Buondì.
I had a sympathetic email from Nancy in Tasmania yesterday, responding to Wednesday’s moan, in particular about my ecommerce order not having been shipped on time (it’s now on its way, they wrote this morning!) But, she said, American ecommerce vendors have had such difficulty getting stuff to Australia recently, that they’ve stopped even trying!
There’s always someone worse off, it seems.
Yet yesterday, at our school I had a chat with club member Neil, who lives in Germany, I think he said, and is on his first post-pandemic Italian course, level B2, and having a good time.
So things aren’t messed up everywhere in the world, or at least, no longer.
I too will soon be getting on a plane, for the first time since 2019, to visit my daughter who’s studying at a Scottish university. Though we’re a little concerned about the case numbers in the UK…
Imagine having dodged the lurgy for nearly two years, then ending up isolated or hospitalized as a result of going on holiday! I’ve had hospitals up to here (gestures to throat)!
In Bologna, Italy, masks, distancing, and hand sterilization seem to be still ‘de riguer’, and new infections are low and, for now, stable. People are really behaving well, which I admit has suprised me, the locals normally having a fairly casual attitude to the law (“for guidance only”) and their responsibilities to wider society (“no one’s going to check…”)
Fingers crossed then, as it was around this time last year when, having taught five weeks of the 2020/21 English classes, we were told lessons had to be shifted online rather than ‘in presenza’, and had a frenetic weekend setting up Zoom accounts and learning how to use them. Which was how we proceeded for the remaining twenty-five weeks of the academic year…
Anyway, I thought it would be nice to ask club members (there are more than ten thousand of you) how everyone’s getting on, how things are where you are, and so on.
I was doing a lesson with some young teenagers (Italian ‘scuola media’) on Wednesday and a little lad suggested doing some vocabulary for body parts and illnesses, as he has to study ‘science’ IN ENGLISH at school (this is called CLIL – Content and Language Integrated Learning – and it’s currently very fashionable!)
So we did. And to practise, we were asking each other questions such as “Have you ever been in hospital?”, to which said small boy replied, matter of factly, that he had, last year, for Covid. The same hospital as I was in recently for my ‘ictus’, so we were able to swap notes!
And with an adult class that same evening – so people in their forties – one of the guys, a very pleasant father of two, was saying that he’d recently switched jobs to come to Bologna (he works on projects for refugees), but had previously worked in Padova, where things had been very bad – some of his colleagues had died, apparently.
So there you go – some of us have been lucky, worked from home, stayed safe and are now back to something akin to a normal existence, and even looking forward, tentatively, to traveling. While others are perhaps still locked down, or otherwise feeling isolated, and may have even been ill themselves, or have lost people close to them. Hopefully not.
Why not share how things are, and have been, where you are by COMMENTING on today’s article? It’s easy to do and, while your email is required, it won’t be published (in any case, I have it already, or you wouldn’t be reading this, so no need to be paranoid about privacy…)
Why COMMENT rather than email?
Well, apart from the fact that getting loads of emails is a mass of extra work, and I’m already busy dealing with people who didn’t get their ebook download link (it’s in spam, or your crappy email provider filtered it out before it got to you, please get a decent email account), who can’t find the link to the online audio (open the damn .pdf ebook and you’ll find it – at the top of every chapter), or who can’t make the audio play (press the ‘accept cookies’ button), besides that, if you email, only I will read it.
Whereas if you COMMENT, others can read what you write and vice versa. Which is a lot more fun!
How to COMMENT? Click on this link to view the article online (or go directly to the club website and click on the title of this article, which until Monday you’ll find on the first page.)
Scroll down to the bottom of the article (not here in your email, but online) and you’ll see a ‘comments form’. Fill it with your thoughts and experiences, and press the button!
N.b. Comments are moderated to prevent spam, which means your contribution won’t be visible immediately. Anything genuine is approved, though if it’s night when you write something, it might not happen until I wake up in the morning.
So, come va?? Tutto bene?
Go here to comment. Write in Italian, or in English, as you prefer. I also read Swedish, French, Spanish and, with more difficulty, Turkish, if you feel like putting me to the test!
Now I’ll go write a comment myself, to get us started!
A lunedì.
P.S. Reminders
1.) Next week we’re having our usual November ‘Free Trial Lesson Offer’. The offer will be ‘first-come, first-served’/’new students only’, the number of free lessons will be limited, and I’ll be publishing full details of how you can do thirty minutes online with a native Italian speaker teacher at a cost of £0.00 on Monday 1st November.
If you email for further details today or over the weekend, I won’t have anything to add! Spend your weekend, instead, with this week’s new A2-level, ‘easy reader’ ebook, Il ciclista, which is 25% off the usual price, so just £5.99 rather than our standard ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99, but only until Sunday night! Consider yourself reminded.
