Good morning, afternoon, evening, 

we thought we could wish everybody a happy new year with images referring to our new projects. 

You might already know how much we love the open air as the proper environment to perform activities, laboratories, to share meaningful experiences. If you visit the blog you can verify by yourselves that, as English teachers, we love staying outside and encourage students to practice the language meeting English speakers, like Mediterranean Cruise Passengers, the way it used to happen in the past. 

Due to the significant transformations occurred to our habits because of the pandemic, we thought auspicious in the meantime organizing laboratories in places where it can be allowed to attend activities, namely the open air, in the charming Tuscan countryside. 

That's why the property with plenty of land where our association, Eurocontact Plus APS, has its headquarters, is being greatly reorganized, since laboratories for whoever likes being entartained outdoor while improving their skills are going to be offered to spend time with amiable animals, learning to respect what makes all of us part of the same environment, this very little planet that first needs to be better known to be protected. 

We'll offer hospitality, including refreshments with local food, walks along stimulating itineraries, the possibility to spend also the night in a welcoming environment, but mainly the chance to be fascinated the way we are, by the surroundings with their inhabitants, both two and four legged. 

As you can see from the photos  on the first of January there was an enchanting rainbow, we like thinking as auspicious for our new projects. In the distance there is the stable where three days after, they found their first shelter three young calves, our very dear new friends, that will populate this land and give us the opportunity to enjoy their company for as long as they live. A new little lamb was born just two hours before we visited some friends, who live nearby and own so many other animals, on the very first day of the year. 

We are deeply convinced that it's time to restart from all very little things, up to us to decide which one comes first. We chose those nearest to us as a new beginning. 

Will you join us? We'll keep you informed about any development we are working on. 

Any questions?  Do not hesitate to ask, it will be a pleasure to respond.

Anna - Coordinator

Photos: own source

Good morning, afternoon, evening everybody, 

hard times to live, good way starting any single day from very little things, those we have to take care of for us and the others.

We thought bread can be both, food and figurative meaning, inviting all of us to go back and find out why we started eating it and if we can find nowadays some similar reasons to start again something as valuable as it is. 

Read the article and practice your English, make an advantage of these hard times to train and improve yourselves. We'll see how we'll be allowed to spend new skills to make them rise environment, lifestyles, behaviour, feelings. 

Questions to reply

What is the place of bread in your life?

Does bread play a different role at home these days? 

Do you have the habit of making it?

Any special types as your favourite ones?

Any special bakery you want to describe?

Enjoy your English and anything else that can be helpful to make you "rise". 

Anna - Coordinator - Source: Speak Up October 2020

Good morning, afternoon, evening, 

this emergency made us face such a new reality that we won't ever be the same as before. There are uncountable stories that could be told.

I chose a collective one.

On February 29 Castelsangiovanni Hospital in Piacenza became the first to be wholly dedicated to patients with Coronavirus.

Using heparin at high doses, they could have both effects: reduce inflammation of the lungs and avoid intravasal coagulation of pulmonary capillaries. With just the oxigen, there is no chance to have it into the blood. Administering heparin, the pulmonary circulation is less thrombotic and the damage is reduced.

After a first hospital so many others started the same treatment with due authorizations, and mortality decreased. In South America too the success of the treatment has been very remarkable. 

After meeting so many years ago with the common interest for the English language as a professional tool to be used in conferences, I recently had the chance to be helpful translating the study protocol written by the doctor who perceived by intuition how heparin could be useful with his patients at Castelsangiovanni Hospital in such an emergency.

It's due to the dedication of so many doctors and healthcare professionals, that so many patients could survive, experiences worth being listened to.

Now we are going to collect them, in order to publish on-line graded ebooks for students of English, to combine, share and spread language and experience and entirely improve, as students paying attention to the special time we are living, as human beings to what this special time is asking us to learn and do, for possible future advantages, having in loving memory those who didn't make it.  

If you have any stories, we will welcome them here, replying with interest. 

Anna - Coordinator

Source: photographs available on the Internet, received by the protagonists themselves as documentation and updating.      

Good morning, afternoon, evening, 

obliged to stay home, to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection, these days we certainly miss nature.

Maybe we can catch this opportunity to think about how important nature is in our life and if it is not the case to establish a new relationship with it, with the whole environment actually.

