No parlo Italiano

2nd period Japanese:

Ohayou gozaimasu Craig (ku-re-gu) sensei! I had taken three years of Japanese prior to entering my fourth year in Sophomore year of high school. After greeting and bowing to commence class, we soon progressed into daily language activities. This included Craig sensei telling us a story in Japanese for us to translate and write down. Today's story was a fairy tale about a farmer, or something similar. At one point she paused after an unfamiliar word (gokiburi) and proceeded to ask us if anyone knew what this word meant. Without hesitation I shouted "Cockroach!" across the room. This was correct. Craig sensei, whose English was subpar at best, smiled at me condescendingly, illiciting laughter from the classroom. "This he knows," sensei gestured to the class. "Perhaps you try this hard for other words..."

So this is pretty much a summary of my experience in foreign language. After 4 years of Japanese, I was barely conversational. This was most likely due to three factors. One: I did not like Craig sensei. Two: foreign languages have always befuddled me because English rules are so ingrained. And Three: I never applied myself as perhaps I should have. After two days of Italian instruction, two out of the three of these factors have already disappeared. I like our instructor Francesca. Although she speaks only in Italian, I am able to understand much from her demeanor and body language. In terms of Italian application, there is no choice this time. Surrounded by it constantly, Francesca speaks to us only in Italian, thereby forcing comprehension on some level. This leaves only one problem.

I've said this many times but I pride myself most on my ability to articulate what I am feeling at any given moment. The catch? I can only do it in English. Now surrounded by a society where English is a handy tool, not the prominent language, my skills in articulation are hung out to dry. Interacting with Italians and while in class, my lack of language skill has left me frustrated and embarrassed. I know exposing myself and taking chances are a direct prerequisite to linguistic success but I hate the perceived devolution in my intellect. But even in the first few days I have witnessed a slow expansion in comprehension. This, unlike the uncomfort associated with language, is a new feeling, singular to my experience with Italian. It's important to me that I learn how to harness this singularity and grasp the unique opportunity that's been handed to me by Pitzer College.

This is my goal for the next few weeks.