Buy Il ciclista, just £5.99 | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog
+++
Daniel says
As promised, I’ll write the first comment. Italy is open for business, but you need a ‘green pass’ to get into pubs, restaurants and so on, so vaccination is advisable! We’re beginning booster shots for the over-eighties, but it’ll likely be a while before the rest of us get a top up. So caution is the watch word. At the school, teachers and staff clean desks, door handles, and other contact points after each class, and record that it’s been done on a form tacked to the classroom door (like in a motorway toilet…). We measure temperatures of people entering and keep the windows open as far as possible. The students and I wear masks, the Italian teachers prefer visors, so you can see their welcoming smiles!
So how are things where you are?
Catherine F Mitchell says
I am in Tampa, Florida, USA. As many of you may know it’s each state for itself here and Florida, in particular, has a governor who doesn’t believe in mandates.
Io, che sono ottuagenaria ho già avuto 3 iniezioni (Pfizer) ma porto la mascherina quando entro un negozio o faccio la spesa. Però vado in ristorante e, a parte dall’ingresso non fa senso portare la mascherina. Sto lontana dalle folle e cosï ci sono ancora molte cose che non faccio – anche se potrei – perchè al governatore non importa. Mi sento molto fortunata perchè ho figli e nipoti e siamo tutti sani, e chi ha bisogno di lavorare può farlo da casa. A parte la famiglia nella Florida, c’è una famiglia a Kansas; ho un nipote che fa il militare a Alaska ed un altro a Hawaii! Una cosa è certa – la covid c’è ancora e ha cambiato le vite di quasi tutti.
Graham says
Daniel, I’m in Scotland and have been pretty much throughout the duration of covid. I don’t know which Uni you’re going to but I don’t think you’ll find any great difference here than in Bologna.
Face masks indoors unless sitting at a table, in a cafe or restaurant. Majority at least 2x jags (Scots are jagged not jabbed 😊) and boosters progressing fairly well for elderly.
Sensible precautions and you’ll be fine. 👍🏽
Madeleine says
I note your comments about ‘cases’ in the UK. Although bandied about in the press, this is a misuse – both linguistically and medically – of the word. Rather the word ‘positive tests’ should be used. A good proportion of these are in schoolchildren who are constantly tested but are totally asymptomatic and at zero risk from the virus themselves or indeed passing it on. It is of course half term at the moment so ‘cases’ are plummeting.. The only important figure is the number of sick who are hospitalized or sadly die. Of these the vast majority of these are elderly with underlying conditions and they die ‘with covid’ not ‘of covid’. You will also note that thousands of government and ngo reps and their hangers on are flying into Glasgow for the COP jamboree. Do you think they would come if there was a real risk of contracting the virus?
Be cautious of totally buying into what you see and hear via the mainstream media in the UK – and enjoy your trip!
Daniel says
Actually I get my news on ‘cases’ in the UK from the Italian press, who note as you do that the number of people dying in the UK is very low. And French, Spanish and Swedish newspapers have also reported British government’s concerns regarding potential overload of the UK’s NHS during the winter to come.
“Do you think they would come if there was a real risk of contracting the virus?”
I guess that plenty of them would regard a 1/1000 or 1/100 chance of hospitalization or death as acceptable for such an important event in their careers, just as low paid workers accept the risks because they can’t afford not to. Better not to think about it, perhaps. But famously, Putin’s not coming. He’s a cautious fellow!
David F says
There is actually another statistic that is important; the number of people who suffer long term effects from Covid even if they don’t get really sick or go into hospital. The incidence of this is estimated to be about 10% of young people who develop symptoms. The long term effects can range from long term damage to vital organs like heart, liver and kidneys through to significant chronic fatigue, loss of taste/smell and breathlessness caused by even moderate levels of exercise. And no-one knows what long term impact there will be. I’ve spent 6 weeks in Italy and 10 weeks in England out of the last 16 and feel much safer in Italy. Although the Italian measures put more limitations on everyday life they protect the health service from overloads and backlogs and reduce the number of long covid cases. In England it feels very much more like the desire to protect the economy overrides almost everything else, particularly the health of individual unless they are going to die or overload the NHS. I can’t comment on Scotland, not having been there.
PS A further statistic that could become relevant is the percentage likelihood of a new variant emerging dependent upon the current infection rate in the population.
Hilary Temple says
I agree, David. And we have the further problems of a health service already at full stretch before the winter starts.
Vinita says
Un mese fa, tutte le restrizione sono cencellate in Olanda. Quindi no.n si puo mantenere la distanza, neanche mettre le mascherine. Da oggi siamo tornati in zonna rossa perche i numeri dei casi sta aumentando. La vita sta andando quasi normale qua.. Il QR codice é necessario per andare dentro nel un ristorante, un bar, un museo, e la cinema. La prossima settimana abbiamo una conferenza stampa e forse saranno nuove restrizione. ancora.
Daniel says
Ciao Vinita! Yes, that does seem rather a pattern in some places, doesn’t it? No ‘Plan B’ until, suddenly, there is.
