Transizioni/ Transiciones/ Transitions

I only clicked my heels together a few times before the hourglass released the last grain of sand that sent me away, for now.

Perugia. Four months. Full immersion. Umbra. Stranieri. Language. Personal growth. Goals realized.

These are just a few words prancing incoherently around in my head. I can't fully figure out yet how to puzzle them all together, to pencil them into my now American agenda to remember.

Studying abroad can't be summed up in a few words or phrases or conversations.

It's in scattered thoughts and hopefully not only in shoe boxes and on posters and in scrapbooks and through voices, et al.

A whole lot has happened since my last post. For simplicity's sake, I think I'll just go for the where I'm at now portion of this. And obviously, they're a bit scattered like my brain right now!

1) I have forgotten almost all the Spanish I have learned, and thus this blog is not so rightfully called "italspanglish" anymore. On the other hand, I am more or less proficient in general day-to-day Italian. Ho superato l' esame per livello B1! Woot! Woot! I passed the B1 exam! =]
I still have a lot more to go for sure, and I'm really excited to pick up where I left off this winter with my tutor, and to take/audit an Italian Conversation class when I get back to Plymouth. I even requested to be an Italian tutor if the need arises. Even further than that, I decided to become an Umbra Ambassador to share my experiences and inspire other students to make their own in future semesters in Perugia. Whatever it takes to keep what I've learned and to continue, you bet I'm going to do it! This obviously includes spending honey bunches of oats money on Italian movies and music. The language skills, and more profoundly, the personal growth I've acquired, are just too important to allow them to slip through the sand in my fingers.

2) I really connected to a few people in Perugia, and I'm excited for their budding friendships :).Shout outs to Renee, Gina and Jessica!!!

3) Overall, this experience has been first, the most difficult and challenging thing I've ever done; second, the scariest; and finally, THE SINGLE MOST REWARDING. EVER. I eventually re-remembered what I went there to do, which was to live and to stay outside my comfort zone for an extended period of time. And guess what? I DID IT!!!! =D And I even liked Perugia by the end. A lot! :] (The traffic and other Perugian quirks and I reached an understanding).
This has definitely been a humbling experience as well. Before I went to Perugia, anything less than an A warranted disappointment and frustration. I can tell you straight up, that I'm probably NOT getting an A for my final grade this semester. And you something? I'm cool with that. I'll settle for a B. It's not that I didn't work really hard, but rather it's the fact that I 'worked' in another way. Which brings me to:

4) I acquired instead of learned. Yes, I studied (mostly the first month), but I intentionally focused on spending most of my time getting out there to practice. I was literally imitating sponge-like qualities. After my midterm, I realized how much I was struggling with the listening part of the language. After this, I made it a point to immerse myself even further. I started going to Blockbuster (I know right? In Italy!) and renting Disney movie after Disney movie in Italian (this was after seeing "Il Re Leone" ["The Lion King"] in theaters with my friend Jessica). Then I started acquiring some Italian music. I can tell you that for about two and a half months, I only watched movies in Italian and for the most part only listened to Italian music ( I can only think of maybe four exceptions). Honestly, this right here was probably one of the few things I've ever set my mind to and kept up with consistently. Like, ever. You just can't procrastinate on learning another language. It's not something you can really cram in, especially in the environment in which I was living; I just had to soak it up, and again, acquire, one word, verb tense, and pronoun function at a time.

But back to 3) for a second, but really kind of 5):
3/5)

But before I forget:
6) Umbra staff is the shit. I've kept saying this because it's just true: they just have 'it'. They are the type of people that are really looking out for you, the people that make themselves approachable because of an altruistic desire to help, because they understand what it's like for you, and because they are just the most kind-hearted souls you'll ever meet. And if shit hits the fan, they want to help you cut the switch in any way they can. Not to mention, they will put up with any question you've got, whether it be about how to use the buses, where to find the hidden treasures of Perugia, if there's some project or volunteering opportunity you could get your hands on, or even if they're going out tonight and if they have a few minutes just to chat.
Also, my Italian professors both with Umbra and Stranieri were awesome. I got so incredibly lucky this semester, because I had such intelligent and caring people pushing me further and helping me along the way. GRAZIE MILLE! (Italians say 'thanks a thousand'. Who needs a million when a thousand will suffice?)

