Midterm Frenzy

Midterms are coming up this week, thus my weekend is consumed with studying. This is probably a good thing since I've barely done any homework since I've been here. I really dislike the European teaching style and am a bit homesick for Whitworth where we tend to sit in a circle and discuss our readings. There is a ton of homework and reading at Whitworth, but being away from that has made me appreciate how hard my professors make me work. Here, I attend lectures and do a little reading and then midterms come and everyone (including me) is in a frenzy because we never had to do the homework.

Studying is made a little easier by doing it at Arnold Coffee, modeled after an American coffee shop. My roommates and I have spread out our papers all over a big, oak table and it feels like home.

Visit From A Best Friend

I've been an awful blogger lately. Mostly because there hasn't been too many exciting things to tell (but that's probably just an excuse I'm telling myself to cover up the fact that I'm lazy).

Last weekend, my good friend Stacy, who is studying abroad in Paris, came to Milan to visit. We explored Milan and playing the role of tour guide made me appreciate the city even more. The second day we took a day trip to a nearby Medieval Village called Bergamo and wandered around the city, with gelato in hand of course. I can sum the weekend up by two words: laughing and eating. We ate so much good food and it was so nice to have a little piece of home.

The only picture we got together. In front of the castle in Milan. 

The most amazing focaccia pizza in Bergamo. 

 Bergamo, Italy

Bergamo, Italy

Return to Venice

When I first visited Europe when I was sixteen, my favorite city was Venice. I remember becoming entranced by the city's mystique and unique energy. People say it's sinking, that it smells, and that it's too crowded. I'm sure that my visit to the Carnival tomorrow will reinforce my feelings toward the city of canals. Many pictures and stories to come!

Back in 2007

A Stroll Through the Park

Even though it was freezing last weekend, my roommates and I wandered over to the park that is right by our apartment. There was an abandoned school house which was gorgeous. The colors are so inspiring here.

A Lovely Afternoon

Right now I'm sitting on our couch, the light is coming in through the window (might I add that this is the first glimpse of sun I've had in over a week), and listening to Bon Iver. My afternoon class was canceled and I think I will make a trip to the bakery down the street. On the menu for tonight: salmon with greek yogurt and chives on top and potatoes. One of my roomies loves to cook, which works out great because I love to eat.

Classes and Big Cups of Coffee

It has been nice settling and getting into a routine again. I had my first week of classes this past week and even though I feel like I am in class a lot, I love them all. Only in Milan would I be able to take classes such as: Luxury you Must Afford: Communication, Persuasion and the Made in Italy Survival Strategies; Culture Industry Revisited: Role and Effects of Old and New Media on Society; A Descent Into Hell: Virtues and Vices In Renaissance Italian Literature from Dante to Machiavelli; Italian Language and Culture; and Photography. 


Talking about Coco Chanel, Dante (while living in the same region of Italy in which he was born), and social media is such a welcomed change. 


Classes are so different here though. First off, they are really long, and secondly, it is more of a lecture style. I'm used to my literature classes at Whitworth where we all form a circle and talk about books. I'm kind of missing that right now. 


Yesterday, I went with two of my roommates to an American style bakery. When I walked in and saw big cups of coffee and eggs I got a big smile on my face and the cashier laughed at me. I like to think that I can adapt to different cultures fairly easily, but not having peanut butter or big cups of coffee (they don't even have mochas!) is wearing on me. We had a lovely breakfast of french toast, eggs, and pancakes. It was nice to be American for an hour. 

Finally Feeling at Home

After over a month of moving constantly, it is so exquisite to be still. Our apartment is absolutely lovely. I've spent the past days learning Italian, cooking too much pasta, eating tasty pizza (we have a delicious pizza place right on our street), and finally catching up on sleep.

Our lovely street

I Am Alive

Goodness it's been a while -- many apologies for the delay in posts. I left London (which by the end felt so much like home and was so hard to leave) for Milan at the end of January. Flying in, it looked Italian and perfect and I remembered why I am so in love with Italy. My friend Kaity and I (who is also my roommate here) had five days to kill before we moved into our apartment. To be honest, we didn't do much because we were staying in a sketchy part of town and didn't know our way around. But once we moved into our apartment everything got ten times better. The apartment is gorgeous and already feels like home. My roommates are quickly becoming my good friends and everything is going smoothly. More updates to come soon once classes start on Monday!

Hotel Life

Most of my favorite moments from London had to do with the lovely people with whom I was traveling. Our last week in London, we moved to St. Athens Hotel which had a common room where we would all hang out. So many funny memories there.

 We had America Night and bought nacho supplies and watched American Idol.

Funny faces and our resident creeper in the corner...

There was a FABULOUS coffee house right below our hotel. I ended up writing a review of it, it was SO good.

Whirlwind Tourist Hour

After spending a month in London, we realized that we hadn't done any of the touristy pictures yet. After Evensong at Westminster Abbey (stunning!), we decided to be tourists in a city that was slowly feeling like home.