Still, not to worry, it’s only the old, and those with underlying conidtions, that are dying. And children, apparently, are not infectious at all. Though that would surprise all the parents in Bologna who’ve picked the virus up from their school age kids…
John Dixie says
We are not doing well in the UK, though Scotland is a bit better than England. The vaccines have been clearly proven to work but the vaccination rate has slowed down and only some 70% of the population have been protected (the government says 84% but they don’t include the 11 and under children who have not yet been offered a jab – but COVID attacks all ages). And the government still refuses to publish the fact that the most common symptoms of the delta variant in children and vaccinated adults are identical to those of a cold – fever and loss of taste and smell are way down the list now, so people who have COVID are not always realising this and continuing to spread it.
Daniel says
Ciao John,
Cold symptoms? Oh dear. One of my students coughed continuously though a ninety minute lesson this week….
Thanks for commenting!
Daniel
Claire Cochrane says
I’m in regional Victoria, Australia. There are notices all over businesses/shops etc telling people not to come in if they have a cough, temperature, runny nose etc. Children are sent home and people encouraged not to go to work if they have symptoms, even just a mild cold. During lockdown there were government payments for workers not covered for sick leave so they could stay away if they were sick. It might be a good policy for you! It’s a balancing act between needing students for income but keeping you and the rest of the class safe!
Daniel says
We’ve had some help from the state, Claire, but have also been banned from laying anyone off (since March 2020, still in force now), which means we have had to keep paying rent and so on throughout the closures and, as a consequence, were in pretty dire straits for an extended period, which was a huge worry. Now we’ve got a loan, and are reorganising, so hopfully things will be fine!
Bianca says
Thank you for your updates, Daniel. Your emails are always informative and amusing!
Life is getting back to some sort of “normal” in Sydney. The children started back at school on Monday……However, I fear that I’m now falling behind in my year 2 and year 4 maths, not to mention my Italian!
Anyway, restaurants, shops and other venues are now open for the double vaccinated, Masks, social distancing and hand sanitising continue…….. Speriamo bene e buon fine settimana!
Daniel says
You Australians used to be our best clients, Bianca! Hope you’ll be allowed out to play again soon!
Daniel
Yvonne says
But Daniel (and of course Bianca), Australia is not confined to Sydney or Melbourne, or indeed the States of NSW and Victoria). The media might be based there. Perhaps 60% of the population lives there, but that still leaves more than 10 million of us in other states where life has been pretty normal since about last April. Queensland, where I live, for example has about half a million more people than Emilia-Romagna and has had a couple of short (3 day) lockdowns and one of 8 days this year in the capital, but other than that life is pretty normal. Lockdowns have started with just one ‘mystery’ case. Only 7 people have died here since the pandemic began, and that was back at the beginning mainly from cruiseship passengers. Only a couple of thousand cases all up – mainly in isolation. I do feel really privileged particularly when I read comments like yours Daniel saying that Bologna’s ‘new infections are low and, for now, stable’. I guess it’s all relative to what states and countries have experienced, but your current numbers would certainly not be called low here! Of course, open borders and travel are in the future still… It’s been a bit of a trade-off. Some people have had no choice but to live with the virus, accept the inevitable but hopefully diminishing daily deaths (but they’re mainly old people, so why worry?). The Chief Health Officer here made a choice to live without it. Well, up to now …
Annette says
I concur with Yvonne. I live in the Adelaide Hills South Australia. We have only had two short lockdowns amongst a small number of imposing virus scares being contained very quickly in every instance. There have only been 4 deaths which were all early last year. We have been able to travel within the state and have had ‘open and shut’ opportunities to travel to other ‘unaffected’ states.
The Government is preparing us for the future in mandating the wearing of masks in most public instances when food and drink aren’t being consumed. Dancing and singing is restricted. Our vaccine level is due to reach 80% by late November. From here the borders are set to open so we are preparing to ‘let the virus in’! It will be interesting times for us as we have been so fortunate to run relatively ‘normal’ lives.
chantal johnston says
The only thing I missed 8n this COVID business has been travelling to see our children and them coming to see us as they want. We live in Paris ,have 6 grown up children, all single,one in Cambridge, one in Madrid and one in Torino. I was planning to go regularly to see my daughter in Italiy and practice my Italian, well…..
My Italian classes never stopped thanks to one of your online teachers Marcella.
Otherwise in France things get slowly back to normal. Everything is open, masks in shops, some restaurants when inside but not always, compulsory in public transports. But you must go round with your Pass which proves you’re safe!!!Third shot of Pfizer or whatever has started.The authorities make the most of this crisis to make people have the flue jab. Sanitarian Dictature that is what I call it.
Oh, I forgot, all the COVID tests were free,but now you have to pay. Around 40Euros still less than in the UK.
Daniel says
The UK has been giving out free lateral flow tests, apparently. Tell your president, Chantal!
