A Beer of Hair?

by Elizabeth Collins

            Last night, at Caffe D’Italia I was relaxing and attempting to write. After sitting in the heat all day, I decided it would be nice to have a drink. I went in, and asked Jake for “Vorrie Una Birra Coppelie” – which should have been “Vorrie Una Birra Collesi”. He looked at me confused and continued to work. Maria, another bar tender that speaks a bit of English, kindly let me know that I had just ordered a beer of hair.

            Collesi is the brand name of the beer and for some reason I am having the hardest time remembering it. But, then again, I am having a pretty difficult time remembering any of the words. For me, the language is absolutely the most difficult aspect of immerging in the culture. It deters me from attempting to have conversations with people, it makes me anxious about trying to order food, and it makes everything harder. That may seem pretty negative but it truly is an enormous barrier. Naturally, I am an introvert  - so speaking to people I don’t know is already a bit out of my comfort zone. The stress of not understanding what anyone is saying is something I did not anticipate. The Italian classes are helping but it seems as though many students are picking it up much quicker – this adds more dissonance.

            However, it is getting better. A little. Though I am still having difficulty remembering anything – and ordering beers on hair – I am feeling more comfortable with the people of Cagli. So, I am not as uncomfortable trying and messing up. This slight improvement in comfort is my stance on day 9. Day one was dramatically different. So… my hope is that by day 14, my last day in Cagli, I will be much further.