Milano, Spring 2013

This blog is dedicated to my parents because, without them, I would have never been able to take part in such a beautiful once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. YOLIO var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-38091761-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

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My first snowman in Milano!

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The Chiaravalle Abbey Tour Guide! He had so much enthusiasm!

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Hey y'all. If you are interested, here is the link to the pictures that I took during the IES tour through Lombardia. I was able to visit the Certosa di Pavia monastery, the city of Vigevano, and the Chiaravalle Abbey. If you have any specific questions, email me at [email protected]!

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Venezia!

First of all, I apologize for how long it took me to write this post about Venice. I guess you could say I was kind of putting it off because this probably isn't the best experience that I could have had...but, I still have many unbelievable memories from the trip, both good and bad, that I need to share!

Step 1: The Train

Okay, so this train, thankfully, did not leave as early as the one for Pisa did. However, for SOME unknown reason, I chose to sit in the train car with the heat cranked up to somewhere around infinity. Worse yet, I had the idea that the car would cool down as soon as the train started moving. Well, I can assure you that that car did NOT cool down. If anything, it got even hotter. Now, most of you probably know what heat does to someone with a sinus cold. Although I did not get as sick as some of the people from IES had, the heat on that train created vices on my sinuses that clenched them shut. So, needless to say, that alone was extremely uncomfortable, and, when you add in the fact that, even after I had removed all extra clothing including shoes and socks, I was still drowning in sweat, you can imagine that it was an extremely uncomfortable train ride.

Step 2: The Weather

Although I was fully aware of the impending rain shown in the forecast, I was still committed to the trip, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the rain would hold off until I left. Well, I had no such luck to say the least. It was all-out pouring from the moment I got off of the train. Attempting to stay positive, I began the 35 minute walk to the Piazza San Marco where the main events of Carnevale were supposed to occur. My compact Brookstone umbrella was ultimately no match for the amount of rain that was pelting my rather permeable jacket, so I gave in and bought myself a much bigger purple umbrella. As I continued on my way to the piazza, I was gradually becoming more and more soaked by the freezing rain and ginormous puddles that were unavoidable (I did not wear rain boots thinking that my leather ones would suffice...haha they didn't). When I finally got to Piazza San Marco, I learned that the Carnevale events were closed down due to the rain. Needless to say, I was pissed, but, again, I tried to stay positive knowing that that was what mom would have done. For the next 4 hours, I meandered around the covered shops buying much more than I had originally planned in order to make up for everything that had been going wrong. Finally, the time came for me to travel back to the train station. The majority of the people were gone, but a horrendous bout of wind showed up out of nowhere and wreaked havoc during the entire trip back. The wind caused my umbrella to break in two, leaving me unguarded against the army of rain that had also seemed to have increased in volume. When I finally arrived at the train station, I was exhausted. Thankfully, I was able to pick a cooler train car for the trip back.

The Positives!

Although it seemed as though everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, I was able to pull a few positives from the experience.

1. I got a few presents for the people I love back home!

2. I got a Venetian mask for myself!

3. I got some gorgeous pictures!

4. I can say that I went to Venice!

So, all in all, I would definitely say that my experience in Venice is not one to throw out the window. I accumulated many memories that will last me for the rest of my life. :)

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If anyone wants to see the few pictures that I took while in Venice, check out my album on Facebook :)

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A Field Trip, A Pomeranian, Some Wine, and an Aperitivo

Yesterday for my Italian class, we went on yet another field trip (we've already been on two others in the past two weeks) to the Naviglio. The Naviglio is the street that borders the canal in Milan. When night sets, it is like a button is pushed and the street is awakened by its numerous bars scattered up and down. Its nightlife is one of the best in Milan. (I, myself, have been to a few of the bars for different aperitivos with friends.) It is a great way to eat dinner for only 8 euros.

Anyways, the purpose of this field trip was to interview the workers in the stores open during the daytime about their jobs. We went to a comics store, a used bookstore, and, finally, a vinyl shop. The latter, of course, was my favorite. Yes, the store was filled with Rolling Stones, Abba, and Pokemon galore...but what I was most interested in was the adorable little Pomeranian that was wandering around inside. He was the owner's, from what I could tell, and he was the absolute sweetest little thing. When I first walked in and saw the dog, I got instinctively excited, but I stopped myself because I have gathered that Italians don't really like it when you pay too much attention to their dogs. So, I gave up on that idea rather quickly. I walked away from the dog and sat down on the window sill. That little guy came running over and put his paws up on my knee to give me some kisses. So cute! Needless to say, I was pretty ecstatic that I had finally pet my first Italian dog......And for those of you who are impatiently wondering why I have just rambled on for a paragraph about being so excited to pet a dog in Italy...well, then you just don't know me very well ;)

At the end of the field trip, the class kind of begged our teacher to let us go into La Vineria. Wine is actually made inside of this store. The grapes are imported from different regions across Italy and then processed right here in Milan. I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity, so I bought a 0.75 L bottle of Bianco Sicilia Viognier (a type of white wine). I was rather apprehensive about it at first because of the murkiness of the wine. The best way to explain what it looked like is to picture a glass of apple juice (clear) and then place a glass of apple cider next to it. And, since I like apple cider, I should like this fresh wine, too. Clinging to this idea, I tried it...anndd I hated it. Well...it was worth a try, right? Luckily, it only cost 3 euros, so no harm done.

