#Italian Language Classes Near Me

[ambitioninstitute]

Learn Italian Language With Ambition Institute in Jalandhar

Learning a new language opens up a world of possibilities, and what better language to explore than the romantic and melodious Italian? If you’ve set your sights on mastering Italian, Ambition Institute is your perfect companion on this linguistic adventure.

Ambition Institute takes a unique approach to language learning, making it not just educational but also enjoyable. The institute understands that ambitious goals require ambitious methods, and that’s exactly what they deliver.

One of the standout features of Ambition Institute’s Italian language program is its emphasis on practicality. Rather than drowning students in grammar rules and rote memorization, the institute focuses on real-life scenarios. Imagine yourself effortlessly ordering a cappuccino in a quaint Italian café or engaging in lively conversations with locals during your next trip to Italy — Ambition Institute turns these dreams into attainable goals.

The curriculum is designed with simplicity in mind, ensuring that learners of all levels can grasp the nuances of Italian effortlessly. From basic greetings to more complex sentence structures, each lesson is crafted to build a solid foundation, paving the way for fluency. The dedicated instructors at Ambition Institute bring vibrancy to the learning process, infusing their passion for Italian culture into every class.

Interactive learning is a key element at Ambition Institute. Instead of tedious lectures, students engage in dynamic activities, games, and discussions that make the learning experience not only effective but also fun. This approach ensures that your journey to mastering Italian is filled with excitement and joy.

The institute’s commitment to personalized learning sets it apart. Ambition Institute understands that every student is unique, and their Italian language program reflects this. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to enhance your existing skills, the institute tailors its courses to meet your specific needs. This individualized attention ensures that you progress at a comfortable pace, gaining confidence with each lesson.

Ambition Institute’s learning materials are modern and up-to-date, incorporating the latest language trends and cultural nuances. With a focus on real-world communication, students quickly find themselves applying their newfound language skills in practical situations. This hands-on approach accelerates the learning process and helps you become a confident Italian speaker in no time.

In conclusion, Ambition Institute is not just an educational institution; it’s a gateway to unlocking the beauty of the Italian language. Their ambition is contagious, and with their guidance, you can aspire to fluency in Italian while enjoying every step of the learning journey.

So, why wait? Dive into the rich tapestry of Italian culture with Ambition Institute and make your language-learning dreams a reality.

Enroll Today and Learn Italian Language With Ambition Institute:-https://ambitionlanguages.com/italian-language/

[celestie0]

Some headcanons about Kickoff college!Gojo, please!

hellooo my love i’m so sorry this took me a while i wanted to post ch9 first!

kickoff!gojo headcanons pt.1 unserious & fluffy edition lol

ᰔ these headcanons are based off of my fanfic “kickoff” which is about popular frat boy soccer college athlete gojo lol & there are spoilers below ᰔ for my kickoff readers: most of these are so unserious and/or fluffy (not rly much nsfw) hope u enjoy!!

kickoff!gojo who almost got arrested once for running away from the cops. he wasn’t even in trouble for anything they just started chasing him bc he started running 😭

kickoff!gojo whose primary love language is physical touch and so all of the times he’s had to NOT touch you has driven him absolutely fuckin nuts. positively BONKERS he’s practically been lobotomized by the restraint he’s had to exercise to not touch you

kickoff!gojo whose frat once hosted a date auction to raise money for rush and gojo singlehandedly raised $20k in one night from the bidding bachelorettes (and bachelors)🧍🏻‍♀️he has yet to go on all of those dates he owes them 😅 he runs away anytime his frat president tries to bring it up LOL

kickoff!gojo who is actually a pretty decent student, i mean he’s a business major so womp womp ofc he’s getting by just fine. i think his favorite class he’s ever taken was freshman year econ bc him and todo got into sm shit in that class and it's some of his fondest memories

kickoff!gojo who was literally picturing a life with you on the italian countryside when you were telling him about it. self inserted to the MAX

kickoff!gojo who is always the first to like all of your film photography slideshows on instagram because he has your post notifs on :”) you and messi are the only ppl he’s got post notifs on for 🤣

kickoff!gojo who thought he would be okay with watching your life from afar, through small pictures on his phone, but the thought devastated him more n more w every waking minute

kickoff!gojo who realized that having you wrapped in his arms at the end of ch9 was the closest thing he’s felt to peace since before the night his father passed away

kickoff!gojo who hasn’t really kept too much memoribilia of his father since a lot of the memories are painful for him, but he’s kept that old soccer ball w his dad’s signature n word of love for his mom on it

kickoff!gojo who wouldnt have been able to get through the trauma of losing his father if suguru wasn’t there by his side. he would’ve really lost himself, and would’ve given up on soccer if not for suguru's support. he's truly really grateful for him

kickoff!gojo who knows what his sun, moon & rising signs are because he’s been ran through 🙄 smh. WHORE

kickoff!gojo who plays for charity soccer tournaments on the weekends whenever he can 🫶🏼💕 he loves it bc there’s less pressure to play super well & also he loves getting to meet the people that the events are helping out

kickoff!gojo who has a massive sex drive (he got that athlete testosterone 😔🤚���) esp around someone he genuinely likes AHEM YOU so beware that if you start dating him he’s gonna beg you to put it on him at least 15 times a day and you’ll have to reject him 13.5 times

kickoff!gojo who is not ready to be a father at ALL at this point in his life but he’s thought ab how nice it would be to teach his kids how to play soccer someday :”) he’s givin me girl dad vibes tho, and you just KNOW he’s gonna be cheering on his lil girls when they’re tearing through the little league w their sparkly princess tiaras & tutus on 😤 he’d be the little league coach for sure LMAO

also little league coach!gojo would 100% promise to let the kiddos shave his head if they win the championship game 😭 i can just imagine you yelling at him when he randomly comes home bald one day

kickoff!nanami&choso&suguru who would be such protective soccer uncles to yours and gojo's duaghters. not a single boy would ever get NEAR those girls i'm telling youuu. pls pray for them haha

kickoff!gojo who figured out you were mina’s roommate through a little bit of facebook stalking. and yes, he scrolled all the way down to your embarrassing middle school photos. and yes, he still likes you despite seeing them. more, even, when he thinks about it. also, he’s pissed you had a digimon themed 9th birthday party and you didn’t invite him 😒 what’s up w that

kickoff!gojo & kickoff!choso who once illegally played an off-season tourney abroad in spain for a lump sum lmfaoo and it was a pretty decent cut of cash. but shhhh dont tell the NCAA ab that pls or else they’re fucked 💀

this is all i could think of rn haha thank you anon for the ask and hope you enjoyed them <333