Lynn Dorling says
Here is in the U.K. lateral flow tests are free and if you are I’ll a need a PCR I think they are free. What isn’t free is any test needed for going abroad. These are expensive and add a considerable amount to the cost of a holiday.
We do still have quite a high incidence of Covid cases but fewer deaths, Sadly, many folks are behaving as though we’re. back to normal eg on a crowded tram the other day only a very few of us wearing masks.
Buon fortuna tutti!
Lynn
PS I’ve bought the latest ebook – keeping z them coming!
Daniel says
“on a crowded tram the other day only a very few of us wearing masks.”
That’s cultural, Lynn. Culture can help, or hinder.
And it’s become clear, if it wasn’t already, that leaders can influence culture, for better or worse.
Which is the true meaning, perhaps, of ‘leadership’.
Chantal says
We went to England in march the tests cost us £ 400 for both of us.we had to book them And pay for them before we went, otherwise we were forbidden to go.this was to do a test on the second day,and on our fifth day, all brought to our son’ s place to check we were there. But we only stayed two days, so the tests are still at his place but unusable as they are under our name. As we had gone back to France, nothing was done.We went there because of an emergency. All that after a free PCR test done in France before going going with a negative test!!!
So we’ve been very lucky in France for the cost, unfortunately it could not last. In October we had to book and pay for a test two days after arriva, although we had a green pass £90 each.
But of course things change quickly, maybe you are luckier than we were at the moment.
Daniel says
At the moment, it seems yes. The tests are certainly cheaper now, and only one needed, on day 2.
Jane says
Abito in australia occidentale dove viviamo come prima 2020 perché non abbiamo qualsiasi casi che erano contratti nella communita per molto più di un anno.
Le restrizioni per cui potere venire qui sono molto rigido però la maggior parte degli abitanti non sono lamentano..
Quando abbiamo almeno 80 percento della popolazione sono vaccinati apriremo di nuovo e sarebbe necessario di stare attenti e indossiamo le mascherine e facciamo la distanza sociale etc.
Tony says
The UK is doing very badly on almost all measures and despite what is said above the number of cases where there has been a positive test for Covid is real concern. The great majority of people in England appear to feel that the pandemic is over and so precautions have become lax. The numbers are startling – last week the daily rate of confirmed cases in UK was just under 50,000. In Italy it was less than 3000. I was in Palermo last weekend and the difference in people’s behaviour was staggering. Every shop required mask-wearing, every museum and church required a Green Pass and there was a real feeling of people being concerned and careful. I felt much safer in Palermo than I do in my small city in England. I wish you well in Scotland Daniel – when I was there earlier this year the locals were generally careful
Anna Kucharska says
Things slowly improving in Scotland, most people being responsible about masks, sanitising, less so about social distancing.
A holiday in England last month was downright scary, with a few honourable exceptions almost no-one was masked, shoulder to shoulder crowds, life was going on as if no pandemic was happening.
I was TOLD by a taxi driver to take that thing off – my mask. No way!
Harold Wonham says
I’m just back from delivering a home-made cake to a double-vaccinated neighbour. She’s ill at home with Covid, together with her son, also infected, and both cases came from the primary school. It is astonishing that anybody should suggest that infected children and young adults are not a threat to everybody else – they are, and the huge rise in cases and deaths in the UK since August has been driven by such people. The official figures for UK dated 28 October are: 7-day average of cases, 42,221; 7-day average of Covid-related deaths, 151. To my mind, neither of these figures is insignificant!
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy a safe visit to Scotland, Daniel, and return safely to Bologna.
Daniel says
I agree, Harold, the numbers are absoutely not insignificant. I was being sarcastic in response to a previous comment. Nor to I think that only old and ill people are dying, or that even if that were the case, it would be OK.
What a nice neighbour you must be, by the way. I don’t eat cake on principle, but a bottle of wine or whisky is always ‘gradita’.
Jacky Clark says
Ciao Daniel – I love your site & have been a member now since 2017 !! In Melbourne Australia unlike Sydney NSW, today is the first day we have been able to join our families & friends in our State of Victoria- we like NSW have reached 80% of double vaccinated which was our passport to more freedom.. We have had severe lockdown restrictions – around 268 days in total – 6 lockdowns since the pandemic began – our last being 82 days straight and free today – masks distance inside – travel more freely. Covid has separated our country by states for the first time ever in reality, as pre- Covid we all travelled freely with state borders being almost meaningless. Now the leaders of each state ( Called Premiers) love the power. Our Prime Minister is not proactive and a poor leader .. ( take his disgusting & disgraceful way he disrespected the French, broke his submarine agreement and trust ) … anyway he has been a poor leader in respect to Vaccinations initially – promising & not delivering. – However, removing my personal opinion politically – Our people are exhausted mentally- particularly parents where they have tried to work and home school –
Only next week will all the school
children resume face to face in classrooms but there is no real plan when children get Covid at school other than locking it down for a deep clean …. While children stay at home again ! It’s mainly the primary schools where under 12 are not vaccinated.
