I have been trying to learn the Italian language for years. Private lessons gave me a basic understanding. Rosetta Stone: I bought it. Pimsleur: I borrowed it. All the books…Verb drills, Grammar Drills, Sentence Builders – check, check and check. Any recommendation to assist was heeded. “Buy children’s books” the idea being learn the language like a child. I have 3 children’s books, plus a coloring book that names every object. “Music will help you with your pronunciation” I own 3 albums by the Italian singer Mina, a collection of Andrea Boccelli, and two albums by contemporary artist Marco Mengoni. Apps you say? Italian basics, Italian essentials, Google Translate and Duolingo. All neatly organized in a folder on my iPhone and iPad. Add to that various social media learning pages and you would think I could be hired to translate for Caesar himself. Sadly, no – I muster up a few words to try and get directions, over-rolling my R’s so that it sounds more like T, and I am looking into that eyebrow furrowing, questioning stare. I give up and ask “parli inglese?” (I have seriously nailed that phrase). More often that not, a quick shake of the head, and I stand there wondering – why is this language, this beautiful sing-song language of the country I dream about and long to live in, eluding me??? What piece of the puzzle have I overlooked? I was the over achiever in school – the one who never had to study. I absorbed everything in class, once learned, it was locked in the vault. Mine forever. Not so with the Italian language.

I am also quite the hard headed person, so here it is: I am ready for any suggestions – from the ridiculous to the sublime. I am headed back to the mother country in December for the tenth time now. I still have dreams of having conversations with shop owners in Italian,  maybe this time it comes true!