[glamourscat]

Can I get any headcanons for Rin Okumura w/ a foreign s/o who’s trilingual? Like maybe they have a sort of culture shock in their lifestyle differences? Maybe the s/o can be from a completely different continent and studying to become an exorcist from their nationality section? Just a thought, if not, feel free to ignore mad delete the quest plz and thank you!

a/n: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE RIN THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK😭🙏🏻 also sorry for eventual grammar errors :/

* now, this might be wishful thinking of me, but considering the Japan branch is controlled by the grigori and there are multiple scenes in the manga where some of the characters mention just being back from the Vatican

* I like to think the oldest, and main, branch of the exorcist is indeed in Italy, Rome, near the Vatican headquarters. Is basically the oldest and most powerful institution, having people all over the globe.

* I imagine that one day, the Japan branch is in need of new members, so the Italian branch sends some of the students to form overseas

* Which is how you meet the others and Rin. Mephisto presented you and your whole group to the class. Maybe you just so happen to sit beside Rin. Which would be both amusing and awkward as he is an odd ball.

* Especially if he is under the impression you don’t speak Japanese very well, he will stare at you like this 🧍🏻‍♂️(cut to a broken English moment like bachira in that one clip of blue lock)

* But anyway, I think he would be the most prone and interested right off the bat. He loves cooking and baking, we know that right? So imagine him asking you for recipes on recipes from your country.

* Still, Japan has a very different culture, especially if you’re from Europe/the states. I can see someone who’s not used to remove their shoes indoor 24/7 for example, forgetting about it and Rin just looks at you like this

* The thing is, despite the little differences Rin always felt he didn’t fit in. Since before he found out he was half demon. So, falling in love with a foreigner it’s not too far fetched for him. He is probably one of the few who I can actually see dating (and marrying) a foreigner.

* He knows what it means being different, feeling the odd one out, so the little cultural differences don’t really face him that much

* If anything, with the excuse of spending more time with you, he will try to teach you a few things here and there

* How to use chopsticks. The proper honours greeting in Japan. How to act in temples.

* Rin is not one to follow the rules, but he is still respectful and excited for traditional Japanese celebrations. By good or stories, he will try to immerse you in the culture somehow

* Which side note, but I can 100% see him dressing you and him up in a kimono for a festival that requires more traditional wearing

* Also, he was sheltered most of his life— considering his troubled childhood. We saw in the impure king arc how excited he was at the idea of travelling to Kyoto that I wouldn’t put it past him if he had looked up “Kyoto itinerary what to see”

* So having a s/o who speaks multiple languages? That’s just a bonus. He will follow you like a puppy around the world just excited to be with you and being able to share these opportunities.

* After all, being an exorcist means travelling all over the place the higher your position in. And Rin wants to become the paladin. Sooo, kill two birds with one stone?

[useless-catalanfacts]

Frequently Asked Questions

This post answers the following questions:

Who are the Catalans? Where are they?

Which are the Catalan Countries? (each Catalan country)

Where can I learn the Catalan language? (free online resources and where to find classes)

What social media accounts can I follow that post in Catalan?

Other Tumblr blogs similar to this one but for other cultures of the world.

If your question isn't answered here, you're more than welcome to send me an ask!

1. Who are the Catalans? Where are they?

Catalan people are a cultural group who come from the area known as the Catalan Countries. We speak the Catalan language (a language that descends from Latin) and have a distinct culture (cuisine, traditions, holidays, dances, music, literature, etc) and history since the Middle Ages.

Our nation is the Catalan Countries, located in the coast of the Mediterranean sea, in South-Western Europe.

As a result of past wars and invasions, most of the Catalan Countries are under Spanish rule and a part of it is under French rule (+1 city in Italy). In fact, Spain and France have harshly persecuted, illegalized and tried to exterminate the Catalan language and culture for a long time, well into the 20th century. But Catalan people have survived the ethnocide and we still exist, even though we continue to face discrimination and there are some settings where it's still not legal to speak Catalan (for example, public schools in the French-controlled part, or European Union ambits, among some others).

There is also Catalan diaspora around the world.

We are not a closed culture, we are very open to foreigners learning our language and culture, and the Catalan diaspora often organizes celebrations for our holidays or groups to do traditional activities (most famously the castellers, aka human towers) that everyone can join.

2. Which are the Catalan Countries?

We say the Catalan Countries in plural because it's made of different areas for historical reasons. The Catalan Countries are all the areas where Catalan is the native language, which have historically been part of a whole, and which share a common culture (with local variants, of course). Here they are:

From North to South:

Northern Catalonia. Capital city: Perpinyà. It's under French administration (part of the region Occitanie in the new French regions system, used to be Languedoc-Roussillon in the old one).

Andorra. Capital city: Andorra la Vella. It's an independent microstate.

Catalonia. Capital city: Barcelona. It's under Spanish administration (it's the Catalonia region in the Spanish regions system).

Eastern Strip, also called Aragon Strip. It's under Spanish administration (it's part of the region of Aragon in the Spanish regions system).

Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, Menorca, Eivissa (in English also known as Ibiza) and Formentera. Capital city: Palma. Under Spanish administration (Balearics region in the Spanish regions system).

Valencian Country. Capital city: València. Under Spanish administration (called Valencian Community in the Spanish regions system).

