The joy of learning a language |
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A Holiday for the Mind
Managing your own business is a tiring prospect. The main thing people forget to take into account when they take a freelance job on their own or start building their company is that when you are in charge, you have to do everything. Now, this doesn't mean that you can not hire experienced professionals to help you with a lot of the work, but it doesn't undermine the fact that you need to make sure everything is running smoothly because you are the safety net, you are the last line of defense for your company and if you are not making sure that things are running the way they should no one will do it for you. This can be a very tiring but also rewarding job. Not only you get to experience the joy of setting your own goals and playing by your rules but you can also see how your company grows and succeeds with every day of hard work. At the same time, you end up working more than everybody else and you seldom take vacations
Time to Take a Break
After 4 years working non stop, I promised myself a long due rest. Since I wanted to learn French in France I would fly to Europe and spend some months learning and sightseeing. I was enrolled in what the reviewers considered one of the best French schools France had to offer for someone wanting an intensive language education that also allowed for some free time. I also decided to travel a few weeks before the lessons started to get the chance to rest and explore a bit, and so I finally boarded the plane that would take me to my destination
Change of Plans
The trip was not uneventful, however, and we were forced to a rather worrying landing on Italy because of a plane malfunction. I found myself stranded in a foreign land not far from my original destination and, since I was not precisely in a hurry, decided to spend a few days getting to know the place. In retrospective this was a great decision on my part. I was enthralled by this country! I have never gave Italy much though but when I started exploring it I found that it seems to reside on a different world altogether. Don't misunderstand me, the common images of the modern world are certainly there, in the big cities at least: fast communications, soaring buildings, dashing cars with mind blowing horns, people in a hurry, being anonymous and so on. But stray past the concrete veins of the metropolises and you will find how an ancient wilderness has taken a strong hold on the land and quietly creeps forward to surround the cities. You will find that there is no such thing as one Italy, but that the country is in fact a myriad of communities, traditions and heritages that are held together in a fine balance.
Leaving was a bittersweet occasion, longing to get to France to start my studies but already missing this country. I promised myself I would come back to explore more of its hidden secrets and, why not, to learn Italian. The time to fulfill that promise is now and I look forward to my upcoming trip to Italy!
Some Useful Italian Phrases
- Entrance / Exit - Ingresso / Uscita
- Where is the tourist information office? - Dov'è l'ente locale per il tourismo?
- One-way ticket / Round-trip ticket - Un biglietto di andata / Di andata e ritorno
- At what time does the train leave? - A che ora parte il treno?
- Is there a subway in this city? - C'è una metropolitana in questa città?
- Which number? / Which seat? - Quale numero? / Quale posto?
- Where can I buy a token? / a ticket? - Dove posso comprare un gettone? / un biglietto?
- Do you have a map showing the subway stops? - Ha una cartina che indica le fermate della metropolitana?
- Where is the bus stop? - Dov'è la fermata dell'autobus?
- Which bus do I have to take to go to... ? - Quale autobus devo prendere per andare a... ?
- Do I have to change buses? - Devo cambiare autobus?
- Taxi! Are you free? How much is the fare? - Taxi! è libero? Quanto costa il biglietto?
 ILS Italian Language SchoolHead Office: Vico Antonio Sforza, 18 - 73028 Otranto (Lecce) - Italy
Mobile: +39 329 2956361 - Phone: +39 0836 801552 - Fax: +39 0836 805350
www.ilsonline.it - info@ilsonline.it |
