A Linguist's Paradise

On an average day, I have the opportunity to speak in three languages. Italian is that on which I'm most focused. In this period before beginning my studies, I use Italian most. There only a handful of people with whom I speak English. When I start school, I will be using English often, as it is the language of my courses and is spoken by most at the university. Then, there is Spanish.

The only native English speakers I've encountered are those with whom I teach. I've landed a position teaching English at a well-esteemed school for children ages one to seventeen. The school is run by a British headmistress, under whom are my fellow expatriates and me. My colleagues include two Americans, two Aussies, two Brits, and one Irish gent. Each of us with a different motivation for residing in Italy and all of us teachers of the desired English language.
Being in the company of fellow English mother tongues offers me the pleasure of speaking in a more preferred, sophisticated manner of speech, which contrasts the current basic ability in which I can express myself in Italian. And of course, my English continues to expand being in the company of the various English varieties. Being at the school is a time of reprieve, where I am free in my native language and well-understood, at least by the teachers.

One of my recent meetings was with a woman from Spain. She, too, is studying here in Rome, at the university Sapienza. She speaks and understands English very well, and her Italian is minimal at the moment. When she and I converse it's a festival of languages. We go from English to Italian to Spanish, depending on how strong our lexicon is on the topic of discussion.

I have made another friend who contributes to the diversity in my language encounters beautifully. He is an Italian resident from India. His native tongues are Punjabi and Hindi (the national language of India). He knows a bit of English from his studies in India. And now he speaks Italian fluently, having lived here nearly ten years. Mama mia, this makes for quite the variety.

I imagine that once I begin my studies, I will be in the company of people of every language. The philosophy professors represent the gamut of French, German, Italian, English, Spanish, Czech, and Polish.

My language repertoire will be further broadened (and likely confused) with the additions of Greek and Latin.

Somebody pinch me...