El Carxe. Tiny rural area. Under Spanish administration (part of the Region of Murcia in the Spanish regions system).

L'Alguer. One city in the island of Sardinia. Under Italian administration (part of the region of Sardinia in the Italian regions system).

3. Where can I learn the Catalan language?

We are thrilled that you want to learn our language. Catalan people love it when others learn our language. Here I'll link you to classes and free online resources.

If you want face-to-face classes outside of the Catalan Countries, you can check this website to find if there's a university that offers Catalan classes near you. There are 101 around Europe, 25 in North America and Cuba, 5 in Asia, and 4 in South America. Students from these courses can also participate in language stays and internships in the Catalan Countries.

If you're already in the Catalan Countries, you will easily find courses for foreigners which the government offers for free or for a cheap price (depending on the level and each person's economic situation). Check out your local CPNL (Consorci per la Normalització Lingüística).

If you want to learn independently on the internet, there are two resources I recommend the most, both are available online for free.

One is the book "Life in Catalonia. Learn Catalan from..." that you can find in various languages. Here I add the link to the official government page where you can legally download the PDFs for free, you only have to scroll down and click under where it says "text complet". You can find the book Learn Catalan from English, from Spanish, from Arabic, from Tamazight, from French, from Hindi, from Urdu, from Punjabi, from Romanian, from Russian, and from Chinese.

The other resource I recommend the most is the online course Parla.cat. It has different levels for beginners or advanced learners. You have to create an account (it asks for an official document number, don't worry about it, it's not a sketchy site, it's because it's an official course paid by the government of Catalonia and if you immigrated to Catalonia having taken this course would officially count as a language course and can give you some benefits). You can either use it for free (all the learning material is available in the free version) or you can use the paying version. In the paid version, you will get assigned a language teacher from Catalonia who can help you and correct you.

There are many more resources. You can find more free resources in this post, this post, or in this link.

Here you have some recommendations to start practising. And remember that you can watch Catalonia's public TV streaming service 3Cat for free from anywhere in the world!

4. I want to follow social media accounts that post in Catalan. Can you tell me some?

Of course! According to the WWW Consortium, Catalan is the 35th most used language on the Internet, out of the more than 7,000 languages in the world.

Here's some lists with recommendations by topic:

Anime and manga

Cooking

Travel accounts

Videogames

Fashion and lifestyle

Folk culture

More lists will be coming soon

Update: a new website has been published which lists people who post in Catalan by topic. Find it here: llista.cat.

If your question wasn't answered, you can send me a question clicking here. 🙂 You can also browse this blog by topics here.

5. Can you recommend other blogs like this one but for other cultures of the world?

Yes, I made a list of recommendations in this post.

[chaiandtchaikovsky]

❦ studyblr introduction ❦

been here for a while, but have never done a formal introduction, so here you go!

❦ about me ❦

you can call me e :>

21 y/o, she/they, cuban-american

this is a sideblog, i follow from @themuseslovechild

❦ academics ❦

i'm a music major & pianist, i study classical piano

i'm doing voice as a secondary instrument, & also play the clarinet

in the future (hopefully near future) i would like to learn to play the cello :>

actually love studying music theory

❦ languages ❦

english & spanish are my first languages

i studied latin in high school, & will eventually be picking that up again, along with ancient greek

i plan to also casually study german, italian, & french, as it would assist in my vocal studies

❦ misc. interests & hobbies ❦

i enjoy reading, especially fantasy & classics

i love plays, musical theatre, films, ballet, etc; just all things theatre and cinema generally i love

i crochet & embroider; i would love to also start sewing, knitting, and learning needlepoint

love to play d&d, mtg, & stardew valley too :>

❦ goals ❦

use this blog to track my progress & keep myself accountable for my goals

pass all my classes & complete my undergrad

prepare for auditions to transfer

improve sight reading skills

get back to studying languages

i’ll edit this post as my studies go on to keep it updated. welcome to my studyblr <33

[annefolklore]

Theodore Nott Headcanons

His favorite color is deep blue

He mainly speaks italian and english but he can also speak french because his mother was French

It brings me to an headcanon that I thought about. I headcanon his mother to be French and after her death, he tried his best to not forget her language because it’s the last thing that connect him to her.

He says his favorite class is Transfiguration, but it’s secretly Muggle Studies because he used to buy muggle things with his mom to see what they were for.

When you’re looking for him, most of the time he’s by the lake on a bench or sat by a tree.

He’s a hatstall because the Sorting hat was hesitating between Slytherin and Ravenclaw

He actually tried being in the quidditch team as a chaser or beater in fourth year, but didn’t like being bossed around by the captain so he quitted

His first crush was Hermione Granger during his third year because he admired her knowledge and how she doesn’t let herself be walked on. His favorite memory about her was how she punched Malfoy in the face

Theodore always thought girls never looked at him, but oh boy he was mistaken…it’s like he’s blind and it took him to accidentally hear his 2 of his friends, Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson, joking about how many girls wanted him and how their “son” is growing up fast. He still lightly chuckle when he think about this memory.

Not a headcanon but he hangouts with Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Daphne, Mattheo and Enzo. But among them, he prefers being with Pansy and Daphne (he will never say it out loud 💀) because he kinda like how they baby him and tell him all about girls thing. Like I can imagine him randomly being invited to their sleepovers and they put makeup on him, skin care, they gossip ect. He mostly like their inside jokes and how everyone around them is confused. He feels good knowing they’re completely comfortable with him to the point where they change in front of each other because it’s not weird and Pansy says “It’s only weird, if you make it weird”. Outside of the girls, he likes being with Blaise

Talking about his favorite girls, him and the other boys made a pact of protecting the 2 at all cost. None of the girls know about the pact, they just think that as male friends, they act like such by scaring away boys that come near them.