What happens in Italy & parts of Europe or Uk when schools have Covid cases ?
Anyway- the positives – reduction of air pollution, appreciation of home & local areas, plenty of walks, “ pausing” in time … reflecting – are some positives
Generally the negatives have outweighed the above & people from our city are fed up & exhausted.
Just so everyone understands how difficult it is – most of our fellow countryman in the States of WA, NT, QLD, SA, TASMANIA do not really know what lockdowns are as their borders have been closed to those living in Victoria & NSW – Now we all wait for the borders to open, travel freely with respect & caution of Covid – understanding that we live with it &
Australia may return to some form of ‘ normality ‘
Mary E Donato says
Things are good here in New Mexico , USA. We are mandated to wear masks in public but not outdoors. Infections are low and cases are milder among the vaccinated. We have a governor who has done an exemplary job of managing the pandemic here. Travel is allowed and all regulations are posted on the department of health state website.
Eunice says
As always enjoy your mails’ Fun quiz…name ten body parts with three letters only.
Daniel says
ear, toe, leg, arm, hip, lip, lid, and er… bum? tum? tit? Do those count?
Helen says
I’m resident in the North Riding and have a house in Scotland and a relative in West Yorkshire, so can speak of the situation “on the ground” in those three areas around the apparent general attitude to mask wearing (and, I would suggest, by implication to other precautionary habits).
In West Yorkshire, the mostly urban area where my relative lives, mask wearing seems to have been abandoned, but here in North Yorkshire, the habit mostly continues and similarly in the small town in the Scottish Borders where I have my house.
My conclusion is that general behaviour seems to be governed by the average age! The higher the better!
As a p.s., the point made by one of your other “commenters” regarding ‘flu jabs was something I had also concluded. In fact, it seems to be BOGOF when you have a Covid injection! I was offered a shingles shot and my relative was offered pneumonia (who knew they existed?). Letters urging me to have a ‘flu jab are a familiar annual event at this time, but now come with rather more doom-laden encouragement.
Daniel says
Basically, vaccinations are going to save the medical staff an awful lot of work, and money. And they probably get paid extra, too. So you can see why they might nag.
Here in Italy, it only seems to be the old getting flu jabs.
Tom says
Thanks for all you do for this community, Danial!
I live in the USA where it’s a huge country and things vary greatly depending on where you live. Most stories I hear of covid sickness and death are among the non vaccinated or people with underlying health and/or age issues.
Unless required, for example at medical centers, masks here are very rare, maybe worn by 1 or 2%. My friends and family are for the most part being careful, but most people are not. The case loads and deaths are generally declining due to vaccinations and now booster shots, yet still over 720,000 people have died.
Daniel says
That’s an absolutely shocking number, Tom, isn’t it? A sign of the time that so many people can just dismiss that.
During my recent spell in the stroke unit (where I was by far the youngest) it was apparent that everyone in there had family and friends who loved them, wanted them to get better, and would miss them terribly if they didn’t.
People die all the time, of course. But if a death is avoidable…
jan says
We are in Lancashire in the UK. We recently had a 3-night break on the east coast where my husband (aged 70) contracted Covid (despite mask-wearing and all the precautions). Symptoms were cough and loss of taste and smell. The latter still have not returned, but, overall, he said he has suffered worse colds, and is now fit as a fiddle. He is doubly-vaccinated. We are told that the UK does more testing than any other country, hence the high levels reported daily. It would be helpful to know if the majority are mild cases as was our experience. Added to this, a large proportion of cases are amongst the unvaccinated – a vexing point for over-worked hospital staff. Enjoy your break to Scotland.
Daniel says
Thank you, and I hope your husband continues to be well.
Susannah says
Hi there, i write from Michigan USA where people behave as though the pandemic is over …but even with my recent Pfizer booster my 77 yr old husband & I are masked when we leave home except for canoeing, cycling, hiking in the great Fall colours outdoors. When Covid first arrived we were in Cape Town S. Africa & I was the very last surgery before the hospital closed for Covid prep (I had been injured in an auto accident & made it to hospital hours before they stopped all surgeries!! ) S. African Air space closed, &we endured police road blocks everywhere to prevent even shopping or local travel, military guarding liquor stores & confinement to our homes (not allowed outside, even to walk your dog!!) from March to May 2020.!!! Because of broken ribs & lung issues I missed every Canadian & US evacuation flight in March. We did not escape until June on a very expensive special charter flight to DC & returning to MI with so few restrictions cf. S. Africa was like parole after prison! So after that frightening & draconian introduction to the Pandemic, everything subsequently has been fine. With early vaccination & every precaution observed we have managed travel to Arizona, Toronto, Vancouver & are now considering UK. Our US grandkids aged 5-11 will be vaccinated by mid November, but not the Canadian kids as yet.…..Coraggio Daniel! tutto andra bene per te in Scozia se bevi abbastanza whiskey e trovi un po di benzina.!! Buon viaggio! Un caro saluto!
