20 Gen
Studying Italian in Milan: Liran’s story
The experience of Liran, a student of the Standard 20 course, who has been part of the large ELLCI family for a few months now.
Passionate about travel and tourism, he decides to study Italian in Milan to specialize with a Master in tourism and hospitality. In this short interview, he talks about his experience in the Milanese city and the goals achieved.
Hi Liran, tell us a little bit about yourself: where are you from, how old are you and what do you do?
I am Liran Offner, I was born in Jerusalem, I am 28 years old and I am doing a Master in tourism and hospitality here in Milan.
Why did you choose to learn Italian in Milan (Italy)?
I chose to study Italian in Milan because it is the city where my university is located. The idea of working with people of different nationalities and cultures fascinates me, and moreover, the field of tourism has always interested me.
Milan has a very different environment from what I was used to. I had started my studies in Italy in Siena, after which I spent 6 months at the University of Pisa participating in the Erasmus program. The transfer from small cities to Milan allowed me to get to know and experience a business city, modern and multicultural.
When did you start studying Italian?
I started studying Italian in 2015, as part of my degree in Romance Philology in Israel..
What was your level of Italian when you started the ELLCI course? Did you encounter any difficulties?
After finishing my studies, my Italian level was B2. When I arrived in Milan, I hadn’t practiced for about a year and a half and I wanted to review the latest topics a bit. The most difficult topic I dealt with in class was idioms and other forms of colloquial language.
What did you learn in ELLCI?
As an advanced student, the teachers provided me with the tools and techniques to use the nuances of Italian, having learned them, I think I managed to bring my Italian to a higher level.
To improve my spoken Italian I had to learn ways of saying and speaking that would not necessarily be found in books. These are the things that everyone learns along the way, living and absorbing the environment.
What did you like most about the experience in ELLCI?
What I liked most was the engaging way in which the teachers did the lessons, creating a delicate balance between the intriguing, the fun and the commitment.
In ELLCI they gave me the opportunity to learn Italian in a broad and targeted way – studying in small groups promotes an emotional bond that has contributed to the creation of a friendly environment in which everyone could commit to studying. For me, the ELLCI course was a more intimate and productive experience than other similar courses I had done.
Do you have any plans for the future? Will you stay in Milan?
Yes, at least until the end of my studies. As for my future, I try to be open-minded and adapt to the opportunities that arise.
One thing you like about living in Italy and one thing you don’t like.
I appreciate the acknowledged importance of compensating working hours with small moments of rest and pleasure. What I don’t like and could do without is dealing with bureaucracy – it exists everywhere, but it is even more difficult as a foreigner.
What would you recommend to anyone who starts studying Italian and dreams of living in Italy?
I would advise not to give up at the beginning, no matter how difficult it is, because over time you realize that the language becomes instinctive. For those who want to live in Italy this advice is even more important and I would suggest that they try to improve their language skills, even if they think they have a fairly high level of Italian.