Okay, here for real:
3/5) It was challenging and scary because it was new and big and I was plucked out of my Plymouth pea-pod sized context (and Beverly's maternal ocean breezes) and then kerplunked into the CITY of Perugia, with nothing familiar to mom me into seamless adaptation. I felt alone for a while, like everyone thought Perugia was too small, and like to them the buses were the right size and foreign drunkards were just passersby and changing contexts was just another course syllabus with expectations for the semester (or sometimes lack thereof). And yet, I did adapt and change. As I thought (in hindsight), it took me a good deal of time to do so (say, 3+ months), but I ended on a high note. And it's rewarding because, well, it's simply 99.9% impossible to study abroad in a foreign context and NOT learn about yourself and grow into a better person (and a more worldly and cultured one at that).
And the real 5) part is that I'm ready to take everything and put it into practice, and start meshing it with U.S. culture. It'll be weird going home, turning 21 (December 29! Woot! Woot!), and getting carded for the first time, because it actually matters in the States; it's a 'big' deal. The cultural differences on alcohol will likely hit me then. We drank wine for a class party here at Stranieri in Perugia at the end of the semester. And it was in the classroom. And that was absolutely fine. I've posted pictures of beer being sold in the University cafe (which will be called a cafe, and not a bar once I get back home... interesting to think about...).

But the most important and worthy sfida (challenge), is definitely going to be to live this experience everyday. Don't shoebox it. That means don't just put all your souvenirs in a scrapbook and a box and forget about them, or hoard them because you think you can't hold on to your experience. That's probably one of the best pieces of advice I've been given, by multiple individuals (thanks Umbra!). Sure, I'll be making a scrapbook and posters of pictures and throwing my movie together of all the clips I took along the way from this trip, but I've already vowed to myself that I'm going to be active in some small way, everyday if possible, to keep this experience in the flesh (Shout out to Gina Blechman, for obvious inside joke reasons).


WARNING: Scattered clouds thoughts with a chance of rain brain storming.
I'm in limbo. I'm going home tomorrow (December 22). Bring on the transition. Ready or not, it's just an ocean and un sacco d' ore lontano (a 'sack' of hours away). Comunque, penso che io sia pronta.
                                                                                                                                       Translation^

Arrivederci Perugia!
Ho detto "ciao ciao" al signore del "Ciao Ciao"; ho detto "ci vediamo presto" alla lingua; ho detto "ci sentiamo" ai miei nuovi amici. Ho detto tutte le cose che avevo bisogno di dire alle persone che ho incontrato e che mi hanno aiutato. Sono contenta, Perugia, perché avevo paura quando tu mi hai sballottato qua e là, sono comunque sopravvissuta, ho vissuto ed ho imparato i modi in cui si ama. Forse non era un grande amore, ma di amore, comunque, si trattava. Ho pensato per un po' di tempo che il lupo mi stesse mordendo, ma la fortuna è stata mia e il lupo è crepato! Ancora non so la storia del lupo esattamente, anche se questo detto è molto comune nella lingua parlata. Quindi ho bisogno di tornare presto in Italia. Ha tutto senso, ovviamente! In questo momento, però, so nel mio cuore che è giusto ed è anche bene che io sia tornata negli Stati Uniti, perché così potrò condividere le mie esperienze con le persone a cui voglio bene. Ti saluto, Perugia, e spero che tutti i tuoi studenti (nel passato, nel presente e nel futuro) troveranno la felicità. Ti auguro una vita piena di divertimento, di crescita e, naturalmente, di pace.
 

In bocca al lupo per tutto. Piano piano. Sta' tranquilla. Prova le cose nuove. Perugia, imparerò di te per sempre. Ricordati di me!

-HS 

Catalina, Giuliano, IO (ME!)

ME, Renee

Gina, ME

Jessica, Alyssa

Kat, ME

Piazza 4 Novembre after a typical night of socializing

Francesco ed IO! (http://www.umbra.org/news/2011/italians-at-study-abroad-program/)

(Yang Yang's head) Mari, ME!