Daniel says
Wow, sounds like you had a real adventure, Susannah!
Vera Bartasavch says
I am outside Cleveland, Ohio US. Covid has been an interesting journey. I am doing well and have done so during the past 20 months. Lost two friends last year due to COVID. Lost my Mom with Covid but not because of it. My husband had Covid last Thanksgiving – said something was different with the turkey!! He has recovered and luckily is not a long-hauler. Recently eight relatives traveled to New York City. Four out of the eight came down with Covid. Three had mild symptoms one ended up in the hospital – break through cases. In the Spring I taught at the local university. Seven out of ten of my students had Covid. We were one day in class and one day online. It was a challenge. The 20 year olds did fine health wise.
We are pretty free to go and do as before Covid but sometimes there are odd mask mandates. I taught the other day at a facility that allowed no masks while standing or sitting but if your were walking a mask was required. Do not under the logic. People in the US are fighting vaccine and mask mandates. Crazy times.
Dan safe travels to you and your family!!!
Daniel says
Mille grazie, Vera!
Eva Pribish says
Dear Daniel,
I am glad to see you are recovering well from your stroke. Best wishes to you and your family.
I can speak from direct experience about students having to learn science in English in Italy.
My last year of teaching, before I retired in 2017 from a school in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States, I had a new student in my middle school physical science class who was from Milan! I wasn’t expecting him to be able to fully participate in the lessons for a while. I’d had material translated for my Latin American students in the past and expected to do so for him. The first question I asked the class his hand went up and he answered correctly. Bravo! He just continued to improve day after day. A good testament, at least for me as an English speaker, to this practice in education in Italy. Yes, I know, plenty of fads in education come and go. I’d seen enough of them myself to just say, “Okay“.
Oh yeah. the pandemic.
I isolated on our farm in New Jersey, but my husband had to physically be on site. But, that was fine. The office buildings he manages were vacant. No office workers for over 18 months. He came through, so far, unscathed. The office workers are just starting to trickle back in to their offices.
As others have stated, where you live in the US certainly does make a difference on how you perceived and continue to perceive the pandemic. There’s a lot of BS out there. In New Jersey we’re pretty cautious, I suppose, since our state was pretty hard hit early on in the pandemic. My husband and I had no hesitation with the masking, lock downs, or vaccinations. Both of us were fully vaccinated last spring and just recently received the booster. We still mask when inside a business.
I did know several people who contracted Covid, were hospitalized and thankfully fully recovered. My brother among them. Fortunately, no one I know passed away.
We, finally, found an apartment in the comune di Orvieto, (TR) last July. We’d been looking since 2016. We were determined to live in Orvieto. So, it took a while! Price range, “piano”, etc. We make settlement or “completion” at the end of next month and hope to move by next spring. Still have a horse boarding property to sell. Not to mention visas to apply for and, eventually, the permesso di soggiorno once we move.
We’ve taken italian language lessons over the years, our tutor and her family are now good friends of ours, My husband and I fully plan on continuing lessons when we relocate to Orvieto. I kept your school’s information for future reference! I faithfully read, and listen to your email posts. I also use your materials that I originally purchased several years ago to study.
Grazie mille to all the staff at online italian club!
A presto, forse 😊
Eva
Lynne F says
Hi Daniel I am in Lancashire and throughout this pandemic, the Northwest has recorded high cases and deaths and at times had extra restrictions placed on us. Like most people, my family and friends have been affected by this virus. in some way or another Restrictions across England have been lifted for some months and it is nice to enjoy and appreciate things that maybe we took for granted before. I am happy to wear a mask wash/ sanitise my hands and keep my distance as well as take up the vaccine (my booster is due in early November) if it keeps myself and others safe but there is a sense of some normality. It is frustrating that our daily cases and deaths had fallen so low and have now risen again. Thankfully the deaths and serious illnesses although too many, do not seem to have risen at the same rate.
Life has certainly been different but I have tried to use my time to learn new skills, develop old ones and despite not being able to travel to Italy I have continued to work on improving my Italian. Reading, listening and speaking to my Italian friends I can confidently say I have improved and look forward to returning to Italy next year🤞 Thanks for all the resources. The biggest disappointment was the postponement of my son’s wedding, 3 times but now with six weeks to go we are hoping that it will finally take place, otherwise, the tiers of wedding cake I made will have to be decorated as Christmas cake again! I hope you have a great time in Scotland don’t be fearful just exercise a little caution.
Daniel says
Grazie Lynne! And for your positivity.
Which reminds me, one plus of the pandemic for me is that I’ve had a great excuse not to be constantly kissing and hugging people, which can be difficult to avoid in Italy.
But I’ve never been comfortable with it, so now I just mutter that we’d should keep our distance don’t you think, while backing away.
