When I traveled to Italy in 2005 it was only as part of a short 2.5 week trip to Europe (paid for with money saved from selling Girl Scout cookies in high school - the embarrassment of being an 18 year old Girl Scout was erased as soon as I stepped off the plane in Paris). I attribute my prioritization of travel to that trip, because it was my first real taste of travel abroad (we can all agree Canada doesn't really count, right? ; P) At the time I had been studying Italian for two years, mostly due to my opera aspirations and a taste for risotto, gnocchi, lasagna...you get the idea. It was intoxicating to be able to communicate in a language other than my own, even poorly, and the whole Eurotrip was unbelievably wonderful. I was so tempted to just miss our flight out of Roma, and to stay and try to find a way to live in Italy. But college was calling and the cookie money was running out. I vowed to return and couldn't be happier to have achieved that goal :)
Bologna is an old city. Very old. It is home to the oldest (secular) university in Europe, dating back to the eleventh century. My first impressions, however, were disturbed by the weight of our luggage and of not having a place to stay at first. The city, therefore, seemed uninviting at first - the graffiti and dilapidated buildings which I now see as giving a kind of character to the city at first seemed to be simply indicative of the dirtiness and possible unwillingness or inability of the city government to take care of its business. Once we found a place to stay - with a great flatmate who has welcomed us and made us feel at home with him, his house, and his friends - the city seemed to open up as well, showing itself to be more inviting than at first glance.
From the get go the majority of people here were kind, welcoming, helpful, and warm. It has been a joy to hear Italian and to understand much of what is said, though all too often when I open my mouth I feel suddenly terrified and unsure of the words I have practiced over and over in my head. Sometimes it comes easily enough, though full of error. Other times I let my anxiety get the best of me and completely mess up what I'm trying to say, stuttering and stumbling through vocabulary that I know but don't trust my instincts - and sometimes I take the easy way out and speak English...Being here makes me wish I could stay much longer, or return, in order to really earn a level of proficiency through lots of trial and error and dedicated practice. I bought a novel in Italian yesterday, and used some news articles in Italian for a recent paper...hopefully with time, even if I can't be here, I'll be able to improve quite a bit.
I have taken photos of the city, but unfortunately I don't have my camera cord along on the trip to upload them yet. But to give you an idea of what it looks like here - right now - just watch this beautiful video I came across (credit to SebSeb on vimeo), showing the snowstorm from earlier this week. You can watch it below, or use the link above.
The city basically shut down - the uni closed for a week, as have many offices, museums, etc. It has been beautiful, but cold, and it is becoming a nuisance - and a dangerous one at that. The streets are often marble, which gets very slippery and the ice and snow haven't been cleared away in most places, so walking is a pain. The last two days the city has worked to clear the huge icicles hanging from buildings so that they don't fall on people. So it has been an unexpectedly cold and snowy trip in Italy, but nevertheless I am thrilled to be here with by travel buddy, meeting great new people...and experiencing an Italian snow emergency!
I'll be here for another week before heading to Paris, and then I'll be in Paris for a week before heading back to Prague. I hope that my friends and family all over are staying warm despite the cold fronts which seem to be hitting all over the world right now. <3
Kendra, I still often feel that way about speaking Italian...often rehearsing in my head, scared of making mistakes I "should know better" than to make. I don't think it ever goes away, but it is always worth the effort. :)
ReplyDeleteDivertiti e stammi bene!
Rachel