Living

Today my computer officially started directing me to google Italia instead of american google for some reason. I have google as my home page when I log into safari, my internet browser, and today, miraculously, I got "cerca con google" and "mi sento fortunato" instead of "google search" and "I'm feeling lucky." I don't know why my computer decided that today I would be totally immersed in italian, but it felt natural with the way today unfolded, so I went with it.

As I was walking around the streets today doing my errands, I was remembering how confused and nervous I felt in my first days here. And only 30 days later, I feel totally comfortable going in places I've never been and talking to people I don't know in Italian. I went to a different grocery store than I normally go to (my regular store was closed because it's.....wednesday. I have no idea.) and wasn't afraid to go up to the deli counter and ask the woman for a slice of pancetta and explain what it was for so she would know how thick to cut it. I understood at the counter when I was paying that I had to ask for a bag and that he wanted me to give him a one euro coin so he could give me a 5 euro note for change. I knew that prezzemolo was parsley and succo di pompelmo was grapefruit juice. Sometimes I just get so proud of myself for learning anything at all - and then I have a conversation with my swiss friend who speaks four languages fluently and it puts my ego right back in check. But then I had a leisurely lunch and spent the afternoon shopping with the other mezzo in my cast, who speaks no english, and was again amazed that only a month ago I could barely put a phrase together in italian, and now I can actually spend all afternoon with a person who only speaks italian and we can talk about stage fright, mean conductors, ex-boyfriends, and opera careers, and can actually get to know each other. I feel both tremendously excited about everything I've learned, and more determined than ever to attain fluency in this language. It's going to take A LOT more studying of verb forms (today my italian friend laughed at me because I actually stopped walking and said "wait - I want to use a gerund right now"). But I'm so happy that I have spent this time here. Mi sento fortunato.