Hope your son’s wedding happens this time!
Alison Ledgerwood says
Daniel, grazie per tutto quello che fai. Le tue newsletter sono sempre informative a divertenti. Faccio lezione di conversazione con voi ma sono molto pigra per quanto riguarda gli esercizi e la grammatica. Ho pensato che dovrei fare lo sforzo di scrivere questo in italiano
Sono di Londra. Io e li mio partner abbiamo preso il Covid a settembre nonostante fossimo vaccinati due volte. Saremmo dovuto andare in vacanza in Scozia ma abbiamo dovuto cancellare tutto. Non eravamo molto malati ma il tempismo era sfortunato. È stato molto strano, un po’ come un raffreddore ma con i sintomi che cambiano ogni giorno. Io sono completamente guarita ma lui non ha ancora recuperato l’olfatto e soffre ancora di stanchezza.
Quello che me ha fatto impazzire era il nostro “World Beating” (secondo Boris Johnson) Track & Trace System, che ci è costato miliardi. Non so perché, ma mi sono stata registrata quattro volte al sistema con quattro diversi numeri di conto, che voleva dire che sono stata inondata da chiamate, SMS ed e-mail tutto il giorno per tre giorni, dicendo che dovevo isolarmi per 10 giorni ecc. ecc.….
L’ultima cosa che vuoi quando non ti senti bene.
Abbiamo dovuto cancellare un viaggio in Sicilia a maggio 2020 e anche quest’anno. Speriamo di farcela il prossimo maggio – or third time lucky as we say in English. Mi manca Italia!
Daniel says
Ciao Alison,
Don’t you write well in Italian! E’ impressionante! Personalmente non scrivo mai in italiano se non è assolutamente necessario, because when I write for publication (like now) it’s necessary that it’s done properly. I can proof my own writing in English, but when I write Italian I have to get my Italian wife to check everything. She’s happy to help, because she prefers me to write than having to do it herself! But still, it’s a hassle.
Sorry to hear about your cancelled holidays, by the way, and your husband’s illness. Hopefully things will be back to ‘normal’ soon!
Katerina says
Hi Daniel! I’m in Pennsylvania, United States, and it’s going pretty well. I’m very lucky to have had all my family members survive this pandemic and to have not been affected by it myself. Because I’m still in high school, I had online classes all last year except for may in June. Sadly, it did affect my grades a lot and I wish that there was an easier way for learning in that situation. I started learning Italian a couple years ago, and I love it very much! It definitely brought brightness and happiness to my days during the pandemic, and it’s also kept me busy. Hope you’re doing well!
Daniel says
Ciao Katerina!
How nice to have a young person in our club! You’re very welcome, and not just for that reason.
Sorry to hear about your grades, but don’t worry too much. What you do or don’t do at school is soon forgotten as you age. One of my wife’s friends was a barman, met a pretty young medical student, decided to follow her to university, and is now a famous cardiologist.
And as for me, I hated school, loathed it utterly (total waste of time), and in particular foreign languages…
So who knows where you may end up one day? Perhaps you’ll be president and look out for the interests of the next generation of young people?
Lynne Bulloch says
Greetings from Wellington, New Zealand
Until recently life across NZ was very close to normal – deaths were very low compared to what we could see happening elsewhere and the government implemented strict measures (including an international border closure) which bought time until vaccines became available. Unfortunately the delta strain arrived in our biggest city – Auckland- in August and folk there are still living under a version of a lockdown which limits movement and social gatherings, mandates masks etc. And like folk in Melbourne, Aucklanders are heartily sick of it. and compliance is becoming a problem. The government has an ambitious target of getting 90% of the population in each health district vaccinated – at the moment around 74% of those over 12 are double-jabbed, so a ways to go. We will also have an electronic pass similar to the green pass in Italy.
We have been lucky – my university classes during 2020 were conducted via Zoom last year and this year as I’m studying for an MA most of my research and writing can be done from home. Alas foreign travel is off the agenda for a while yet, and like Australia, some e-commerce providers won’t send here either. But I was still able to source Italian novels via an online Italian bookshop for my study. So, insomma, things are normalish! But tonight (Saturday) we’ll meet friends in the city centre for drinks and a meal, but with tables less densely packed and masks on in our transport provider.
Also a thank you Daniel for the site: I’ve used it a lot on my language learning journey – different areas at different times. I tried to keep up with the lockdown read-a-long when my university went into a hiatus last year (I managed Eco but just couldn’t get into Pirandello) and the regular emails have been the spur to improve my reading and listening habits!
Lynne
Allan says
We live in Corby in the East Midlands, UK. At the beginning of the year our town was regularly top of the charts for infections in England. It was put down to the local workforce, as there is a lot of warehousing and manufacturing. My wife and I are both sheilding as we have chest complaints, so I only go out for essentials, my wife is more severe than i am.