Most people call him Theo, but Pansy and Daphne call him Teddy

HELP I COULD LITERALLY DO A WHOLE POST ABOUT HIM, PANSY AND DAPHNE 😭

But anyways

He’ve always hated his father, Faustus Nott, mostly because he was the one who killed his mom, right in front of him with his fists

He cried after getting the dark mark

He wears rings and got an helix piercing before the seventh year after a drunk evening with Draco, Blaise, Mattheo and Enzo

He’s always making fun of Draco because he cannot run fast to save his life 😭

He’s the one of those that don’t study that often but get good grades

His favorite weather is cloudy/rainy because it finds comfort in them. He loves it the most when it’s pouring outside and he’s in the comfort of his dorm/common room reading a book.

He’s a night owl and goes to sleep at like 3am

His friends and himself are just a big happy family

Theodore is so photogenic!! He doesn’t even know it, but Pansy and Daphne always sneak pictures of him without him knowing and he looks majestic in every single one of them

He swears a lot but not too much yk?

He smokes when he’s preoccupied by something and during Voldemort’s return, he would always have a pack of cigarettes with him

Blaise and him speak in sarcasm most of the time and it’s so funny to watch 😭

I like to think he has a lot of moles/beauty marks on him, especially on his chest

He’s an observer, discreet and pay attention to his surroundings

He’s a good 6 foot 2-3 with long legs and Mattheo always fake-jump with a hand on his heart when he sees him. He calls him slender-man

He has the dead eyes with dark circles under them like he hasn’t slept in a decade

During breakfast he only takes 2 French toast with a cup of either coffee or tea, depends on his mood

His type in girls would be the quiet ones, like him. He likes them shy, maybe a bit nerdy who doesn’t talk a lot. Brunettes, maybe blondes, he doesn’t mind which house she’s in but she must get along well with his friends.

He doesn’t spend much time at his manor anymore, because he wants to avoid his father much as possible. So instead, he basically lives at the Zabini’s, his room is right across Blaise’s. Mrs Zabini loves him as if he was her own and treat him as such. What Theo loves doing is helping her around the house just to hear her say “What a wonderful boy you are!…Take him as an example Blaise!” And how his friends rolls his eyes while doing his best middle finger to Theodore. “Blaise, leave him alone!”

He loves reading, his favorite genres are philosophy because it makes him think and say the same smart sentences to his friends afterwards (especially Mattheo and Draco) even tho they don’t understand a thing he’s saying. He likes the classics, horror and romance (yes I see you coming, he reads smut). When he eventually gets a girlfriend, he does to her the romantic things he have read and say loving things the characters said.

His patronus is an eagle/hawk. No I didn’t do any research, I just can picture him with those kind of bird on his arm yk?🧍🏾‍♀️

He genuinely thought he wasn’t gonna survive the war or be put in Azkaban if he even manages to live. During his seventh year, at night, when everyone was asleep in his dorm, he would write letters to his friends and even wrote his will. He gave his clothes and his things to Blaise. 95% of his money was left for Pansy and Daphne while the rest was for charities and do not be fooled by the 5% because the number still have a lot of zeros in it. He wanted Draco to have his wand, he wanted Mattheo to have his rings because he would catch him looking at them in envy and gave Enzo his owl and books. He wanted to have his portrait in each of his friends’ house so he can visit them whenever he wants.

In a modern Hogwarts, he would listen to Chase Atlantic

He plays the piano and a bit the guitar

He loves poems and write some when he has inspiration, Draco have read one of them when he saw Theo had asleep on it and was curious about what he was writing.

[shiftchii]

MHA DR INTRO !

˗ˏˋ ABOUT ME

first name: Haruka 遙 "far, distant." last name: Kona 小�� "small, little, tiny." "camphor tree." age: 15 birthday: January 30 gender: AFAB agender pronouns: she/they sexuality: asexual demi-panromantic MBTI: INTP blood type: O-

birth place: Near Shizuoka Prefecture current living place: Musutafu, Japan (the same building as Izuku) ethnicity: Japanese nationality: Japanese occupation: U.A. High School, Class 1-A

personality: Calm and inexpressive, yet caring. Silent nearly all the time. Gets louder when comfortable. Organized and clean. Very curious about everything.

main hobbies, skills & talents: - martial arts, combat - parkour - puzzles - programming and technology - sketching - biology and chemistry - guitar, piano, drums languages spoken: Japanese, English, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish

˗ˏˋ APPEARANCE

height: 150 cm / 4'11" weight: 32 kg / 70.55 lb skin: ghostly pale, cool undertone, visible blue veins, scarred build: slender, bony, petite, fragile appearance. sleeper build eyes: downturned, lifeless with eyebags, right red, left green hair: mid-length, messy, jet black with white chunks piercings: right eyebrow, left ear: tragus, 3x upper Helix, industrial, 2x conch, 3x lobe, right ear: tragus, daith, 3x upper helix, flat, mid helix, conch, low helix, 3x Lobe tattoos: num. 13 on left upper arm voice claims: Rei Ayanami, fem voice num. 10 from code vein extra: vampire teeth

˗ˏˋ HERO

hero name: Haru quirk: blood manipulation I can control my own blood, whether inside or outside my body, manipulating it like waterbending. I can make it as fluid as water or as solid as metal, and I can alter its temperature and state at will. By increasing my blood pressure, I temporarily boost my strength and speed. To use my blood externally, I must first inflict a wound, but I can reabsorb and recycle it. I can only control another person’s blood through physical contact and up to 1 liter, but if I consume their blood, I can control it remotely and in larger amounts, mainly using this for blood clotting. I'll talk about my Quirk in depth in another post ^^

[buttahpie]

Get to know you mutual!

Thanks for the tag @warmrevolver !

What’s the origin of your username?: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey by Paul & Linda McCartney aka the song everrrrr

OTPS: McLennon forever and ever. Zelink (Link and Zelda) is also truly so near and dear to me. And I LOVE wolfstar

Favorite color: Any and all shades of green :3

Song stuck in your head: “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal has been on REPEAT for the last two days

Weirdest habit/Trait: Unfortunately I am just weird. Adorkable in a very Anna from frozen way to my dismay. I wish I had charisma or was suave but I am simply not.