Those who survived the intensive care for Covid-19, when describing the experience between life and death, speak of a perception of time that narrows to the moment you feel you are hydrated and infused oxygen, with nothing else existing. When you recover, everything is new, as for a child, you focus on very little things. 

Let's begin a new life then, let's establish all of us a new relationship with nature and people, everything will be easier if we start from the small things, each one of us.

These poems are dedicated to those who did not survive. We won't know what they thought, what they felt. We owe so much to all of them.

WARBLE OF COLORS 

There is a whirl of flowers

on the branches of cherry trees.

Turned to heaven,

they laugh with their open throat  

enjoying the sun.

Swarms of soft petals

like clouds laying on the meadows.

Grass is delighted.

Water symmetries

softened by the mist, meet eyes

nourished on beauty and colors.

THE COURAGE OF FLOWERS 

I want to take you into the courage

of the dance of pure flowers,

inside trees floating with spring;

rejoice with you in the colors

and moved, betray

feelings with love. 

PETALS 

It is rustic snow

which rests on hawthorns;

whitens arid branches

which then bud leaves and

small thoughts, free to fall

along with the petals of the flowers.

CARESSES 

If I should die this very moment, 

I would like my words too

to go into the wind,

to continue in a whisper

the caresses that I too

have received. Voices 

for the encounters of the lovers,

for the games of the children,

for the looks of the mothers,

for the repose of the old.  

Voices and caresses to listen to

the silence of those who die.

Anna - Coordinator

Source: Botticelli, La Primavera, 1482, Elemond Arte Milan, 1992; Poems by Coordinator

Good morning, afternoon, evening

Rita, Rossella, Antonella, Laura, Denise, Monica, Lorenzo, Massimo, Rossella, Lorenzo, Sergio, Marco, Alessia, Monica, 

we can say that this article is connected with the special days we are living because being helpful is a behaviour that today we appreciate even more than usual. 

While staying at home, respecting all the rules we are asked to, you can keep up with your English trying to dedicate a few minutes every day to this useful task. 

This article is very easy, and you have here two exercises.

The first is replying to four questions after reading the article:  

1. What are charity shops? 

2. What can you buy in these shops?

3. Who works in charity shops? 

4. How much money do people in London give to charity every year? 

The second exercise is to find only one word with the same meaning of the following sentences: 

1. Give money or things to help a  charity organization.

2. Someone who works to help people without getting paid. 

3. Heat water so that it becomes gas. 

4. Give money to support someone, an organization or an event. 

Write your answers as a comment below, I will reply. 

You can also try to describe your days, using present simple for habits.

It will be a pleasure reading anything you want to write. 

Anna - Coordinator 

Source: Speak Up, March 2020 Issue  

Good morning, afternoon, evening

Ludovica, Federico, Cristiano, Lapo, Linda, Oswaldo, Giacomo, Ginevra, Matteo, Simone, Giulia, Gabriele, Geraldine, Vittorio, Fiorisa and everybody, 

on February 14 we started this new course, Freedom with English, you as ITIS Livorno's students at school, this year too before the Open Air English Labs. 

What is the point of connecting Freedom with English? Each one might find a different answer, one is to aknowledge that speaking languages makes you more perceptive, capable of stating what you believe in, what you want to share and spread, allows you to be connected with open issues. 

But as you readers for sure already know, all teaching activities in Italy have been suspended, schools are closed because of the necessity to interrupt the so far spreading of the Coronavirus infection. No contact among people, no assembling anywhere, Italian people are obliged to stay at home and willingly or not, to re-set up all their life and time. 

Quite paradoxically, we could try to find a positive angle to consider this time unexpectedely given to us and to be exploited in order to find ourselves improved when it's time to restart working, going to school, attending all our activities.

That is to say that you're warmly invitated to practice languages, and I use the plural because you can write your comments here in all the languages you know, including Italian. Nowadays there are so many students in Italian schools coming from abroad, who do need to get command of their new country's language. The country that will be theirs, with full nationality.

That's why our teaching classes recently have often turned into bilingual classes, two intertwinning languages, English and Italian, keeping alive the interest for both of them also for those who are Italian. Ours is a language to master, that reveals itself so rich expecially when aimed at making another language comprehended.  

