2nd Week

Wow this past week has flown by... After spending some time in Milan, I now understand why everyone says it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has hidden gems scattered all over; you just have to be willing to look. Here is my top ten from the past week. 

1. The Culture. Italians really do only eat pizza and pasta but still are sooooo skinny. Whenever I see Italians eating, 80% of the time they are eating some form of carbohydrate. The stores are never open! They open around nine, close from one to two thirty and then open again till maybe nine if you are lucky.  This is due to the fact that unlike workaholic Americans, they value lunch breaks and naps more than making money. Everywhere you go (like the post office, getting a metro pass, taking pictures for your passport, the embassy etc.) you have to take a number and I think that they believe standing in line is too exhausting. Salads here are literally a plate of lettuce with, if you're lucky, a tomato and a few olives. On top of that they do not have salad dressing so you just have to settle for oil. 

2. My program. Why I love (sometimes hate) my program is because of how independent we have to be and the truly international integration we get to experience. This program expects you to do things on your own. Being as I am the oldest of my siblings, I have gotten use to figuring things out for myself but my parents were always right behind me in case anything went wrong. For Bocconi, there are no "parents" behind me. Sometimes, it can be very frustrating but I believe this will help me grow so much more as a person. I am truly far away from my regular friends and habits and am fully immersed in a new culture and I am learning so much about not only my self but the world around me. With the integration part of my program, other programs put American students with American students and hold their hands throughout the entire process. There are about 7 of us from Madison, and I did not know any of them before the trip. I am surrounded by students from all the U.S, Canada, Australia, Iceland, Ireland, Russia, etc. Being able to talk to people my age from all over the world and becoming friends with them really opens your eyes to how different yet similar we all are.

3. The Superbowl. This night was spontaneous and extremely chaotic. We knew of this restaurant that would be showing the Superbowl so a huge group of us decided lets go for it! We had to take the metro and since quite a few of us didn't have our metro passes yet we thought, "Hey why not just try to sneak in?" Now with one or two people this could have worked but with a group of 25...... We got caught real fast and luckily just had to go back and buy a new ticket. The restaurant was packed and only had a few different screens with chairs in front to watch the game. Pretty sure we were the only non-Italians at that restaurant. Since the game was a bust, most people went home but myself and two others decided to stay for the whole game. Now.... the game ended at roughly 4:00 am our time. None of us knew how to get home so we just started walking. None of the public transportation was running and we could not find a taxi (and I just wanted McDonald's which was not open). We ended up walking to the Duomo and it was a sight I will never forget. It felt like we were the only three people in the entire world. With the lights and the water dripping of it from the rain earlier, it took my breath away. But don't worry Mom we found a taxi and got home safely. 

4. Tuesday we went to a famous castle in Milan called Castello Sforzeco and even though it was rainy (what's new) it was beautiful. It was filled with incredible museums and various pieces of art from way back when. The most famous part of the castle was the Rondanini Pieta which is a marble sculpture Michelangelo never got to finish because he died.  

5. After the castle tour we all realized we needed groceries. My friend Emma and I were like "We're in and out of here. We're so hungry and just need a few things..." Twenty minutes later we had our hands full of food going all the way up to our eyes. She had to grab a huge bottle of wine and asked since I had a little extra room if I could hold it. Emma and I are the ones that stick out the most since we are both blonde (her more so then me) and here we are carrying all this food instead of in a basket or cart like normal people. We were are at the part of the grocery store where the registers were on our left and the beginning of the aisles were on our right. All of a sudden my food starts to fall. At first, it was just my chips, then the ham and then all of a sudden the WINE! it dropped out of my hand and shattered.... It felt like an exact scene out of a movie. Everyone got silent and turned and starred so of course we ran into the cookie aisle. The ladies at the cash registers still recognize us. 

6. Luini's Restauarnt - Panzerotti. I always explain this like an authentic hot pocket and when I do everyone yells at me. But a Panzerotti is this amazing donut type thing and the kind I get is filled with cheese and tomatoes. They also have desert ones filled with chocolate. This is the type of authentic Italian food we had been waiting for. Luini's is so tiny but so popular that there is always a crowd and when they run out of food they shut down. I have already been more than once.... 

7. Rain! Not. It is always raining but Thursday we FINALLY got sunlight and that was the day I fell in love with Milan. I was not feeling my best after orientation because I had come down with a really nasty cold but my friends convinced me to just go downtown for a little while to enjoy the sunlight and boy am I happy I did. I got Lunini's and gelato (that kind of food should have made me better right?) but the moment I fell in love was when we climbed to the top of the Duomo. Like I keep saying, pictures could not even do it justice. 

8. My new passport arrived! Friday you could not get the smile off of my face because I was finally done with the passport business. 

9. The Olympics. Saturday my guys friends organized a wine Olympics tournament for the dorm I live in. They set up a bracket and 16 teams composed of 4 people (each representing a country, or state if you were from the US) competed in a best two out of three flip cup tournament. I was the referee since I still wasn't feeling to well and it was one of the best nights here in Milan. Everyone was there and so many new people that we all got to meet. There was a French man from Paris who made everyone authentic crepes and he even taught me how to flip mine (took more than one try). I was obviously rooting for the Wisconsin team (there was a U of M team... sorry dad) which were the four boys and they ended up winning the finals which made everyone from the U.S break out into the National Anthem. It was one of the craziest, loudest, funniest times I have ever heard the national anthem being sung.

10. My parents. I want to have a little shout out for the two best support systems a girl like me could ask for. There is no way this trip could have been possible without them and I thank God everyday to have them in my life. I am an incredibly lucky girl to not only be embarking on this trip but getting to live the life I live. Love you two! (Don't tear up too much momma)

Here are some pictures from the Week! Until next time. Arrivederci! (I hope you have all started to embrace my horrible grammar)

Duomo at 4:30 am after the superbowl

The city of Milan from the top of Duomo

#merica

The Castello Sforzeco

 Rondanini Pieta

The MOST AMERICAN looking people on the trip

Pictures of my room. The hallway leads to my roommates room, the bathroom, and our kitchen. And yes we have a huge balcony. 

Two popular stores from the fashion tour. On Saturday we took a tour with the school of the fashion district in Milan.... I have never felt more poor in my life. But wow it is obvious why it is one of the fashion capitals of the world. Not only does it have every designer represented but the streets and surrounding areas are beautiful. 

And of course some of the deserts at Luini's. It's always too packed to get a bigger picture