VLAMINGEN IN HET BUITENLAND GROETEN HET LYCEUM OP DE OPENSCHOLENDAG

Morgen zet het Koninklijk Lyceum in Gent alle studenten en leerkrachten (van gisteren en vandaag) in de bloemetjes tijdens de openscholendag. Ann De Corte (mijn leerkracht aardrijkskunde in het derde middelbaar) en ik hebben voor deze gelegenheid een leuke nieuwsbrief opgesteld. Haar nieuwsbrief kun je lezen op: http://devolders.blogspot.com/2009/05/openscholendag-op-het-lyceum-op-8-mei.html en de mijne vind je hieronder. Veel leesplezier!

Technologie opent veel deuren en brengt mensen dichterbij…

Ann was een van mijn lievelingsleerkrachten op het Lyceum: een supergezellige, goedlachse jongedame die haar leerlingen vol enthousiasme aardrijkskunde bijbracht en op de hoogte hield van haar avonturen als jonge mama (soms was ze wel eens vijf minuutjes te laat omdat een van haar zoontjes op haar kleren had overgegeven).

We zagen elkaar in 2005 terug op een Lyceum-reünie, net toen zij op het punt stond te vertrekken naar de VS en ik overwoog om naar Malta te verhuizen. Ze beloofde me contact te houden en inderdaad… ik ontving prompt een mailtje met een link naar haar fotoalbum, waar haar nieuw leven in de VS prachtig in beeld wordt gebracht.

Toen Ann besliste een blog aan te maken, werd ik een trouwe lezeres en... haar verhalen waren zo’n grote inspiratie dat ik ook de stap zette naar de blogwereld. Nu lees ik alles over haar leven in de VS en krijgt zij alles te horen over mijn avonturen in de Middellandse Zee.

Even opfrissen…

Sommigen kennen me als de luidruchtige ex-studente Latijn-Moderne Talen die maar al te graag het woord nam. Anderen als de half Italiaanse, half Belgische die droomde van een taalgebonden carrière in verre oorden. Rinkelt er geen belletje?

Ik ben Amy Colman en heb van 1996 tot 2002 (als ik me niet vergis… cijfertjes zijn nooit mijn sterkste punt geweest!) Latijn-Moderne Talen aan het Koninklijk Lyceum gestudeerd.

Ik denk met plezier terug aan mijn Lyceum-jaren: van de uitstappen naar Tsjechië, Polen, Engeland en Rome tot de openschooldagen en ja, zelfs de examenperiodes… toen de Latijnse vaak een dagje langer examens moest afleggen en iedereen ons maar al te graag uitlachte.

Na zes boeiende en gezellige jaartjes op het Lyceum besloot ik – niet onverwachts – vertaler/tolk EN-IT-NL te studeren aan de Brusselse Vlekho (die nu deel uitmaakt van de HUB). In mijn eerste licentie verbleef ik in het kader van het Erasmus-programma vijf maand in het Italiaanse Forlì, waar ik mijn vriend Andre’ leerde kennen. Hij bleek Maltees te zijn (en ik wist natuurlijk totaal
niet waar Malta lag… m’n grootste flater sloeg ik toen ik hem vroeg of Malta bij Portugal lag! Ann, maak je geen zorgen… ’t is zeker jouw fout niet! Ik zat die les waarschijnlijk te babbelen of weg te dromen…).

Ik studeerde in juni 2006 af als tolk en zette nog geen twee weken later de grote stap: ik vertrok met mijn koffer van 20 kg richting Malta, een eilandje van amper 316 km² in de Middellandse Zee.

Ondertussen woon ik hier al bijna drie jaar samen met Andre’ en onze zwarte labrador retriever Gizmo in ons eigen appartementje met prachtig zicht op de helderblauwe zee. Zalig gewoon. Ik werk als vertaalster (actief NL en EN, passief NL, EN, IT en FR) voor een Gents vertaalbureau (van thuis, erg handig!) en Andre’ is manager van een departement van de Maltese Kamer van Koophandel.

