Viva Italia!

I got to speak Italian for the first time since I've been back! I mean, I've called my host mom, and I've written a load of letters, but now I finally got to really speak Italian for an hour and a half. It's at the Hey, That's Amore cafe on Holly and Fair Oaks, an Italian conversation class every Saturday from 4:30 to 5:00. 15 people there today, and as soon as I walked in it was ciao, ciao, come ti chiami?, piacere, siediti.

I was shaking hands with everyone, and everyone was speaking Italian. I had forgotten how much I missed speaking Italian until I realized how easy I found it talking to everyone - that is, stumbling through a foreign language, rather than having that awkward fear of saying something stupid in your own language. Once it's another language, it's like saying stupid things is impossible, because you're experimenting, feeling your way in unfamiliar grounds, and everyone respects that.

I sat with two women, Molly and Polly (allow me to remind you that my name is Holly); Molly was a self-described gipsy, half french, half italian, and born in Columbia. Polly was an elderly American who had just started learning Italian, and was really quite good at it, especially considering that she's never spent a lot of time in Italy. But I met everyone, and it was a blast. Plus there was this totally hot blonde guy who looked about my age who walked in and out of the cafe a couple times, and smiled at me, but I don't think he speaks Italian, or at least he wasn't part of the Italian conversation group. But hey, maybe he just happens to be there every Saturday....

So next time you're planning a totally hot party, just remember that I can't be there until after 5:30. I've got Italian to speak!

Labels: Italy

posted by Holly @ 7:49 PM