Hobbies: Theatre (my whole career and livelihood, actually), WRITING!! Occasional drawing, social media content creation (I work for my theatre doing marketing) and I enjoy vlogging occasionally

If you work, what’s your profession?: I am a professional actor! I’m about to graduate with my degree in acting and I work on shows constantly! I also clean professionally to support myself more and I’m planning on starting my own private cleaning company.

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?: Honestly I have my dream job and I am so fulfilled by my work in the theatre. BUT if I could have another job I would love to be able to write stories professionally

Something you’re good at: I am good at singing and I’m finally allowing myself to say it. I’ve taken private lessons for years and I LOVE singing. I am also good at writing I think

Something you hate: bigotry. The president. Liars. Narcissists. People who support the president. Billionaires. Not getting enough sleep. Dating apps.

Something you collect: I’ve just started collecting records and vinyl and I’m quite proud of my collection already! And plays, i have loads of plays.

Something you forget: UHhhhhh I am not generally a forgetful person. I may forget names every now and then but only if it’s a person I haven’t made a connection with yet.

What’s your love language?: Quality time 100%. It’s the one I speak and receive. It is so important to me.

Favorite movie/Show: Howl’s Moving Castle, The Mummy, Surf’s Up, Pride and Prejudice, Romeo + Juliet. The Good Place, Schmigadoon, Ted Lasso, Friends.

Favorite Food: Italian food really truly is my favorite. Any and all kinds of pasta. Homemade pizza.

Favorite Animal: Cows! They have kind eyes.

What were you like as a child?: Apparently very angry and standoffish. I was difficult and mean. It was the undiagnosed autism. HOWEVER my parents say I am the total opposite now and they were so happy they loved me through the hard years because I am a joy now!

Favorite Subject at school?: Before college I loved my band and choir classes. And I loved all my English and writing classes. My favorite class I’m currently in is advanced tap dance technique! Although it’s kicking my butt right now.

Least favorite subject: Math always

What’s your best character trait: I am a generally very positive, optimistic and grounded person. People come to me with their issues, they trust me and they are cheered up by my. I’ve been described as having a “zest for life” and inspiring other people to live with more authenticity. I am very proud of this.

What’s your worst character trait: Despite this, i can be rather selfish. It’s passed down from my mom haha. I have some egotistical tendencies that I have been trying to work through for years now. Also I often struggle with empathy.

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet?: John Lennon, David Bowie, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Princess Diana

I don’t have many mutuals ahhh BUT I’m tagging: @johangeorghohman @glowing-gold and @tauruscats

[xansmenagerie]

Sorry for the long gap, depression is a bitch. What follows is not fiction -- sometimes reality is surreal.

Me and the Husbeast are keen hikers. In particular, once a year we like to do a Middle Class Hiking Week: we arrange a series of hotels or bnbs and someone to move our luggage between them so we can do the walking part in some degree of comfort. Don't get me wrong, we're still covering 100km+ in six days, we just get to carry more than two pairs of pants while we do so.

This year we chose the old smugglers' paths on the northern end of Catalonia. For those not acquainted with Europe, Catalonia is the bit of Spain up near the Pyrenees and the French border, and it's not entirely happy about being part of Spain. There's the local language -- Catalan -- which is a bit of a mash-up of Castillan Spanish, Pyrenean French, Basque, and its own evolved grammar and pronunciation, but due to both anti-Spanish sentiment and it being a holiday destination for quite a bit of Western Europe you're as likely to hear English, French, Spanish, Italian, and, for some reason, Dutch, as you are Catalan.

Which for me gets interesting because while I'm not fluent in most of these languages I can hold a conversation in several of them and get the gist in the others. As such, for the entire week I had a short delay at the start of any interaction while my brain caught up with what language I was working in.

The other important detail is that if you're hiking -- even if you're in a town at the time -- if someone asks for help and you can give it, you help. This is anything from guiding people over a tricky section of path to giving them a water top-up if you have spare to basic first aid.

With this scene setting in mind...

On our first day (which technically wasn't part of the hike but due to enthusiasm still ended up racking up 23km), we were on our way to a vineyard just outside of town where we'd had a tour and tasting arranged when an older lady with a bicycle frantically asked us to stop.

After the aforementioned delay while my brain caught up with language (French), it became clear to me that no, she wasn't asking us to stop; she was very specifically asking for the Husbeast. This isn't an uncommon occurence; he's a big, solid, dependable-looking gentleman with a friendly face, while I'm wiry and tend to grin disconcertingly when anxious.

So, assuming bike trouble -- maybe she needed help changing a tyre? -- we stopped.

At which point she extracted an enormous jar of kidney beans in water from her panier bag and handed it to the Husbeast.

She'd been to the supermarket to put together an ad hoc picnic, the jar had defeated her, could this large gentleman get the lid off for her?

It was a bit touch and go, not helped by the fact we were both trying hard not to laugh and it was very stuck, but the Husbeast did indeed manage to use the Power of Big to open the jar.

I think we made it out of earshot before we broke...

[crispyanonart]

Hi! Loved your recent art post and the message with it, was wondering if you have any tips/resources/ideas on where to start researching the things you mentioned? Like the important parts of history and how it repeats itself, stuff like that,, thanks!!

Hello anon 🖤 I'll start with a disclaimer: I’m just someone who shares fan art online, I am no expert or anything, but I’ll do my best to offer some useful references and share how I personally stay informed - I'll keep this list updated if I find interesting sources

@ everyone pease feel free to correct me or add to this post

I know that diving into topics like politics and history can feel overwhelming, but I promise it’s manageable if you ease into it with media and languages that feel comfortable to you. Of course, it’d be amazing to read and study every history book and testimony out there, but realistically it’s tough to find the time and energy to consistently do so - at any point in life. The best way to begin is to follow intersectional educators and historians on your socials to get small interesting informations little by little, and go check the sources they provide any time a topic sparks your interest.