Omdat ik zo van talen hou, ben ik Maltees aan het studeren (drie cursussen achter de rug en nu een beetje zelfstudie wegens tijdgebrek). Maltees is een combinatie van Arabisch, Italiaans en Engels: niet eenvoudig dus! Engels is hier de tweede officiële taal en bijna iedereen spreekt ook Italiaans, maar ik vind het een leuke uitdaging om me te verdiepen in deze toch wel erg bijzondere mengeling van drie totaal verschillende talen.

Ik heb nog geen moment spijt gehad van mijn beslissing om te verhuizen, integendeel, ik raad het iedereen aan! België heeft een zekere charme, maar wie wil nu niet op een zonovergoten eilandje wonen met twee knapperds als Andre’ en Gizmo?


MINIQUIZ: Amy gisteren en vandaag

Amy’s leerkracht Latijn:
a) zwaaide steeds met zijn houten stok boven haar hoofd om Rome aan te duiden op de kaart
b) liep in Rome rond met een Pikachu-ballon om de weg aan te duiden
c) houdt een lijstje bij met de studies en carrière van zijn ex-studenten

Antwoord: a, b én c. Inderdaad, als je even suf was in de klas, durfde Eddy Nuydt je wel eens wakker schudden door met zijn houten stok Rome aan te duiden op de driehonderd jaar oude kaart boven Amy’s hoofd. Tijdens de traditionele reis naar Rome kreeg Eddy inderdaad een Pikachu-ballon cadeau (het gele cartoonpersonage dat toen ‘in’ was) om zijn studenten de weg te wijzen en ja hoor, hij houdt al jaren de evolutie van zijn studenten bij: op elke reünie staat gegarandeerd een rondvraag op het programma. Eddy, you’re the best!

Amy heeft:
a) een jaartje Grieks gestudeerd
b) een jaartje economie gestudeerd
c) geen van beide

Antwoord: a. In het tweede middelbaar besloot ik Grieks te studeren om niet te moeten deelnemen aan de dissectie van het konijn, die in het leerplan stond van de groep Latijn-Wetenschappelijk Werk… Het mocht niet zijn… de leerkracht wetenschappelijk werk haalde de hele groep Grieks uit de klas om met een strootje de longen van een dood konijn op te blazen. Walgelijk! Economie had ik twee uurtjes per week op de hogeschool… ’t is nooit mijn sterkste vak geweest!

Mijn nieuwe woonst ligt:
a) ten zuiden van Sicilië
b) ten zuiden van Spanje
c) net onder Sardinië

Antwoord: a. Velen hebben er nog nooit van gehoord… Best begrijpelijk, aangezien het zo klein is, maar ‘mijn’ eilandje is zeker de moeite! Malta ligt in het midden van de Middellandse Zee, net onder Sicilië. En bij deze raad ik iedereen aan om van onze cultuur en levensstijl te komen proeven!

Waar kan je me vinden?

Iedereen is welkom op mijn blog, die een tot twee keer per week wordt bijgewerkt: http://amycolman.blogspot.com

Mailen kan op amycolman@hotmail.com en vrienden van toen mogen me gerust toevoegen aan hun Facebook-vriendenlijst!

Ann en Amy hebben een Facebook-groep opgestart voor ex-Lyceum-gangers die (al dan niet tijdelijk) in het buitenland wonen of van plan zijn die stap te zetten. De groep heet ‘Gisteren op het Lyceum. Vandaag in het buitenland.’ en iedereen is welkom!

Veel plezier op de openscholendag!

Update: crazy Gizmo

First of all: a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped us with the whole “Gizmo gone insane” issue. After lots of tiring discussions and panic attacks, last Wednesday we decided to take Gizmo to his first obedience class.

We opted for an obedience and agility course at Luxol Grounds. Gizmo’s agility is without a doubt his strong point: stealing knickers and socks from the laundry basket without anyone noticing until his tail starts wagging at full speed and he starts running across the living room… that’s what he does best. Obedience, well that’s a different story…

We arrived at Luxol (an enormous parking lot) expecting to find a small group of dog lovers, but much to our surprise there were tons of people. The dogs were subdivided into groups, each led by an experienced trainer (ours was something like “pre pre beginners”… need I say more?).

