Lessons Learned

I hope that Chris doesn't read my blog. If he does then I'm crossing my fingers that he doesn't read this post because he would have three words for me: Told. You. So.

Yesterday I went to the co-op and, while I typically don't go places in Italy by myself, this time I ventured out on my own. I had been the co-op two or three times before so I knew where it was and I wasn't worried about getting lost. I feel pretty safe because we live in a pretty small village- so that wasn't the issue either.

When I was done shopping and getting my groceries (they don't serve us breakfast or lunch on the weekends so we get munchies) I went to the checkout line. I knew I wasn't going to be able to carry my things up the hill in a plastic bag because they were somewhat heavy- I got my first bottle of Italian wine! So I picked up one of the reusable bags that are ever so popular in America and put it on the conveyor belt with my things. When she was finished ringing me up she picked up the reusable bag and started talking to me (quite quickly) in Italian. I told her "me dispiache, no italiano," which means "I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian." She continued to babble to me saying things that I can't even imagine meanings to. This went on for about two minutes. I'm feeling terrible because I have no idea what she is saying and clearly she is trying to communicate with me.

On my two-mile walk back up the hill with all my groceries I think I put the pieces together as to what she was saying. Apparently the reusable bag that I had gotten from the rack did not have a price tag on it so I think she was trying to ask if it was already mine or if I was trying to purchase it that day.

Ugh, it was awful. Language barrier realized. In small towns like this people don't know English. It is so refreshing when we get to go to larger towns like Florence where some of the people speak very small amounts of a language that we actually realize. It's even better to be walking down the street and hear people speaking in English (there are American Universities in Florence).

Lets just say that I was definitely overemphasizing my Italian skills when I said in a previous post that I could "get by."

Lesson learned. Next time I would definitely have brushed up on the language before throwing myself into the fire (just like Chris told me to).