More Reasons to Send Your Child to Woodstock School

July 18, 2007 Deirdre Straughan Leave a comment

I thought of a few more answers to the question: Why send your child to Woodstock School?

The Natural Environment

The photo above was taken from the top of the hill above school at dawn on a November morning. Need I say more? Look through the rest of the Woodstock section of this site, as well as the early part of the travel blog from my trip to India with my daughter two years ago, and you’ll see more of the extraordinary beauties of Mussoorie.

People tend to come out of Woodstock with a profound appreciation for – and desire to protect – the beauties of nature. A number have been inspired to make a career of it.

Extraordinary People

Another reason to send your child to Woodstock is that it produces some extraordinary people – and the ones on that page are just (some of) those who have an online presence that I can link to!

International Community

Though the specific demographics have shifted over the years, Woodstock has always been an international community made up of students and staff from dozens of nations, races, traditions, and religions. In such a context, you learn to get along well with everybody, to be sensitive to cultural differences, to find divergences stimulating rather than threatening.

In today’s globalized world, this is perhaps the most important kind of education any school could hope to provide.

You’re an Alum Yourself

A very strong reason to send your child to Woodstock, obviously, is that you yourself went there and loved it. I don’t have exact statistics (have asked the school), but it seems that a large proportion of alumni do send their children (and/or grandchildren, nieces, nephews, children of friends…) to share in this extraordinary experience. Some don’t quite manage to get their kids there for whatever reasons (finance, geography, lack of interest from the kids themselves), but they try, and some regret it all their lives if they don’t succeed.

The case mentioned earlier of the German boy who found Woodstock online and decided to go there is actually very unusual: people most often end up at Woodstock because of word-of-mouth recommendations from alumni and former staff. My husband accuses me, with some justice, of trying to “proselytize” Woodstock to everyone I meet. Well, that’s what I do with things I’m passionate about: I talk (and write) about them.

Now it’s your turn: if you’ve already decided to send your child to Woodstock, why did you? If your child has already gone, did the school fulfill your expectations for him/her? If you’re thinking about sending your child, what else would you like to know?

living in Italy

Hot, Hot, Hot!

July 16, 2007 Deirdre Straughan Leave a comment

Several large Italian companies have instituted a new energy-saving policy for summer: no ties. Open shirts (presumably without jackets) will mean the menfolks can live with less air conditioning, saving on electricity costs and environmental impact.

Al Gore, giving a speech in Rome on the day of the Live Earth concerts, missed an opportunity to embody this philosophy: he was dressed in a suit and tie, and sweated like a pig on stage. I guess no one told him that Italians don’t crank up the A/C nearly as much as Americans do (even before these new ideas came along).

i’m all for it – I always thought ties were fairly silly anyway, though I do understand that for some men they’re a chance to add a touch of personality to the otherwise dull male uniform. But not everyone is happy. Enrico saw an article in the Lecco paper that a local tie manufacturer was furious – if this goes on, his business will be ruined. Which leads me to wonder: how is the tie industry doing in the US these days? Surely the office casual revolution of some years ago pretty much killed it.

It seems to me that in the US nowadays, ties are most often worn by politicians and bankers. Wearing a tie may become a status statement: “I can wear a tie because I can afford a lot of air conditioning.” Which will, in turn, get flipped around by the environmentally-conscious: “You wear a tie, you must be wasting a lot of energy on air conditioning. And I’ll bet you drive a Hummer, too, you asshole.”

Italian culture

Where Italians Go on Vacation

July 14, 2007 Deirdre Straughan 14 Comments

Someone asked on Frommer’s: “Where do Italians go on vacation?”

The majority go to the beach. For at least a century, a seaside vacation has been considered healthful: during the Fascist period, ocean front “colonies” were built, where urban children could be sent to escape the grime of the cities.

The month-long summer vacation is still a reality for many Italians, who transfer their families (often including one or more grandparents) to a seaside hotel, apartment, or a trailer and tent in a campground. Even if Dad’s working, Mom and the kids will be there, with Dad perhaps driving down at weekends. Many families own second homes at or near the seaside, so take their vacations in the same place, year after year. It seems to be part of Italian culture to crave the comfort of familiarity and routine, even when you’re away from home.

Italy is a long peninsula, and also owns a lot of islands in a range of sizes, so there are plenty of beaches to go to, depending on your tastes and the size of your wallet. Choices range from the upscale, such as Portofino, Sardegna’s “Emerald Coast”, and Capri to… places that normal people can afford.

For family reasons, most of my Italian beach experiences to date have been very much in the affordable category, in Abruzzo on Italy’s central Adriatic coast. Having grown up in Thailand when it was still an unspoiled tropical paradise, I was astonished the first time I saw the Italian idea of a holiday beach: row after row of umbrellas, so close together that you could barely see the sand between them. I never have learned to see the charm of this.

(^ The photo at top shows a relatively roomy beach, by some Italian standards!)

Far from being relaxing, Italian resort towns are usually buzzing with activity: from early morning until late at night, you see (and hear) everyone (old and young) out and about, swimming, sunning (yes, tanning is still considered healthy here), strolling, chatting, eating gelato, being “animated“, until late at night. At least the afternoon siesta is held sacred!

