Lookin’ real real Italian with my leather journal, translated Picture of Dorian Gray, sparkling water and patterned leggings. Those leggings are strangely popular here right now.
So I’m in Florence, no big deal.
I am finally in a place where internet isn’t like 3 euro for an hour and I can finally get on Tumblr again and hello, Tumblr. I just wanted to tell you how badass I am in case you didn’t know.
A few days ago when we were in Ravenna, we were on the way to a school to learn how to make mosaics when we lost one girl in our group. Eventually both our professors who are here with us went to look for her and left all 14 of us with an Italian woman who taught at the school in question. She spoke very little English. Only four of us are Italian minors, and the artist dude who was supposed to teach us to make mosaics spoke absolutely no English.
Anywho, no big deal but I just TRANSLATED EVERYTHING HE WAS SAYING. OUT LOUD. TO MY CLASSMATES WHO SPEAK NO ITALIAN AT ALL. But I mean, no big deal.
I just feel like since I’ve been here, in a very short time, I’ve realized that I am allowed to say “I speak Italian” instead of just “I study Italian at school.” Like, there have been Italian people who haven’t realized I was American until I say “Non ho capito” and that is amazing to me.
People were definitely more patient in places like Ravenna or Burano, though. In Venice and Florence (so far, although we only arrived today) people working at restaurants and stuff like that seem really annoyed when me and my friends speak Italian. When they look at our clothes and can obviously tell we’re American, they only talk to us in English. We think maybe they assume we only learned a few simple phrases for ordering food and they find that annoying for some reason? But on the island of Burano, there were several shop owners who spoke so little English that we were able to use way more of our Italian vocabulary and show off how well we speak and they seemed super impressed/excited.
I got a dress for 20 euro off the original price they gave me is all I’m saying. When we walked in speaking English, she said it was one thing. Then we talked to her in straight up perfect Italian for 10 minutes and she gave me a better price. I’ve encountered so few other Americans who speak any Italian since we’ve been in the country, I think they take it as a big compliment.
Okay it’s 3:00 am and I’m waking my roommates up with my typing so I’m going to sleep.
