Learning a language other than English has always been and will continue to be a feat for me. I have many instance where people have told me to not speak in my mother tongue simply because I murder it! But recently, I got a chance to learn Italian- I didn't have to go to Italy, or take up any language classes and to my knowledge and Facebook friends' list for backup, I do not have any Italian friends. How did I learn the tongue?
It all began with a lovely dinner at the Romano's Grills, an Italian dine-out in Bahrain. The ambiance had soft lights and one felt transported to an Italian cottage. Just before dinner arrived, I thought I'd visit the restroom (y'know, basic hand wash and stuff). The waitress gave me directions to reach the lavatory. I followed the instructions and reached the toilet doors. I got confused. 'Confused?', you ask! Let me explain: as I reached the toilets, on a natural impulse, I look for the female sign to designate the ladies' restroom. I was about to open the door when I saw the words "Signore" underneath the sign. I stopped in my tracks. I again glanced at the sign and these words. Then I looked at the adjacent men's(?) toilet. Same thing- a male sign with the words "Signora" underneath it.Hmmm.....!!
The next few minutes confused me even further. As soon as I entered the ladies' toilet, 2 voices could be heard- one male English voice, the other female Italian voice. As soon as I entered the room, the male voice said, "could you please direct me to the toilet?" to which the female voice translated it to Italian. Now it didn't strike me then that she was translating. When I heard these words, this is what I thought as soon as I opened the door, "oh shit...did I open the wrong door?... Is this the men's toilet or not?.... Is there some sensor here-- how did they know I'm looking for the toilet? n why are my thoughts being translated to Italian?" I felt a little embarrassed and quickly stepped out. I thought, "ok something's wrong..let's check the next toilet." I looked at the adjacent door (the one with the male sign but "signora" written under) and opened it. I saw, I realised, I closed..... yes, it was the men's room alright and my embarassment level increased 5 notches higher!!I was so thankful that it was empty-phew! I went back to the door that said "Signor"....it WAS the ladies' room!!! Confused,eh....yes, so was I. Thanks for stepping into my sandals.
Anyways, while I was in the restroom only did I realize that the voices were actually recorded and were translating English words and phrases to Italian equivalent. I laughed to myself at the possibility of learning Italian while you're relieving yourself!!! In the short duration that I spent in the loo, I got to learn how to say 'music','i love you' & 'where is the bus stop' in Italian. Another thing that 'impressed' me was that this recording can help muffle 'noises' (y'know..when you make 1 or 2 :P)-- helps keep the embarrassment in check.
Needless to say, after what happened (and take my word, the food was good), I can now confidently recommend Romano's Macaroni Grills-- good food, good ambience, good toilets with free language classes. Buon appetito!! :)