Piano Piano/ Despacio/ Slowly

Piano, piano
andiamo lontano
forte, forte
arriva la morte

Piano piano, le miei amici (my friends). Go slowly, no rush. Quindici minuti in ritardo (fifteen minutes late)? No, you're right on time! Cominciamo (let's begin)! (Piano piano is my excuse for the time it took to post this!)

That ^ right there, is my favorite cultural note on Italia. It is so my pace, mio ritmo di vita, my rhythm of life. Negli Stati Uniti (in the United States), I'm always late for the first thing of my day. I can be on time consistently for like two and a half weeks max, then I just piano piano. It really is the best excuse, and I have been using it for everything, and plan to continue this trend, possibly per sempre :).

Along with slow and steady comes clarity and positive observations. Me amo (I love) the little things about Perugia that make it one of the most interesting places I've ever seen, and I've barely made it past the center of the city yet:

Me amo the streetsweepers' brooms... this commercial product literally looks like it was borrowed from The Salem Witch Museum (in Salem, Massachusetts, of course... Shout out!). I've seen street sweeper guys actually use them to clean up Piazza Quattro Novembre (though they don't wear the color arancia here):

Me amo Le Poste Italiane macchine (the Italian postal system cars, or should I say clown car mobiles). They actually deliver mail in these things. No wonder it typically takes forever to receive mail; they can't fit all of it! And big packages, now just forget it. There is a trunk that holds the mail:

E me amo to see Italian kids walking home from la scuola media (middle school), some with their outgoing D&G polos and fashionable jeans, some wearing insecurities in their sweatshirts and Converse, but all with a style to call their own. It reminds me of 1) how much I miss working with this population (Shout out to Gordon College La Vida Adventure Camp, both kids and staff of past, present and future summers!); 2) how malleable these kids are as they try to figure out their identities; and 3), how even though their language is different, ancora chiacchierano (they're still chatting/making small talk), and gossiping about the same things, like who likes who, and what their teachers said that day, and homework, and always what they're so excited about doing next =).

These few things above I've noticed don't really tell you (or me for that matter) all that much about Perugia. They are interesting notes, sure. But I've realized that I've piano piano-ed long enough now. I've taken my time getting used to the piccolissimo part of this city in centro I see everyday, and now it's time to explore beyond my schema's tiny borders. Part of me wishes I could have seen more already, but cicia. That's my new favorite word thanks to my new absolutely awesome Italian roommate (Shout out to Valentina!) :). It's definitely not standard Italian, I'm almost positive on that, but it basically means 'whatever; no worries' and it meshes perfectly with the piano piano mentality I've adopted :).

Anyway, Valentina helped me realize that I basically know nothing about Perugia. And that's a comforting thought, let me assure you. It took a while, but I'm finally realizing that (in a Bob Barker Price is Right voice, of course) WAIT, THERE'S MORE! YOU'VE WON A NEW CAR ADVENTURE AHEAD OF YOU!

Woah?! Two+ month vacation in una bellissima città in Umbria? Studying the language and culture? Having the opportunity to see all there is in Perugia, and Umbria, and wherever else your time off and attainable bucket list might take you?


And then it really hit me:

I'm already here.
I'm actually doing this.
So what am I waiting for?
There's so much more!


I just received an guide to the Umbria region in the mail (Shout out to my mom) and it wouldn't hurt to play tourist at all. Now I'm certainly not going to rush through anything, because then I would be disrespecting this piano piano business. But maybe if I mush 85 parts piano piano with 15 parts Amurrican efficiency that I'm sure I can conjure up, I might have a solid chance at seeing most of what I want by 16 dicembre.

I still really miss and have a greater appreciation now for Beverly and Plymouth, my centers of which the world obviously revolves around because I say they do. But I'm ready to play piano all over Perugia and it's grander (country of) Italy counterpart.

