About 7 or so years ago, I enrolled in an Italian language class at the local community center. It was great fun. Not only did we learn Italian, my classmates and I got to know each other and became friends. Because we were dedicated students, we decided to meet outside of class, once a week, to practice our skills and to inspire each other. The group gelled, turning into an Italian family of sorts. How appropriate.

It’s interesting to observe how groups form and define themselves. This particular group can be described as caring, sweet, kind and funny. Each member of the group has those characteristics—individually as well. We span about 3 decades, age-wise, with all the significance that brings. Allow me a brief description of each cherished member:

There’s Victoria, Vittoria who is a petite brunette with large soulful eyes. She’s in the middle decade—those who are making decisions and have concerns about aging parents. Vittoria is gregarious, quick to smile and someone you can count on. She’s curious and inquisitive. Sometimes there are no answers to her questions, or I should say no obvious reasons behind why a particular Italian word or phrase is the way it is. So when she asks, “Perchè? Why?” the only answer is “Perchè no? Why not?” While the “answer” may not be satisfying, Vittoria accepts it with a beautiful laugh that puts everyone at ease.

Then there’s Monica, (a difficult translation to Monica) another petite brunette. She hails from South America, so Italian is often similar to her native tongue. She’s sparkly and sweet, quick to touch your arm as she listens to you. She has teenagers, so is an attentive mom. How she fits our study group into her already full schedule, I’ll never know. She understands the structure of Italian language, which is certainly a huge part of the battle, and that helps us all a lot.

There’s Lois, Luisa who is the most gracious hostess in the world. After at least 5 years of meeting in her kitchen every Tuesday morning, she never fails to greet each member at the door with a hearty, “Benvenuta! Welcome!” Lois is an athletic, energetic woman, full of enthusiasm and optimism—perpetually young. Her positive mood is absolutely contagious. I usually come away from study group more upbeat than when I arrived. No matter what the topic, Luisa is an attentive listener, always offering practical encouragement. Her presence is bubbly and simultaneously soothing—in many ways she holds the group together.

Then there’s Rudy, Rodolfo—the only man of the group. He’s become our leader due to his great sense of organization, direction and desire. His patience with our detours and deviations is commendable. He’s a cheerful sort and laughs easily. He’s also an extremely fit individual, with salt and pepper capelli, hair. Bright and articulate, he offers insights and suggestions about how we learn, modifying our curriculum to better address our needs and goals. His observations help keep us on track. A man in the group means that we can’t defer to the feminine form of Italian words. He keeps us gender-neutral—which in Italian means using the default masculine form of words when both are present.

Then there’s Paula, Paola who is yet another petite brunette, with a razor-sharp wit. Her sense of humor is matched by her kindness. While some of us forget to thank Rodolfo for the hours he spends readying our “lesson” of the week, Paola always remembers. She’s also a techno-wiz, always at the ready with her iPhone to double check a fact or alert us to an interesting new website. In addition, Paolais a gourmet cook. She has brought us fabulous food for munching while we conjugate verbs or read aloud to each other. In her time away from the group, she seems to be a model mom. Her high school daughter is a lucky girl.

There’s Valerie, Valeria who is the blond of the group (but not stereotypically “blond” in any way.) She’s funny and sweet. When we were in class together, I often sat beside her. She’s a very good and dedicated student—always has her homework completed and correct. But I noticed something about her. I can make her laugh, and I must admit that I can be a disruptive influence in the classroom. When we were all in a formal class together, I could whisper something to Valeria and she would turn to look at me or just laugh—then of course our teacher, the vivacious Barbara (yes, that is an Italian name) always caught Valeria “misbehaving.” I enjoyed this mistaken blame tremendously.

Then there’s Kathy, Caterina who is the retired high school English teacher. I only include this fact, because she knows all the correct parts of speech and their corresponding elements in Italian. She sometimes explains the function of a particular word for us—in English, so that we can understand the Italian counterpart. Caterina has sparkling eyes, loves traveling and photography. The group has definitely benefited from her creative talents.

Although they are not physically present on Tuesday mornings, there’s no shortage of the influence of Italian grandmothers. Vittoria and Paola each have a nonna, grandmother from the “old country.” This adds to the spark and spice of the conversation. Sometimes, it’s as though one of them is actually there with us.

So all in all, it’s a wonderful experience. I love being part of this Italian family. We’ve taken countless photos over the years and you could identify each of us by my descriptions here. Even me.

After you’ve identified the others, I’m the one left over: I’m the lucky one.

Posted on March 6, 2011

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