Italian culture, Italian songs

Learn Italian in Song: Amo Tutte le Signore

July 14, 2007 Deirdre Straughan 2 Comments

I had never heard this song before (nor had Enrico) and I cannot find any references to it anywhere, so I have no idea who to credit for it. We heard it at a local festival, sung by a live band (a trio with lots of electronic and pre-recorded instruments). The song amused me so much that I decided to share (and translate) it.

Thanks to Annarella and QT for help with the lyrics!

Amo Tutte Le Signore

I Love All the [Older/Married] Women

Sono giovane e prestante

I’m young and handsome

con un fisico d’atleta

with an athlete’s body

di passioni ne ho tante

I have many interests

ma non vado in discoteca

but I don’t go to the disco

amo liscio* e mi diverto

I love ballroom dancing, I have fun

ho la musica nel cuore

I have music in my heart

ma ho un difetto, lo confesso:

But I have one defect, I confess:

amo tutte le signore

I love all the signore**.

ho provato con ragazze

I’ve tried with girls

che hanno la mia stessa eta’

of my own age

sono piene di capricci

They’re full of caprices

e hanno vizi a volonta’

and they have as many vices as you want

sono stanco di soffrire

I’m tired of suffering

dico basta alle torture

I say “enough” to the tortures

voglio andare sul sicuro

I want to be certain

cerco donne piu’ mature

I’m looking for more mature women.

ritornello

refrain

Le signore ammaritate

The married ladies

sono uniche e speciali

are unique and special

hanno il cuore piu’ allenato

their hearts are more trained

sanno si’ che cos’e’ l’amore

They know what love is

Le signore piu’ piccanti

The ladies who are more spicy

hanno il gusto del prohibito

have a taste for the forbidden

ed un fascino elegante

and an elegant charm

a cui mai rinuncero’

that I’ll never give up.

amo liscio e mi diverto

I love ballroom dancing

ho la musica nel cuore

I have music in my heart, I have fun

ma ho un difetto, lo confesso:

But I have one defect, I confess:

amo tutte le signore

I love all the signore**.

Le balere sono piene

The dance floors are full

di fantastiche signore

of fantastic women

che hanno voglia di restare

who want to be

qualche ora tutte sole

alone for a few hours

senza figli, senza casa

without children, without a house

senza il solito marito

without the usual husband

e hanno voglia di tuffarsi

and want to throw themselves into

in un ballo esagerato***

an over-the-top dance.

*Liscio – “smooth” – short for ballo liscio – ballroom dancing.

**Signore – ladies, but specifically married ones (since signora means Mrs.)

***Esagerato – literally “exaggerated”, but non esagerare is used in the sense of “Don’t go too far.”

bio, breast cancer

Death by Waiting

July 11, 2007 Deirdre Straughan Leave a comment

Thanks to those who have written words of encouragement and kept me in your thoughts and prayers. Yes, even as an atheist I can appreciate prayers – if you care enough to intercede with your god for me, I take it as a sign of affection, and affection never hurts. Besides, I have so many different denominations praying for me that one of them’s bound to take, right? <wry grin>

I also had a bunch of phone calls yesterday wanting to know the news. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any yet. Some people have said this may be a good sign: if there was bad news, the hospital would be in more of a hurry to inform me about it!

All this helps, but basically I’m going through hell. I cope better with unhappy certainties – god knows I’ve had enough practice at that – than I deal with any kind of uncertainty. I’ve slept very poorly for a week (staying at a noisy campground at the beach last weekend didn’t help), and there aren’t enough distractions in the world to keep my mind off this. (Though Ross is certainly providing a full repertoire of teenage moments – I begin to suspect she’s trying to make me glad that she’s going away to boarding school!)

The fear and anxiety I’m experiencing are very normal – even the American Cancer Society says so. I now know that a number of my friends and relatives have already been here and done this. So why didn’t I hear about it before? It seems that people have different reactions: some keep it to themselves; some share, but only with their closest. And I suspect that, when the results come back negative, many feel a bit foolish for having put themselves through so much misery: “What right do I have to complain? I’m one of the lucky ones: turns out I don’t have cancer.” And they put it out of their minds until the next time.

Make no mistake, there will be a next time – after all, I have difficult breasts. And I have heard from and about other women who have gone through this multiple times for various reasons. There’s got to be some way to make this waiting period less horrible for all of us.

update at 10:30 am: Finally got hold of the doctor (“But she called you yesterday!” – oh?) – all is well, nothing to worry about.

Countries Beginning with I

More Reasons to Send Your Child to Woodstock School

The Natural Environment

Extraordinary People

International Community

You’re an Alum Yourself

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Where Italians Go on Vacation

Learn Italian in Song: Amo Tutte le Signore

Amo Tutte Le Signore

I Love All the [Older/Married] Women

Death by Waiting

Deirdré Straughan on Italy, India, the Internet, the world, and now Australia

The Natural Environment

Extraordinary People

International Community

You’re an Alum Yourself

You might also like:

You might also like:

You might also like:

Amo Tutte Le Signore

I Love All the [Older/Married] Women

You might also like:

You might also like:

Deirdré Straughan on Italy, India, the Internet, the world, and now Australia