A screenshot from Assassin's Creed 2

Kevin, UIC B.A. in Criminology, Law and Justice, 2020

My parents are both immigrants from China, so naturally the first language I was taught was Chinese, specifically Cantonese, the primary language of the city of Hong Kong and areas nearby. I only use Cantonese when I’m speaking to my family members or relatives that don’t really speak English. English is my primary way of communicating with people and because of that my Cantonese has been getting rusty due to how infrequently I use it, although I am still able to hold up a conversation with someone.

What inspired me to take Italian is strangely enough my exposure to Italian culture and language through a video game called Assassin’s Creed 2 that takes place in cities such as Florence and Venice during the Renaissance. I fell in love with the language and culture and the music the game presented to me so when I had a chance to pick what language to choose, naturally I was drawn to Italian. When I started my educational life in UIC I began taking courses in Italian which eventually led me to study abroad in Italy in the summer of 2019.