BAhora Sadikova teaches Italian at the State Institute of Foreign Languages of Samarkand, Faculty of Roman-Germanic Languages. The subjects? Grammar, History and Narrative. Without forgetting the proverbs. Teaches grammar and elements of civility. But they also read fiction, they appreciate Ammaniti, Mastrocola, Ginzburg, Sciascia, Bassani…
7 am
«The alarm rings, I get up and drink a glass of water. Then the organization begins to take my children to school and nursery. I get the two little ones, aged 7 and 3, dressed, while my older daughter, aged 14, starts breakfastmostly salty. It usually involves a small sausage, a boiled egg or an omelette, tea, fruit compote.”
9.30 am
«I arrive at the State Institute of Foreign Languages of Samarkand, Faculty of Roman-Germanic Languages, where I teach Italian, a much loved language in our country whose teaching was pioneered by Turin’s Giovanna Piera Viale and Massimo Toscani. They came here in 1996 and began teaching the language in an Italian culture center then in 1998 they founded the Department of Italian Language and Culture. From there the teaching of Italian as a second foreign language began, until it became the first foreign language in 2005. Today we have 300 students studying Italian.”
12.20pm
«For lunch we order something takeaway with colleagues and have a chat, then at 1pm back to class. We teach grammar and elements of civility. In the second and third year the children study literature, from the Renaissance to Modernity. But they also read fiction, they appreciate Ammaniti, Mastrocola, Ginzburg, Sciascia, Bassani… Often the Italian Embassy, which is based in the capital Tashkent, sends us books.”
5.30pm
«The lessons end and I reorganize my texts. I’ve been working lately to my doctoral thesis on the linguistic-cultural characteristics of Italian proverbs. I analyzed 770 of them, evaluating their semantic, cultural and contextual aspects. Through the symbolic representation of good and evil in the linguistic tradition we understand a lot about the ethics and social behavior of a people.”
9.30 am. Italian lessons begin at the University of Samarkand.
6pm
«In the afternoon or on weekends and in the summer months I like to guide tourists in splendid Samarkand. In addition to the spectacular Registan square, to the monuments of Shahr-i-Zindar and the remains of TamerlaneI like to surprise them by taking them to the former Soviet part of the city, along Boulevard Abramov.”
6pm. With foreign tourists in the splendid Registan square.
8pm
«After having “collected” my children from school and various activities, I return home. I like cooking, I also make ravioli or samsa (stuffed dumplings, ed.) but I don’t have timeso I always hope that when asked “What do you want to eat?” they reply “Pizza!”, so we order it. The little ones get ready for bed around 9.30 and I get on the computer.”
11pm
«Often while I’m writing I put on my headphones and watch some series, or watch the news. I just listen, I don’t look. Indeed my husband asks me “What aren’t you watching tonight?”. Now I am “not watching” a Turkish seriesThe Magnificent Century, based on the life and reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, considered the greatest sultan in Ottoman history.”
