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Showing posts from January, 2019

Struggling with accents: a personal story

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As I was learning English, I cared so much about my pronunciation. I think the main reason is because I didn't want to sound Italian, even though I am so incredibly proud of my country and heritage. I have always wanted to move to the United States, and I knew I was going to someday, even if that meant leaving my family, friends, and everything I knew behind me, and I believe that effected my determination in getting rid of that Italian accent that I hated so much: I wanted people from the U.S. to listen me talking and think that I was from there, that I was one of them. As sad as it may sound, that was very important to me, and it is something that I have struggled with for a long time. In Boston last year, I was hanging out with some friends, and this girl I just met asked "you have an accent. Where are you from?". I was shocked, I truly believed that I got rid of my accent after all my practice, in fact, my reply was "you think I have an accent? Is it that  noti

The Truth about Starbucks' latte

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On September 6, 2018, Starbucks opened its first and only  shop in the fashion capital of Italy: Milan.  The Starbucks in Milan , though, is different from the ones in the United States and the rest of the world. In Italy, coffee is not a drink, it's an art, it's an experience, and, more importantly, it's a culture. In fact, the only reason the Starbucks shop in Milan became so popular, is because it of its location: the the former post office on Via Cardusio, one of the best ones in the city. Truth is, no Italian is willing to pay 5$ for one espresso, and you can trust me on this. Coffee is integrated in Italian's people everyday life and no one is willing to spend that amount for a drink that they will consume several times a day, as it is normal for Italians to have coffee after every meal (and yes, that includes dinner too) and during the day too.  Additionally, Italian people don't bother with drinks such as frappucinos  and lattes , since they are con