Second disclaimer: I don’t know your background or where you’re from, and I think this makes the difference when figuring out where to start. I live in Italy, so many of my usual sources are Italian educators, historians, or social commentary pages that align with my own political and ideological views (se c'è qualche Italian*: il king Alessandro Barbero, Michela Murgia 💔, Claudia Fauzia, Tomaso Montanari, Diletta Bellotti, Cathy La Torre, Loredana Lipparini, @aestheticasovietica, @madonnafreeda...) but I started out just simply by browsing the internet, listening to some (wise) older people talk and perking up my ears in class.

My first tip would be to start local at first, and work outward. Look into the history of your town, community or area. What struggles and key issues have shaped it over time? If you have the means even directly ask people in your circles. We often hear about broad, all-encompassing issues that can feel unfathomable and far beyond our reach and control, but it’s important to remember that everything always starts within local communities, and only grows from there.

On the opposite side of this, my second tip would be to try and keep your sources as diverse as possible, and hear out people from all backgrounds. When events affect a specific community or minority, seek out creators and reporters directly from those groups and involved in said issues. Mainstream news is known to be very partial and biased more often than not - I personally tend to avoid it completely.

☆ now some actual sources:

Profiles

Historycoolkids & Decolonialatlas (these two are honestly just very fun but also educational) / so.informed / IMEU / JP Hill / seastersjones / decolonizemyself / seedingsovereignty / queerbrownvegan / workingclasshistory / brownhistory / propublica / motherjonesmag / ajplus / I'll add more as I find more

Readings

substack: us politics / world politics / history

the electric typewriter: Politics / History

are.na: Politics / this platform is full of great resources and full on books/pdfs to download, but it's better to just browse it by topic

a great library to explore is JSTOR ( @jstor ) / politics

Some writers I recommend are Susan Sontag, Angela Davis, Bell Hooks, David Olusoga, Thomas Piketty, Keisha N. Blain and Margaret MacMillan (you can also look on youtube for lectures they did)

Accessible history

Ryan Chapman

Then&Now

HistoryExtra

CrashCourse

What is Fascism (suggesting this video specifically bc it's the best english one I've found on the topic. Fascism is a word that gets thrown around a lot - and will be in the near future - often without a real knowledge about its origins and meaning, and I think this explains it very well and as quickly as humanly possible.)

This is everything that comes to mind right now!! And by the way remember to always remain full of curiosity and hope xxx

[ka-zu-li]

Weird days. Too hot, uncomfortable, bored. Want to leave the city for vacations already. Can't wait to be in front of the sea.

Today i thought i was having a good day. Had an interview (not a very interesting one, but a job), then went to this language school to see if they needed anyone, was there for a long time talking to a brazilian who showed me the space, was excited with the possibility of working there talking to a lot of people everyday in an informal chilled way. Studied a bit of italian because that's one of my goals for this summer - to study a bit everyday (and also have a notebook where i sketch everyday from somewhere different. haven't started this one yet). maybe i will integrate the two - drawing and italian class. Read a bit on the balcony, listened to music, cooked lunch, talked to my mom on the phone, wrote a bit about boredom and the way your body has to move first and then the head will follow. But i guess that afterall it's always the head deciding or having the iniative. I guess what i was trying to say was that it's important to create movement and convince yourself by doing the tiniest (line as i was writing today, so that other lines follow and you let it unfold).

Anyway i did all that, felt a change in my mood more hopeful maybe but then i have so much time on my hands now and i guess i feel lonely and sometimes don't know what to do. Went to the gym with my bf when he got home but we were acting weird w eachother since yesterday (i think we're tired of the hot weather and being in the city), we got there and i wanted to do something different and do a workout on youtube alone but it were the wrong weights and i didn't have this step thing and i ended up leaving the gym because i was getting frustrated. I left and bought a croissant to eat at this square near home and i'm just writing this, looking at people, feeling a bit sad and alone, in my workout clothes

[petrichoraline]

Wait, what!? You just blew my mind!! I could’ve sworn you said you were living in Italy, but just not near Monica. In my head you guys lived in two different regions 😅 I’m sorry for that confusion! 🙈

Ok let’s both do some yapping 😁 We have language classes here in the US too. In my schools the options were Spanish or French as a second language but you’re right, no one really learns fluency with it. I’m Hispanic and live in a predominantly Hispanic community so I grew up bilingual but a lot of people just know English. I think it’s so cool that Europeans typically know 3 languages. Like bilingual isn’t cool anymore, trilingual is the new standard! Lol

You’re right, I hear that movies and shows are a great way to practice, I listen to some Italian music but I should watch shows and movies in Italian. It’s similar to Spanish so I can pretty much get the general idea 😅 are you learning it now too then? Are there other languages you’re currently learning?

nothing to be sorry for!! i existed as an italian for some time in your head and that is beyond fun for me lol, i got a free au!!

i'm aware spanish is common to study in school there and the fact that most people don't becomefluent through those classes, maybe language classes in school are the same everywhere in terms of efficiency haha, you can't learn without personal immersion time after all

i also feel like growing up builingual is such a treasure, i'm particularly fond of spanish too so im in awe 💓

honestly though, the more languages you know, the more languages you're confused in haha, trilingual people usually just use one jumbed language 😁 in any case i do encourage you to indulge into italian movies and music! because you have some background with it i think it would be fun!

i am casually dipping my toes into italian and, considering i have no prior experience with it, it's really fun and makes a lot of sense! my pronounciation isn't that awful either because it's close enough to my language (but it hurts if i speak it a bit too much, it's that way with any new language, i need to ease my vocal chords into it)

as for other languages technically yes, practically i haven't practiced in months :/ i study japanese, korean and, when inspiration hits, mandarin :) i gotta be more disciplined though

[umichenginabroad]

Week 1: Orientations, Excursions, & Culture Shock

Benvenuto to my first official blog post! This week has been hectic to say the least – the best way to describe it is a month’s worth of events crammed into a week.

