Hello, I'm Antonio.

I am attending the fifth year of Electronic Engineering (second year of the Master's level degree) and I hope to take my degree this year.

I'm attending this English course to learn more about the language and to learn how to communicate with other people that don't speak Italian because it could be useful sometimes (especially for an engineer).

In this EXCHANGE I hope to practise my English and to make fewer mistakes when I speak and when I write.

I think someone could help me.

Other information about me... I'm 23 years old and I live in a little village near Padova (20 kilometers), Piombino Dese, with all my family... my mother, my father and my brother, who is 26 years old.

I like playing piano and I like playing soccer, but I don't have much free time to go out with my friends.

Bye, Antonio

29/01/2008

This was my first skype dialogue... it went well!!!

During this first exchage, I talked with Oscar, a student of Tulane that is 19 years old.

The strangest thing I remember is the different ideas we have of the world. For Oscar (and maybe for some American people) the world is small, and everyone can take a plane and can fly away, even if you are 17 or 20 years old.

For me (and maybe for some Italian people) the world is so big, and it's not common to take planes. It's more common to take a car. And we spend our holidays at home, or not far away, because every place is close to the others: the school, hobbies, amusements... and it is more difficult to go away.

12/02/2008

Second skype dialogue... better than the first!

During this second exchange we talked about the environment and environmental problems like pollution.

I understood that there are a lot of cars in New Orleans, but there is less traffic than other big cities like Los Angeles or New York.

People prefer to take their car to go everywhere, even if public transport exists in New Orleans, but buses aren't always on time (like in Padova). Not many people use bikes.

In addition, we talked about recycling, and I understood that the city had a good recycling system before Katrina, but today recycling is more difficult because thay have to pay... and not everyone does this.

A difference between our universities is that Tulane has more nature and trees than Padova... both inside and outside the city.

19/02/2008

Third exchange... very good! I started to understand more than the other times...

During this third exchange I understood more than the other time... and this means that my English is improving, doesn't it?!?

This week, we talked about cinema, music and television... and we found some things in common: we both like commedies and action movies, and we love going to the movie theater.

Oscar loves watching musicals, and sometimes he goes to Broadway to watch the shows with his family... I like musicals too, but it is not a common show in Italy! This is a pity.

I understood that he doesn't have much time to watch the TV because he has to study (like me). In America thay have to pay for a lot of channels (for sports, for movies), and there aren't a lot of things to watch in the other free channels.

About music, we both play the piano. He likes rap and rock music, but he don't have a favourite group (he likes the Red Hot Chili Peppers).

In addition, we talked about the problem of downloading music or films, and I understood that this problem exists, like in Italy... but I think it's a smaller problem than in Italy, due to the high cost of the CDs [where?].

Bye... see you next week.

26/02/2008

Forth exchange... it was more difficult than the other times, maybe due to the difficult topic.

This time we talked about politics and the administration in our contries, and I learnt a lot things that I didn't know about America.

I asked to Oscar about the number of politicians, or parlamentarian or senator, or parties... and I found a big difference from Italy: in America there are only 2 big parties (plus the indipendents); the number of senators or rapresentatives is fewer than in Italy (even if we are 80 millions people); the average age of the rapresentatives is about 35-40 and for the senators about 50, but also in America there are some politicians that are 80 or 90 (like in Italy?)...

About the government, in America there is a different system of share the power: every states has its governator that controls his state and that can create other laws; but the president has the total power in all the states, like creating new laws, or new ideas...

Then I asked to Oscar about the influence of Church in the politics, and he said me that Church has not a direct influence, but it has and indirect influence because a lot of people in the Republicans is Catholic and they can support the Catholic ideas... but he didn't thought that there is a big influence.

About the interests in politics, he said me that he have to vote next November, so he is interested and he follows the events to know what each person has to offer.

We talked also about social security, and we found some problems in Italy and in America, but it was a difficult topic.

And about TV, he said me that the most of the channels are not controlled by the parties, so TV channels have more freedom of speech about politics.

Next time it will be better!... bye.

04/03/2008

Fifth exchange... maybe the last???

In this exchange we talked about society and the different cultures in our society... it was not a simple topic!

In the first part we discussed about the problem of immigration... and I understood that this problem exists, expecially from the south America or the center of America, but there are more control now, to prevent illegal immigrations. So I asked to Oscar if there are relations between immigrant and crimes (a problem in Italy), and he said me there aren't, because immigrants go to America expecially to work.

Then we found differences between the rights of citizen and the rights of immigrants, but after 7 years (?) they obtain the same rights.

Then I asked if there are cultural exchange between Americans and the immigrants, also in the schools, and he said me that there is an exchange, and this is good!

In the second part, we talked about some society problems, like drug or alcohol or the problem of homeless... and we found a big problem in our countries. After the hurricane, the problems of drugs get bigger. About the alcoholism, he said me that there are a lot of alcoholic people, also young people!

Well.... It was good to talk with Oscar in this week. I hope I have improved my written and my oral English, and I hope this exchange can stimulate my need of learning English well!

See you next week... good bye!

11/03/2008

Last exchange... but video exchange!

In this last conversation, we made a video exchange with the powerful tools of our lab (only one PC with the webcam, and this was the teacher's PC).

It was good to see the other people for the first time after two months of dialogs... very good. But the presence of the webcam made the American students shyer than us.

We asked general questions about their life, about their eating habits... We found them much interested in Italy and in the Italian food... so we can only meet them, and show them in Italy the Italian life... (and we are ready to test the American life?)

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