It’s 50/50 for mask wearing from what i’ve seen on my very few visits to a supermarket/chemist/opticians (most of our shopping is delivered). I would say it’s mostly the older end that wear masks, the younger ones <40 seem to think, wrongly, they won't get covid and from what i've read, most of the ones in hospital or that have died, haven't had a vaccine.
Thanks for a great website, I always enjoy reading you emails.
Stay safe in Scotland.
John says
I’ve just been invited to book a COVID booster jab, being over 70 and with a heart condition. Given the surge in daily new cases, and especially in deaths in England, I’ll be at the front of the queue. It’s alarming that the UK government thinks the best way to deal with a pandemic is to sit on its thumbs and do nothing. I’m quite sure that , as in Italy and other European countries, where the government gives a strong lead, far more people would behave responsibly than seem to be doing so at present.
Sergey says
Ciao, cari membri del OnlineItalianClub.
Sono Sergey dalla Russia.
La situazione da noi, a dir poco, non è troppo buona. Ogni giorno il governo dichiara di intorno 40000 contagi e più di mila dei morti a causa del COVID. Una mila ogni giorno! È difficile immaginare che durante tre settimane lo stato perde la popolazione di una piccola città come la mia. Finora, però, la nostra gente non ha fretta di vaccinarsi. I motivi sono diversi. Anche il presidente Putin ha detto che alcuni dei suoi conoscienti non sono stati vaccinati nonostante che sono certamente le persone intelligenti e hanno l’educazione eccellente.
Io sono stato vaccinato con Sputnik V, ma mia moglie no, ha paura di esacerbare alcune delle sue malattie croniche. Beh, penso che la sua paura abbia i radici genetici: la sua madre (mia suocera) ha una paura patologica di tutti i vaccini e della medicina in generale. Ha raggiunto tuttavia l’età di 80 anni.
Allora, nonostante siamo stati i primi al mondo a registrare un vaccino contro il COVID, ed è assolutamente gratuita per tutti i cittadini, meno della metà della popolazione adulta della Russia è vaccinata. Ma questo è solo metà del problema. La sfida più grande è che la stragrande maggioranza delle persone non segue le precauzioni prescritte. Nei tutti negozi solo pochissime persone (tra cui siamo mia moglie ed io) indossano le mascherine. La stessa situazione è nei bus e altri trasporti pubblici.
le autorità non hanno imposto il lockdown generale, ma da domani al 7 novembre, con decreto del presidente Putin, sono state annunciate le vacanze in tutto il Paese. L’hanno fatto per dare alle persone la possibilita di diminuire i contatti con gli altri nel periodo più grave della epidemia. E come la nostra gente ha approfittato di questa vacanza? Tutti i tour di questo periodo sono stati venduti nelle agenzie di viaggio, soprattutto i tour in Turchia ed Egitto, nonostante i prezzi alle stelle.
Quando e come questo incubo si finirà? Non ho l’idea. Cosa dobbiamo e possiamo fare? Beh, seguire le precauzioni e sperare in Dio. E poi… Se son rose, fioriranno, se son spine, pungeranno. Vedremo!
Vi auguro buona salute, abbiate cura di voi, e se qualcuno è già malato, gli auguro riprenersi presto! Che Dio vi benedica! (la frase del libro “Per un pugno di dollari”, l’ho capita con grande difficoltà :))
Ora vado allo stadio per fare jogging e un po’ di ginnastica.
Ciao!
Zsuzsanna Snarey says
Ciao Sergey, le tua notizie sono state molto interessanti e lunghe!
Buon lavoro!
Zsuzsi.
Sergey says
Grazie mille Zsuzsanna, cerco sempre di dare meglio di me. 🙂
Ciao!
Diane H. says
Ciao. I was on vacation in Iceland last week. Needed to have a negative Covid test to enter the country, along with being vaxxed. Iceland had just ended mask wearing the day before I arrived. I was surprised since I live in Chicago, IL in the U.S. where masks are mandated for all indoor activities. So I kept a mask with me all the time and used it when I thought it was needed, even if I was the only one wearing one in our tour group of 14 people. We were tested as required to return to the U.S. and my results were negative. I am going today to get tested as suggested after returning from international travel. It’s very interesting to hear about Covid from people living around the world rather than reading about it in the newspaper. Thanks to everyone who commented and to Daniel who provided this venue for sharing. Nella bocca del lupo.
Sergey says
Crepi il lupo! 🙂
Patricia Lenz says
During the pandemic, Online Italian Club, the readings & frequent Skype classes kept me occupied! I am in an airport now, practicing for a flight to Bologna next spring abd looking forward to being able to use the ton of language and history I learned. Finally, after so much Italian reading material and conversationi,
I am experiencing a budding interest in grammar! Grammar lessons drove me nuts: I seemed not to know what the questions were! After attentive reading and listening, I am getting curious about how to put things together grammatically & and enjoying the puzzles.. It took a long time to know that.
My flight is being called. Ciao!