Making new friends

Let’s start with recapping the activities of the week. Sant’Anna and CIS Abroad (the study abroad program working with UofM and Sant’Anna) organized many orientations for us. Though learning names I would forget five minutes later reminded me a little too much of UMich welcome week, it was fun to meet so many people that would become familiar faces as the week went on. The program definitely does a lot to make sure we have a chance to connect with people from other schools studying abroad. The first week was entirely spent meeting new people – with a pre-registration social hour, a program-wide lunch, a pool party, sunset yoga, and a soccer match with locals being the events where I met the most people.

A picture of the villa the pool party was at. There was such a huge variety of Italian appetizers and pizza too.

I mean look at that view. We were also doing yoga exactly when the sun was setting – actually unreal.

Because Sant’Anna is just a study abroad college, it’s so cool that you can meet locals through activities like this weekly soccer match.

Nightlife

The nightlife scene in Sorrento is a totally different culture from an American college town. What I’ve gathered so far is the bars are a lot more classy/relaxed and the clubs are full of people engrossed with dancing. We went out on Tuesday and Thursday nights expecting Sorrento’s main square to be fairly calm but it was bustling. My favorite place we’ve stumbled upon so far is this small, family-owned cafe called Cappuccino Bistrot Sorrento that turns into a karaoke bar at night. We were immediately ushered in and sang two songs with the Italians in there – definitely such a cinematic moment.

My roommates and I doing karaoke at the cafe!

Excursions

This week, CIS organized a hike to Bagni Regina Giovanna and a day trip to the Amalfi Coast. The best way to describe Bagni Regina Giovanna is the mool pool from H2O Just Add Water (iykyk)

I also cliff-jumped from one of the ledges of rocks near the opening on the left! Also if you're not the best swimmer like me, do NOT swim through the opening of the cave to the ocean (I learnt the hard way).

On Saturday, we took a boat to Amafli – about an hour each way – and spent the day exploring, eating, and laying on the beach. I have to say Amafli did not meet my expectations. It was extremely touristy and crowded, there wasn’t much to see because it was essentially one long street, the food was overpriced and not as good as food in Sorrento, and on top of that it was a very hot day. 

The architecture, however, didn’t disappoint:

Culture Shock

There was a lot to get used to in the first week. First of all, language barriers are definitely prevalent here. Though you can get by with English when eating out, I want to adapt to not only the locals' way of living, but dialect too. If it counts for credit, I definitely recommend taking an Italian language class at Sant’Anna. Or just start your Duolingo streak really really early. My roommates and I also started cooking this week and the process to do so is very different from America. People go grocery shopping here multiple times a week because everything is separated. You go to the bakery for bread and dairy, the butcher for meats, and the fruit market for fruits and vegetables. There are a few bigger markets that have all of this stuff, but you can get them for cheaper if you shop separately. Even so, there’s no Costco or Target where you can get all your groceries, clothes, cosmetics, furniture, and more in one stop. This contributes to the emphasis on walking culture in Italy, which is one of the things I enjoy the most. Walking up and down hills and cobblestones to school, to shop, and to eat makes me feel healthy and like I’m going about my day more leisurely instead of hurriedly trying to fit a million tasks in a day – that’s just not possible here. 

Food

I could write each week’s blog on food alone, but I’m sure you can imagine that food in Italy lives up to the hype. Instead, I’m going to recommend one restaurant/cafe/dessert place each week with a photo from what I got there so prospective Sorrento study abroad students can add it to their lists and one home cooked meal I had (gotta keep a record of how our cooking skills progressed over these two months).

Frankie’s Pizza Bar:

Got the Pizza Mary (potato croquettes, mozzarella, ricotta, ham) and it was absolutely delicious. Also a lot cheaper than other pizza places in Sorrento.

Our first home cooked meal! Complete with fresh lemon soda made from lemons we picked from the Sant’Anna gardens.

That’s about all I can cram into this week’s post (I haven’t even touched on academics and campus life so stay tuned for that next week!). Also, I’m currently writing this being very sick from under my blanket (hence why this blog is a few days late) and getting flashbacks from freshman year when I was sick for the whole first month. Hopefully at the time of the next post, I’ll be recovered and full of new things to share! Also feel free to follow my travel Instagram @tiyastravels for more photos :)

Arrivederci,

Tiya Madhavan

Biomedical Engineering

Engineering in Sorrento

[affinitystoryblog]

🌈🥪📚 for daren and agitha?

🌈 Does your OC speak more than one language? If so, how many and which?

yknow, i never really thought about if my ocs are bilingual besides heather of course. but lets go!

Daren - i feel like he'd able to speak spanish and latin. classes he took in high school, but i feel like he'd really keep his spanish touched up yknow?

Agitha - now aggie is a prodigy, she speaks english, spanish, french, italian, and german. i feel like her mother would teach her french and english side by side as she was growing up, and the other languages came from school or something

🥪 On a scale from ‘burns water’ to '5 course menu’ how well can your OC cook?

Daren - 5 course menu, this man loves his soul food and food bursting with flavor. he likes to cook, he often cooks with his family and they eat together as a family. its very important for daren to feel close to their family so cooking for a loved one is definitely one of his love languages. food comes from the soul, let me give you a piece of mine.

Agitha - dont let her near the stove

📚 Your OC has to improvise a 10 minute lecture about a topic of their choosing. What do they chose?

Daren - i feel like daren would give an art lesson. heres a tutorial on anatomy, or how to paint with oil paint, easy steps to learn to sculpt etc.

Agitha - she is scrambling to do her best to fit in every single detail she can about her beloved pony series into a 10 minute power point

oc ask game

[survey--s]

667.

Do you take a walk every day? I walk dogs for a living so I'm out for 4-5 hours during the week. I do as little as possible at weekends though, I like the break.

