Ciao! What a whirlwind of two weeks! I have learned a lot, but one very important lesson that I have learned is that knowing some Italian in necessary. The language barrier can make it very hard to communicate with others. Our Italian teacher, Sandra, comes twice-a-week and teaches us ‘Survival Italian’ (Italiano per Sopravvivere). We’ve learned everyday vocabulary, articles, and directions.
The Joseph S. Bruno program does an excellent job immersing us in the Italian culture. On two Mondays, we had students from local middle schools come in and help teach us one-on-one. The first week, we were learning directions and how to navigate through cities, such as Rome. The kids would pick different places on a map and have us tell them how to get there with the words Sandra taught us. This week, we are learning phrases to use in a household. The kids help us learn the phrase and how to say the words correctly. Note: saying Italian words with a southern accent is much different than with an Italian accent!
Another way we are immersed into the Italian culture is through our ‘adopted’ families. We are paired off and set up with a family. They came over last night for aperitivo at the Palace. We will go to their house for a real Italian meal sometime later in the semester. My family is a young couple with a seven-year-old boy. He is fluent in English just from watching English cartoons. I was very impressed! I will go to their house with my partner, Natalie, in a few weeks and get to eat a homemade Italian meal. Yum!
Emma Campbell