All good things come to an End

            Time is a strange thing and especially being home now after an amazing month in Italy and a whirlwind of travel back to the states, it’s hard to believe that this life-changing program is over. I know I was gone for about a month but it seems like just yesterday I was walking out the door and saying my goodbyes. For my last blog post, I’d like to touch on a few random events throughout my trip and some of the things that people don’t tell you about traveling.

            Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast in Italy and it was like nothing I had ever witnessed before but there were a few days that I had some set backs. When you travel, no matter where you go, it’s important to understand the differences in climate and weather. It was nice, cool, and rainy when we first arrived in Italy but it quickly got very hot and humid, but it was a dryer humidity than we are used to in America. When you have plans to travel it’s best to think ahead and be prepared because you never know what little differences can throw your body off. Also some people think that traveling is a glamorous thing but not all of the time. Being comfortable and staying cool is key because it can sometimes take up to an entire day just to reach your destination and that alone can be exhausting. It was an interesting experience but I learned a lot about how to actually travel and what the best systems and apps to use are. I have no regrets but I can’t wait to return and take care of all of the unfinished business I have in Europe.

            One last thing that I didn’t touch on much was my spontaneous show to La Scala where we saw a German opera. The Opera House alone was something I’ve never seen before and the detail was shocking inside the red and gold covered interior. Even though it was spoken in an entirely different language that I’m not even familiar with, they had English subtitles on a screen in front of each seat so it was still easy to follow the humor, passion, love, and hate between the relationships of the characters. It was very long but definitely worth it and an experience I will never forget. Italy has a place in my heart now and I have to admit that I miss the culture and the feeling that is created from traveling and meeting so many new people. I have plans to return someday!

                                                                                    -Ciao Italia!

Three quick lessons in Milano

         As a group we took three Italian classes in three weeks, which was a lot to handle at first but some of our best experiences came from them! The first week was our Italian language class and we had two professors, Filippo and Maussimo, that switched between teaching the morning and afternoon session. They were such fun people and I actually learned a lot more than I expected to absorb because I have studied Spanish for six years and Italian is very, very similar. Getting comfortable in the school setting again was a struggle but they made it so fun that I hardly began to think of it as class. We learned so much from these two smart men and we were sad to have to say goodbye to them during the first week but it kept us hopeful for the next two weeks of class.
                                            
                                                                   Signoro Maussimo

The next week we had another interesting class where we learned a lot about the art and design industry throughout Milan and at IULM. It was fun to have a few different teachers throughout the week because they were each very knowledgeable about particular subjects like video games, music, and cinema. Guido was our main teacher who educated us on some Milan economics, but since he had some traveling to do during the week he arranged for the different teachers to come visit us. We did a lot of different things that week including a tour of the video game art exhibit at IULM, a tour of the high-end shops in the Duomo, Eataly, and a tour of the Trienalle exhibit. It was a lot in one week but it was worth even after an eight-page assignment in one day!

The last week was our fashion and design class and we were fortunate enough again to have an amazing, knowledgeable professor named Antonio Catalani. He has had experience as a consultant working with brand names such as Ikea, Prada, Ralph Lauren, and Armani just to name a few. You could just tell from the way he spoke that he is a very philosophical, experienced, and traveled man. He opened my eyes to fashion and design in a way that I have never looked at it before. We got to explore the stores of Armani, Prada, and Dolce & Gabana and also had to do a presentation on Etro, which is a brand I knew nothing about before this. It was so much fun to get to explore a different part of Milan and actually step into high-end stores such as these. I will never forget that day and all that I learned from Antonio.
                         
                                   Antonio Catalani with the group

            One last note about our classes, I absolutely loved our tutor Ilaria Allocca. She was the absolute best and helpful in so many ways. She did her best to find things for us to do and show us around Milan when no one else did quite what she offered for us. I was so impressed knowing that this was her first group to have for a study abroad organization. I even became ill and was taken to the hospital and she held my hand the whole way there while comforting me with lots of kisses and assurance that everything will be okay.  We will miss her the most and are going to stay in touch the best we can!