These days we might find insights useful to be adopted later in continuing improving everyone's job, since what we know for sure is that improving is what our lives have to tend to.

Questions:

What are your days like in this emergency?

What's happening as new experiences? 

How can you manage organizing yourselves with your studies?

What about the use of technology with your teachers?

And with your friends? 

Let us know, it will be a pleasure reading you. We'll reply.  

Anna - Coordinator

Photos taken with all students' parents' permission. 

Hello

Muskan, Tommaso, Alessandro, Alessio, Catalin, Florin, Haroun,  Gianluca, Matteo, Oswaldo, Geraldine, Andre, Nicola, Fiorisa, 

first  we started welcoming everybody with all the possible languages spoken by students that is Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French, Albanian, Hurdu, Chinese, Italian and we tried to employ all of them to communicate. 

We wrote large papers to share expressions and translate them in English.  Beautiful writings, to be trusted since comprehension is possible only by those who know the language. 

That's why something different from usual  happened: no matter how difficult or unknown the languages were, we started to act, behave, so to share common goals.

Sure, that of these classes at ITIS G. Galilei Livorno was to acquire English, but how can you do that with students having such a variety of knowledge, being in Italy for a very short time with the whole communicative hardware to be reset including Italian?  

Wondering how they will be able to become tomorrow's citizens, the point of common languages to share is fundamental. Instead of being a problem, it might be transformed in the opportunity to widen our horizons, and exploiting these opportunities, becoming all of us citizens of the world, so improving us too who welcome them. 

Definetly, the point of offering these students, who are becoming more and more numerous  every day in our schools due to immigration, a proper place in our schools, is a priority. You can't spend mornings at school, attending classes, being taught subjects in a language you don't know. So Italian and English can be strictly intertwinned, emphasising and reinforcing each other. 

We tried to optimize the occasion given to all of us with such a PON 1953 Program, focusing on general comprehension, involving visitors to listen to to speak about welcoming people, either cruise passengers or any other, creating a bond with Livorno, highlighting the role of music and cinema. 

The photographs show Christian, Federico, Jordan, David sharing activities with students, all invited through fresh and dynamic English to produce ideas and play roles such as talking with tourists, singing songs, inventing and writing screen-plays. 

Worksheets were given and returned corrected. The exibition with paintings by Modigliani was visited, two questionnaires given to both students and families, experiences shared, first that one of communicating from the bottom of our intelligent hearths.  

We also had breaks with food; students engaged themselves in producing their favourite dishes, and as a happy ending of this demanding committment, we watched astimjulating film, to encourage students to take decisions all the times waiting to be taken, to improve the quality of everybody's life. Take the lead, meaning this is what you can do every day, involving the others with determination and care. 

Muskan, Tommaso, Alessandro, Alessio, Catalin, Florin, Haroun,  Gianluca, Matteo, Oswaldo, Geraldine, Andre, Nicola, Fiorisa, write your comment about this adventure. Did you like it, and if so, why? 

Anna - Coordinator

Photos taken with all students' parents' written permission 

Hi there,  how is it going your Summer? 

Either you're on holiday or not, wherever you are, it is always a pleasure keeping in touch and sharing experiences.

Lucca Summer Festival is undoubtedly a series of remarkable musical events. You may know that Lucca itself is one of the most visited cities in Tuscany by foreigners. Mediterranean cruise passengers who go there after they disembark in Livorno, already wonder at its sourrounding walls just seeing its map.

Adding good music means getting quite a stunning result. 

Why Mark Knopfler?

It was long ago when, starting making videos, I had to decide which soundtrack might suit best my first one.

My choice fell on Telegraph Road, 14'15'', from the album Love Over Gold. Guitar and vocals Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits as a band at that time. Does anybody remember them?

Unmistakable guitar his one, liquid, so it was called. More and more mature its sound now. What an alchemy his voice and the so many guitars he played!

A unique band too, all of them multi-instrumentalists. Superb performance by all of them, about fifteen musicians playing forty eight instruments, all of them capable of mesmerizing you, just as you would like to feel all the time, always.

Looking around at the expressions of the so many people gathered together there, you could see no worries, no preoccupations,  just enjoyment.  More generations joined by excellent music. 

Everybody seemed to have their expectations finally met by talent, music, art, embodied before their eyes by someone so generous of all of them.   

Can't we do something like that too?

