A blog post is necessary for this week because it seems like my first real REAL week in Milano. I've done so much this week and since this weekend is sure to be exciting (Venezia per Carnevale! and RAVENS IN THE SUPER BOWL), it will merit its own blog post.
Monday (Jan 28)
To start, Monday was my Italian roommate Alessandra's birthday. In honor of it, my housemates and i and another apartment made an American dinner. We had hamburgers and made grilled cheese. We decorated the apartment in happy birthday hello kitty decorations. It was adorable and perfect for the most adorable Italian.
Tuesday (Jan 29)
The following day I spent the afternoon shopping with Sadie and Amanda and then met up and continued to shop with Chris, Brent, Arturo, and AJ. We have some dapper dressing men in this program after our shopping day :) We came back to my apartment and I served (as usual) as the Jewish mom trying to host and feed everyone. We cooked fabulous pesto pasta (I am getting a lil too obsessed with pesto since being here) and drank a bottle of wine.
Wednesday and Thursday (Jan 30, 31)
Wednesday I walked endlessly looking for Instituto di Moda Burgo to have my first fashion design class. For hours I searched in Piazza San Babila and couldn't find it. Not to worry, I was able to soak up Prada, Gucci, and Dolce and Gabbana as I strolled the famous fashion streets of Milan. I got a fabulous panzerotti at Luini (it's actually my third time going because it is just too delicious. look it up: http://www.luini.it/ yumm yumm yumm is all I can say. Plus you can't beat the price ... 2.50 euros!... Amazing!)
Thursday was super exciting. I went to the Instituto di Moda Burgo to have my first fashion design class. EEK how fun. This is me: intimidated much; excited beyond all belief; overwhelmed like cray. I spent three hours drawing boxes with certain dimensions, aiming to draw symmetrical faces and silhouettes; I was clearly miserable at it, but the teacher, Giovanni, was super nice and encouraging. I met some really cool people there. A guy from American University who took the semester off to come and take classes at Burgo for the semester; and two girls, one from the Caribbean and one from Dubai, who came to Milan to take classes at Burgo. All three of them were so nice to me and I unfortunately didn't get their contact information since I said I'd see them Monday. Unfortunately!!!... it turns out that the schedule for the fashion design classes do not fit into my schedule, so I cannot take the course. Thus I had my one day of being a fashion designer. I don't think it matches my skill set much, but it was fun nonetheless. Why not! I'm in Milan!
Tonight, for Ale's birthday, we went to the Executive Lounge for an aperativo. It was so much fun! It happened to be swing dancing night and so the night was spent eating delicious food, watching seemingly expert or at least very good swing dancers. Super cute! I felt like I was living in the '20s. I wish I had worn a flapper dress; I would have fit right in. Some embarrassing attempts at swing dancing with Chris and Sadie occurred of course and plenty of photos were taken!
What a day! Well the next few days are going to be amazing! Venizia per Carnevale and SUPERBOWL! Can't wait to tell you all about it.
I PROMISE TO UPLOAD PHOTOS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Peace love and swing dancing,
~ E
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
The Tower is Actually Leaning!
Ciao amici!
Everything is going so fabulously here. I have been attending Italian class every day, which is going very well. My background in Latin and in Spanish has made it fairly easy. My teacher is this young, super adorable, girl. She is so fun, bubbly, and charismatic; it makes the hours of Italian grammar go by fairly quickly.
I live with five other girls in a really nice apartment. One girl is a local Italian girl named Alessandra. She is the cutest girl in the whole world. She is always smiling and is so happy all the time. She has been really helpful: showing us where the supermarket is; showing how to use the metro; giving us restaurant, bar, and club recommendations; and helping us with our homework. She even helped me throw my friend, Chris, a 21st birthday party here at my apartment.
Today was her birthday so my housemates and I made her dinner: American dinner with burgers, grilled cheese, and french fries. I think she loved it; she almost started crying when she saw all the hello kitty decorations. She has been really great; I am really lucky to have her as my RA.
Unfortunately, I've been sick all week, so I haven't been able to explore Milan as much as I would like, but thankfully I have another 4 months to do so. :) This past weekend I went to Pisa, and I have a trip to Venice planned for next weekend. Next weekend, it is Carnival in Venice! I am so excited... Carnival of Venice is supposed to bring out the true colors of Venice. The masks and the costumes! Oh it's going to be so amazing!
I did visit Pisa this past weekend! The trip was so great and luckily so successful for my first trip. It was certainly an experience. Chris' birthday was Friday, so I threw an aperitivo at my apartment for him as a get-together before everyone went to a club. Everyone got back at 3am from the club, and our train for Pisa was at 6am! I managed to get everyone out the door and to the train station on time... it was quite a production. Working off an hour of sleep, we arrived in Pisa four hours later!
