During March, most American university students are on Spring Break, preparing for midterms, or watching the NCAA March Madness tournament. Meanwhile, Ryan and I, along with other American seminarians in Rome, are in the beginning stages of a new semester. The academic calendar at the Roman universities is, to say the least, a bit different from back home.
After returning from Christmas Break, we finish the few remaining weeks of class and begin a three-week final exam period. This may sound excessive, and to some extent, it is. Yet it gives us time to prepare for oral exams, where a question is often picked at random from any of the various course topics and answered on the spot for the professor. Pick an easy question, one that you have studied well for, and you will be finished in five minutes with a high grade. Pick a question of which you are unsure, and it might not be such a happy ending. I don’t mean to offer such a grim view since many of the professors are generous, charitable and will often help you with the answer. They are as concerned with your learning as you are, making for a great academic culture. Afterwards, we experience our own “spring break.” We can travel for around a week before the next semester begins. This makes for a nice end to the semester! As mentioned, we are now early in this new semester and there is a definitive difference, a new feeling of confidence and comfort.
Learning a new language in another country is a truly transformative experience. First, it allays unnecessary expectations we often place on ourselves: I am already at a disadvantage, how can I make the most of this? Second, it gives you an irreplicable opportunity to experience and immerse yourself in the language. Whether I like it or not, I will spend upwards of 12 hours a week listening to Italian lectures. Third (and the most important), learning a new language teaches you about yourself and about others. After a while, you no longer look for one-to-one translations. You feel how others speak and you try until you feel the same. Instantly, there is a relationship; this is an intimate connection. Beyond the lecture, in the halls, over an espresso, or walking through the narrow Roman streets, we try to pierce into the minds of each other: What exactly do you mean by that phrase? This is a powerful experience. It plants the seeds of focus and patience.
One of my favorite examples of why language learning goes “beyond the book” is the Italian phrase “come mai.” Translated literally, it means “how/as ever,” but a close equivalent is “why.” Used as a question, it can express genuine curiosity, seeking to know how something came to be, or even act as an indirect way to introduce a conversation. In English, I can ask “Why did you go to the movies?” and I would expect a straightforward response. I can use other words or change my tone to express a sentiment of accusation or surprise. However, if I said in Italian “Come mai sei andato al cinema?”, it is already clear that I want to know the story. I am less interested in why you went but in what happened before, what motivated you to go in the first place. Change the tone and the phrase alone signifies disbelief, frustration, surprise, doubt, gratitude, or any variety of such. It does not matter how many practice exercises one may do, you must listen to it spoken if you want to unlock the true meaning.
It has been such a blessing to learn another language. While we may do things differently here, and it comes with its challenges, it is consoling to witness the progress that we have made. As I come to understand Italian better, along with my professors and classmates, I feel that I have come to know myself better also. It is funny how learning a language takes you outside of yourself simply to bring you within yourself again. I would like to imagine that it is the same in the spiritual life: if we want to speak God’s language, we must learn to feel with God and be prepared to accept the variety of outcomes that His Word can mean for us. Praise be Jesus Christ!
Gianni DiTola is a seminarian with the Diocese of Gary. He is currently studying in Rome at the Pontifical North American College.
