So, I've explained my situation in another thread - I'm a student and after finishing school I want to move to Italy for a year to pick up the language and culture (and all that jazz).

So, I'm still trying to piece together ideas, looking at course after course.
I'm still not sure on destination, BUT I was wondering if anyone knew anything about immersion programmes (basically live-ins with your tutor).

Now, it's an interesting concept. I would undoubtedly pick up the language, depending on how long I stay. And then the language could give me the possibility of work elsewhere in italy. My only problem is I want some other people my age! Other students. And that's what you get with other language courses, except the prospect of sitting through hours of lessons in big classes isn't appealing. But then, neither is spending 6 months alone in an italian family.

I'm so lost, and I'm just going round in circles really. Could anyone give me support or advice. I don't want to get into a situation where I'm speaking a lot of English either - I've made that mistake before and I'm not about to do it again!

Thank you!

Dear Zay,

if you want to stay for a longer period, I recommend that you stay in different places in order to immerse in Italian life. We are an Italian language school in Southern Italy, and it would be a pleasure to have you with us for a while to show you the culture and life of the South. For further information just send us an e-mail to info@piccolauniversitaitaliana.com.

Best regards from Italy,

Simone from the Piccola Università Italiana

Ciao Zay e benvenuto.

Io sono andato/I went to all'Università di Perugia to study the Italian language, Italian music, Italian history e cosi via/and so on and so forth. I rented an apartment and went total immersion.

Which Italian school is best to learn Italian? Non so but wherever you go here are a few suggestions:

1. Don't hang around your fellow English speaking students molto.
Make Italian friends. How do you do this you might ask.
Well, go to a gym where Italians go. The one I went to in
Perugia had all Italian nationals. The gym owner did not
speak any English what so ever. I spoke Italian with everybody
in the gym and made friends while the rest of the students at
the Universita di Perugia complained that they could
not find any Italians to talk to.

2. Go to church in Italian.

3. Find the local chapter of AA. Sitting and listing to people tell their stories at an AA or drug
rehablitation meeting is even better than some of the classes at any universita.(I did this when learning Spanish anche.)

4. Go to movies in Italian.

5. Watch Italian TV.

6. Listen to Italian radio and CDs in Italian.

7. Go to the outskirts of town where only Italians are.
If you hang around the university you'll probably be
with mostly the other students.

8. If you take any day tours make sure it's with an Italian speaking guide.

9. If you see somebody hanging out of a window talk to them. I did and was
taken all over Perugia and other parts of Italy by them all the while speaking Italian.

10. Do your laundry at a laundry mat where Italians go.

11. Do your shopping where the Italians shop. Talk to the clerks
and any Italian customer that will listen to you.

12. Play soccer or basketball at the park with Italians.

13. Go to an Italian library. Ask if they have anybody who wants to learn English in return for them teaching you Italian.

14. Go to a marital arts school where Italians go.

15. Go to group meetings of Jehova Whitness's. They're nutty but they will speak to you in Italian and give you free Italian books and free Italian CDs.

16. Oh, use a hand held recorder and record your Italian classes and people around town. Tour guides, shop clerks, people you meet in the street etc. etc. I did.

17. Get an Italian book and just read out loud. It's just like speaking Italian. It is speaking Italian.

18. Total immersion is what you're after. Listen to Italian as much as you can. 24/7.

Keep an open mind. You'll learn more Italian.

You know these are the suggestions English speakers living in Italy should follow even if they're not attending school.
Chi molto pratica molto impara. Whatever you practice a lot you will learn.

Wow, if only I could do a program like that with my high school students! Immersion is probably the best method out there...it's just hard to use such a method with teens. Sometimes I feel that the methods I use to teach are good but the kids could do so much better if they were forced to use the language a lot more outside of the classroom.

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Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.