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Introducing Mystery Class #8 La Maddalena, Italy 41.217 N, 9.400 E   Hello, and welcome from our school on the Island of La Maddalena, Italy! How would you like to have this view everyday when you came to school?   Our School  We are a Department of Defense school, located on an island just off the NE tip of the Italian state of Sardegna (or Sardinia). We are a class of 7th graders in a K-8 school. Our classroom is the building with the red roof and open door. Our school is in a rented building on the side of a hill. In addition to the main school, we also have three "portable" buildings that house 2 classrooms each. Our Science room is on one of these portable buildings. But oh my, do we have a school with a view! We have beautiful views of the sea and the islands. Sadly, the school is finished forever next month, so we are sad about that. We are here because of a Navy ship, and after being here for over 25 years, the base is closing in the Fall. Our school year ends in June, and our school ends then, too. It will be "arrivederci" forever. Some of the other school buildings All our students are children of people in the military, and the kids will be moving to new locations around the world as some parents' jobs change and as the ship leaves for the state of Washington. But we do have many great memories of living and learning on La Maddalena! As students in an overseas DoD school, they have a "Host Nation" class, which, for us in La Maddalena, is Italian class, where they learn the language and customs of their host country. It's nice for them to be able to walk into town and use their Italian skills. Here are some of the phrases the students use here: If it's before noon, the kids would say BUON GIORNO to anyone passing by, or when addressing someone in a store. If it's after noon, BUONA SERA would be appropriate. COME STAI? is the phrase to ask about someone's health (How are you?) BENE! would be the answer if one feels good, or maybe COSI,COSI... if they are so-so. Now let's talk food! PER FAVORE, BISOGNO DI UNO CIOCCOLATTO CALDO is what you would say when you step into a "Bar" and would like a hot chocolate (or a chocolate hot, as the Italians phrase it). A "Bar" is a place that anyone can enter and ask for something refreshing to drink, and just sit outside and enjoy a pause in the day (and be seen, and see others). Maybe you would just like a bottle of seltzer water, and so you would ask for a BISOGNO DI INA BOTTIGLIA DI AQUA FRIZZANTE. What the kids here REALLY like to order is GELATO, or Italian ice cream. There are many flavors, such as LIMONE (lemon), FRUTTI DI BOSCO (mixed fruit), CIOCCOLATO, and many other great (BUONO!) flavors. The ice cream is served in smaller amounts than in the United States, and not with a round scoop, but a flat scoop, so the ice cream is piled on side-by-side rather than one ball on top of the other. Warm weather is upon us now, so I am sure the kids are visiting the GELATERIA very often. I am the tearcher, and I come from Missouri. I have been teaching in this DoD school system for 16 years, from Japan to Germany to Italy, and it has been an interesting job. After the school closes, I will be in another DoD school in Italy, where we will more than likely be participating in Journey North next year, too. Our City Our city is actually a small village on the Island of La Maddalena, which is also the name of our village. The town is quaint and is nice to walk in, and has a history from sheep grazing to fishing to the Italian Navy - even Admiral Nelson was here in the early 1800s to fight the French. We enjoy living on an island that is about 14km2 in size. It does not take much time to travel from the east side to the west side. We have beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the Mediterranean Sea. The island of La Maddalena is part of a seven-island national park, and visitors come from all over Europe (mostly in August) to enjoy the sea and the coasts. The landscape here is very rocky, with granite that has been quarried for many decades. That granite is right up to the edge of the sea, and makes for very beautiful coasts with little beaches here and there, and water with so many ranges of color from green to turquoise to deep blue. In the summer, "Spaghetti Boats" operate for the tourists, taking them to many islands for swimming and enjoying the beauty. The boats serve pasta for lunch. The weather is hot and dry in the summer, with a beautiful fall, a windy winter, and a wet spring where all the plants flower before the rain is gone for 5 months. Our Country Italy is a country located in Southern Europe, and is most often thought of as the peninsula that stretches into the Mediterranean Sea. Italy is made up of mainland, the peninsula, and also the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italians and others often refer to Italy as "lo Stivale" which means "the Boot", due to its boot-like shape. Italy shares its northern alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italian territory, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The population of Italy is and estimated 58,883,958 people. Many of its cities are well known throughout the world, such as Rome, Venice, Naples, Milan, Palermo, Turin and Genoa. Italy is a major world economic power, ranked by some as the seventh largest economy in the world in 2006, behind the United States, Japan, Germany, China, UK, and France, and the fourth largest in Europe. Of course, Italy is also the home of the Roman Catholic church, with the Vatican City being in Italy. In Italy, the official language is of course Italian. We enjoyed the Mystery Class activity and hope you did too. "Arrivederci !"   Would You Like to Write to Us? We hope you enjoyed learning about our school, city, and the islands where we live. If you want to write to us, please send an e-mail to our teacher, Mr. Gawlik at: Donald.Gawlik@eu.dodea.edu