One more thing. Perugia really is cooler now. I took a one month A2 level (language, obviously) course in September and just moved up to B1 for the remaining time I'm here (the levels go as follows: A1, A2 for beginners; B1, B2 for intermediate; C1, C2 for advanced/mastery). I'm happy with where I'm at :). Perhaps this is why Perugia is cooler. The place itself certainly hasn't changed. But I guess I have, improved at least. In terms of language, when I exert the energy, I can understand a great deal of what people are saying. Already I understand almost everything said in class because the professors tend to speak clearly and excentuate their points. And as one of my roommates (that already left ]= ) pointed out, Italians really do use a couple guttural noises as words. My landlord did it today. I probably laughed a little too much, but cicia ;). I'd also say I've gotten a bit more comfortable with the general way of life here. I even met some nice Italians, both ragazze (girls/ young adult women) and even ragazzi (in this case, boys/ young adult men, but it can also mean a mixed crowd). Not all of them are sketchy and desperate balding old men, or way-too-touchy drunkards all up in my grill. Good to know :). So I guess what really has improved is my schema and perception of Perugia more than anything else. I guess I'll take that. Piano piano.

Ci vediamo.

Pace/Paz/Peace,
Haley

In Bocca al Lupo/ Buena Suerte/ Break a Leg

Sounds like 'inboccaloo' in Italian, wicked freaking fast. And literally, it means "In the mouth of the wolf." I'm not sure about the etymology of the phrase, but neither am I certain of the origins of many English (American) sayings, like "It's raining cats and dogs" (I heard once, but I forget...), or even "Break a leg." Regardless, "in bocca al lupo" is a common saying here in Italy used to wish someone good luck (also "buona fortuna").

Luck, if you want to call it that, has been on my side, as mentioned in my last post. But this post isn't so much about luck as it is about an update on culture here.

Lesson 1: If you want to cross the street, look both ways, even if you are right behind someone who already looked both ways. You might almost get pummeled by un moto (motorcyle) and have a near death experience. When this experience happens, don't panic; remember your zen. Glad I had it (thank you yoga). I learned this my first night in Perugia and didn't post it before because I didn't want my mommy to worry :). It's okay; I won't ever do it again. I'm afraid of Perugian traffic now (if you think it's irrational, there was also a fender bender six inches behind me while I was walking on the 'sidewalk').

Lesson 2: Don't talk to, or even make eye contact with, random Italian men on the street. They might start talking to you, and sucking you in to talking back and feeling uncomfortable. Italian women are infamous for being 'cold' and completely ignoring everything around them, especially needy ragazzi e uomini (guys and men), while walking through the city. Vecchi uomini (old men, middle aged rather) will stop you and your friend and try to make conversation:

"You are from Gli Stati Uniti? In level A2 all'Università per Stranieri?" Blah blah blah... ten minutes later when they still won't let you walk away:
Sketchy Balding Old Guy Getting A Bit Too Touchy: Haley, when can I see you again?"
Me Backing Up And Looking Away: "Oh, you know, maybe if I walk by you or something."

Say, we're in ritardo (late). No I don't want to go around that dark corner with you at night 'to see the view' (sends desperate look towards roommate who is stuck with un altro uomo).
My Roommate: Say, sorry guys, we're in ritardo. Yeah, we gotta go. See you later.
Me in My Head: HALLELUJAH!!!
Me for Realsies: Exhales.

Point: Walk like a n Egyptian Perugian woman. At all times. Even if you want to "go all Feminism on their asses" when people tell you not to walk alone at night or to walk with a guy friend, it's not worth it. Freedom and equality are too high a need on Maslow's hierarchy (Shout out to Jenn and P...psych!) to worry about when the safety-first need is threatening to give you a myocardial infarction (Shout out to Sabrina Salmela and Nicole Reynolds, biology/pathology/kinesiology nerds). Yes, that does mean 'heart attack' to normal people.


Lesson 3: Shhhhh! The syllabus is a secret. You don't really need to know what is expected of you in class, what you will be covering, or even how to get there. Just follow along blindly and trust the professori italiani to do what they do. Want to see the (plausible) method to the (absolute) madness in the classroom? Go to Francesco at Umbra. Don't count on Stranieri (che strano...how strange...).

