Hello world,
My mother has left and I am fully back into work mode. Looking at what's left of my time here in Italy, and my schedule is jam-packed. What happened this past week though?
Well, for starters, my mom and I spent her last day here completing some shopping and wandering around the city. Pretty relaxed, and we managed to accomplish nearly all we had set out to do. Our last dinner together was delicious, perhaps our best choice of the week, as was our quick breakfast the nextmorning. Of course it was sad to see her go, but with only a month left I'll be seeing everyone again soon!
I did have to abandon her for a bit that last evening to return to the PGC for more work-related tasks. I gave part of the 'Old Intern's Tour,' where us interns who have been here for a month or more tell the
new interns about the art in the museum. I chose one of our two surrealist rooms (though I wouldn't consider maybe half the art there surrealist so much as surrealist-adjacent. i.e. de Chirico). It went very well! And after going to my capi (bosses) for feedback, which was good, I was officially given my 'Ask Me About the Art' badge.
This badge I attach to my lanyard along with my name tag and buttons for what languages I speak. It's meant to encourage visitors to learn more about he art. It seems to be working, because I've had a serious uptick in the number of people talking to me while guarding, both English and Italian alike. It's nice because I can prove to myself competency in both art and Italian, but also because it gives me something a bit more interesting to do while keeping watch for a few hours.
Another nice thing about having passed the one-month mark is that I'm now able to give private tours. I have one coming up this week so maybe you'll here about it in the next blog post. It means lots of preparation on the art and movements in the museum. Also, they're paid which is super nice, but required a few extra steps on my part. To be paid for the tours, as I'm not Italian, I needed to get myself a Codice Fiscale. From what I've gathered it's vaguely equivalent to social security, but basically it just means I can get paid, and there are no side effects long or short term. Don't ask me more about it.
It was a bit of an experience getting this codice though. I'm a naturally anxious person most of the time, so figuring out a government, very official system in a country I'm not from was intimidating. Who I work with were all very helpful telling me how to fill out the form and where the building was, plus makeing sure to get there early to avoid a line. It ended up being quite easy, and reminded me weirdly of going to the DMV, but without the huge line (probably due to my promptness).
However, perhaps the most exciting part about this whole week has been seeing Christmas come to town! Now, Venice is not the most Christmas-y of cities. It's got a lot of things going for it, but Christmas will never be it's big time of year. That being said, there is still holiday spirit! A few Christmas markets are popping up, along with Christmas lights, and some shops with Santa or greens in their windows. There's a Christmas tree seller on my walk to work, though probably overly expensive. And near the Guggenheim is especially nice.
It's great seeing signs of the holiday season. I can't really decorate my place without spending money on things I'll just have to throw away in a couple of weeks, but I get the lights and have been watching oodles of Christmas movies before I go to bed. I have to admit I'm sure about this trend for countless cheesy rom-coms being considered Christmas movies simply because they are set during this time of year. And really good Christmas movies require you to feel the holiday spirit a bit more by watching it.
The most exciting moment of this week happened yesterday. It snowed! Yes, you read that right people, it actually snowed in Venice, in December! This is one of those events I've been secretly hoping would happen, while not expecting it to because it rarely snows, and then mostly in January. But it did, and it was beautiful. Honestly so pretty seeing it fall on the Grand Canal, but it was difficult to get a good picture (as I'm sure you can understand, anyone who'd tried to photograph a snowfall that doesn't stick well to the ground).
It made me feel a bit more like I was home. But without having to shovel or drive in it. Go New England! Admittedly, it did make the ground super slippery, so the commute back home took a little while longer than normal, but it was still lovely to see. Here's hoping that it will happen again! Otherwise, it would be great if the weather could get just a little bit less cold. Ok, thanks.
That's all for this week! I mostly caught up on work after such a busy time last week, but be prepared for much much more in the weeks to come. Until nest time. A dopo
Caitlin
My mother has left and I am fully back into work mode. Looking at what's left of my time here in Italy, and my schedule is jam-packed. What happened this past week though?
I did have to abandon her for a bit that last evening to return to the PGC for more work-related tasks. I gave part of the 'Old Intern's Tour,' where us interns who have been here for a month or more tell the
new interns about the art in the museum. I chose one of our two surrealist rooms (though I wouldn't consider maybe half the art there surrealist so much as surrealist-adjacent. i.e. de Chirico). It went very well! And after going to my capi (bosses) for feedback, which was good, I was officially given my 'Ask Me About the Art' badge.
 |
| Professional Tour Guide Caitlin |
This badge I attach to my lanyard along with my name tag and buttons for what languages I speak. It's meant to encourage visitors to learn more about he art. It seems to be working, because I've had a serious uptick in the number of people talking to me while guarding, both English and Italian alike. It's nice because I can prove to myself competency in both art and Italian, but also because it gives me something a bit more interesting to do while keeping watch for a few hours.
Another nice thing about having passed the one-month mark is that I'm now able to give private tours. I have one coming up this week so maybe you'll here about it in the next blog post. It means lots of preparation on the art and movements in the museum. Also, they're paid which is super nice, but required a few extra steps on my part. To be paid for the tours, as I'm not Italian, I needed to get myself a Codice Fiscale. From what I've gathered it's vaguely equivalent to social security, but basically it just means I can get paid, and there are no side effects long or short term. Don't ask me more about it.
It was a bit of an experience getting this codice though. I'm a naturally anxious person most of the time, so figuring out a government, very official system in a country I'm not from was intimidating. Who I work with were all very helpful telling me how to fill out the form and where the building was, plus makeing sure to get there early to avoid a line. It ended up being quite easy, and reminded me weirdly of going to the DMV, but without the huge line (probably due to my promptness).
 |
| Canal nearest the PGC |
It's great seeing signs of the holiday season. I can't really decorate my place without spending money on things I'll just have to throw away in a couple of weeks, but I get the lights and have been watching oodles of Christmas movies before I go to bed. I have to admit I'm sure about this trend for countless cheesy rom-coms being considered Christmas movies simply because they are set during this time of year. And really good Christmas movies require you to feel the holiday spirit a bit more by watching it.
 |
| Best photo I could get - Accademia Bridge |
It made me feel a bit more like I was home. But without having to shovel or drive in it. Go New England! Admittedly, it did make the ground super slippery, so the commute back home took a little while longer than normal, but it was still lovely to see. Here's hoping that it will happen again! Otherwise, it would be great if the weather could get just a little bit less cold. Ok, thanks.
That's all for this week! I mostly caught up on work after such a busy time last week, but be prepared for much much more in the weeks to come. Until nest time. A dopo
Caitlin
Comments
Post a Comment