Italian for Travelers Spotlight: Ann Lawrence Grasty (UVA)

Ann Lawrence Grasty, Executive Director, University Annual Giving & Stewardship at UVA, is passionate about creating meaningful connections—both with the University and throughout the Charlottesville community. This summer, that spirit of connection took her to Italy with UVA’s Cavalier Travels program. Before departing, Ann Lawrence enrolled in Speak!’s Buon Viaggio course to learn practical Italian and gain the cultural knowledge that an app alone couldn’t provide. We spoke with Ann Lawrence about how preparing for the language and customs of Italy enriched not only her experience abroad, but also the joy of anticipating the journey.

HERE’S HER STORY:

Ann Lawrence Grasty works at the University of Virginia and occasionally staffs alumni and parent travel trips. Before a summer journey to Italy, she started with Duolingo, then realized she needed more support if she really wanted to use the language there. She enrolled in Speak! Language Center’s Buon Viaggio Italian course, where her instructor and the travel-focused curriculum gave her tools an app couldn’t!

What inspired you to study Italian with Speak!?

One of the things I’m fortunate to do through my job at the University of Virginia is occasionally staff an offical alumni and parent travel trip with Cavalier Travels. This summer, I got to go to Italy!

I started with Duolingo, thinking I could learn at least a little of the local language. But I soon realized that I needed more support if I really wanted to do the things I hoped to do with Italian while I was there. So I signed up for Speak!’s Buon Viaggio course. I’m proud to say that at least once, someone thought I could speak Italian!

What did you gain from classes that you couldn’t get from an app?

The things I learned from my instructor simply couldn’t be learned through an app. For example, she explained that in Italian, we pronounce every letter. All of a sudden, things started to fall into place when I began thinking about the language that way.

How did learning about Italian culture enhance your trip?

The combination of our instructor and the curriculum gave us an opportunity to learn about the culture as well as the language. So that I knew that when I walked into a bar, for example, it would serve coffee—not necessarily adult beverages! I also learned that I could expect to pay more if I sat at a table rather than standing at the counter, and what should I expect to do when I’m ordering something. Those were exactly the kinds of things that were great to be able to customize to our trip.

Would you study with Speak! again?

I hope that I’m going to be traveling again in the future and, when I do, the first thing I’ll do is find out whether Speak! offers the language spoken wherever I’m going. Because not only do I want to continue to pursue what’s happening in Italian, but I’d also love the opportunity to learn about other cultures.

Learning the language doesn’t just help you communicate while you’re there—it gives you so much more joy as you anticipate the trip.