Taking Italian lessons never really entered my mind the last time we moved to Florence. To be totally honest with you nothing much entered my mind except sleep, Thomas the tank engine, sleep and what can we eat?
It’s quite funny looking back at your life and seeing what was most important to you at that stage. I was a stay-at-home-mum thinking I had to play with my 3-year-old whenever he demanded otherwise I wouldn’t have been a very loving mother (I can hear you all laughing, I know!). In my mind I was thinking…..
‘If I have to push around one more train I think I will go bonkers’ or ‘please dear god, not another light saber battle….geez I wish the baby would wake up so I could have an excuse.’
Going to Italian lessons wasn’t even on the rector scale especially with two young kids and no babysitter, so I blundered through and felt terrible that I couldn’t even put a sentence together when the Nona’s use to come and ask me
a ) are they my children?
b) are they boys or girls? and c) Where are you from?
It took me about two weeks of constant repetition (thank god old people are patient!) before I worked out what they were asking me and it took me another two weeks to remember what to recite back!
I figured there must be an easier way this time, so the boys and I enrolled in a local Italian class a few weeks ago to see if we could familiarise ourselves with a few common Italian words.
Max seems to be enjoying the experience and feels confident he will be fine as he can ‘totally have a conversation…it’s not that hard’ – the kid knows how to say hello, what is your name and a list of animals in Italian, I wish I had his confidence!
Alex and I both struggle with the speaking aspect. We are embarrassed about how we sound and I never seem to say the right word at the right time (I’ll say where instead of how!). To say I’m not much better off than before would be an understatement. Just last week my Italian teacher said she would love to be a fly on the wall watching me in Italy…..I said me too!
Two more weeks of lessons to go, 5 weeks until we fly across the sea and a year to work out the language…..you never know, by the end of this trip I may even be able to write a small paragraph in Italian but don’t hold your breath.
I think I was thinking about sleep here, not Italian lessons
Italy Take Two 
Keep at it Camilla, it will get easier! I spent all last year learning Italian at uni which moves at a very fast pace and I’ll continue with it next year but I love learning languages so that might make it easier. I’d love to hear how the locals react to your attempts at speaking it! Maybe you should focus your efforts on the language of the food – you’ll have an incentive then!
I’m curious to know how your boys will go at school – I assume it will all be in Italian. What an amazing experience for them! Good luck!
Good luck! Once you are immersed it will come easily. TV and magazines are great for improving your understanding, you pick up vocabulary and expressions without even realising.
That’s the best thing I could hear- thank you!
And if you need any pickers around harvest season I’d love to help!
I’m glad I have come across your blog, what a great way to live.
Thank you! It’s not all easy – adjusting to a new culture (for me), language and way of life brings many challenges but I have no regrets.
I would love to learn Italian and get immersed in the country! That’s what my foodie friend in Parma did…and she never left! My son will finally graduate from college in December and he has had 2 years of Italian, I told him I would take him on a mother son trip there……we’ll see!
Well I think you should defiantly have a mother son trip! I actually enjoy going to lessons, my mind however is a bit whoopsy!!