If you are a teacher or you are an Education major, listen up: DO NOT TAKE TEACHING TIPS FROM ITALIANS. They are still stuck in the lecture-style-only past. They don't come around and see if you get it. If you do get it and are bored to tears, they don't give you something to move on to. There isn't all that much interaction (except in my favorite class here, Esercitazioni Orali). They don't frame lessons (they flip through and see what the book has in store for the day). They don't tell you what you're doing and you can't guess why. Yes, you do learn Italian. But really, you learn about Italians. Keep on exhaling the frustration. You're not in Amurrica anymore, Toto. The only red shoes you have are time and a plane ticket home (but it goes to Germany first; no complaints here, though!).
Allora, if you can't beat them (and you can't...), then call them dumb eyetalians to your blog, sing some Float On and Three Little Birds, be freakin' Amurrican (damnit!) and look like it too, and remember what you're here for:

To live outside your comfort zone, and stay there for a while.
To figure out how to make order out of chaos.
To see chaos as what it is (just a B+ instead of an A-; just a normal pace instead of too much too fast).
I stole this quote from Liv (she found it first): "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -Neale Donald Walsch

I love this quote, because yes, it is exactly what I'm talking about. But I also love it because the main reasons I'm here are simply, well, to live and to learn. Period. Uber straightforward contexts; nothing incognito at all. And whether it be by studying, or daily living, or even luck, I am learning and will continue to learn.


Okay, but as you may have guessed by now, Perugia isn't like a palace or the Walgreens commercial about the town of 'Perfect' to me. I hated Perugia the first two nights I was here (severe culture shock and Lessons 1-2). I hated it today in class (frustration, culture shock and Lesson 3). But hey, lessons were learned. And I guess even though I'm not skipping through the prairie with daisies while smiling at all the spedcial things about dumb eyetalians, I am conscious of the fact that I am--in this moment--realizing my goals.

I'm not saying I hate it here, or even that I don't like it here in general. It's just different. I like experiencing different because, well, it's just different. The beauties of this place will be in the next post (promise).

But finally for now, I'd like to say that life is sometimes like a box of Perugian chocolates: Some may taste like miracles while others might have yucky stuff in the middle, but after you try them, you'll know which ones to eat again tomorrow (Shout out to Forrest Gump.... He's real. Don't hate.).

Pace/Paz/Peace,
Haley

Essere Qui Adesso/ Estare Aquí Ahora/ Be Here Now

Ciao! So I've been in Italia for almost two weeks now, and I finally have time to sit down and write about it. First of all, I am SO glad I came early. I definitely utilized that time to adjust to new surroundings and start picking up on cultural nuances, and of course, la lingua (language).

I had the opportunity to stay in and explore the city of Gaeta on my own for a week (south of Italy, right on the coast) before coming to Perugia, and I actually liked it that way. There was no one I knew or cared about around to tell me I was speaking incorrectly or whatever, so I felt pretty comfortable giving it a go. I definitely had and still have a conscious awareness of the surrounding language, meaning I am always trying to pick up lessons from how others are using the language I overhear (eavesdropping and snooping are two of my favorite activities...so guilty there).

Now that I arrived in Perugia (a few mornings ago; anticlimatic), I have already noticed, however, that there is something different about the speech here than in Gaeta. I'm not sure I can quite pinpoint it, though. I have noticed that culture wise, there is a LOT more diversity here in Perugia than in Gaeta. Also I'd say it seems like more people speak English here than in Gaeta, but that may or may not be true. I may just be noticing that Perugia seems bigger and more populous, because I'm pretty sure it is. Definitely more of a 'city.' I'd call Gaeta a Beverly, Mass because it's right on the cost, it has it's downtown area, and then it has its houses set back a bit from the main strip. <Special shout out to downtown Bev goes here. Perugia is kind of like if Plymouth State and its scenic mountains views were hills all over instead, and the climb to Prospect from D&M was twice as long, one fourth as wide, and surrounded by old Italian buildings. oh, and every place you want to go is a hill, including but not limited to: Prospect to the HUB (uphill), the HUB to ML (downhill), Hall Hall to Belknap (uphill), etc. etc. Oh, except this version of Plymouth is also a hybrid between Manchester, NH and Boston in terms of city-ness. <Shout out to PState goes here. I bet the old ladies are even in shape from all the hills they have to walk everyday just to get to the freakin' supermercato or bar (two kinds of these; one serves cappuccini, the other serves alcohol. I'm guessing the old ladies would be at the first, but there's a first time for everything).

