Submitted by Laura Sandu on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…
Week 6 definitely put me to the test. I wrote my first paper for my Italian class and I did struggle a little bit. I have never struggled in an Italian class at UD before, so this worried me. I was worried that I was at a disadvantage because I am not a native Italian speaker, but when I spoke to my classmates who are, they said they struggled a little with this paper, too. That made me feel better. In class, we had a discussion about how we felt the paper was. I said that from my perspective it was more challenging because at UD, I am used to writing papers in Italian where the grading is more focused on grammar and vocabulary while here it’s more focused on content which means your grammar and vocabulary has to already be good. My teacher understood my concern and explained that because this is a mixed native language speaking class (classmates speak English, Italian, and even French), she is understanding of the struggle in writing a paper in a language that is not your first. With this reassurance, I felt better about my work. I learned that it is ok to struggle as long as you learn from it and can improve next time. I also learned that the teachers here are open-minded and will be understanding of your circumstances.