Buona sera to all of our faithful followers! We have just returned from our first official day of the conference, having met many new people from everywhere… Japan, Newfoundland, Vancouver, and all around the US! After nearly 20 hours of travel yesterday, we arrived at our hotel and did our best to stay awake all day long in order to avoid the dreaded jet lag. We were met at the airport in Milan by a colleague of a USM parent who drove us nearly two hours to our hotel – we were the envy of every other teacher who had taken the train!!

Maurizio certainly bested any Lonely Planet traveling guide as he pointed out famous landmarks along the way, including the nearby train station designed by Santiago Calatrava.

Our room with its 3 single beds reminds us a little of a convent as you will notice in the pictures we have posted.

We had a wonderful afternoon sightseeing and exploring the history and architecture of Reggio Emilia…and even a gelato for dessert – delicioso!!

Our day today was one of introduction, inspiration, lunch, and a walking tour for the conference attendees. During lunch, one teacher from Israel remarked that our thoughtful dialogue “gave us so much meat to hold,” which echoes our sentiments perfectly!!

We are back at our hotel for a quick rest before meeting a group for dinner, and we will keep your posted on our learning adventures – we are so grateful to USM for providing us with this opportunity – Ciao for now!!