Interview with our mother tongue teacher: Mrs Lucy Marshall

Hello beloved readers, today we have interviewed our dear mother tongue teacher: Mrs Lucy Marshall.

She’s been teaching in this school for just two years, but she immediately became part of our big family.

Our mother tongue moved to Italy six years ago, before coming here she lived in a town next to London called Forest Row.

She told us a lot of things about her: she loves Christmas time, playing with her two kids, cooking different foods, especially English food, watching TV series and obviously teaching!

Lucy is a really nice person, and her lessons are always different and interesting; every week we learn a lot about Great Britain and British culture. She loves her home state, but she loves her new life in Italy too: so we decided to ask her some questions about pros, cons, and differences between the two countries.

So… Let’s start this interview!

Why did you move to Italy?

At the beginning I moved to Italy just for a sabbatical year, when my second child was only three months, but then we decided to stay here.

Do you enjoy living in our country?

Yes, I do! The people are very friendly and the life in this village is calmer than in Forest Row.

Have you visited any famous attractions, or do you have a special memory in your heart?

In these years my husband I were very busy with work, so we didn’t have much time; but last summer we visited Venice, a wonderful city, because of the pandemic it was empty, for me a lot of people make it stressful, but walking in solitude in famous squares and near the canals was a beautiful experience. One day I hope to visit Rome and Sicily, too. People always say they are fantastic places!

What do you miss from England?

I love Italy, but I’ll always miss my old house and my town, you can’t forget the place where you have so many memories.

It’s strange, I know, Italians think British weather is bad, but I miss it so much. I love the fog and the drizzle when you stay home; Italian weather is so different, often it’s sunny in winter, too!

 And then, another thing that I miss is the organisation, Italians are lovely people, but they aren’t very quick at organising things!

What are the biggest differences between England and Italy?

I love both, but they are really different, Italy and its own inhabitants are more friendly and relaxed.

The British people are really fast, and always quite busy. People do little jobs at lunchtime, like going to the post office or food shopping, whereas the Italians eat lunch!

What do you think of our country before you lived here? Is there a stereotype about us in the UK? Is it correct in your opinion?

In the UK people think Italians are romantic, relaxed, and good at cooking. Also, we think the weather is really warm and usually sunny.

Before living here, I believed in these facts, and now, too, I think they’re quite correct.

And then, you say Italians are good at cooking, what do you think about Italian food? Do you enjoy it? Which one is better, Italian or English cuisine?

I think Italian food is delicious! In Italy every region has got its recipes, in the UK we haven’t got our own regional cuisine, this fact is interesting.

I really like trying to cook Italian dishes, but I miss British food; there are some ingredients which you can’t find here: like “HEINZ  BEANS” a special type of canned beans; and MARMITE which is a spread made of yeast used as a seasoning in foods and for sandwiches and toast, you can love it or hate it. My husband doesn’t like it whereas me, I love marmite!

Then, there are some sweets and desserts which you can’t find easily in Italy, for example jellies or puddings, kids love them!

To finish this interview I have two more questions for you about your experience in schools.

What are the biggest differences between Italian and British schools? In your opinion, which one is the best?

I think there isn’t a best or a worst school system, they’re really different! Italian school is more difficult and academic, perfect if you’re going to get a job like a doctor. British school, instead, is more practical, if you’re going to be a chef, it’s what’s right for you.

Do you like teaching in our school?

Yes, I love it! Everyone is really friendly, I’m really happy to teach here!

We have to say thank you to you Lucy and to our English teacher Editta Mazzucchelli, for your availability and for the good lessons spent together!

A big thank you from all the editorial staff!

Sara Calzolari