Trapezing in Torino

Whilst still waiting for our permits to stay that let us back in the country, Fay and I have kept with our resolution of exploring the beautiful cities of Italy! This weekend, we hit up Turin, or Torino, the southern rival to Milano. This city was the former capital of a newly united Italy, the birthplace of Fiat and Italian cinema, home of the largest masonry in Europe, and the old stomping ground of my boy. It is also known for it's highly regal design, grid street system, baroque coffee houses, and fancy chocolate. So we booked a one-hour train, a cute eco-hostel, and we were off!

We went with only a two goals: go to the opera, and eat food. Beyond that, though, we were a little lost. We arrived on Friday after a pretty easy train ride (with free wifi on board!), and after a few attempts, found the side-street that housed our hostel. The Bamboo Eco-Hostel was brand new, and again, straight out of an Ikea catalog. We had a mixed-dorm hostel situation, which I was a little nervous about. Fortunately though, the dudes mostly left us alone, although we really wished they all would have slept with pants on.

After locking up our things, we went to Porta Palazzo, a huge outdoor market, the largest one in Europe, apparently, where we were mesmerized by the vegetables, crazy low prices, and haggling locals. I seriously questioned why anyone would buy anything from a department store ever again as I passed rows of one euro bins selling everything from soap to frying pans. We bought strawberries, blood oranges, an eggplant, a red pepper, and a parsnip, all to eat over the weekend. (We later fortified these ingredients with amazing steak and truffle oil purchased from Eataly.) Also, we purchased shoes to wear to the opera! A pair of cute too-small black flats, and a pair of black boots that were two different sizes. Back at the hostel, we picked up a great map of local spots, and chose a few of our favorites.

We walked about the trendy area of the Quadrilatero, and also around a snazzy square of Piazza Carignano, which had an interesting curvy red-brick baroque palace that was once the seat of the first Italian parliament in 1861. Fay and I poked into a few cool shops nearby, like a huge, creaky international bookshop, where I got lost in the poetry section and Fay stood looking at a single cookbook. Also, we hit up the famous chocolate shop Giobino, known for it's tasting room.

Along the way we stumbled upon countless old baroque cafés, theatres, and piazzas. Friday night, we made it a point to go all the way out to Eataly, a top-notch quality food-lover's paradise, where Fay flipped out as much as I did over the School of Athens (see it here), and we wandered the three floors of pasta, meats, cheese, and of course wine and chocolate! I bought a bottle of red wine that had a label of the landmark cinema museum (the high pointy building - yes, its a cinema museum!), that was fruity and fizzy. Fay bought steak, mystery cheese, chocolate, and we ate like queens. Later that weekend, we had lunch at one of the many many restaurants in the grocery store - seriously, like people reach behind you to get risotto. I ordered the pasta di giourno, which was linguine with clams and potatoes, as well as vino (wine with lunch? I am in Italy, who cares?) and it was gone almost as quickly as it came!

Photo cred to Fay - Eating at Eataly!

Saturday was a bitterly cold and rainy day-before-it-snows day. Staying indoors as much as possible, we went to the Egyptian museum! Priding itself on owning the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts outside Cairo, we were excited to witness its glory. Unfortunately, the entire museum was under construction, besides the hall of statues. (All of Italy is getting ready for the Expo! That means lots of construction until the spring - boo.) Not to be discouraged, we eventually made it to the other side of the city, where we were hoping to see the Roy Lichtenstein exhibit at the GAM (galleria d'artes moderna), only to find we were a month too late. We began to get a little discouraged, so instead we went to a Sicilian ice cream shop, which was covered with photos of the beaches (and women) of Tahiti. I ordered lavender ice cream that was actually pretty terrible, but I didnt admit that until about six hours later. While I faux-happily ate my ice cream, we waited for a bus that never came. After an hour, we walked home.

Saturday Turin-ed it all around though, with two box tickets to see the Marriage of Figaro at the Royal Opera house! This amazing opera house was the same one where the little-kid version of my boy was fed four to six espressos in order to stay awake during enormously long operas. His Wisdom of All Things Italy advised Fay and I that this opera was very black-tie, and black dresses were an absolute necessity. We looked pretty fancy, and arm-in-arm walked into the most beautiful and elegant theatre I have ever seen. Our box seats were way far up, and I understood only about two percent of the language. But the orchestra, singers, and plotline were incredibly entertaining and endlessly talented. My secondhand dog-eared and yellowed copy of The Pocket Book of Great Operas came in handy, as it contained a short guide to the Marriage of Figaro, as well as its prequel, The Barber of Seville.