The school is run – I was told – by an ex-police dog trainer. And I think that description matches the stern little man we met as soon as we arrived: he grabbed our dog’s choke chain and told us we “got it all wrong”. Ok, we had bought the new choker literally four hours earlier so yes… we did probably get it all wrong. Then all the newcomers (about 15 in all) were told to stand in line with their dogs beside them. Not Gizmo, though. He had never seen that many dogs at once and couldn’t refrain from scanning the entire parking lot, sniffing around, licking his classmates and wagging his tail, of course…

Andre’ and I were asked to decide which one of us would be Gizmo’s master. Since I spend more time with him, I told our trainer I wanted to give it a shot. Bad, bad idea! Gizmo is strong, very strong. And big, no, enormous. So to avoid sending me home with purple hands and tense muscles, I only got to do part of the exercises: no zigzagging between dogs, but simply walking in a straight line, for example. And he wasn’t allowed anywhere near the other dogs during the walking exercises… too much distraction! At one point, he decided he needed a wee during training... just to make mummy turn bright red...

After talking to the trainer, who advised Andre’ to take over as Gizmo’s master, I returned home with sore hands and extremely painful shoulder blades… and a sense of defeat. However, yesterday Andre’ bravely took Gizmo to his second lesson and while I stood in a corner I thought to myself: “Look at my boys turning into men…” And all was well once again…

In the car Andre' told me there was a small incident, though. Gizmo kind of exposed his private parts (he just couldn't bear all the excitement) and the trainer told Andre': "Get your dog some underwear next time!" That's our Giz...

Gizmo will become the greatest dog in the whole world… or within a 100-m radius… He can do it!

Help: crazy Gizmo on the loose!!

As many of you know, about a year ago Andre’ and I decided it was time for the next step in our relationship… We had just bought our beautiful apartment and wanted it to feel like home. Babies are definitely part of our “plan”, but we wanted a “test baby” first and so on a sunny day in March 2008 Gizmo walked into our life and home. Little did we know a baby would’ve been the easier and cheaper option.

We immediately fell head over heels for our chubby black labrador retriever with mischievous eyes. He was the only one of the bunch hiding under the sofa, falling asleep on his uncle Jason’s hand and looking at us with that adorable grin we now identify as the “don’t-leave-me-on-my-own-or-I’ll-destroy-whatever-I-can-find” look.

The first weeks were hell, but we didn’t mind. It was, after all, a new adventure we had been looking forward to. No matter how often we used to walk him, Gizmo would pee and poo all over the apartment, proudly looking up at his masters after every one of his many toilet breaks. Meanwhile, he’s learned our home is not a 130 sqm public toilet, but some of his bad habits remain.

Gizmo likes chewing. He chews everything, from shoes (including my favourite Morgan stilettos) to chairs, quilts and carpets. His most impressive and expensive chew toys so far include a mobile phone, Andre’s passport (much to the amusement of the public servants who had to replace it for him two days before he was due to leave on a business trip), a remote control, two pairs of glasses and my lemon tree.

Another issue is his jumping craze. He’s always liked jumping up at visitors to express his joy at welcoming them into our (or should I say “his”?) home, but lately he’s become like a high jumper, aiming for our face and trying to attack joggers in the garden.

Walking is supposed to be the easiest thing to teach a lab according to our specialised book… We’ve tried all possible chains, collars and harnesses on the market, nothing seems to stop Gizmo from dragging us along. I weigh only a few kilos more than him, so walking him is quite a feat, to say the least. Once I was nearly hit by a car, another time I fell and bruised my leg.

Despite what everyone thinks, we really do try to train him. We scold him whenever he does something we disapprove of, but somehow he just won’t understand. He thinks it’s all a game… and every chase and punishment turns into a face-licking session. We’ve heard of obedience classes in Malta being organised on Wednesday evenings, but to be honest we’re exhausted after a day of work and the last thing we want to do is break an arm trying to keep Gizmo from chasing all his “classmates”.

Any tips or ideas? Any similar experiences? Help us, we’re at our wits’ end…

Italy vs. Malta: account of an Easter break

Being half Italian, I love spending my holidays in Italy. Andre’ and I try to go to Northern Italy twice a year to enjoy the good food, wine and company of friends and family. Last week we had a great Easter break in the Veneto region.

