L’inizio

Sitting at the table with my Nonna, flipping through pages of “My First Italian Dictionary” was the first formal Italian instruction I received. Of course, I had heard the Sicilian - American, Brooklynese Italian that was spoken by the generations before me at every family function. My grandma explained that the Italian she knew and what was taught in that book were two totally different languages.  I flipped through the book with interest, but it ended up on a shelf somewhere. And unless you count the Andrea Bocelli that blasted during the hours she cleaned each week, I hadn’t been exposed to “true Italian“ until studying in school.  

Once I took classes, I felt an instant connection to the language and the culture. I dreamt in Italian, I repeated phrases while doing chores or exercising, I could not get Italian out of my mind. I studied and studied. I was determined to get to there, no matter what it took. I had plans for two trips that ended up getting canceled and my heart was broken. I felt I would never get to Italy and felt a part of me was missing although I had never been there before. 

I continued to study, speak, watch Italian TV and whatever other methods I could find to immerse myself in the language. An opportunity finally arose while in college and I signed up to a semester abroad. My dad had a great idea to send me two weeks ahead of the semester. That meant two weeks alone, where would I spend it? The Amalfi Coast of course! With 75 pounds of luggage (no joke) I remember getting off the bus, lost, confused, the sun going down and nobody to help me figure out where to go… 

I remember saying to myself, I hate this, never again just as a cab driver saw me crying and offered to help me find my hotel.

I woke up the next morning, sun shining and the Tyrrhenian Sea as mesmerizing as every photo I had ever seen. My feelings from the night prior were instantly forgotten & I had later come to find out all the rookie mistakes I made lead me to those feelings. ( I share what mistakes to avoid in a later post). I ate breakfast on the terrace, enjoyed a freshly brewed cappuccino… I had no idea how my life would forever change; this was just the beginning.