Leah Benz, COL ’18

“Panino,” my mother corrected me when I ordered the “caprese panini” at the deli. “It’s only ‘panini’ if there’s more than one.” It suddenly dawned on me that the “caprese panini” wasn’t just this thing (or more accurately, a group of things) wrapped in wax paper that I liked to eat after dance class on Thursdays. It represented an entire culture, in which a “panino” was a part of daily life rather than just a “special” in an American restaurant. It was a sliver of a linguistic work of art that has been passed back and forth between millions of people for generations.  And there it was, staring back at me from the chalkboard menu at the deli. Inspired, I started studying Italian as a freshman in high school. The language instantly consumed every spare minute of my time as I poured over my textbook, stayed up late watching Italian films like “La Vita è Bella” and “Il Postino”, and dreamed of tossing my own coin into the Trevi Fountain. Finally, at 16, I was fortunate enough to travel to Italy (and hope to return), where my love for Italian was reaffirmed as I strolled through the “piazze” of Venice, Rome, and Florence, determined to capture every greeting, shout and whisper swirling around me. At Georgetown, I have had the pleasure of studying with professors Melucci and Hipwell in the advanced levels, where I am improving my conversation skills and studying the modern challenges Italy faces as a nation whose ethnic, political, and economic identity is rapidly evolving. I have learned a great deal, but there is still much to discover. Why do I study Italian? Simply, nothing gives me the same thrill as being able to go to a deli and order a “panino” even when the menu says “panini.”