During course registration last Spring, I experienced every Kenyon student’s worst nightmare. I copied down all my course registration numbers incorrectly and proceeded to get into none of the classes I wanted. One of the classes I planned to register for was Intensive Introductory Spanish, which I needed to fulfill my second language requirement. Spanish was the practical choice; I’m from South Florida where Spanish is spoken frequently and was familiar with the basic aspects of the language. However, because of my mistake, I was unable to register for Spanish and instead enrolled in Intensive Introductory Italian.
By the time fall came, I had come around to the idea of taking Italian and decided to give the class a chance. After the first week of classes, I knew I liked my Italian professor and the other seven people in my class. My professor’s genuine passion and enthusiasm for the language inspired me and after some time, I decided to go forward and take the class. What I didn’t expect was how much I would love learning Italian and how that class would change the course of my college experience.
What’s unique about Kenyon’s introductory language classes is their intensity. Most classes meet at least eight times a week, with class Monday through Friday and meetings with a teaching assistant three times a week. It’s a lot of time and effort, but by the end of the year, most students are conversationally fluent in the language they have studied. My class, having only eight people, became especially close throughout the first semester. There’s something special about learning an entirely new language with the same few people. At first it was a little awkward; no one wanted to embarrass themselves or make too many mistakes. But eventually, we all become comfortable enough with each other to speak up during class and make mistakes as everyone does while learning something new. For me, answering questions in class was especially daunting since I don’t have an aptitude for learning languages and have to study frequently to keep up with the rest of the class. But my professor reassured all of us that making mistakes is the best way to learn and encouraged us to speak up, even if we weren’t sure that we were correct.
Since taking Italian, I’ve found a genuine appreciation for Italian culture and languages in general. Learning to think in a different way through language has certainly been challenging and is still difficult for me. But I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far and am excited to learn more. Learning about Italian culture also sparked my interest in studying abroad in Italy. I’m planning to study in Rome this fall, something that I hadn’t seriously considered before taking Italian. Studying abroad will be a whole other experience that I’m sure will have its ups and downs, but for now I’m just focusing on the present and enjoying the rest of the time I have with my class.
Though it’s not the language I expected to learn or fall in love with this year, I’m glad I took a different path than I expected to. Completely botching my course registration last spring turned out to be the best mistake I’ve made in my college career. My class is definitely unlike language courses at other schools and is probably unique even for an intensive course at Kenyon, but I love it. And though it’s certainly not my easiest class, it’s by far the most rewarding and one I’m sure I’ll remember and cherish for the rest of my life.