Posts Written by bellissima
By bellissima • 12 years ago

American Girl in Italy Part 3: Dear Co Worker

(originally posted at La Femminista)

I get it. I am young, I am American, I am cute (red hair & freckles will do that sometimes). I guess all of those things make me a novelty in our workplace, thus subject to more (undesired!) attention than our other co-workers.  I am also a female.

Maybe that last factor is what most makes you think that it is OK for you to grab my nose, pat me on the head, pinch my cheeks and call me “sweetie” “darling” and “little dear”. Maybe because you are kind of old you feel a little bit grandfatherly and paternal around me, thus eliciting the unquenchable desire to play “got your nose!”. Make no mistake: you are not my grandfather, I am not four years old and my cheeks are not there for your pinching pleasure. We are in the workplace and I am your co worker, however young I may be.
By bellissima • 13 years ago

American Girl in Italy Part 2 : What Makes a Hero?

As promised, I am following up my previous post on sexism and feminism in Italy, particularly focusing on my experiences in Neapolitan High Schools with my students and colleagues.

A quick Italian history lesson to get everyone up to speed: This year marks the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy into one country. The man who is most widely recognized as the leader of unification, and one of Italy’s greatest national heroes, is Giuseppe Garibaldi- a figure quite similar to the United States’ George Washington. In class, we are doing a unit based on his persona, the role he played in the unification, his relationship with the United States, and his relationship with women around the world (I’ve been ...

As promised, I am following up my previous post on sexism and feminism in Italy, particularly focusing on my experiences in Neapolitan High Schools with my students and colleagues.

A quick Italian history lesson to get everyone ...
By bellissima • 13 years ago

American Girl in Italy

I’ve been a faithful reader of Feministing for about two years now, but this is my first community blog post. A little bit of background about me: I graduated in May 2010 from Barnard College in New York City. At Barnard, I majored in Italian and was also part of the Education Program on the Secondary track. Upon graduation, I received my New York State Teacher Certification in Italian 7-12. I love teaching and I love Italian, so I also applied to the Fulbright Program for an English Teaching Assistant position in Italy. Shortly before graduation, I was accepted to the program and placed in Naples, Italy. Fast forward to now and here I am in Naples, where I’ve been ...

I’ve been a faithful reader of Feministing for about two years now, but this is my first community blog post. A little bit of background about me: I graduated in May 2010 from Barnard College in New ...