Thursday, March 5, 2009

Making all kinds of Progress

I love Ferrara when the streetlights are shining off the rainy pavement of Via Mazzini. It reminds me of when I first arrived here, when it was the middle of winter and there was fog everywhere. Ferrara is a city that has dynamism I have rarely seen in my life, and by that I meant that the character of the city changes dramatically depending on the weather and even depending on the time of day. When it is rainy or foggy, the buildings seem closer together and gray, not exactly claustrophobic but more cozy. When the sun is out, the colors of the buildings change and become bright and gorgeous, and the tower of the cathedrale is lit up against the blue sky.

Today it is raining, hard. I can hear it hitting the windows. These are the days that I will not want to leave when I have to go home.

It is hard sometimes to appreciate just how much I have done and learned since I have been in Ferrara, because everything has become everyday and normal and I am beginning to forget how it feels to be at home in Colorado. I think I may be “going native” a little bit, because I can understand everything, I feel at home, and I don’t feel like I am in a foreign country anymore.

But when I think about it, a lot has changed since I’ve been gone. At this point, I’ve been gone from Colorado for 51 days. In that very short time, I’ve become conversational in a language that I didn’t speak at all when I arrived. I even am taking two college-level classes in that language, and I am not failing! In fact, I’m getting good grades!

I’ve learned to ride a bike through crowds without hitting old women, small children, dogs in sweaters, or baby strollers, and at the same time to avoid being hit by cars and giant trucks that really have no business flying along down a pedestrian mall. I can stop my bike on a dime, despite it not having front brakes, and I can cover two miles to class in eight minutes if I really haul.

I’ve gotten funnier since I’ve been here. I think this is because I have stopped caring what people think, be they American or Italian, because everyone either judges you constantly regardless of what you do, or people just don’t care about things like you think they do. Also, I’ve stopped worrying about making mistakes in Italian because I know every time I open my mouth it will be a mistake. So if I make a joke and it bombs, who cares? At least I said something that I thought was funny.

Today, I spent four hours writing about seven pages worth of exams in Italian, on complex concepts like the First World War, fascism, historical psychology, and mathematical perspective in Renaissance art. I had to stop for a second halfway through the second and ask myself, “WHAT? I AM WRITING IN A LANGUAGE I HAVE ONLY KNOWN FOR A MONTH!!!” but then I had to keep writing or I wouldn’t be finished in time.

I weighed myself today and I’ve lost almost 15 pounds since I’ve been here. My clothes don’t fit and are all too big (partly because they don’t get shrunken in the wash…no dryers) and my legs are strong and hard from riding my bike everywhere.

I’ve learned to do my hair without a hairdryer. Since I’ve been here, I haven’t had a hairdryer, and so I have not dried my hair even once since I’ve lived in Ferrara. I’ve learned a completely different way of showering (standing in the bathtub with a moveable sprayer and not under the water).

I can now understand even the really fast talking on TV about racism and crazy things.

I am really happy! This is an experience that luckily, I have forever in my memory.

4 comments:

Barbara said...

I am SO PROUD OF YOU.
And jealous.

love, aunt B

Early Morning Writer said...

I am Thrilled and excited to see you so happy and enjoying what was a challenge! You've succeeded! Love you so, mama

Scroggs said...

Coleen,

This was a very pretty blog post. so pretty I feel bad calling it a blog. Because blog really isn't a very eloquent word. Either way I am happy your doing so well and i cant wait to see you. It is one month from today that I board my plane. See you soon and keep writing. Your posts are beautiful......see how I didn't use the word blog. lol

mark monroe said...

This is the part that make me most proud of you: "...I've stopped caring what people think..." You just go and be yourself, Pink, and the world will revolve around you just the way you are. You can't change what others think about you, might as well not worry about it! Yay! :-) love, dada.