar while learning to express themselves in another language. I was very pleased with their concept and wish I could have learned Spanish or Italian with that same methodology.
After, the plenary session, there was in fact free food and drinks. I was smart and followed a few people up some stairs and boom! There were 10 tables with food and drinks! I had found it! I filled up on some OJ and a few little pastries then headed for my first session...
I attended the session regarding A2 levels which would be my teen levels and beginning adults. The session gave me an in-depth look at the exam and what would actually be tested. After the session, it was lunch time. Unfortunately, I was on my own for lunch but I knew I would be. I left the hotel and walked the nearby street. I started by following the burgundy bags in front of me. I didn't know where I should go and I figured since they are from here they would know where to go. I lost sight of my people so I got a slice of margherita focaccia from a nearby bar. I paid my 1,50 euro and got my slice to go. I walked back to the hotel because I knew they had an area to sit outside. I sat next to some other people and ate my focaccia. After I ate my focaccia, no one was speaking to each other. So naturally, I started asking people where they were from. I met a woman from Salerno, another woman from a neighboring town to where I live, and another woman from the same town as me! We chatted and exchanged information. I was invited to visit Salerno since I had never been there.
After lunch, it was time for the workshop portion of the seminar/conference. I stayed in the same group, A2, and learned how to teach the students how to use English for their real life. They supplied us with sample lesson plans and had us take part in those lesson plans. I learned some good tools and techniques. Throughout the workshop portion, the facilitator had us sitting in groups of 3. She emphasized how group work is essential in learning English. In my group, we had an older gentleman, a red haired woman, and myself. The red haired woman kept making fun of the older gentleman because the facilitator told us to take a sheet of paper then pass it on. She also told us to take more if we'd like since she had extra. But, the older gentleman kept handing us one copy and keeping the stack to himself. We wanted more copies but he wouldn't give it to us. So the red haired woman kept making fun of him since in the end the facilitator had passed out more than 8 worksheets. After talking during the workshop, the red haired woman had mentioned she had to go to the train station. I told her I had to go there too so we decided to go together. When we walked out of the session, she first motioned to go to the registration table again. I didn't know why but then I saw people exchanging their questionnaire forms for certificates of participation. I was shocked because I wasn't expecting it!
Afterwards, we headed to the train station. In the course of trying to leave the hotel, I realized that this woman was an Albanian Lucille Ball. She was just very bubbly, loud, scattered and outgoing. At first I thought she was Italian but then she told me that she was Albanian. She has lived in Italy for 18 years, is divorced and has a 10 year old daughter. She told me her life story pretty much. She emphasized how much she enjoys these conferences and workshops because it is the one time she gets to practice her English. She teaches it at school but with children you only speak so much English. So anyways, we make it to the train station and I told her I need to buy my ticket. I go to the machines because I know I can just get a ticket with having to only press a few buttons. But, my train ticket wasn't available. It wouldn't let me buy it! I started to freak but thank goodness I had this Albanian Lucille Ball guardian angel with me. She brought me to all these different places trying to find a ticket for me. We finally found a bookstore, after the tobacco shop being sold out, that sold me a ticket. Now I had my ticket, but now my train isn't on the list. I was supposed to go to Caserta but no trains were going to Caserta until 8pm. It is now 5pm. So then we looked at the main master schedule and Lucy found her train going to Benevento. Underneath it showed that it stopped in Acerra. I thought yes, I have a train. So after some phone calls with my boss we confirmed that I could take it. So I went with Lucy to get a coffee and sandwich, I only got a bottle of water, from the bar. Then we headed for the train. We chatted and before I knew it I had to get off (It was only a 15 minute train ride :) ) I waved goodbye to my Albanian Lucille Ball as I got off the train. Then I headed home to cure my headache and then headed to school since I had a lesson tonight.
Anyways, I had a good day. Fun, educational, and adventurous! I again thank the Albanian Lucille Ball for helping me at the train station. My boss told me when I arrived at school that they weren't too worried about the train situation because she figured I have traveled around the world so many times that I was sure to figure something out. And as a matter of fact, I told my boss later in the evening while recounting my adventures that somehow I always manage to have a guardian angel helping me along the way. Whenever I am in a situation, someone is always there. This is when I have to thank the people up above, mostly my father I am sure, for taking care of me.
