better late than never....

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Ever since I was little I have always had a desire to explore the world, to get out of the small town that I grew up in. I knew that there was more to the world than what I was used to. So I told myself that one day I will travel and see what I can. And so this is where it all begins, and why I chose to study in Milan, Italy.
I know that I am starting this blog about 4 months late and that I have only a few more weeks left in Europe but I will try to back track a little bit to tell you about everything for all those people I haven’t kept in touch with (I’m sorry!!).

January 2007- At Logan Airport I dragged my three suitcases and backpack to the checking point where the attendant told me that my carry-on bag was too heavy (how typical of me to over pack, once again). It kept being like a few pounds over and finally he said whatever and let me slide with it being too heavy. Then I had to go through customs where I packed too many liquids in my carry on, and the guy threw away my brand new Escada perfume, chap stick, and hand lotion and almost threw away my Paris Hilton perfume (but luckily I was able to save that). The good thing about the whole program I’m going through, which is called IES, is that it had a Facebook group and I got to see if people where leaving from Boston, which I met two girls who were on the same exact flight, so relieving.
When we arrived to Milan at the crack of dawn, not really but it felt like it, we headed straight to the IES center to catch a bus for our three day off site orientation. So at this point we had no idea where we were living or anything about Milan at all. I took a 2 p.m. bus to Sirmione, a small town east of Milan. When we got there finally, we got our rooms and then waited around for dinner. The next two days were just filled with a bunch of meetings, and I felt like I was going to fall asleep every minute. I met a ton of people and felt more comfortable. We had some free time where we got to explore the town, which is absolutely beautiful. It is situated on the largest lake in Italy and it looks like a movie scene when you walk down the streets. But by the last day of orientation, I was anxious to see Milan and my apartment.
When I arrived to my apartment with my roommates, I was shocked to find out that my apartment was surprisingly nice and not too small. The area where we live is not the best in the world, but I got used to it, minus the dog that barks and scares the crap out of me every time I walk to the Metro station. I also have neighbors who are in the same program, which is awesome.
The first week when we got there we went exploring all over Milan. I knew from then that I was going to love this city. Although it differs in the beauty that other Italian cities have, like Florence, Milan is exciting in its own way. The fashion is absolutely amazing, and for a girl with a love for fashion, I can’t get enough of it. There are a lot of art museums and fairs that are always interesting. And the nightlife is great. Lots of clubs and bars.
At the end of January we went to Zurich, Switzerland. I didn’t really know a lot of Switzerland but it was January and I thought it might be cool to see SOME snow this year, since Ithaca decided it didn’t want to snow until later this year. We definitely lucked out on choosing a hostel for Zurich, it was really nice. And Zurich as a whole was amazing. I would definitely go back there if I ever had the chance to. It gave a feeling of being a city without being too crowded and the people there were so friendly. We climbed the top of a church and the view from it was so breathtaking. I’ve never enjoyed climbing 15 flights of stairs until now.

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Photos

Sirmione
orientation site

duomo
ali,katy, caitlin

zurich
swiss