Learning a language

A Google search on "language learning as an adult" seems to produce a lot of links to pieces urging adults to learn a new language.  "You can do it," they seem to say.  "Age and diminished blood flow to the brain are no excuses."

But I was looking for something different, maybe someone's thoughts on all that's involved: the initial reasons; the early struggle to memorize nouns and verb conjugations; the first, halting conversation where real, useful information gets exchanged; the first newspaper article struggled through; the first book completed; and all kinds of other firsts.  And then the continuing entry -- slow or fast -- into the language and with it, possibly, changes in outlook, even, who knows, personality changes.  It's something I'll read if and when I find it.

I think about this at the beginning of my second week in Bergamo, more or less the mid-point of the time I'll be here.  As I've probably already mentioned, I'm taking Italian lessons four days a week, usually in the morning from 9 to 11.  I have a very good teacher, who has been providing a variety of exercises aimed at reviewing certain points of grammar.  These two hours go by pretty quickly as we talk about whatever, review written exercises I've done, and correct the short pieces I've written. 

All of this is quite helpful and useful.  And I sense that I'm becoming a little more at ease in conversations, if only because of my teacher's tolerance and that of the family friends here who've been taking such good care of me.  But I can also appreciate just how much further I need to go before I'll be truly at ease.  And I'm only here for another two weeks.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of street photos from time wandering around the Città Alta and "shooting from the hip."  The main street, the via Gombito and its continuation on the via Colleoni, can be something like a medieval mini-mall when the Bergamaschi come strolling on weekends and holidays.  But it's also an area that I want to know better.  Anyway, here are the photos.