Our March Student of the Month!
Bob took up Italian during the pandemic and has progressed from the Hatchling classes to Chick classes and plans to continue his Italian journey with us. We asked him to give some of his reasons for learning Italian and for some reflections on his Lingo experience so far.
My name is Robert and I live in Glasgow. I guess the only connection to my chosen language is that I have been to Italy a few times and I really enjoyed a TV show called Gomorrah and a few other Italian shows.
When on holiday in Rome I was mesmerised by the language when I attended a mass in the basilica in Rome. I did not understand 99% of what was being said but it sounded wonderful. That experience as well as the people I met when travelling around Italy really sparked my interest.
To say I am cracking on a bit is probably an understatement and while I am still working (the company I work for has offices in Milan), I did want to do something more to keep the grey matter ticking over. Additionally, I wished I knew more so that I could at least communicate with the basics, as I will be returning to Italy at some point. Coincidently I have been invited to a wedding in Verona!
Then the pandemic happened.
Near the end of that debacle I picked up an app that shall remain nameless, but I did learn a few words here and there. However, I knew that to get a wee bit of confidence I would need to do a bit more.
I had considered on-line courses and even a college course but neither of these options seemed like a good fit.
I needed something that would help me to understand the structures of the language a bit more and hopefully raise my confidence, giving me the courage to step outside my comfort zone. My daughter, Emily, who also attends the course, with her husband Nathan, told me about Lingo Flamingo and I decided to give it a go.
I am now in the middle of the Chicks course that started in January, having completed the initial Hatchlings course at the end of 2022. I admit I was worried about attending as I know I would be the top of the age range and was worried that I would hold folk back.
Our lovely and skilful teacher, Elisabeth Muscia, soon put these fears to rest and the course soon became a place to relax, get involved and have a bit of fun, as we discover Italian idioms and travels across Sicily. In my book, this makes for a good learning environment. Mistakes, and there are a lot, are managed well and shared so we all benefit.
The Chicks 2 January course is now underway and Elisabeth is now guiding us through the maze of verb conjugation.
I would like to think I have improved in many ways from word knowledge, writing basic sentences and maybe even increased my confidence. I do recognise it is still early doors and more importantly I need to put all of it into practice. Maybe I’ll test myself at the wedding? I have already signed up for the April sessions (making sure Elisabeth was the teacher) of course.
Forza Italia!