I have 300 photos from yesterday. It is going to take me a while to sift through them and put them up. I will post a few in the coming days. We had the nicest weather; we were so lucky. The square, where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located, is made up of a Basilica, a Duomo, and several other museums. The whole area looked like it was out of a movie set. Nothing looked real. It is hard to believe that you are staring at a building that is leaning at a 5 degree angle. There were ten of us from IES who went to Pisa, but we ended up splitting into smaller groups early in the day. Chris, Sadie and I spent a good hour trying to take the best photo of "holding the building up."
After our photo shoot, we climbed the Leaning Tower! It's scary how much you can feel the angle of the building. The view from the top of the tower was breathtaking. I could see the city of Pisa and the mountains in the background. There aren't words that are strong enough and descriptive enough to explain how amazing the view was or how extravagant and regal the duomo was. No wonder a picture is worth a 1000 words. But even pictures don't do it justice. I've visited many cathedrals throughout my travels, and this duomo was certainly in the top 10 of regal churches. It was such a great day and there are many more to come! (Can't wait to post the photos for you!)
... In other news...
I just signed up for classes. BEST SCHEDULE EVER... I am taking an Italian Fascism and Anti-Semitism course. The teacher is supposed to be great, and the course is completely ME right? I am also taking an environmental sustainability course for my International Affairs major. AND I am taking a fashion design course at the local university! I am taking a fashion design course at one of the top fashion design universities in the fashion capital in the world! AH! It's going to be super intense and I am going to be way out of my league... but since when have I ever backed down from a challenge?? Going to be epic! ... next Armani here lol
Anyways, everything is going great and I have plans to get a few other trips on the calendar. Hopefully I can visit Zoe in Florence and Kayla K. in Copenhagen.
My dad asked me today whether this was my best abroad experience. And I have had a lot of abroad experiences and my response is always that each and every one is completely different and cannot be compared. Visiting a synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia where Jews and Muslims live together peacefully; Sailing through the Panama Canal; Praying at the Western Wall; Trying to make the guards outside of Buckingham Palace laugh... They are all unique and unforgettable experiences. The next four months are going to be amazing... with great people, a new language, and new fantastical sights (like Paris and Venice and Berlin). What an experience I am having! Can't wait to keep you updated.
Hugs and Kisses from halfway across the world.
~E
Everything is going so fabulously here. I have been attending Italian class every day, which is going very well. My background in Latin and in Spanish has made it fairly easy. My teacher is this young, super adorable, girl. She is so fun, bubbly, and charismatic; it makes the hours of Italian grammar go by fairly quickly.
I live with five other girls in a really nice apartment. One girl is a local Italian girl named Alessandra. She is the cutest girl in the whole world. She is always smiling and is so happy all the time. She has been really helpful: showing us where the supermarket is; showing how to use the metro; giving us restaurant, bar, and club recommendations; and helping us with our homework. She even helped me throw my friend, Chris, a 21st birthday party here at my apartment.
Today was her birthday so my housemates and I made her dinner: American dinner with burgers, grilled cheese, and french fries. I think she loved it; she almost started crying when she saw all the hello kitty decorations. She has been really great; I am really lucky to have her as my RA.
Unfortunately, I've been sick all week, so I haven't been able to explore Milan as much as I would like, but thankfully I have another 4 months to do so. :) This past weekend I went to Pisa, and I have a trip to Venice planned for next weekend. Next weekend, it is Carnival in Venice! I am so excited... Carnival of Venice is supposed to bring out the true colors of Venice. The masks and the costumes! Oh it's going to be so amazing!
I did visit Pisa this past weekend! The trip was so great and luckily so successful for my first trip. It was certainly an experience. Chris' birthday was Friday, so I threw an aperitivo at my apartment for him as a get-together before everyone went to a club. Everyone got back at 3am from the club, and our train for Pisa was at 6am! I managed to get everyone out the door and to the train station on time... it was quite a production. Working off an hour of sleep, we arrived in Pisa four hours later!
I have 300 photos from yesterday. It is going to take me a while to sift through them and put them up. I will post a few in the coming days. We had the nicest weather; we were so lucky. The square, where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located, is made up of a Basilica, a Duomo, and several other museums. The whole area looked like it was out of a movie set. Nothing looked real. It is hard to believe that you are staring at a building that is leaning at a 5 degree angle. There were ten of us from IES who went to Pisa, but we ended up splitting into smaller groups early in the day. Chris, Sadie and I spent a good hour trying to take the best photo of "holding the building up."
