As I began my day in Montepulciano I thought it might be good to record how each day during these five weeks has unfolded. I'm an old man and I'm certain I will not remember it correctly over the coming years so, for the historical...or hysterical...record, this is how each day began.
The alarm on my telephone would sound at 7 am. The alarm sound would be soft at first but would build in volume until I would be required to jump from my warm bed to silence the noise for fear of awakening the entire household. Each time, immediately after silencing the alarm, I would ponder returning to my warm bed. However, each time I would turn to fetch the items for my morning shower and, thus, I would begin my day.
After preening myself for the day, I would pack my school items in their bag and descend the stairs to the kitchen. Often, Adriano would be sitting with his breakfast and would greet me. I would make my coffee and select one or two biscotti, or perhaps a piece of last night's torta, as my sweets to begin the day. There would be little chit chat but there was always a sense of bonding. It was a sort of mano-a-mano thing. Often I didn't understand his Italian and he certainly didn't understand my English but we understood each other. It was always a reassuring beginning to the day.
Departing the house, I began the walk up the steep hill to the school. The walk would take around 20 minutes but the hill was very steep. I would pass a bar outside of which the same men always sat and talked. Occasionally they would acknowledge me but not often. At the first plateau I would encounter hundreds of young students marching to their school just down the hill. They were brought by bus from the countryside to a main bus station and from that station they would walk a few blocks to their school. Their chatter and laughing and smiling was always refreshing. Soon I would arrive at a rotary and, crossing the rotary I would find a seat on the ancient stone wall which formed the approach to the gate that formed the entry in the the old city. I would always find a seat where the morning sun shown on the wall. Sitting in the sun, a bit winded from the uphill climb, I would catch my breath and watch the students who lived in the city wander down the hill to school. They were always in twos and threes. Their conversation was always quite lively. I enjoyed that time on the wall.
After a few minutes I would rise to complete the remainder of my journey up the hill to my school. Although there were always a few administrative people at the school, I was generally the first student. We would exchange greeting and I would retreat to my classroom where I would check e-mail, spread my school materials out for the day and relax my mind for the coming deluge of foreign materials. This is the story of how I began each of my school days. I will leave the after-school portion for later.
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