Renée
"Booooooh, Viviana!! Next time you come in Italy, you speak Italian, eh!' I have been studying Italian for 2 years now. Besides the fact that I think Italian is the most beautiful language on the planet, it was about time after that endless series of trips to Italy. So did my Italian friends. So I went looking for Italian lessons.
Distracted
I started with group lessons at a small school in the center of Amsterdam. Good classes, but after the first 'espresso course', I decided to stop. I can't concentrate well in a group. I hear a bird chirping and I am immediately completely distracted.
Woman
Through a friend of mine from Rome I came into contact with an Italian womens from Rome, married to a Dutch man and living in Amsterdam. We had some telephone contact and agreed that I would take a one-on-one lesson. I was so pleased her flexibility. We agreed on a good price and she came to teach me at home, couldn't be better!
Coffee and Duolingo
She currently has her own office. A student has joined, which is going very well (I am no longer distracted by every bird and there is always a pot of fresh coffee).
I am always happy when I have lessons again. I even do my homework obediently and train Italian words with the Duolingo app. Fantastic app, by the way. The first thing I learned was 'Io sono una scimmia.' that means: I am a monkey. Always good to know!
Less tourist with Italian lesson
Learning a new language is interesting. You learn not only the language, but also about the country, the culture, the people, the customs. Since learning Italian, I feel less of a tourist when I am in Italy.
I remember going to Rome for a few days after the first few lessons and I started to speak Italian all the time. Even if I didn't understand what someone was talking about, I replied with 'Oh ceeeerto! Sì, sì, è vero! Io sono una scimmia! Not always a good idea, but a lot of fun!
In my next column we go back to Lecce!
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