We’re frequent travellers and we’ve tried quite a few airlines over the years. We love Air Malta, because it’s efficient and offers a great service, including in-flight meals, a luxury nowadays. However, as our destination is serviced by a low-cost airline and Air Malta’s prices have failed to drop despite the financial crisis, we’ve had to lower our standards and go for the cheaper option: Ryanair.

I’m not a fussy traveller, but I like comfort and efficiency. Ryanair is known for its no-frills service, but is reliable in terms of timeliness and baggage handling. Its passengers, however, still have a lot to learn! Ryanair doesn’t assign seat numbers, which is acceptable given its low fares (mind you, not always… book late and you’re stuck with higher prices than scheduled flights, partly because of all the additional costs: checked-in baggage, credit-card payments etc.). The Maltese are known for their orderly attitude towards queueing: they form a straight line and patiently await their turn. The Italians, however, tend to be a little more… how shall I put this? Pushy, literally! And once they’ve showed their boarding card at the gate, they break into a sprint… because you never know… the plane might just take off without them!

Suitability as travel companions: Italians: 0 – Maltese: 1

Andre’ and I spent our holiday at my parents’ house, in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hills. We love it there: the weather is great, the people are amazingly friendly and the food is fresh and delicious. As we both work with computers all day, we were looking forward to a week without internet access… It was not to be. My father has been trying to get internet access in our holiday home for years and this year, after our neighbours had finally managed to secure their adsl connection, he was determined not to leave without an active connection. He had heard about “internet keys”, a kind of USB contraption which is quite popular in Italy. We signed a contract for a “chiavetta Tre” and kept our fingers crossed. After six days of phoning the help desk and several trips to the outlet which sold us the device, we had to give up… No refund, despite all the European regulations which supposedly protect consumers, no explanation as to why the gadget just won’t work and no apology for the crappy service…

IT and customer care: Italians: 0 – Maltese: 1

Pizza… it’s our favourite food! And what better place to enjoy it than Italy? Think again! On Easter Monday we decided to go for a stroll in Padova, where we had lunch in a La Lanterna, a pizzeria in one of the main squares. The prices were average, the interior below average and the food simply disgusting: soggy and tasteless. Then the coup de grâce: burnt espresso. After a long walk to digest that inedible goo, we went to one of the best ice-cream parlours in the city centre for a slush… or so we thought. We were given a plastic cup containing coloured liquid with lemon flavour. No ice anywhere in sight.

Pizza and ice cream: Italians: 0 – Maltese: 1

We had a great holiday. We love Italy and are definitely looking forward to our next trip in summer, but we must admit we were very relieved when the plane touched ground in Malta and all the passengers clapped their hands… the Ryanair tradition. Or maybe just a way to say “thank God we’re home”.

Sludge

I love coffee. No, correction: I’m totally addicted to coffee. I spent half a year studying in Italy, where I used to drink seven to eight espressos a day. The result: I couldn’t sleep and I was moody most of the time. Upon my return home, I swore off the black “sludge”, as Ed, one of my dear friends, calls it… but not for long. I just couldn’t resist.

Malta, as a former British colony, is more of a “tea nation”. Then again, our little rock lies just beneath Sicily, so espresso – the “real” coffee – is readily available. Not all bar attendants are familiar with the different types of espresso, though. Once Andre’ and I went to Birgu for cake and, you guessed it… a nice espresso. It had been a very long day, and we needed a caffeine kick, so we ordered an “espresso doppio” (a double espresso). Unfortunately, something went wrong in the preparation and I ended up sipping a thick insoluble mix of ground coffee… Not very appealing.

My friends don’t understand my coffee addiction (and let's face it, Andre's quite fond of the black sludge too). When they invite us for dinner, we have to take our Bialetti coffee maker with us. Why? Because we refuse to drink tea after eating (not the ideal drink to digest a good meal, but nice with scones on a cold winter afternoon) and we absolutely hate Nescafé (how was that ever labelled as coffee?).

