Making friends at school

Do you find it easy or difficult to make friends? When there is a language barrier do you let that stop you or do you try even harder. For me it is the latter. I am pleased to reach out of my comfort zone knowing that the reward is worth the effort.

Some fellow students with My favorite teacher Beatrice

In Perugia, like in Rome, I have gone out of my way to make friends. Being a photographer and writer makes it much easier. I present my card and tell people what I am about. Sometimes it’s to keep in touch with people, sometimes to network, sometimes to get an interview, but the intention is always the same - to connect. 




Since I arrived in Perugia I have made so many friends, mostly local Italians, but also a few fellow students. This is another one of those times when I just took the bull by the horns and went for it. I saw the value in pushing myself beyond what is comfortable. And, as my time in Perugia comes to a close, I am reaping the rewards of my investment.

One of the great joys of attending the university involves the wonderful teachers and students I have met. I find it amazing the number of countries represented in our class; Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Poland, Albania, Brazil, China, Turkey, and the USA (I am sure I even missed a few countries). We are not only learning about Italy but about the world. Everyone is there for different reasons. We have young college kids, professors, actors, artists, singers, medical personnel, conductors - and even a priest. The variety within the group makes this the most interesting ensemble I have ever been a part of.

It's odd think that when I arrived I vowed to only hang out with my Italian friends, and not the students, but that was pretty closed-minded and arrogant of me. I have received as much from my fellow students as I have from my dear Italian friends. I am very humbled and grateful. This is again another place where my learning experience far surpasses just the language and culture of Italy. This is helping to define me more completely as a person and a man. It is a profound awakening which will be carried with me until the end of my days.

There is a saying that I have quoted many times for many years to others in my life: 

“People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime”.

Bernardo-The man with the golden smile

I don’t believe that many of my fellow students will be for a lifetime, but for now I want to drink in this moment, this period of life that is but a moment in time, as short as the blink of an eye. It is bittersweet to be here just one month in the sense that I could not be more grateful, but also sad it is only a month. I have been here a little more than three weeks and already I feel like the time is almost up.

There are a few people worth telling you about. The first is a man who is a kindred spirit named Bernardo. Most of you know that feeling when you have met someone and it feels as if you have known them your entire life.

Bernardo is a priest studying the language so he can live in Rome to study theology for a few years. One of the most endearing qualities he has is an infectious smile and a genuine laugh. Bernardo is a wonderful human being who is interested always in what you have to say. Though we are all human, I have yet to hear him say one mean thing of anyone. He does not complain or lament, he does everything gladly and with a pure heart. This is a man that inspires me to be the best me and makes me believe that I am already LivingLifesBest. I hope he is a person that stays in my life longer than a season, but if that is all the time I spend with him I will never forget who he has been to me.

The other person that has made a huge impression on me is one of my teachers, Beatrice. What a lovely, classy, beautiful woman. I admit I have a big crush on her. Today, I told her if I was to move to Perugia I would implore her to be my friend, to which she responded we already are friends.

I was lucky enough to spend some time with Beatrice at the jazz festival one night when we ran into one another. I introduced my friends and she introduced hers. We had a wonderful conversation that lasted almost a half hour, but felt like only a few minutes.

After eight years of attending various Italian language courses with many instructors, I can guarantee that she is one of two teachers that I feel endeared to; Roberta Tauriello Torgerson from Seattle and now Beatrice.

My dear friend Dr. Rebecca Wheeler

Like Roberta, Beatrice is the cream of the crop, as it is said, when it comes to quality instructors. This experience would have been so different if I had not been placed in her class. 

The most unlikely friendship but most rewarding has been with Dr. Rebecca Wheeler. A linguist by profession, Dr. Wheeler has a command of the English language that I will always envy. It seems appropriate she would travel abroad to study yet another language.

Dr. Wheeler is a kindred spirit with me. We both love words and picking them apart. Making sure we understand their meaning and that we use them as accurately as possible. We both love food, deep discussions, travel, art, and LivingLifesBest. I feel lucky and blessed to have met such a lovely person to share my experiences with.

Though Dr. Wheeler and I feel a connection in many ways, we are also polar opposites in other ways. She takes beautiful notes in class and is very organized and I make chicken scratch and am always in disaray. She plans things out and is very in control while I am flying by the seat of my pants and usually out of control. At the end of the day, that makes for a good match and for a friendship I am thankful to have experienced her friendship in Perugia. 

I have learned so much here at school and it goes so far beyond the language. We study and I get better everyday with my grammar. I speak better and remember more everyday. But it is the connections that have so changed me and helped me to rise to be a better me.