Just a quick hello. I only found this website last week. I've lived in Italy for eight months now and only now getting settled!

My Italian is terrible and currently looking at completing an intensive course in Ravenna to get me up to speed. I often describe my language learning experience as being like finding a feral beast and taking it home to house train. You get it home, you work hard on it and just when you think you've got it trained and obedient it leaves a 'message' in the middle of your marble and chews on your Cappellini.

Welcome on board, Paul. Keep working on your Italian and you'll soon have the beast sitting and rolling over!

Welcome Paul...benvenuto...you'll like this site. There's a bit of everything. And just hold on a minute while I give a cheer

A guy with a sense of humour and the 'ridiculous' and light hearted fun......

Just what the Doctor ordered....
Carole B

When I get the 'beast to roll over' I'll be just so happy. I'm not a natural linguist and suspect It'll take time. A lot of the locals jokingly suggest trying lialect too but I think that is somewhat optimistic!
As far as giving people advice on learning Italian I'd say 'throw your hat over the wall' -you'll find it much more fun that way - and don't be afraid of looking or sounding stupid - that's the biggest straighjacket of them all.

Ciao Paul. Best wishes and welcome to the board. When will you be taking a class in Ravenna? Hmmmm I live near there and might be interested myself. Where is it at?

At any rate, drop me an email if you make to Ravenna.
Cyn

I'm looking at possibly doing an intensive one week course sime time in February. The colllege has a number of ways in wihich you can do their courses depending on your personal circumstances and lifestyle. The reason why I want to do the intensive course is because I'm looking at setting up my own design studio in eight months time (after 18 years I'm tired of working for other people and have decided I'd do a much better job myself / hey I'm a slow learner what can I say!)

anyway their adddress is http://www.scuolapalazzomalvisi.com

How long have you been in Italy?

Thanks for the course info.
I have been in Italy for 13 months now (two of the 13 months were spent in America). I live in a small town about 15 mins from Ravenna. Now to ask a stupid question...
What kind of design studio are going to set up? My husband had a studio years ago (arch), but is a teacher now.

Cyn

Mainly branding and general graphics work. When I workied in London (unitil March) I was in the corporate arena (faceless shareholder nonsense basically!)

Your work (I read your link) sounded much more interesting and rewarding though.

My old job was fun, at times. Where else could you get paid to rent movies, go out to dinner and even shop?! The only catch was that you had to stay in your "area of response". It could be a rewarding job when you were able to really help someone who was in need....BUT making a real difference was far and few in between. Most of the time we would go on calls because someone had a cold for three weeks! Seriously, people would call for stuff like this ALL THE TIME! They used the ambulance as if it were a free taxi ride. The worst part was that we could not refuse transport EVEN IF there was nothing wrong. Most of my patients could have just been seen by a doc at a clinic! VERY FRUSTRATING! Just when I start to miss my old job, I hear back from one of my friends still working on the ambulance. They quickly remind me of how much I hated the job when I left. hehehehe

Best wishes on starting your new business!
Cyn

Isn't that always the way? Things are always what they seem. A friend of mine worked for a charity (people with drug addiction problems) and he found it even more frustrating than his previous non-charity work because the ultimate aim was to benefit the people who needed their help the most and yet internal politics always got in the way of truly 'making a difference'. Words are always easier than actions I guess!