Finally, to top the day off in a sorta fantastic way, I was invited to Alessandra's aperitivo at the Executive Lounge. (I was very appreciative since I knew that I would have never been able to afford going there on my own.) Everything at this club clicked for me. Personally, I don't like going to clubs. The music is much too loud to talk to people; it is always way too crowded and people bulldoze through you; it's too dark to see anyone's face; the lights can cause seizures; and all of the smoke could cause lung cancer in a single night. So this club was absolutely perfect for me because I could converse with people while sipping at a drink and watching people dance normally in an organized fashion. And, I was home and in bed by 12:30! I swear that I was just born in the wrong time period ;) ...but it really was an amazing night, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

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For Alessandra's birthday, I along with a couple other IES students accompanied her to an aperitivo with her Italian friends at a very expensive but unique place called the Executive Lounge. It was American all the way. There was swing dancing all night long. This video is just to give you a taste of how much fun I had last night. I didn't know how to dance with them, but I absolutely loved watching!

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This very popular Italian singer, Tiziano Ferro, has also worked with American artists Kelly Rowland and John Legend.

I have discovered my love for Italian music...such a beautiful language...and to think, I'm learning how to speak it!

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QUICK...it's time to catch up

 Okay, so since I decided to start a blog two weeks after I arrived in Italy, I am going to give an annotated version of everything that has happened to me thus far.

The Plane- Not gonna lie, it was probably one of the most uncomfortable flights I have ever experienced, but, at the time, I didn't care. I was headed to ITALY to LIVE there for four months.

Collegio di Milano- I chose to live in the Collegio di Milano along with 3 other IES students. It's a dorm filled with Italian students from different universities and colleges in Milan (Bocconi, Universita' Cattolica, etc.). At first, it was a bit difficult associating with the Italian students because there is a bit of an age difference (they start their college career at age 21), but it has become a lot easier since then. Meals are provided, there is a doorman who takes my key when I leave, I have my own room and bathroom, and my room is cleaned every Monday. Needless to say, I'm living the life of luxury.

The First Week- the first couple of days were difficult. I was thrown into a new culture surrounded by people that I had never met before. When I crossed the ocean, I left everything that I was comfortable with behind me in EST. It was a huge transition, but I made new friends, pulled myself together, and started to learn how to not seem so American.

21st Birthday- Thanks to my family, all of my friends, and my gorgeous CA (Community Assistant) Mia, I was able to have an incredible 21st birthday. When Mia and Alessandra (another CA) found out about my birthday the day before, they got so excited and insisted on throwing an aperitivo (like a happy hour but with a LOT of food) just for me on my birthday. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. At 11:58pm the night before my birthday, my family (including my dogs) skyped me, sang happy birthday at midnight, and then held up a little cupcake with a candle for me to blow out and make a wish. And, man, I love my family. At exactly 12:04am, I began to get phone calls (costly ones at that) from different members of the family who remembered the time difference in Italy to sing happy birthday to me. It was the perfect start to my birthday. Later that day, I got a beautiful orchid, a bottle of champagne, and Godiva chocolates from my parents in the mail. Later still, I went shopping and treated myself to a gorgeous Italian leather backpack, something I had been hoping that I'd be able to find. At 7pm, the rest of the Collegio students and I arrived at Mia's apartment for the aperitivo. It was an absolute blast. There was a bunch of people there, which made it a very enjoyable atmosphere, especially since the food and wine was delicious. My 21st birthday was absolutely brilliant. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Pisa Pisa! - This past Saturday (January 26th), I traveled with a couple of my new friends to visit Pisa. Yes, PISA. We got on a train at 6:10am and made the four hour trip south. It was an absolute beautiful day in Pisa compared to the rain and clouds that we had become so accustomed to in Milan. We were stoked, to say the least. We had lunch at a pizzeria and then headed towards the tower, taking pictures while walking through Corso Italia (the main street through Pisa). We crossed over a canal that was absolutely gorgeous. (For those of you who play Assassin's Creed...yeah, well, Ezio totally climbed those buildings.) When we finally saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa for the first time, everyone yells out "Oh my god... it actually is crooked!" It's one thing to see pictures of the tower, but, when you see it in person, it is absolutely breathtaking. After taking many cheesy pictures of us holding up the tower, we made the trek up the stairs to the very top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Although it cost 18 euros, there were 294 steps, and the fact that my fear of heights was intensified by the leaning, it was absolutely worth it. When I finally got to the top, I could see all of Pisa–there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. And, to my relief, there were fences that would prevent anyone (a.k.a. me) from falling off. After I climbed back down all 294 stairs, I took a stroll through the city's Duomo (cathedral). It was much smaller than the Duomo in Milano (Milan's Duomo is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world), but the interior of the church peaked my interests a bit more. Before heading back to the train station, I was able to get a few souvenirs (including a stunning model of the tower for the bro) and then purchase the best gelato I have had so far in Italy. To summarize, this day-trip to Pisa was very relaxing and enjoyable. I'd recommend anyone go there just to take a step back and remember how beautiful life is. It really puts things into perspective.

VENEZIA- This upcoming Saturday, I am traveling with a few of my friends to experience the Carnevale in Venice. Many cities celebrate Carnevale, but Venice's celebrations are, by far, the biggest and most extravagant. Not sure what exactly we will be doing.

If y'all want to see the pictures that I have taken so far, you can check them out on my Facebook. Or, just click on either of these links:

Milano: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200134670316775.190141.1451257023&type=3

Pisa: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200181464766607.190710.1451257023&type=3

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L'Inizio Della Mia Bella Vita in Italia (The Beginning of My Beautiful Life in Italy)

Today, I realized that I am not cataloging my experience in Italia as well as I should be, and I have decided to change that. I am hoping that this blog will remind me that I am not in the United States anymore but rather in an entirely new culture that I know near to nothing about. I want to be able to remember every experience that I have here because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

New motto for spring 2013: YOLIO (You Only Live in Italy Once)