Cut loose

The semester is coming to a close, and for me this was marked by our Italian final exam we took this afternoon. I studied quite a bit but I know I got confused over a couple tenses and botched a few sections. It would have been nice to have nailed it before going to Italy. Though the class was more work than I was expecting, it was good to have the structure and be made to plow through the language (we supposedly learned most of the grammar rules in these two semesters). Since I won't be able to take any more classes before heading off, learning the rest of the language will be left solely to myself, but at least I have a great partner to practice with! Of course, the end of the year is bittersweet--I really grew attached to my little class of only 11 students, and the professors for both semesters were amazing; we had outings, watched films, were invited to seminars, and there was even a party with lots of fantastic food yesterday. The truly sad aspect, however, is that due to the university budget cuts the department will have to drop the Italian major next year. Professor Servino has worked to build up the department over the past twenty years and she took the news pretty hard; it was obvious that this was a difficult year for her. At least it seems like she is willing to do her best to keep everything afloat, and maybe when we return Seth can teach some Italian/music inter-disciplinary classes to help support both departments.