A few days of constant rain combined with being sick gave me a chance to check out some Italian television. Now I first thought - wouldn't it be great if I didn't watch TV the entire time I'm here. But after switching it on on the weekend, I've realised how helpful it can be. Now I have it on while I'm studying Italian in the mornings.
One of the most helpful things are the children's shows! Think playschool, where they pronounce each word slowly, and use very basic sentence structures. Fantastic. Game shows can be hilarious (I still haven't figured out what you have to do in most of them) but you can hear common expressions all the time. Apparently there's an Italian version of 'Deal or No Deal' that is as supercharged with emotion as any opera (tears, the lot!)!
'Grande Fratello' ('Big Brother') is not that helpful with the learning, but it is mildly intriguing nevertheless. Whereas the Aussie version is replete with tracksuit pants, scratching arses, and general bogan behaviour, the Italian version is, unsurprisingly, the complete opposite. Even the most casual dresser in the house still looks as though they've just 'casually' stepped off a catwalk somewhere... oh, and the host is much more attractive than Gretel Killeen. The similarities, on the other hand, are just as intriguing as the differences - the underlying constant, raw human behaviour and emotion etc. But let's not go too far. I've only caught this show once, and I think that is enough.
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