Translation: From your mistakes, you learn. No frustration - it's all ok.
Our teachers told us that Italian saying the other day, and I have to say, I really love it. Many Florentines know English, but they really appreciate it when you at least try to use Italian - and if you make a mistake, it's alright. They politely correct you and commend you on your study of the language. This gives me the confidence to practice everywhere I go. In the San Lorenzo market yesterday, a vendor smiled and asked how long I'd been studying. In the mercato centrale, a young girl started jabbering to me in a tumult of Italian when she thought I understood her, like we were old friends. When I met the women who lives in the apartment below me, she knew enough English and I knew enough Italian that we actually held a decent conversation, and I was so excited I practically danced up the rest of the stairs. Total immersion is truly the best way to learn a language, and I can't believe the progress I've made in such a short time. Last week, our instructor took our class to the market and gave us a list of questions to ask the vendors - in Italian, of course! On Friday, another instructor took us all to a cafe in the morning to practice ordering the world's most delicious pastries in Italian (sfoglietta and bombolone - trust me, they're amazing).
Our class in cafe "Sieni"
Last week, we had an entire day dedicated to learning the importance of gestures in Italian. In the US, we have this stereotype that Italians speak with their hands, with wild and harried gestures emphasizing every word. That's not exactly accurate. Italian is a language in two parts - the spoken language, and the gestures, which are almost as exact as American Sign Language. There are very specific gestures that mean very specific things, and if you do them in the wrong place at the wrong time, well... the consequences can get a little socially awkward. Hence an entire day dedicated to learning them! It was fascinating. I learned how to gesture "we're leaving," "I swear," "good luck," "I don't know," and "Ale!" (important for soccer games).
My class and the best instructors ever, Irene and Francesca
Since my last update, I've taken day trips to Cinque Terre and Pisa. The Cinque Terre are a string of five tiny, colorful villages built right into the cliffs of the Italian Riviera, and I don't think I've ever been to a more beautiful place in my life. Even though it's winter, we got very lucky and the day was sunny and warm. Since it wasn't tourist season, some things were shut down - like the hiking trail that follows the coast and connects the villages. However, off-season proved to be a blessing because the villages were calm, serene, and populated solely with locals. We bought the sweetest clementines at a shop in Manarola, stopped for great gelato in Vernazza, and watched hang gliders land in Monterosso-al-Mare. Although the trail was closed, we found there were still plenty of paths to hike along cliffs and soak in the incredible views. I promised Madeeha, the other student I was traveling with, that I would come back to Cinque Terre someday. I want to take the big hike through all five villages, and maybe then I'll have seen my fill of that beautiful coastline - but probably not.
The following day I traveled to Pisa. Pisa is an underrated little city - there is much more there than the leaning tower. Although the day was dreary, we walked through a small artisan fair that was set up and peeked in a few shops. The duomo and baptistery in Pisa are just as gorgeous as the tower, and the area really deserves it's name - Campo dei Miracoli, or Field of Miracles. Leaving Pisa, I started thinking about tourism in Italy. It's a double-edged sword. Although tourism prevents towns like Pisa from falling victim to the repercussions of a harsh economy, it overloads the city and takes a huge physical toll. Tourism is the largest industry in Italy. Towns like Pisa or Cinque Terre highlight their selling points in desperate attempts to cash in, but at the same time they sacrifice so much of their character to make room for tourists. I realize this seems a little hypocritical, being myself a tourist here. So what do we do? Leave the land untouched, or sacrifice a bit of it so that we can look at something beautiful? I certainly don't have the answer to that - there's a leadership question for you, 203!
Tuttomondo or Whole Wide World by Keith Haring - Pisa
Also in Pisa, I discovered this mural by American artist Keith Haring. Apparently, Haring was commissioned to paint this wall by the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. The mural is called Tuttomondo and was completed in 1989, bringing graffiti art to Italy. Across from the mural is a bar called Keith's, dedicated to the late artist. My guidebook made the following comment about the meaning behind the mural:
"A celebration of diversity, chaos, and the liveliness of our world, vibrating with energy."
Bellisimo, no?
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