Who was your favourite musical artist when you were 15? Do you still listen to them? Fall Out Boy, Green Day and Panic! At the Disco. I don't really listen to any of them anymore.

What's your preferred way of getting the news? Just online or via social media.

If you go to flightradar24 dot com to see the radar, are there any planes or helicopters in your area right now? The nearest one is a SwissAir plane going from Zurich to Montreal. It's just off the coast at the moment.

When was the last time you ate at a food court and what did you get? God, years ago. We don't have any food courts anywhere near us. I probably had Chinese.

Would you consider yourself traditional/old-fashioned? In some ways I guess.

How do you like your eggs cooked? I only really like poached eggs, though fried can be okay sometimes too.

Have you ever taken a ride in a yellow car that wasn't a taxi? Maybe? I don't really remember. Taxis around here don't tend to be yellow anyway.

What was the last thing you had to return to a store and why? I can't remember the last time I returned something - probably when I worked in retail and had some jeans that faded really fast and developed a hole.

Do you need to get groceries right now? No, the food shop only arrived a few days ago. I tend to shop once a week.

What's your favourite place to go on vacation? Italy, Scotland and Canada.

What state/territory did you grow up in? Do you still live there? Suffolk, England. And no, I do not.

What colour were the last socks you wore? Grey and cream.

Do you mark your emails as read even if you didn't open them, or do you let them just sit there? I check my e-mails and delete them at least five times a day. A messy inbox really stresses me out, hahah.

Do you have a LinkedIn profile? I do but I can't remember the last time I used it.

Have you ever done your own compost? Yeah. We had a compost heap at home when I was growing up.

Do you have any plans for tomorrow? If no, what about the day or two after that? Yeah, work - the same for the following two days ha.

Would you ever get a tattoo on your hand or foot? No. I hate people touching my feet and I don't like hand tattoos.

Do you open your doors and windows on warm days? Windows yes, doors no as otherwise the cats would get out.

Are the blinds/curtains in the room open or closed right now? One set are closed, the others are open.

Who was the last person you said "I love you" to? Toby (the cat).

Does your town have a bar or pub? Yeah, one bar and several pubs.

Were you mean to anyone in high school? Nope.

What's one of your favourite features of your phone? Face ID.

Have you ever accidentally started a fire? Not a major one, but yeah.

Do you ever wonder where everyone's going when you're driving around? Not really. I never really think much about other people.

Do you forget things as quickly as you think of them? Sometimes, yeah.

What is the last note you edited in your phone's notes app? Probably my list of lockbox code for work.

Who is your favourite coworker? You can tell me about one from your past if you don't have one right now. Nathan, Mandy or Alex B. I miss all of them, they were lovely.

Can you hear birds chirping right now? Nope, it's nighttime. I put my birds to bed about an hour and a half ago. And all the wild birds outside are asleep, too.

Have you ever learned a language on your own, as in, not attending classes or lessons? I tried to learn Italian and Spanish on Duolingo but soon got bored. My dad taught me basic Italian as a little kid too.

Do you know anyone who's adopted a child? My mum was adopted and a girl I went to school with had an adopted sister.

Are you good at parallel parking? I can do it when nobody is watching, lol.

What scent is your body wash? Vanilla and Shea butter.

Do you tend to wear your clothes more than one day before washing them? It depends on the clothes. Anything that's right next to my skin gets washed after each wear but jumpers/jackets etc. can get several wears out of them. I do work with animals though so my work stuff all goes straight in the wash at the end of the day.

What was the last video game or board game you purchased? I last downloaded Scavenger Hunt for my phone.

Pulp or no pulp in your orange juice? No pulp.

Is your middle name common? Yeah, very common.

What's your favourite Robin Williams movie? Mrs Doubtfire.

Do you decorate your house for Halloween? No.

[theblackdeathstravelblog]

Florence, Italy

Next, I shall describe my observations and experiences in one of the most beautiful and distinguished cities in Italy: Florence! Well, it was before I got there...

Here, it seemed that people thought I was sent as punishment from God. I'm not quite sure about that one... they needed to find some reason behind my effect on people. Did it occur to NO ONE that I am simply a worldly traveler, seeking a journey through the Italian Peninsula? I can't help that I'm a deadly bacteria :( Anyways...

As soon as people started getting sick, they closed off the city from anyone wanting to enter and anyone wanting to leave.

They showed the same symptom as before, the swollen lymph nodes that oozed pus. The people of Florence called them "gavoccioli". How I love the Italian language! It's one of the romance languages, you know. These "gavoccioli" spread all over their bodies and turned black (this is where my nickname comes from, the Black Death!).

The doctors in Florence were at a loss on what to do to treat the sick. Most of the patients they treated died by the third day of the symptoms appearing. The doctors couldn't figure out the cause of what was making them sick and they had no idea what remedy to use. I am microscopic, so no one knew that it was ME behind it all.

I spread VERY quickly, just by touching the clothes of the sick could infect someone! I was even infecting the animals. I was on a roll!

The "becchini" were those of lower class who were the gravediggers. They would collect the dead bodies to place them in any unoccupied grave available. Just like in Sicily, there was no time nor no room for a proper burial.

Soon, some people were staying in their homes (quarantining, if you will) and wouldn't allow anyone to speak of the sick and dead that were outside. They lived in their own world. However, there were some that did the opposite! They lived life to the fullest, drinking and laughing and singing and enjoying the pleasures of life. But, most people were somewhere in the middle of this wide spectrum of behavior.

One way that the people of Florence tried to avoid the illness was by carrying flowers, spices, or other things rich in scents because they believed the smells would purify the air for them as they breathed in. The stench of the dead and overall sickness was quite pungent, to say the least.

Just like in Sicily, people turned away from each other. The sick were abandoned by those they knew, all sense of community had decayed before my eyes during my visit. At one point, the city was filled with corpses.

Near the end of my visit, the city was empty. All those that were once there either perished or were able to escape before I got to them. I arrived in a bustling city and left a ghost town.