But back to the first week of my trip (Gaeta). Here are some highlights:

• Ordering a beer in the Dublin airport. It was an Italian beer (Peroni), not an Irish beer, and it wasn't a pint. But it was still cool even though I didn't have time to drink it because we were boarding right after I bought it. But still.
• Meeting Fabian Wood, who greeted me with a sign with my name on it (I felt special) in Naples after my flight. He and a friend of his drove me to the U.S. Navy base in Naples where I spent my first day. Side note to all: Navy bases are not intimidating once you get past the guard in his ocean-blue camo suit. No my friends, your tax dollars go to (in the tone of the little green aliens from Toy Story): THE MALL. At least the part I was in, the 'base' consisted of a commissary store where you can buy wicked cheap American groceries, and basically a glorified Walmart, except the things you buy probably won't break in two weeks. And a food court and cellphone store, etc. It was sweet. I bought my first smart phone from Vodafone (Android network) on the base. For my entire week in Gaeta, it was my lifeline for navigation, places to eat and shop, contact back home, Italian translation, Celsius-to-Fahrenheit converter, and so much more! (Insert infomercial). I'm glad I got it on day one.
• Learning bad words in Italian that I don't remember (thank you, Fabian). Also, realizing that all Italians know how to drop F-bombs in English, even if they don't know any English (Fabian is half American, so he knows them all).
• Meeting Maria Sortino, a friend of my uncle Chris that oh so kindly let me stay in the apartment she keeps above her own home, for free, all by myself! The view from the little terrace coming out from the bedroom was amazing. I could see the sea :). She was busy working all week, but I am extremely thankful for her hospitality. If it wasn't for her, I would have had to wait a whole 'nother week to get to Italia, and my patience only goes so far...
• Learning not to go shopping during la siesta (1PM-5PM) because absolutely nothing will be open, not even la farmacia (yep, you guessed the cognate: pharmacy). (In Perugia, however, la pausa only lasts until 4PM and some things remain open. Apparently the more south you go, the less often stores are open. Regardless, the word difference describing the break in the middle of the day from south to central Italy is noteworthy).
• Trying to walk like an Egyptian Italian, and talk like one too. I've definitely fooled a few people with the walk, but as Richard, my Italian tutor over the summer had predicted, the second I open my mouth to speak, my American pops out. The other day in Perugia, a tourist couple asked me a question in italiano about a museum I had just walked out of (not that cool). I said, "uh, che?" to which they immediately looked at each other, said "no," and walked away. Damnit, I would've tried! Can't we just try to negotiate meaning? Ask the question one more time? I have a hell of a lot of Italian in my blood so I'm good and using my hands. Parla italspanglish? No? Okay =(. I just want to learn Italian!
• Darkening up (well, trying to). In Gaeta, I was extremely conscious that I was the whitest one in the entire city. So, I went tanning on the beach all of one time =).   I was still the palest one on the beach. Whatevskis, my people are from the North (Pescara, Abruzzo).Oh, and as I was laying out on the beach all of one time, I was silently snickering to myself at the song I created in my head to describe Italian beach-goers. You must sing it to the tune of "Do Your Ears Hang Low": Do your rolls hang low, do they wobble to and fro? Can you scrunch 'em up in bunches, can you shake 'em like jello? Can you throw 'em over your shoulder and be proud of all that pasta? Do your rolls hang low?

Now about that ^. Ridiculousness aside, I find it admirable that men and women just let it be without any anxiety of their appearance in public. Their perception of modesty definitely does not mirror that of the American tradition (but hey, that was just a Dream anyway <Shout out to Paul Rogalus goes here), but that could just be because we are all afraid of being anything but anorexic in front of everyone (wait...we're afraid of that too).  But in the south of Italia, there's bikinis and Speedos for all! (Well, some short shorts for guys). Their lack of concern is again, definitely admirable, and also, um, hard to look away from when a hunky regazzo struts by in what I can only describe as a 'masculine' version of  low rise bikini bottoms, crack-attack and all.

Finally for now, I'd like to end by saying karma has been on my side. Things have worked out when I've needed them to, and I've been able to be patient with the few annoyances and culture shockage (is this relatable for you? <Shout out to Liz Ahl goes here =P Yes I know that's not a word).

