Why Learning a New Language Changed My Life
a love letter to Italian, la bella lingua
Five years ago. That’s when the Italian language entered my life and it has been changed ever since. Being single + living alone during the pandemic provided me with a LOT of time - to think (and overthink), to worry, to exercise, to FaceTime with friends, but ultimately, to accumulate new hobbies. For the majority of the first couple months during the shut down, I spent trying out a few new things that I still do to this day — baking (sourdough + other things), yoga, and my favorite - learning Italian.
I studied French in school and with all of the newfound time on my hands I decided I should brush up on it, so I downloaded Duolingo. I practiced French for about a month, when I had a thought: ‘why don’t I try learning another Romance language?’. I had a friend who spoke Italian and we were chatting a lot throughout the pandemic, so I decided, why not?? I had a built in person to practice with (at least that was the goal). I quickly fell in love with it. After months of using Duolingo, I decided I needed more ways to learn, so I started perusing YouTube for Italian channels (there are so many!). I watched + listened every day. I purchased exercise books + short novels and eventually hired a tutor for an hour a week. I also put my Netflix account and iPhone in Italian for a while. I was all in. Honestly, studying Italian during that the pandemic allowed me to have consistency and experience ‘progress’ during a season of uncertainty. I was able to intentionally focus on something daily while the world around me felt uncontrollable.
Learning a Italian has shown me that you can always unlock new sides to yourself, new hobbies, + new loves. I think I have always known this to be true, it just took a world wide pandemic and a lot of free time on my hands, to push me to try these new things. I was always the girl who loved photography + soccer. For years it’s how I defined myself - those were my two loves and what I spent majority of my time focusing on. However, spending time investing in new hobbies in adulthood was extremely freeing. I think so much of the time, as adults, we can get so stuck in one way of doing things or saying we don’t have time to start something new when there is a world of different things to try that we might fall in love with! Now I can see that what started as a way to distract myself a season of uncertainty has turned into new friendships, yearly trips to Italy (Rome feels like a second home), new work opportunities and discovering a side of myself I wouldn’t have known without it.
If you have ever spent time listening to Italian, you understand the charm. It’s a melodic language that really puts you in a trance, even when you have no idea what is being said. While the process of learning a new language hasn’t been easy and has been very humbling at times, it has challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone. Most Italians I have spoken with are gracious, complimentary, and helpful whenever I share that I have been learning the language. Five years later, I get so much joy from sitting at coffee shops around Italy being able to understand conversations happening around me that I never would have been able to just a few years ago. I can also communicate (even if it isn’t perfect) with a different group of people and expand my world in a new way. What a beautiful gift!
I truly have fallen in love with Italy - the people, the culture, the food, the landscapes. I feel forever tied to it. I think learning Italian has made me a better version of myself. I have to listen closely, slow down, and pay attention in a way that I don’t have to when I am speaking English. Also, being exposed to a new culture/ way of life has been so helpful for growth, grace, and understanding the world around me.
If we are open to it, I believe we get to experience different versions of ourself throughout our life. We get to grow + create different lives within the one we have. A friend of mine, Maddy Odom, actually wrote a beautiful Substack article on this topic. It has been so fun to unlock this ‘Italian’ version of myself, one that was so unexpected and life-giving. The experience of learning a new language has made me look forward to all of the new things I’m going to fall in love with and discover in the future!
For anyone else learning Italian, here are my favorite resources I used:
YouTube:
Learn Italian with Lucrezia - probably my favorite for all around content
Easy Italian (beginner)
Learn Italian with Teacher Stefano (beginner)
Spazio Grigio (advanced)
Sara and Paolo Adventures (advanced)
Kylie Flavell - great for Italian lifestyle + culture, recipes, and language learning
Podcasts:
Learn Italian with Teacher Stefano (beginner)
Italiano con Amore (intermediate)
Podcast Italiano (intermediate)
A Tutto Tondo (intermediate/ advanced) - my favorite for topics discussed
Movies + Shows:
La Vita è Bella
Lidia Poet (Netflix)
Summertime (Netflix)
Juventus FC (Netflix)
Under the Riccione Sun (Netflix)
Under the Amalfi Sun (Netflix)
Four Metà (Netflix)
Have you learned a new language? Started a new hobby in adulthood? I would love to hear about it!
Xx
Katie J.
OMG 😳 more Italian lovers out there. Can't believe it 🥰 I love your POV, it totally resonates with me. I also started to learn Italian 5 years ago, always loved the process. But what really blows my mind that there are times roughly the first 3 years where you feel that you learn a lot but can't really do anything with your new skill. You can order things and in your head you have wonderful conversations with others. But as soon as those conversations are in RL you happen to miss all these words when it's your turn to answer. Something magical though is happening when you hang in there - this time was last year for me - I suddenly could articulate myself and THAT felt fu**** liberating 🥰💖 it's like being a toddler again, the first 3 years you can't say anything but after that you just talk. 😂😅
Language is not just words, it’s worlds ;) it’s a new culture, a new way of thinking, new people, places, food… I’m also learning Italian and in love with Italy 💜 This is a beautiful post, Katie!