29th Dicembre 2014

Yesterday Irene came over again for an English Lesson and lunch. She showed me how to make zucchini risotto, and Giuliana explained how it can be adapted to any risotto. I am looking forward to showing you when I come home.

After she left, Paolo, a senior member of Medici con l’Africa came and drove Giuliana and me to the headquarters in the centre. From there, I walked to the shop with another volunteer and helped pack up. The things were put into boxes and then into the car and then we walked back and unloaded it into the storerooms at the headquarters. After Paolo and Giuliana sorted out the money, Paolo drove us home again. We had minestrone for dinner, followed by ham in rice cakes.

 After dinner we watched “Boss in Incognito”, a television programme where a high-level person in a large company is sent, in disguise, as a trainee, and the other workers seem unnaturally confiding. At the end he reveals himself, gives promotions, pays for weddings and gives jobs to family members. It think the show was on in Australia a few years ago, with a different name.

Watching subtitles is very helpful, I have found. I rarely need a dictionary to ‘get the gist’, though my listening isn’t going well. Because every word ends in a vowel, and people speak so fast, a sentence becomes like a single word. Additionally, I often only recognise the stem of a verb if it is written, especially when capisci is capishi and capisco is capisko. I hope I will get better soon.