Sono cotto. Am cooked.
My first week in Alta (Higher) Intermediate (still surprised to have ended up there) Italian Language class left much of il mio cervello (brain) numb. But ... it's fantastic. Decent amount of challenge, content, and seems to be filling in the right holes, answering the questions I didn't know I had. There is no English coming out of the teacher’s mouth, nor any English words in the book – and? And? Sometimes a sense of surprise comes over me that I can understand what’s being said, read, discussed.
“Holy crap – Lo sto facendo! I’m doing it!”
The pieces are falling into place like rain – sometimes in scattered showers, sometimes in a deluge like this afternoon’s grammar storm that needs time to sink in.
Newspapers are spread out on my tiny IKEA table – words circled, lines drawn, notes scribbled. DVD cases from films borrowed from the library are strewn about. The dictionary is worn, creased, floppy and the television blares game shows, telegiornale (news), talk shows, and the occasional episode of Scrubs on MTV (I’m sorry, but that show is hilarious in Italian). The TV really is helping seal concepts and vocabulary.
Of course there’s a piece that has yet to fall into place with respect to Italian TV.
No, it’s not John Travolta in the Telecom Italia commercials. Lui parla italiano molto bene! After all, his name Tra (between/among) Volta (time) is Italian. We’ve come to the conclusion this is somewhat serendipitous because Vinny Barbarino (there's also historical significance to the word Barbarino in Italy too, but maybe another time) is timeless. No, he’s not the confusing element of Italian public TV.
Nor is it the commercials. Especially those where people are standing around drinking prosecco, eating salami, prosciutto (mostly on RAI Uno w/ Carlo Conti, host of my favorite game show, L’eredita`). Then there’s the Grana Padano (cheese) commercials - a bottle of bubbly present here too. Finally, the Gorgonzola commercials where the young lady smiles with teeth schmeared with Gorgonzola. Any country that takes their cheese this freaking seriously (and always with a glass of wine somewhere on the screen) has won my viewer loyalty.
The one thing that remains a mystery to locals and foreigners alike? It’s … It’s … The Chuck Norris paradox.
He’s still here on Rete 4 from last year (or 15 years ago, who knows) nightly. Yet, I have yet to find 1 Italian whowill admit to watching watches it. Maybe no one has the guts to remove him from the programming line-up. I do know my friends are going to quit inviting me to dinner if I continue to quiz every Italian at the table about “Who watches Walker Texas Ranger, and why?” Finally, I had to go there in class yesterday with my Italian teacher. She said it was a good question to which no one seems to have the answer, although another friend believes it’s because it’s cheap “filler” programming.
[These books were spottied in I Feltrinelli (bookstore) in Siena last weekend ... suspect there are closet Chuck Norris fans here...]
Maybe the day I see Chuck Norris kicking ass and taking names on RAI Due while sipping prosecco and slinging chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano tutto sara` chiaro – everything will be clear.
Kind of like:
How do you pack so much cheese into a Cheez-it? Chuck Norris.
Which spawns the question - does anyone have the palle (balls) to try to move Chuck Norris's cheese? Just sayin'.
Or not.
Ma che stucchevole. (How cheesy.) Yes, I learned that in class this week too. It's not formaggioso - it's stucchevole. Kinda like this blog.
Eh hem.
For now things are falling into place and I continue to make room for new discoveries. Off to discover a new pizza place…
My first week in Alta (Higher) Intermediate (still surprised to have ended up there) Italian Language class left much of il mio cervello (brain) numb. But ... it's fantastic. Decent amount of challenge, content, and seems to be filling in the right holes, answering the questions I didn't know I had. There is no English coming out of the teacher’s mouth, nor any English words in the book – and? And? Sometimes a sense of surprise comes over me that I can understand what’s being said, read, discussed.
“Holy crap – Lo sto facendo! I’m doing it!”
The pieces are falling into place like rain – sometimes in scattered showers, sometimes in a deluge like this afternoon’s grammar storm that needs time to sink in.
Newspapers are spread out on my tiny IKEA table – words circled, lines drawn, notes scribbled. DVD cases from films borrowed from the library are strewn about. The dictionary is worn, creased, floppy and the television blares game shows, telegiornale (news), talk shows, and the occasional episode of Scrubs on MTV (I’m sorry, but that show is hilarious in Italian). The TV really is helping seal concepts and vocabulary.
Of course there’s a piece that has yet to fall into place with respect to Italian TV.
No, it’s not John Travolta in the Telecom Italia commercials. Lui parla italiano molto bene! After all, his name Tra (between/among) Volta (time) is Italian. We’ve come to the conclusion this is somewhat serendipitous because Vinny Barbarino (there's also historical significance to the word Barbarino in Italy too, but maybe another time) is timeless. No, he’s not the confusing element of Italian public TV.
Nor is it the commercials. Especially those where people are standing around drinking prosecco, eating salami, prosciutto (mostly on RAI Uno w/ Carlo Conti, host of my favorite game show, L’eredita`). Then there’s the Grana Padano (cheese) commercials - a bottle of bubbly present here too. Finally, the Gorgonzola commercials where the young lady smiles with teeth schmeared with Gorgonzola. Any country that takes their cheese this freaking seriously (and always with a glass of wine somewhere on the screen) has won my viewer loyalty.
The one thing that remains a mystery to locals and foreigners alike? It’s … It’s … The Chuck Norris paradox.
He’s still here on Rete 4 from last year (or 15 years ago, who knows) nightly. Yet, I have yet to find 1 Italian who
[These books were spottied in I Feltrinelli (bookstore) in Siena last weekend ... suspect there are closet Chuck Norris fans here...]Maybe the day I see Chuck Norris kicking ass and taking names on RAI Due while sipping prosecco and slinging chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano tutto sara` chiaro – everything will be clear.
Kind of like:
How do you pack so much cheese into a Cheez-it? Chuck Norris.
What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Chuck Norris's cheese.
Or not.
Ma che stucchevole. (How cheesy.) Yes, I learned that in class this week too. It's not formaggioso - it's stucchevole. Kinda like this blog.
Eh hem.
Scrubs is hilarious in English, not just Italian.
ReplyDeleteHooray for being placed in the alta class!
I had to laugh out loud with this post, because my Italian cousin watches "Walker, Texas Ranger" ALL the time!!!! And he can't believe that I know absolutely nothing about it! He is a big fan...I don't know, Chuck Norris must be more popular in Italy than he is here...or maybe it's the whole "Wild West" thing that they love so much...who knows!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats with the language - sounds like you are learning so much and becoming quite proficient :)
Keep having fun!!
@ADOC - Thank you - hopefully I won't get kicked out.
ReplyDelete@Barabara - O mio dio - you just solved the Chuck Norris mystery! I'll bet he'd love a set of the Chuck Norris books for Natale this year (if he doesn't already have them.) As for proficiency, it seems to come and go - mostly depending on how much wine is in my glass ... but yes, it's already been such a tremendous help - may have to come back and do this again next winter!
Chuck Norris cheese sounds nasty!
ReplyDeleteWalker Texas Ranger is on here around 2pm on Sunday afternoons. We always put it on after lunch because I know my husband will fall in asleep in a few seconds
Sara - You know damned well when I'm in France next month the same question would come up. "Do French people watch Walker Texas Ranger? And why?" You just answered it. :)
ReplyDelete