ACLE/Arcore

What I did:
This past summer I had the opportunity to teach in Italy with an organization called ACLE. It was a great opportunity and a lot of fun. For my first week I attended an orientation in the city of Arcore (just outside Milan). Here are a few of my thoughts on it:

• Well run and well organized- The orientation carried an extra fee, but it was well worth it. I was given a nice amount of material for my upcoming weeks teaching, and the staff running the orientation did an excellent job preparing me and advising me for the upcoming weeks
  
• High energy- The orientation staff made it very easy to be energetic because they brought so much energy everyday
• Fun- Although it can be exhausting at times, I have had a lot of fun teaching with ACLE
• New friends- I met a lot of really cool, fun people at orientation
  

Where I ate and drank (and stayed):
Hotel Ristorante La Bergamina-
During the orientation week I stayed at La Bergamina, a four star hotel, and shared a room with one of the other teacher trainees. It was a nice, comfortable place to stay (although there were quite a few mosquitos out in summertime in the courtyard area). I ate most of my meals there during the week, and the food was very good.

Malibu Gelato-
Arcore is not a very big city, but one day I walked into town with a few of the other teachers and got some gelato at Malibu. Like most places in Italy, the gelato was very good (although not as good as the gelato I had in Rome).

Beat Restaurant-
While we ate most of our meals at the hotel, one of the nights we went out for dinner at Beat Restaurant. The food and drink was very good, but the conversation and fun I had with the people I got to share the meal with was even better.

How I got around:
After giving clear directions to get to the train station in Arcore, a member of the ACLE staff picked me up from train and drove me and some other teachers to the hotel. We were all also given rides back to the train station at the end of the week and sent off (well prepared) to our camps.

My favorite thing:
There were so many fun, amazing, and hilarious moments throughout the week, but I think I laughed the hardest during the mock final show put on by the camp leaders. Thanks again Jordan, Helen, Kieran, Sammy, and Joe!

My least favorite thing:
The biggest downside to the orientation in my opinion is I can’t do it again. The experience was amazing, but the orientation is only for new ACLE teachers.

For next time:
I didn’t get to see much of the city of Arcore during the orientation. Although there is not a whole lot to see there, it would be nice to explore and possibly visit the nearby area of Monza.