Musings on Life, Work, and Love
Medieval Rugby guard
In case there was any doubt, I’m really enjoying this trip. Every day I have a new adventure, some big some small. On Tuesday I had three adventures in the same day. (So maybe I’m having trouble staying on a publishing schedule…)
Here were my adventures:
Italian Medieval Rugby Continue Reading →
Practicing my Italian with an audience
What’s the best way to learn another language? The answer must be move to a country that speaks it. (Otherwise this trip was a very bad idea.) Then you just soak up the sounds through osmosis while sipping Mai Tais or Mojitos or Belline. (I’m claiming that as the plural of Bellini.)
Not a bellini, but still delicious…
Except our brains are lazy. They are very good at resisting any new skills that aren’t absolutely necessary. And it’s certainly possible to get by in most foreign countries using English and hand gestures.
So if I’m going to become fluent in three months I’m going to need a plan and discipline. (Though I really wish I could learn by drinking those Belline. I hate discipline.) But it’s not going to be classes or Rosetta Stone software or even a top-secret computer program to beam the language directly into my brain, code-named The Intersect. (Very tempting, though. Especially if I get to work with Sarah Walker.)
No, I’m going to hack my way into the language. And if you want to play along at home, you can do this too.
Summary
I’m counting this as my first entry in my Italian Language Log. The first step is to state my goal for the language. I want to be able to:
Mmm…Chocolate Salami
What fascinates me about languages is the complete differentness of them all. As the great linguist Steve Martin once said about the French, “They have a different word for everything!” I have a collector personality, so I want one of each of them. (“Get your first foreign language today, collect all 7,000!”). 1
Highlights (for those who don’t feel like reading the whole thing):
It’s not a secret that I’m fluent in French, pretty good in Spanish, and have dabbled in Portuguese, Italian, German, Greek, Turkish, Bengali, and Fon. (Yeah, that last one is a real language, spoken by about 2 million people in Africa and 25 returned peace corps volunteers when they’ve had too much to drink and start to reminisce about showing up at an African market and freaking out the locals with their authentic accents.) 2
Basilica Santa Croce (Holy Cross)
It only took a week for me to find my places in Florence.
In California I had my winery, my dance hall, and my pizza shop. Now I’m in Florence and I have my piazza (square), my cafe, and my pizza shop. Yes, good pizza is something I take great delight in.
I picked an apartment near the Piazza Santa Croce, whose basilica was begun in 1294 and finished in 1442. It’s huge and gorgeous, built with green, white, and pink marble. There’s a great big square in front of it, which is nice to hang out in when it’s sunny. I like to sit on a bench and study Italian grammar out in the fresh air. As an extrovert, the tourists milling around turn out to be very energizing.
There’s a Chocolate Fair this week!
My goal for the first 90 days is to learn to speak Italian. A few days ago I kept feeling I was going to fail at it. I was spending time on other activities, besides studying or speaking. I went walking. I took long lunches. I played computer games. It seemed like I wasn’t taking this mission seriously and I would have nothing to show for my three months in Italy. Which also meant I would fail at Japanese and German (of course). And the rest of my life really (just a logical conclusion).
Lunch in front of the Palazzo Vecchio
Then I realized I’d only been here for three nights. I had to catch up on sleep, fight jet lag, find an ATM, a grocery store, a cell phone plan, and a library card (of course). So I told myself to chill. Just allow enough fear to motivate me to focus.
I’m in Florence, in a beautiful apartment with all of life’s essentials: water, heat, and WiFi. It’s been a bumpy ride since Saturday. I moved out of my apartment, flew to Italy via Philly, and got moved in to my apartment.
Saturday was a disaster. I alternated between three scenarios of certain doom. The first was that I would have to miss my flight because I would not get everything done. The second was that I would lose a bunch of money by forfeiting my security deposit or having to pay someone to clean my apartment. The third was that I would lose a bunch of money and still miss my flight. I spent the entire afternoon cursing.
Leonard Bernstein said “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time” I’m not sure I really had a plan. But with the help of several people I was able to pack my bags, store the most important things I wasn’t taking, and give away the rest. Thank you – you know who you are.
Clos LaChance Winery
In seven days I leave California. For 15 years I’ve been visiting the bay area, and I’ve called it home for the last five. Every year I’ve found a new restaurant or destination to savor. And soon I will have my last time at each of them. If I haven’t already.
Here are a few that mean the most to me.
Saddle Rack country dance club in Fremont
I found this place about a year ago. It’s my Friday night destination. I burn some calories. I show off my dance moves. I learn new ones. I practice flirting. I’ve made friends. I’ve gone on dates with some of them. My last visit will be next Friday.
Clos LaChance winery in San Martin
I’ve been a member for a year. The setting is gorgeous, the wine is delicious, and the staff is delightful. Bring a picnic of fine cheeses, olives, and salami to pair with the wine and share over conversation with a group of friends outdoors. Every time has been amazing. My last visit: this past Monday.
This month is going by way too fast! I have too many things left to do! Everyone asks if I’m excited…the truth is I’m panicking! (Then going into denial. Then panicking. Then…)
Way, way back right after Christmas I still had five weeks to get ready. It seemed like plenty of time. No worries at all. Now I’m freaking out! Where did the time go? Why didn’t I get more done over the last two weeks?! Oh, yeah, it’s cause I downplay the urgency and spend too much time having fun instead.
Here’s what I have to do before I leave. No problem. It’ll be easy. (Yeah, sure. Right.)
Welcome to marcuschance.com! I’m taking a leave of absence at the end of January to travel the world and learn three languages. See the about page for more details.
Expect lots of changes to the site while I figure out what I’m doing.
Marcus