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| Corso Umberto, Modica |
"What do you usually do on Saturday evenings?" I asked a student during an oral exam simulation today.
"I go out with my friends", said he.
"And where do you go?"
"To the Corso."
"What's the Corso?"
"It's - the Corso!"
"Imagine I'm an examiner from Britain, I've never been to Italy before and I don't speak Italian. What's the Corso?"
"It's.... you know ... the Corso, in Modica Bassa."
"No, I'm afraid I don't know. What's the Corso? Is it a bar?" [I stopped myself from inquiring whether it was a bird or a plane.]
At this point the student is looking at me as if I am particularly stupid but he then manages, "It's a street!"
"What kind of street? A little street?"
"No, it's the Corso!" [At this point I'm sure he, in turn, stopped himself from adding, "Idiot!"]
Finally he volunteered, "It's the main street."
"Ah, the main street! And what do you and your friends do in the main street on a Saturday night?"
"We walk up and down the Corso."
Here endeth the lesson.
5 comments:
This is hilarious! I so love this type of cultural "blindness"(for want of a better word), although I suspect it can cause trouble too, depending on the circumstances.
Your post was a perfect little tale and gave me good laugh.
Of corso!
What about the election result?
Remember the Corso well.
Thank you, Miss Footloose. Couldn't have put it better, Lee. Glad you had a laugh too, jams. "What result?" is what we are all asking here, WW. I'm about to post on it. I'm sure you do, James.
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