Four Months

After a great Christmas break, I came back down to earth a bit this past week.  It was tough getting back into the routine, especially knowing that I have a good 3.5 months of school before the Easter break. In school, we picked-up right where we left off.  We are continuing to study ancient Greek art in Art History, and have finally started Socrates in Philosophy. Also coming up this semester is Economics, and we are transitioning out of the Middle Ages in History class. But just like before break, my hardest class is still Italian Literature. The combination of complex literary concepts, Old Italian, and advanced Italian grammar make this class particularly difficult. We are continuing to read the opening Cantos of Inferno, and Dante is now approaching the entrance to Hell. I find this quite fitting.

After four months here, I can tell my Italian is getting better and better. I feel more comfortable speaking, and my writing has improved to the point where I can write more than just basic sentences. Another funny tidbit is that during the break, my family told me that they heard me talking in my sleep in Italian! I can’t honestly say that I remember dreaming in Italian, but apparently I speak it in my sleep.

It was nice to get back to playing soccer with Carpi this week. I have been enjoying my time with them so far, and the team is hoping to get a few more results this second half of the season. I’m also hoping that within the next month, I’ll get my player card with Virtus, and can start playing games.

AC Milan's infamous Mario Balotelli 

But despite a tough week back to school, I had an incredible experience Sunday night - the Sassuolo vs. AC Milan game. It was a special Sunday night game being aired on primetime television (even in the US). Sassuolo has definitely been struggling this season, but faired relatively well in their games against top opponents. They were able to draw away-from-home against Roma and Napoli, and Lazio at home, but lost big against Inter Milan and Juventus. The stadium was almost completely full for the game, and the fans weren’t disappointed. Sassuolo went down 2-0 in the opening 13 minutes and it was looking like it could be another long night for them. But rather uncharacteristically, they were able to take a 3-2 lead before the half, thanks to 19-year-old Domenico Berardi’s hat-trick. Two minutes into the second half, Berardi got his fourth goal of the game to make the score 4-2. And after an impossibly long final ten minutes in which Milan scored a goal and hit the post twice, Sassuolo held on for only their fourth victory of the season. It was the best game I’ve ever seen in person, and no doubt one of the best I’ve ever watched period. I’ve never experienced that amount of pure joy when a team scores a goal in my entire life. And at the end of the game, all the Sassuolo fans at the stadium were jumping and singing a song that translates to: “He who doesn’t jump is a Milanista (fan of Milan).” It was a historic win for Sassuolo, and Domenico Berardi, who became the youngest player to score four goals in a Serie A game. And to add insult to injury for Milan, their manager was fired the next day.

 

All in all, it had to be one of, if not the most exciting moments of my experience in Italy so far.