Almost We tossed around the word almost the last time we met our life an egg and spoon race against the clock Don’t fall for me, you said. Don’t project, I replied knowing we’d passed the expiration date. I could conjugate you all night change your endings to make them agree. At 1 a.m, I rise, boil two eggs, smile wryly yearning to spoon you and later, when I close my eyes in...
Read MoreFor those of you who know I’m studying Italian, you will appreciate the humour. This is from a newspaper article in Milano Today, an Italian newspaper. This will give hope to language lovers and linguists everywhere that we can’t be replaced by computers. According to the translation, an accident, flew two meters and broke a windshield, thanks to a serious thirty year old. What were...
Read MoreLearning another language is my passion and joy. The words themselves are so fun to learn, and Italian is so old feeling and lovely to speak. I’m watching a series about an Italian lawyer, a lovable, bumbling but bright character trying to solve a cold case of a prostitute who has been murdered. Watching videos is wonderful for learning another language because you hear all the small,...
Read MoreIn addition to teaching, I’m now narrating children’s audio books. It’s extremely fun and interesting work, as I’m doing cold reading, meaning I have no idea what the story is about, or what events will happen. Today’s stories included a child being picked up by a giant in a forest, and taken to his house. The giant was cooking other children ( horror!) I tried not...
Read MoreI’m studying Italian and che bella language. I was reading the history of the Medici family, and noticed the word Parliamento. When I think of the word Parliament, I of course imagine the Parliament buildings, but in fact, the original Parliament was obviously related to the root PARLE – to speak. In fact, the signores would gather in Florence to discuss matters of political...
Read MoreI’m currently reading Jhumpha Lahiri’s book In Other Words which is in fact her journey into learning another language- in this case Italian. The book resonates with me because I also feel so thrilled when I feel the word in my bones, feel it bouncing off my tongue, and feel understood by a native speaker. I taught myself a decent amount of Greek, and would thrill at the sounds...
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