The opera was over at half-past midnight, and a soft snow was finally falling from the heavy-laden gray sky. Candelabra-esque lampposts made the Piazza Castello seem more like Narnia, and Fay and I traipsed and shenaniganed through the square and home into the night.

The next day was finally clear-skyed, and we were greeted by the huge mountains that had been there, but hidden from view, the whole time! We had just enough time to climb up the Monte dei Cappuccini (nothing new for Ms. Cornell Calves), and get a fantastic view of the city!

Roaming in Roma

Ciao! So with school in full swing, I have successfully and inevitably distracted myself from it. One can argue, however, that the best form of education is travel, and I would wholeheartedly agree! In just a few weekends of traveling around Italy, I have learned so much! (Namely: towels are a luxury, earplugs are worth their weight in gold, and always always have your passport.) Unfortunately for me, though, I also have the other things to learn: a laundry list of financial ratios, perpetuities, annuities, and present & future values.

So since I am busy learning or eating gelato (there's really no in-between in Italy.) The following link is to a video blog (read: vlog) of Fay and I's weekend trip to Rome that happened last week! Hope you enjoy! I apologize for it's length, but we did so much in three days, there would never be enough room to video it all!

This past weekend, Fay and I went to Torino! A blog post will soon follow!

Click Here for Rome Video!

Field Trips & First Day(s)

After the official ending of the Italian Crash Course, I hit the ground running, and honestly shouldn't have expected anything less. Minutes after my exam ended, I found myself milling around the main lobby of the Lion Building, with about two hundred other exchange students, awaiting for the tours of the city. Luckily, there were more than a few familiar faces, and I found a little group of Arco friends to talk to about how the exam went, and what we were expecting for the tour. I was attending the classical tour, slated to visit the Duomo, La Galleria, La Scala Opera House, and the Sforza Castle. The Castle also included free entry to the Museum of Ancient Art, whose pinnacle piece was Michelangelo's final sculpture, Rondanini Pietà, which was begun in 1564, but was never finished, due to his death. It is an interesting piece nonetheless, as you can see that it is very unfinished. Halfway through his process of "setting the figures free" from the marble, Michel changes his mind, and decides that Jesus' figure should be upright, rather than reclining, so he hacked off the body, and fell over dead before he could knock off the arm.

After the tour, Fay and I beat the chill with a cioccolato caldo from the "Bar di Duomo," and the nice bartender gesturally asked me if I was married 13 times with all my rings. Cioccolato caldo is less like hot cocoa and more like melted dark chocolate smothered in whipped cream; something I am going to attempt to get only once a month. Although it was tough to hear on the tour, and I didnt learn all that much, I quite enjoyed the opportunity to look silly while taking pictures of buildings, as well as walk down streets I have yet to explore! Here are a few pictures of what I saw!

Duomo di Milano, of course!

Roof of the Galleria

Sforza Castle, Fountain, and other tourists

Michelangelo's Pieta, II; Unfinished because died

The day after the tour, an extremely large group of exchange students board three double-decker tour buses and headed down to Genova, the land of basil pesto and Christopher Columbus (both were born there). The Erasmus Student Network guides handed out chocolate brioches, water and iced tea, and boxes of red bull. As soon as the red bull kicked in, the bus ride was hoppin', with even our very Italian bus driver getting up from his seat to dance Gangham style, take selfies to the Chainsmokers, and going nuts over Pitbull. Good thing he was surrounded by five rosaries, two Madonna cards, and a proud display of traffic tickets.

We made it to Genova in one piece, and then went off on our tour! Large palm trees surrounded, but only at the port and harbor. Everywhere else was overcrowded by narrow streets, narrow buildings, and narrow space. It was a quintessential port city, with the new built right on top of the old, all the way up the hillside. After the tour of a few interesting spots, including the Basilica di San Lorezno, Via Garibaldi, and the Aquarium, we were let loose for two hours of exploring. Fay and I, as well as our new friends Evangeline and Iris, wandered back up Via Garibaldi to the main square, known as Piazza de Ferrari. Surrounding the piazza are three palaces, a theatre, and the stock exchange building; pretty important stuff. One of the palaces is now an art museum, called Doge's Palace. The day we were there was the last day of a Frida Kahlo exhibit, so naturally it was packed. We snuck out way into the bookshop, and attempted to go in the exhibit through the back way, but were thwarted. So instead, we took selfies.

