My Italian practices are continuing to go well, and I am proud that I have been able to keep my momentum. I do not think, however, that I will be able to finish Duolingo by the end of this class. I did not look at the amount of lessons when I set this goal, which is silly of me, but there happens to be a vast array of lessons. This is fantastic, but it is unrealistic to say I will finish them since it is an entire language I am attempting to learn.

A few days ago, a woman came into my work, and I discovered that she speaks Italian while we were chatting. We tried to speak, and I could understand her, but my spoken Italian was not great. I always find myself wanting to respond in French, which I know much better than Italian. She suggested an Italian own bakery in town, so perhaps I will pay the owner a visit, using my Italian as an excuse… I also am currently studying a song from my Italian playlist, which is very interesting, but still in the works.

There is a potential wrench trying to fling itself into my plans regarding this inquiry, and it is called Coronavirus. I am trying to stay positive, but there have been outbreaks in Italy, and flights cancelled due to this relentless ailment. This may force my family to cancel our trip, which would be incredibly disappointing for myself as well as my family. We have talked about postponing and going somewhere else, but I won’t likely be able to use my hard-earned Italian skills. I plan to continue my studies in hopes of having a purpose for them soon, but my family’s safety is paramount in this situation. Regardless of the outcome, I will be grateful for this experience, and hope to take this skill far.

Manarola, Italy

Photo by Jack Ward on Unsplash

Italy, I don’t know you yet, but I want to…