My First Week in Milano

Usually when I travel to a place, I spend hours researching restaurants, points of interest and local culture. However, when I moved to Milano for this semester, I did none of these things. Surprisingly, it has been one of the best decisions I could have made. I will be here for three and a half months, meaning that I don’t have to try and fit everything in all at once. As such, I can simply walk down a cobblestone street and stop at a bar (coffee shop) that looks good. There is no pressure to make every meal count. In a lot of ways, that has been very relaxing and nice.

I live with a host family that consists of a father who works as a cinema history professor, a mother who works as a middle school English teacher, and a 21-year-old daughter who is studying law in Milano. I have dinner with them most nights and they are very friendly and helpful. They have really helped to introduce me to the city and support me in my pursuit to learn some Italian. They have also included me in their daily lives, taking me to dinner with them on Saturday night to get pizza and then walk around a trendy neighborhood. Deciding to live in a homestay is probably the best decision I have made so far, in regard to my

semester here.

I began taking Italian classes last Thursday and am enjoying them so far. For my first two weeks here, I have Italian every morning from 9 to 11:30, but once the regular semester starts, I will only have them on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. My professor is wonderful and incredibly impressive (she’s fluent in 10 languages). Italian class is also a nice way to meet people since we are frequently paired up to work on assignments. The language is pretty similar to Spanish which makes things feel familiar, but they are also very different in more minute ways.

On Monday, I began my internship working at Sera Fine Silk. They are a luxury menswear accessories company focusing on silk. They make ties, pocket squares, suspenders and scarves. Their products are incredibly nice and Im thrilled to have a place there. I am one of four employees, and it seems that my tasks will vary between business, design and innovation roles. My opinion is truly valued and that’s what I think is the coolest part of it. I am very excited to spend 15-20 hours there a week.

I have also begun to plan some travel. This past Sunday I visited Torino with some friends. It was a quick train ride away, and we spent the time walking around, visiting the cinema museum and eating pasta. It was a good way to spend part of my first weekend. Then this upcoming weekend I am going to Cinque Terre on my own. I have discovered that I really like solo travel and am excited to hike along the cliffs. My hostel is also right near the beach which will be very nice. The following weekend, I am going on a trip through my school to Parma to learn about culture and cuisine in Italy. Then two weekends after that, I am headed to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. I am very excited to see Europe and also explore more of Milan!