Basilica di San Lorenzo; Black & White church

Crooked window to see out!

Inside - Sunday high mass

Aquarium! Didnt go in tho sad

Yo Frida wassup

At the end of the day, we watched the sun set over the harbor and behind the Genova lighthouse, then made our way to a bar for aperitivo, rounds of adult-category "Head's Up!", and gelato from Grom.

The next day was Monday, and I thankfully didn't have class. It was nice to finally have a day to rest and do little else. Fay and I had dinner plans, and we invited over the most Canadian Canadian I have ever met. Justin from Montreal is a real-live goalie, who has played in the same league as now-professionals. He smiles with his whole face, and is less a social butterfly and more a high-speed albatross dive-bombing head on into a sea full of strangers-turned-fast-friends. Enthusiastic as he was hungry, we enjoyed steak stir fry and pasta as we grilled each other about music. (I won when I knew the title of Chance the Rapper's latest album, Surf. Although I only know who he is from Childish Gambino.)

After our delicious meal, in stumbled our new friends Kim and Maddie. Kim from Seattle is a mainstream hipster, who wears a different cat/ice cream/alien sweatshirt and backwards hat everyday, and would listen only to Taylor Swift for the rest of her life. She has a vlog and an entire iPod touch for pictures, videos, and music. Her lingo is twice as hilarious as mine, and includes adorably expressive noises. Maddie is a glamourous Bostonian straight out of the late 1920's. A rocker of rompers, cateye glasses, and red lipstick, she is a beautiful singer and wears pretty perfume that sticks around after you hug her. They are two very cool humans, and I am astounded that all these people didn't exist to me two weeks ago.

Okay finally! The reason I am here! Classes yaaay - not. I am taking three, but may pick up a fourth once add/drop starts. First up is Business Strategy, from 8.45 to 12.00 every Tuesday. The first block is the discussion of concepts and debriefing a business case, then the second block is marathon writing a case study with your team of five other students. Since I essentially took this class during my first year, called Strategic Thinking, I was the designated writer, and it was awesome to have a whole team behind me, driving the deliverable. The professor is German, attended the London School of Business, and taught in Paris for ten years before coming to Bocconi. My second class is Corporate Finance, which brings together accounting, economics, and statistics. Given my track record in those classes, I am going to have to work pretty hard to keep up. My professor is a tall, pretty, unassuming, blonde American woman who is sharp as a tack, but may know what she's talking about a little too well to explain it to those who are less blessed in the area of investment banking. Finally, by 16.15, comes Principles of Marketing, taught by Roberta the Roman, who speaks deliciously accented English and wears all-black-everything.

Tuesdays are my busy days, but thankfully during my two-hour break, Fay and I have pizza in the park. Le Gusto di Bocconi is a hoppin' pizza place with a line out the door. Every single thing is amazing. My favorite so far has been the funghi e prosciutto, but I am greatly looking forward to the brie e sriracha pizza. Across from Bocconi is a nice, big park. We walked around and swung on swings, and I realized that I hadn't seen grass in like two weeks. Being on an urban campus is certainly different for me!

This coming weekend, Fay and I are taking on Rome! Everything is beginning to come together, although it will be interesting to balance travelling and social obligations of Bocconi with the necessary amount of school work. Luckily, staying in touch with home hasn't been hard, and although I miss everyone absolutely dearly, I can already tell that I am falling in love with Milan, and will miss it when I leave in only three and a half months! Grazie Mille, my ohana!

Friends, Frienemies, Living on the Edge, and in the Same Boat

As you all can imagine, a million billion things have happened since I arrived in Milan, each of them seemingly insignificant, and almost always silly. But just as it is kindling that fuels the fire, it is baby steps that lead to a grand adventure.