Our last picture with Ilaria!

Beginning of the Adventure

Last weekend was our first free weekend to travel, so myself and five other students decided to go to Lake Como. Since getting adjusted during the first week was somewhat of a struggle for me I was in dire need of the sun and water in my life. I grew up at the lake so it was like a piece of home to me, but to be honest I have never in my life seen a place like this. It still blows my mind to think back and remember the always-surrounding beautiful scenery and how even though I was truly there in reality, it continuously seemed like I was looking at a picture. I actually learned a lot while travelling there and being able to explore and wander around the city of Lecco, Belaggio, and Lake Como. It was an unforgettable experience and I hope to someday take my entire family back there!

Leading into the next weekend we had more travels planned to visit Roma and Firenze (Florence). I still can’t grasp the fact that I was in the historical city of Rome and got to physically see the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain with my own eyes. Displayed are some of the amazing pictures that I will have forever as memories. We also saw Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Campidoglio where the enormous capital (Altar of the Fatherland) was built. It is fascinating to me the history behind each monument and how crazy it is to think that they were able to construct such places and statues so long ago. I was utterly in awe at most of the places we viewed in Rome.

                         

                         Colosseum                          Altar of the Fatherland

               

                                                   Trevi Fountain

Florence will forever hold a place in my heart because I felt that it held the true culture and feel of Italy. I was most looking forward to visiting here and, though it rained on us, I was again in awe every time I looked over or turned down the next street. In my opinion, Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower (the cathedral) was even more impressive that Milan’s and I almost couldn’t fathom the size and slight detail throughout the entire building. Many of the places to see in Florence are in walking distance from each other so we started at the cathedral and walked to Piazza Della Signoria, Uffizi, and Ponte Vecchio. They each had amazingly detailed statues, bridges, and water features of some kind. I’m sure there was more to see but with limited time I was happy to even have the chance to visit for the day. Italy, you have not been a disappointment and with another week of class and a free weekend after to travel, I am very much looking forward to continuing this incredible adventure!

           Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower

                       

Ponte Vecchio

Blog 1: Milano

Ciao ragazzi!

I have to admit that the first couple days of adjustment to the new country were hard but once the surroundings started to become familiar and I related to the others in the group, it’s beginning to feel like home now. We had our first week of Italian class to learn the language and it was so much fun. Five hours of class a day flew by thanks to our amazingly genuine teachers named Maussimo and Filippo. It is exciting to understand their beautiful language and practicing with locals and anyone on the streets has been a pleasure. Everyone we’ve met within the past six days has been extremely helpful, even if our Italian is very broken, and very welcoming. It’s strange but at the same time the most amazing feeling when you have known a person for a couple of hours but you both seem to truly understand each others roots and what kind of person they are. Friendship seems very easy here and I love that because it’s hard for me to feel that way in the U.S.

            We have seen some pretty incredible things already and I can’t wait to see what we stumble upon next. I do have to say that I hate how fast time is going already. My two favorite places so far are the Neviglia canal and the Duomo area, which is the main circle of Milano. Neviglia is a very modern location that runs along the canal and has shops, restaurants, bars, and gelato stops along the way. Duomo though made me really feel like I was in Milano, Italy. The cathedral is breathtaking and it is so interesting to people watch and “window shop” in some of the upscale, fancy stores. We have been to one club with a group from the college called Erasmus and we all had so much fun and were given a chance to bond with our group and meet new Italians as well. Also who doesn’t love a good drink in hand while you’re breaking it down on the dance floor?! To say the least it has not been what I expected but even better than what I anticipated. We have some free time during the weekends so tomorrow it is off to Lake Komo in Belaggio! Let’s pray that the rain, rain goes away! Ciao!!