Learning the Language
When moving to a new country, the first thing you should do, even before you move, is to learn a few important phrases that will help you when you get there. My family and I made an effort to use an online program that helped us learn some vocabulary in the few months before our big move to Italy. These were some basic ones we learned before we moved that were basic enough for us to get by:
Hello, My name is___. How are you? When meeting new people, this is essential.
-Where is___? learn some vocabulary too, this will help when looking for something
How much is this? When asking for a price for something.
I would like ___. Learn the words of common items like coffee, drinks, foods. Very useful when ordering at a restaurant.
Direction words: turn right, left, etc… When following directions to find a place, you need to understand these words.
These are only basics, but the more you know before making the big move, the better off you’ll be. Don’t assume that you’ll be able to speak English and people will understand you. In our case, not many people speak English and when you ask, the locals sometimes don’t like it. You’re better off, trying to speak a few words and then they’ll be more patient.
Just try!
Like I’ve learned, “non puoi avere paura”, meaning you can’t have fear. In learning any language, the best way to practice is to get out there and try to speak. You would be surprised how, if you try, locals will be much more likely to treat you in a courteous way and some will go out of their way, to say a few words in English or Spanish.
I can honestly say that since we’ve moved here, my Italian has improved dramatically. The first few months, I could understand a lot, but barely speak. It was so frustrating going somewhere and not being understood. I could understand much more than what I could speak, but I realized if I really wanted to get the full Italian experience I would have to take lessons. Danny also needed it for his job, and the girls have been learning it as they have Italian class every day.
Get lessons
We hired a private teacher in January. Filippo has been amazing! He’s been teaching my husband and I by coming to the house twice a week. Now with the quarantine, we’ve been doing our lessons with skype. He does private or small group lessons.
We have gotten through the first book of the beginner’s part, A1, and progressing very well. We are getting ready to take the Italian test pretty soon. I recommend getting a private teacher so that you can get the personal experience a teacher can give. Check out my recommendation for Filippo Vitali if you’re in or near Bergamo. You can also do virtual classes if you’re not in the area. https://learnitalianbergamo.jimdofree.com/home/ With Filippo, you’ll end up having a new Italian friend!
Making friends
Our three daughters have Italian friends who speak little English so it’s been amazing to see how they communicate. They’ve borrowed my phone to translate some, but for the most part, they can speak very well for only being here not even a year. We even have a neighbor who’s granddaughters have become my girls’ best friends. We learned that English is taught only twice a week so that’s why English here is not common at all. In fact, it’s very rare to find someone who speaks English. We’ve learned this the hard way when we’ve been out and ask if we can speak English to better communicate with others.
It has also been challenging for the girls. When school started they would come home complaining that the kids would only speak Italian during play time. Since it’s an international school, English is the language the majority of the content is taught in, but most of the kids who go to this particular school are Italian. We’re in Bergamo, not a big city, so that was expected, unlike the international school in Milan which may have more international students. This was a huge challenge for them as they are very social and with the language barrier, they felt left out. This changed as their Italian started taking off. Now, they feel more part of the group.
I have also made friends with some of the moms at the girls’ school. A really international group, as we’re from all over. The school is really the best way to make friends for both the kids and parents.
Before you make the international move, do your homework, learn some of the language basics and your experience will be much smoother when you arrive. If you have any other phrases that are helpful when moving, please write them down in the comments!
