Broken English + Broken Italian = An Unforgettable Night

Happy 4^th of July, Everyone!! (It’s a day late, but it still counts) While everyone at home spent their days fending off Hurricane Arthur, here in Italy we spent our day soaking up the sun at San Benedetto on the beach on the Adriatic Coast! I could not take a picture that could capture the beauty of this place, with its clear waters and beautiful beach; it is a sight you have to see all on your own. (Well, I have a picture but it doesn’t do justice) That morning we woke up with adventure on the mind and we trekked out to the train station and all on our own we figured out the entire system and how to book our round trip tickets. The ride is only about one half hour from Ascoli Piceno, which isn’t bad at all. As soon as we got to the beach we set up camp right next to the private section of the beach and got right down to business. The weather was beautiful, we couldn’t have asked for a better 4^th of July day.

Me, Erica

San Benedetto Beach - Adriatic Coast

 We got home from the beach around 5 in the afternoon and on our way home we stopped at the local grocery store to pick up some wine and cheese (so casual) for an aperitivo before we headed out for our big night! The day before, while we were at the University one of the Italian students came up to us and invited us out to dinner with him and a few of his friends so that they could practice their English, we could practice our Italian, and they could show us what “Italy” is really like. (To my family: don’t worry, the professors approved of the boys). So that night we had a few girls over to our apartment where we drank the wine, ate the cheese, and prepared ourselves for the culture shock we were about to experience!

Dancing on Our Terrace

Me, Garlande, Kate, Kasey, Rachel, Erica, Emily, Kristina, Kelly

Cliche funny photo

We showed up to the restaurant a few minutes early and anxiously awaited the arrival of Giorgio (the Italian student). He finally appeared with a few of his friends in toe and we could tell immediately how much fun this night was going to be. Giorgio had a group of about 8 of his friends and we had a group of around 12 so we split up between two tables mixing Americans and Italians. As soon as we sat down to our table we noticed the language barrier proved to be tougher than we thought it was going to be. Not one of us (Americans) could speak Italian and most of the Italians could barely speak English. So, like any true American tourist, our handy-dandy phrase book came out to play. A few of the girls at my table seemed a little shy to talk at first so in true Lombardo style I began to just blurt out any random phrase I read from my book. Topic of conversation included, ‘Do you have any pets?’ ‘What is your favorite hobby?’ ‘What do you study?’ Typical conversation for any person reading out of an American phrase book. The Italians seemed to find it amusing and appreciated our attempt at conversation but it was still a little awkward. Meanwhile the table next to us is erupting in laughter and yelling out Italian phrases. So naturally, I listened to what they were saying, memorized it, and then turned to the man sitting next to me (Matteo) and blurted out what I heard. In return to what I said, he gave me the most shocked and confused face I had ever seen and I immediately started blushing. Turns out, the table next to us was learning all the Italian swears and apparently I shouted “F-you!” at my new Italian friend. Oops … But as the night went on we all warmed up to each other and it turned out to be the best night of my life! This is definitely the way to go about learning Italian culture and immersing yourself in it.

Italian/American Dinner!

Garlande, Alessandro, John Franco, Simone, Rachel

Garlande, Josef, Simone, John Fanco, Alessandro

Me, John Franco

Emily, Alessandro, Me, Josef, John Franco

Italian/American Group Photo!

After dinner, we refused to part ways so the boys took us out to a local bar where we shared a few drinks, a few laughs, and a few unforgettable memories. All of the Italian students were extremely nice and definitely could be life long friends! OH! And, one of the girls said my Italian was very good and I have a very good accent. So dad, don’t worry, I’m learning something!!