How I passed my first exam in Italian.

Today I left the house at 9:30 in the morning with one very special mission: to pass my first oral exam in Italian. Subject: psychiatry.
I hadn't really slept the night before, so I was really tired. Too tired to be nervous though, and that was a good thing. I arrived in the psychiatry building (as always a strange feeling somehow), there are always security guards at the entrance who ask you what you want. Well, I guess it's much easier to get in then to get out though. :-)
I went to the professor's office where the exam was supposed to be held: as always, the hallway was crowded, although most people appeared to be patients rather than students. Hard to say who looked more afraid.
PUNCTUALLY at 10 a.m., professore Bertolino and professoressa DeCaro arrived and asked EVERYONE (!) who had to take the exam to enter. Well, we were 4 students total. I became a little insecure here... there had been many more people at the lectures. Oh well.
So, the situation was as follows: 4 students and 2 professors in a small room. Each of the professors was asking questions at one of the students, so basically 4 people were talking at the same time. As if this wasn't enough noise, both doors of the room were widely opened and noises from the hallway and from another office added to the hectic athmosphere of the exam. For me it was really hard to concentrate. Verbalizing complicated matters in Italian is still not easy to me, and in this athmosphere it seemed impossible.
Well, this was my exam:
Professoressa DeCaro: "Ok, so tell me what you know."
I: "Uuuuuhm..."
DeCaro: "Just tell me something about clinical psychology that you have read."
I: "Ok... " I talked for 3 minutes about very simple matters and the abuse of alcohol.
DeCaro: "Ok, you can proceed to Prof. Bertolino now."

I had to wait for another girl to finish her exam with Prof. Bertolino. She seemed very hectic but talked and talked and talked... about things I didn't quite understand. In the end she broke out in tears and left the room. What had just happened? I didn't understand, but she clearly hadn't passed. Now it was my turn. Well, at least I wouldn't cry... but my respect for Prof. Bertolino had just immensely grown.


Prof. Bertolino asked questions, very simple but specific ones. (What is a hallucination? In which diseases do hallucinations occur? Describe a maniac episode and its treatment...). I could answer most of that, just with that maniac episode treatment I had some problems.
Finally: "What is the sistema di igiene mentale?" (translation would approx be "system of mental hygiene"). I had never heard of this. He started laughing. "Surely you have heard that there are not just psichiatric clinics in Italy but also a system of ambulant services?". Well I clearly hadn't and it was soooo embarrassing... this question was like asking "What is an ambulant practice?" and I couldn't answer it. Everyone in Italy would have known the answer to this question, and thus all 5 persons in the room started laughing at me.
Bertolino with a very harsh voice: "Va bene. The exam is over.". Oh my God. I failed.
He started "discussing" with DeCaro. After 10 seconds: "Okay, you get a 25". That's actually not great but quite good, 25 of 30 points is like a 2 in the German grading system.

So now I'm really happy and will celebrate big time tonight before starting to study for the next exam! :-)))