Che una bella città!

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So yesterday I was a bit discouraged, and very tired of traveling all by myself over here....so after a sleepless night of swapping mosquitos off my entire body (I have verifiably been eaten alive now) I got up, packed my stuff up, and headed out for a day of discovering the city. So far, everytime I have picked a section of town and certain things to see, I have for the most part ended up not seeing them but finding other cool things to do. Today I went to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is right next door to where they have Leonardo's "The Last Supper". So I got there and saw the church, which is beautiful (pictures soon to come on all this stuff when I get a computer to load them up on 😉) and then went next door to see the painting in this seemingly very small museum, and they said they were sold out and that I should call at least a week ahead of time to make a reservation to get in. I can see how so many people would never see the dumb thing if they were just passing through! What a wait! Fortunately, I am here for the summer so I will have time to do that and get in.
Then I had a panino across the street and headed down Corso Magenta, which has great shopping ( I bought a beautiful brown leather purse and matching belt...big surprise! 😊) I came upon the Archaeological Museum of Milan and wandered in. They had artifacts from the Greeks, Romans and Etruscans. Even had an exhibit on the Olympics, which I'm not really sure I saw (don't worry mom, they gave me a book about it for you anyway 😊). But it was really neat to see all of the things from sooo long ago. Reminds me of Ancient Rome and how amazing it seems that the Colosseum and Pantheon are still standing. There was a beautiful courtyard in the back and a whole bunch of artifacts. In the downstairs part (which is underground) there is a part of a Roman wall that is actually from that particular spot in Milan. The lady who worked there was telling me that just about all of Italy can be dug up to find Etruscan or Roman cities....she said in Naples there are several built upon each other! Its like another whole culture just sitting there! So this woman who worked there quickly became my friend. Her name is Bianca and she is from Naples. We struck up a conversation about all sorts of things and I told her I knew like one person in MIlan and she quickly offered me her number if I ever needed anything or wante d a shopping buddy....she's very friendly and I thought it was really sweet of her. Amazing how God puts the people you need in at just the right time. 😊 We got along great and ended up talking for a good while. I didn't even finish the museum because by the end of it I was so tired and had to go. But I am amazed at how open and welcoming the Italians are. She just recently moved to Milan and so knew the feeling of knowing nobody (probably we all do, its not much fun). So I now have a friend and one that I can practice my Italian with which is a plus. I'm excited to learn this language but its frustrating sometimes because I feel like a few months isnt really enough time to truly learn the expressions and general flow of the languge. But I think working and using it there will help a lot.
So now I am getting ready to go back to my hotel and find some way to get all of my stuff to my friend Lucia's house, which is where I am staying for the month. Who knows.....I'm sure I'll be paying for a taxi but what can you do? A girl has a lot of stuff!
It is interesting to see how the Italians act here. For one thing, I cannot understand how they all where long pants and close-toed shoes in this weather. At home I'd be in shorts and a tanktop, but here they give me strange looks when I do that so I will stick to being hot. Its nice in Milan though because most people are dressed up for business so everyone looks really nice all the time. I certainly won't feel out of place once I start work! And my plan was to waer flip-flops (well maybe not but at least more comfortable shoes) to work and then change as soon as I got there, but these Italians seem to get around in stilettos, so maybe I can too. I might be being a bit optimistic, but if I can learn to do that I'll be impressed with myself! Overall this is shaping up to be a great city to live in...the fashion really is to die for, on seemingly every corner, and I'm enjoying the somewhat chaotic culture. Its sort of nice to not be worried about every little detail. It all seems to come together anyway and here they don't seem to stress about it. Like jaywalking-no big deal! They figure the cars will stop, which they do, but sometimes a bit too close for me. Ans Italian time really is a little off....I remember this from before but it really seems that being late is no big deal here. We'll see if that's true for my job! I won't test it if I don't have to though. No need to seem like a lagger.
Oh, something funny for all you coastal North County people...the bar (which is like a cafe in the U.S.) down the street from where I'm staying is called Swami's Cafe....reminded me of home and I thought it was quite the strange name for an Italian bar. But its really cute. I ordered an orange juice there for breakfast and the woman actually threw a couple of oranges into the machine so it was truly fresh-squeezed. Very good!
That's about all for now. I'm sure these emails will pick up (or they will slow down but be packed with more stuff when I do write) because hopefully I will be busy with my really cool job soon. I might start as early as tomorrow! Yay!
Miss you all!
Ciao a tutti!
Lisa 😉

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Comments

[anonymous]

HI
Lisa I love you and miss you. I hope your having fun. muuuuuuuuah :) - Adam