Reflections

Dear reader,

Here, I present brief reflection on my five weeks in Sorrento.

First, I am pleasantly surprised at how much my Italian has improved in only five weeks. At the beginning of the trip, no one would speak to me in Italian because my Italian was simply too slow. I could understand words and phrases of the homilies at Mass, but no more. Reading in Italian was a chore. By the end of my trip, I was having conversations with taxi drivers, salesmen, and Italians on the street, all without the aid of English. I was able to catch the gist of homilies. While I am still a slow reader in Italian, it finally feels like reading, not decoding. I would not call myself fluent; however, I would say that I am well on my way to fluency.

In addition to helping me learn the language of Italy, my classes at Sant’Anna taught me a good deal about history.  By comparing Dante and Machiavelli, I was able to see for myself some differences between the Medieval and Renaissance eras, such as the different roles of God, the authority of human reason, and the importance of the state. By reading futurist poets, I learned about the seeds of fascism in Italy. By reading Primo Levi, I understood the terrible consequences of Italy’s alliance with Hitler. Through all the literature that I read, history came alive to me.

I learned about the character of Italy, specifically southern Italy. The Italians are exuberant, willing to set off fireworks for any occasion. They are friendly, especially to those who are making an effort to learn their language. They walk the edge between freedom and foolhardiness, as evidenced by their driving. They are firm in their beliefs, and they will believe in the miraculous liquification of the blood of Saint Gennaro, even if the Vatican has not made it official. They feel caught between more than two-thousand years of rich tradition and a desire to move into “the future.”  They are fed up by their country; they love their country.

Italy is a beautiful country. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to live there for a few weeks. I hope you all have enjoyed this blog. Thank you for accompanying me on my adventure.

Farewell,

Beatrice