Maybe just enjoying art, developing perceptions, becoming aware of the new feelings it can produce, keeping and sharing memories might be a simple way to contribute to a better future, to a better quality of time, present and future. 

A large thank you to the very kind young man whose name I don't know, who sent me the photographs you can see here, to those who gave me the chance to share a talk before the concert, whose comments I'm waiting for here. 

They will be of stimulus to my students, in future nice occasions.  

By the way, can you guess what the second image is?  

Want to reply?  It will be a pleasure reading you. 

Enjoy your Summer, enjoy your English 

Paolo: thank you for your appreciated comment Paolo, I won't miss re-listening to Sultans of Swing, next time we'll ask Mark Knopflet to play it for us Italians loving it. 

Anna - Coordinator

What a pleasure saying hello to

Marta, Chiara, Martina, Lorenzo, Tama, Alina, Federico, Alessandro, Pier Daniele, Davide, Marino, Karrem, Alice, Michelle, Riccardo, Alessio, Eleonora, Kejsi, Alyssia, Elisa, 

after spending together last Friday morning welcoming Mediterranean cruise passengers. Quite a good job, wasn't it?

This 21 June, the first day of Summer and the world-wide day dedicated to music.  

A new one when English too becomes a pleasure, embodied by nice people who enjoy sharing a talk with English students. 

All of a sudden the square becomes crowded and tourists need information. They see a group of students and head to them smiling and having their kindness returned. 

Generosity and kindness on both sides. 

They appreciate not only the students but the city too. A lively occasion to test ourselves while enjoying time with mates and visitors, comparing ideas, impressions and seeing that time after time speaking becomes easier, real fun the way so many of you didn't expect it might be.   

An article was published by an on-line newspaper, QuiLivorno

http://www.quilivorno.it/news/scuola/gli-studenti-delliti-diventano-ciceroni-per-i-croceristi/

and news was broadcasted by Granducato TV that came to film the work&talk students. Their cameramen was impressed by so much beauty. 

Four years ago, on 5 August 2015, the interviewer of students and tourists was the journalist who is now the Mayor of the city, recently elected. Vivaciously and competently he interveened dynamizing the open lab asking tourists and students about Livorno and their experience.  

We invited him to partecipate in our lab, but he was busy with the first Town Council on June 21. We renewed our invitation to join us again for the next labs, on 5, 11, 19 July. 

Anybody who wants to practice English is very, very welcome. 

Being helpful is always important; in a completely unknown place, mainly desembarking and arriving from inside the port, passengers do need help. They need to know where they are in the city . 

With tourists on holiday it becomes a pleasure sharing a talk and helping, for, as everybody noticed, they are relaxed, calm, they just want to enjoy themselves,  that's quite a nice contibution to be given.

Good of you all performing so well, next time even better!

Anna - Coordinator 

Good morning, good afternoon, evening, 

Dennis, Marina, Michelle, Alessandro, Alice, Pier Daniele, Haila, Riccardo, Tama, Chiara, Lorenzo, Camilla, Alessandro, Alina, Alessio, Diego, Alessio, Alyssia, Martina, Alessandro, Greta, Federico, Marta, Kejsi, Sara, Leonardo, Marianna, Chiara,  Valerio, Francesca, Moundor, Xhuljana, Gabriele, Martina, Chiara, Riccardo, Davide, Eleonora, Francesco

and Federica, Silvia, Mirella, Daniele, Elisa, Sergio,

this is a page about a young Italian European, Antonio Megalizzi, who thought Europe was the ideal worth living and working for. He loved journalism and the radio. 

What you can do to practice your English is reading the article in the bottom left-hand corner and complete the missing information about him on the PET Practice paper. 

The English classes of the PON Project 3504 at ITIS Galilei Livorno are nearly finished, and since on May 15 Antonio Megalizzi would have turned 30, this is a contribution to strenghten the ideas he shared on Europhonica, the net of university radios promoting more information about Europe to create a sense of community among citizens who should cultivate the same interests and values. 

A dream and a daily commitment that we want to promote mainly among those who are going to be university students quite soon and might be joining and continuing Megalizzi's work with other university's mates.  .  

It will be a pleasure reading your comments below. 

Anna - Coordinator

Source: our own material and the name of the European Parliament's Radio Studio in Strasbourg