I'm not sure why, but perhaps to pay my karma forward, I gave a male beggar in la piazza ten pounds of excess luggage I didn't want to carry to Perugia so he could sell my stuff and hopefully get some money for food. But I was especially affected by a homeless old lady asking for change in the same piazza a day earlier. I took out a box of granola bars I had just bought and gave them to her. She was extremely gracious. It made me feel slightly appalled that in the States, if you give a homeless person some food in Cambridge during the National Poetry Slam, as did a good samaritan poet/emcee by the name of Michael DiTomasso (obvious shout out...), the down-and-out group may consider robbing you for drug money. But here, people are gracious for what you go not so out of your way to give. Pay it forward around the world. I still wear that bracelet, not because I'm trying to earn good karma, but because it makes me happy to see poor old ladies find joy in a box of granola bars. She could have been la mia nonna (my grandmother). Nonna, why must you beg? You sit there with your sign up, hands out, you are old. Vecchio. I think you are hungry for justice, or maybe just something from il supermercato. Here you go, nonna. Prego. Take my kiss blown your way. I'll keep your smile for collateral until you remind me of all the crumbs of memories that make you happy. Gratzie, nonna. Grazie. (<Shout out to Kristen Russell here just because I'm thinking of you and how we would read this in a ridonculous voice in the Poets office and would find ways to make fun of it)

Finally for real, in Gaeta, I was living in the present. Be here now. It's a solid mantra I've always tried to keep, and often lost and found and lost and found again. Now in Perugia, the culture and the language are also constantly here, as I am trying to be. I'm floating onwards towards adapting to this city, one day at a time. I don't like the nonexistence of mattress pads, or sheets with a thread count of two, or only small backpacks sold which are made for a smaller culture, or the additional nonexistence of yoga mats and dryer sheets. But hey, I love this opportunity (mi amo), this experience of me scaring the shit out of myself on purpose, and consciously living outside of my comfort zone. I'm here to learn, and I plan to keep doing that everyday, just like always =). (<Shout outs here to Liv, Savy and P... I miss you!)

Pace/Paz/Peace,
Haley

L'Inizio/ El Principio/ The Beginning

Ciao! Sono Haley.
Soy una estudiante en Plymouth State University de New Hampshire.
I'm an English major seeking a minor in Applied Linguistics as well as Professional Communication, and:


In less than one month I will embark on my most epic Italian adventure--ever. I'm doing the full-immersion Italian language and culture program in Perugia, Italy at the Umbra Institue/ L'Università per Stranieri (University for Foreigners). It has been six years since I first encountered the country in the flesh on a trip with la mia madre, and probably fifteen years since I first wanted to learn the language most connected to my roots (always been a dreamer!).

Growing up I studied Spanish because I never had the opportunity (until now!) to study Italian in school. I studied Spanish in school since I was about twelve, although I wouldn't really say I got much out of it until high school, where I got all the way through Spanish 4 (though not with flying colors).


Now here I am, a native speaker of American English, studying Italian with a tutor a couple times a week since late May or perhaps early June. So why does this matter? Well, as a student with an interest in language and linguistics, I can tell you this: Holy interference!! In two and a half months I have successfully learned Italspanglish. English isn't really the problem, but since Italian is so close to Spanish, it creates a great deal of confusion sometimes, especially with vocabulary. Pretty much every time I am searching for a word in Italian, (pencil...pencil...) and cannot come up with it (la matita), I fall back on Spanish (el lápiz). Most of the time it is more amusing than it is frustrating, but I attribute my attitude on the subject to the fact that I don't feel too stressed while studying because it is only me, or it is only me and my tutor. If I were in a typical class with more students, I would definitely feel more hesitant to answer, for fear I might answer in Italspanglish.

I will point out that Spanish has helped me recognize Italian words or structures being so close and all, so I am happy to have had such a long history of studying it, even though much has been forgotten. I'm glad I remember the general grammar parts =].


Back to the present, I feel confident I am at least making progress in my elementary study of Italian. Hopefully after I arrive on August 24 my language skills will begin to climb along with my memory to update the status of my progress =].

Welcome to my journey  through language, culture, roots, and goals finally tackled ;).


Pace/Paz/Peace,
Haley