Year Abroad

I am about to spend a year abroad in Italy and must learn Italian in about two weeks. What do I do? The first step I take is to go out and buy one of those DVDs that help you learn foreign languages fast and easy. Examples of this include Rosetta Stone and any other similar teaching guide. I will create a schedule for me to watch and learn Italian at least two hours a day. If I watch these videos and repeat what they say I am sure I will start to pick up the basics of Italian quickly. However, I must stay committed and not give up when I become frustrated. Next I will go out and practice my Italian. I will go out to restaurants and see if i can order food in Italian. I might go out to a bookstore and see if I can read an Italian book. Learning Italian for me will consist of hearing and then practicing with other people. if I don't practice then I will not get the hang of it. Practicing with other people is important because they can interact with me in a way that the DVD/ television ca not. They can give me extra pointers and point out what I am doing wrong.I will have an advantage in learning Italian because I know Spanish and Italian consists of some similarities to Italian. If I follow theses steps I should pick up Italian quickly for my year abroad trip.