In the end, living in a country where the British and the Italian culture go hand in hand, we have the best of both worlds: afternoon tea and morning coffee (I’m not referring those awfully dry “Morning Coffee” biscuits here!). And the best part is: all the great Italian brands can be found in any supermarket (Lavazza, Illy, Segafredo…). What more can a girl ask for?

Ode to colour

I love colours… In secondary school my classmates used to call me “fluo Amy”, because of my love for bright yellow, orange, red and pink tops. My fashion sense has slightly improved since, but my love for colours remains.

From up high, through the tiny windows of a plane, Malta looks like a pale yellow spot in the deep blue sea. On descending, however, green fields appear, surrounded by meticulously constructed rubble walls and colourful flowers covering the rocks, which boast a vast colour palette, from dark grey to soft beige.

The sky is a magical shade of blue and at sunrise and sunset the sea surface becomes a painter’s easel. Walking the dog in the small garden down the road overlooking the beach at 6 am just makes me feel alive. I love the smells, the silence, that sense of tranquillity… and the colours of the water, the sky, the soil and the plants.

The balconies of traditional Maltese townhouses are painted red, green, yellow, brown, black or blue. The same goes for the doors in Mdina, which are famous for their unusual doorknobs. But what about the new face of Malta, those modern apartment blocks sprouting up on every corner? Well, they too bring a colourful touch to this tiny island with their colourful façades.

Village “festas” decorate the sky with flashy fireworks all summer. A trip to the Sunday fish market in Marsaxlokk, where brightly painted wooden boats adorn the sea front, is a feast for the eyes. A walk around the island instantly brings a smile to your face, even on a rainy day.

Why this ode to colour? Because we often forget what truly makes life beautiful… those seemingly irrelevant bits and pieces of daily life that catch our eye and linger in our minds, those sights that remind us of our childhood, when a simple red flower in a field could fill us with awe…

Service with a smile

“After-sales service”, “customer care”… there are dozens of names for it, that unhelpful attitude that goes with knowing you’ve sold your product or service and there’s no way back for the poor customer.

The Maltese are amazing salespeople: buying new kitchen appliances? Why not upgrade? We’ve got a great offer! There go the 1,000 euros we were saving up for a big glass table (now we’re stuck with a smaller, cheaper version)! Have some extra cash in your account? Why not invest it in a savings plan? The outcome: a monthly transfer from my savings account for the next forty years. You have cable TV with our company? We now also sell mobile phone packages and internet connections… Not interested? Well, maybe you could upgrade your cable package then? We’ve got… Nope, not this time, thanks!

I’m so easily persuaded by small talk. That’s why I should never be left in a shop on my own. Or in a shopping street, or close to a phone… I should never be left alone full stop. I suffer from “compulsive pleasing syndrome”, which manifests itself with a willingness to buy anything that’s offered to me by a smiling salesperson.

The issue is not the fact that I buy, buy, buy… but the fact that everything I buy seems to break within an unreasonable timeframe. New kitchen appliances: cooker doesn’t work within one day from installation (reason: I didn’t know about the magic switch labelled “cooker” on the wall). New washing machine: cannot be installed due to lack of tap (who knew a washing machine just won’t work without a tap?). New ASDL connection: cables between Sicily and Malta are damaged (and I’m cut off from the world for days). New mobile for Andre’: chewed by the dog on two occasions (never managed to get a refund for that one, no matter how hard I tried).

As soon as my cash card has been swiped, the smile disappears. Sure, there’s a one-year guarantee (“we don’t follow the EU regulations guaranteeing two years here”), but it’s only valid in case of damage which hasn’t been caused by wear and tear, the plastic parts are not covered (even if 90% of the bloody thing consists of some form of plastic!) and labour costs are charged by the hour… In short, solve it yourself or buy a new one!

And since we’re mainly a service-based economy, we offer our customers a “service with a smile”… or the typical Mediterranean laissez-faire attitude. Internet connection not working? “Just relax, within four hours or one day max (!) everything will be restored.” Power cut on a weekday at 9 am? “Don’t worry, we’ll be done patching up by noon.” Internet banking account not topped up three days after your transfer? “Wait another two days… that should do it.”

The worst part is… you actually stop caring after a while. You take your cup of tea and patiently wait, and wait… and wait. If you can’t beat them, join them!