After our photo shoot, we climbed the Leaning Tower! It's scary how much you can feel the angle of the building. The view from the top of the tower was breathtaking. I could see the city of Pisa and the mountains in the background. There aren't words that are strong enough and descriptive enough to explain how amazing the view was or how extravagant and regal the duomo was. No wonder a picture is worth a 1000 words. But even pictures don't do it justice. I've visited many cathedrals throughout my travels, and this duomo was certainly in the top 10 of regal churches. It was such a great day and there are many more to come! (Can't wait to post the photos for you!)
... In other news...
I just signed up for classes. BEST SCHEDULE EVER... I am taking an Italian Fascism and Anti-Semitism course. The teacher is supposed to be great, and the course is completely ME right? I am also taking an environmental sustainability course for my International Affairs major. AND I am taking a fashion design course at the local university! I am taking a fashion design course at one of the top fashion design universities in the fashion capital in the world! AH! It's going to be super intense and I am going to be way out of my league... but since when have I ever backed down from a challenge?? Going to be epic! ... next Armani here lol
Anyways, everything is going great and I have plans to get a few other trips on the calendar. Hopefully I can visit Zoe in Florence and Kayla K. in Copenhagen.
My dad asked me today whether this was my best abroad experience. And I have had a lot of abroad experiences and my response is always that each and every one is completely different and cannot be compared. Visiting a synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia where Jews and Muslims live together peacefully; Sailing through the Panama Canal; Praying at the Western Wall; Trying to make the guards outside of Buckingham Palace laugh... They are all unique and unforgettable experiences. The next four months are going to be amazing... with great people, a new language, and new fantastical sights (like Paris and Venice and Berlin). What an experience I am having! Can't wait to keep you updated.
Hugs and Kisses from halfway across the world.
~E
Friday, January 18, 2013
Finally in Milano!
Ciao friends and family!
I am in Milan, Italy! Can you believe it? I can hardly believe it. I have been waiting to study abroad since middle school. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do and I have been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to many places in the world. I have travelled and explored London, Australia, Israel, Tunisia, Italy, and Spain for example. I love learning about new cultures and exploring new cities and learning new languages (although I am certainly not good at speaking them). Studying abroad was high on my to-do list in college and I am so excited to finally get to this stage in my college career.
If you told me a few years ago that I would be studying abroad in Italy, I wouldn't believe it. It never crossed my mind that Italy would be where I would study abroad. Many of you know that I spent a summer in Barcelona studying there and it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. You probably know how much I struggled in making my decision on where to study abroad. At some point over the past year I considered Israel, London, Paris, Prague, and Cape Town. For a variety of different reasons, I chose to study through IES Abroad in Milan, Italy. I am sure that whatever city I chose, it would have been an enriching experience, but nonetheless I am so happy with my choice. Just look at some of the photos I posted- how can this city be any more beautiful!?!
Well, to begin... I am in the world of the most amazing food, culture, architecture, language, and fashion. On the streets, everyone is so beautiful, and they are all so well dressed. (It's hard to not feel a little bad about yourself when you have 6 feet beautiful models in gorgeous clothing at the same bar as you... but its exciting to just be in their presence I guess). The food is so delicious; the mozzarella is amazing. But to be honest, I am already sick of eating pasta for every meal- I have yet to have a meal that wasn't pasta. The buildings around me are just so exquisite. It is important to note that Milan is much less touristy than other major cities in Italy. Rome is filled with tourists for all its famous sites, while Milan only has a few famous landmarks to visit (like the Duomo and the Scala... photos coming soon!!). But Milan has so much activity- in business, in fashion, etc.- so there is still a lot going on.
I've just finished my orientation week. It was long and exhausting, but I learned a lot and I now feel very comfortable getting around Milan. My apartment is in an amazing location, fairly close to the center of the city, and where my classes take place. The people on my program are from all over America; everyone seems really nice and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone. I live with 5 other girls- one is a local italian girl who is absolutely adorable. She speaks a good amount of English and has been so helpful in helping us Americans get acquainted with the city and the language barrier.
I want to post a few photos from the past few days. I will certain upload much better photos over time- but it is just to give you a taste of what I am experiencing.
Getting internet has been challenging so I will post as soon as possible. If you have recommendations on where to travel in Europe or Italy, please let me know. EEK how exciting is the next couple of months going to be!?!
Ciao!! E.
My first view of the duomo! So beautiful... there will be many more photos of the duomo I promise!
Singing opera outside of the famous opera house, the Scala!
View of my Universita Cattolica, the partner university for IES ABROAD.
Apparently it is good luck to put your heel on the Torino bull's balls and spin around on it.... theres actually a hole in the mosaic there where people have dug their heels in.
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