Being a reporter is like going to school. Every day you have to learn something new, and every day there is a test. You have to immerse yourself in the story of the day, sort out the facts and share what you know with your viewers. If you get it wrong, they’ll let you know.
As much as I love that part of my job, a few years ago I realized that the “lessons” I was learning were not on my terms but on the terms of whatever happened to be making news. I decided it was time to learn something new. Something that would be difficult.
At the age of 50, I began learning another language: Italian. The choice was pretty easy: I love the language, the country and the culture. I signed up for private lessons at a local language school and faithfully attended classes up to two times a week. The first few weeks seemed easy as I quickly learned some basic verbs, like to go, to speak and to listen (or andare, parlare, ascoltare). I was even putting simple sentences together, like "io mangio al ristorante," or, "I eat at the restaurant." Then came learning how to put things in different tenses, of using the proper articles and pronouns, and even how to say “you.” Trust me, there are a lot of ways to say “you” in Italian!
Learning Italian turned out to be hard, which was exactly what I was hoping for as it kept my interest. My demanding schedule makes it difficult to study as much as I’d like, but I sneak in study lessons. My good friend and Italian journalist Marina Carminati comes by the office several times a month to help me refine my conversation skills. And when I travel on assignment you can often find me sitting on the plane pouring over my books.
I didn’t realize how much I had learned during the last two years until I covered the Amanda Knox trial in Perugia in September. I was able to understand a lot of what was happening around me -- and, better yet, to be understood.
I started Italian around the same time my Sunday co-host Jenna Wolfe decided to take up the guitar. I’m happy to report Jenna has stayed with it too. Watch the update below that shows you how we are doing now and talks about the value of learning new skills as an adult.