So, overview: Skype encouragement from the boy propelled me out of the "what did I get myself into can I really do this stage" and straight into the Italian crash course. I was immediately in over my head once again, but it was okay, because so was everyone else. When class got out, Eric, a masters-seeking exchange student from Texas, and his wife, Geisha, led the bright-eyed class of twenty-one year olds on a nighttime walk to the Duomo, followed by going straight through the Vittorio Emanuele II Galleria to the best gelato place in Milano. Following my dessert first philosophy, we soon settled on a chain pizza place, where I correctly ordered and fully enjoyed a thick slice and a birre (beer) for five euro. Since then, I have gone to the Duomo, the Galleria, and the gelato place nearly every day after class. I am learning my way around the city, and going to new places everyday. The class is getting easier, and so is making friends.

Duomo at Night

Spinning on the bull in the Galleria

Gelato!

So on the first day of class, my roommate and I left our room at 8 AM, and just as we were leaving, our neighbor was as well. Her name was Fay and she went to Cornell. The three of us went downstairs and were not surprised to find a large group of other students milling around and waiting. Every single person I encountered was super friendly, telling me where they were from and what they called themselves. Soon, we all left the building and went down the block to the train station. (After Fay graciously led me to the nearest Tabbachi to buy a tram ticket.) We all couldn't agree on which car to take, so half got on the three line, and the other half on the fifteen. We got off the three about twenty minutes later, and had no idea where we were. Luckily, Fay, the New York City girl that she is, didnt panic, and pointed us in the generally right direction. Unfortunately, we promptly accidentally left her in the grocery store we stopped in for breakfast. I quickly noticed we were down one, and went back to get her. Thus began our friendship.

Fay and I have crazy in common (said about crazy amounts and general crazy). She is an observer of people and an appreciator of everything interesting; a connoisseur of balancing work and play, and skilled in burritoing in soft blankets, giving hugs, talking about boys, translating with an old dictionary, making simple meals amazing, and exploring. Laid back like me, a lover of lighter wines, and a fan of fruity vodka, she is ready for anything. I drew a cartoon unicorn on her folder while she attempted to help me with my homework. She and I went to a department store this past weekend, to pick up pots, pans, dishes, hot plates, pillows, soap, sponges, boots, and school supplies. We have had many a Esselunga (grocery store) adventures, and have had enough Rosé, Chianti, and pasta between us, that we could have soaked our feet at the end of each day in that instead hot water. Her encouragement and positive attitude have brought me through a lot of rough patches these past few days, and something tells me Unicorn and Starchild will continue their adventure times for many moons.

Fay and my bedroom (minus the map of Milano)

Another interesting human I have met is my first-every frienemy. The social concept of frienemies surrounds those relationships that you both should and should not have. To clarify: Ryan is from Indiana University. He is the textbook definition of a midwesterner: genuine, eager, polite, attentive, likeable, and figuring it out as he goes along. Also, corn fed and farm bred, he is the self-proclaimed "biggest person in Italy," and the back of his cream-and-crimson IU jacket serves as the dangling carrot when everyone is travelling in large groups. (Too bad cream-and-crimson doesnt look good on anyone.) We officially became frienemies when Fay, Grace, and I ran into him in the Metro. He was going to an electronic store to find a ethernet adapter, and asked if I wanted to go along because he remembered I needed an universal adapter plug. He covered me for the underground ticket, and then we proceeded to get hopelessly lost. Finally, we stumbled upon a sketchy secondhand electronics store, where we gesturally explained what we needed, pooled our cash, and booked it back to Acro before it got dark. We squished onto the train, and exchanged hopes, fears, and laughs. The little old lady across from us smiled and tried to talk to us, and when I pulled out my "Just Enough Italian" book, the chic chick with Ray-Bans on let out a loud laugh. I quickly put it away, while Ryan, the spring chick he is, continued to attempt to talk to her.

Living here is getting easier as the days go on, especially now with a way to cook food, knowing what is around campus, and a general sense of direction (both in where to go, and what to do). I am looking forward to the concrete routineness of a full day of classes, studying, cooking food, travelling, and repeating. So many things are different, from the bathrooms to the government processes to stay in the country, and I have discovered that being an exchange student is actually really hard. As I learn what to do, I also learn what I can get away with. One such example is the tram pass. So you have to buy a ticket from the Tabbachi shop (aka a fancy convenience store), but then you have to validate it once you get on the tram. But, unless the police get on the tram and check your ticket, you can just hop on and hop off, and the fine for getting caught is the same as buying a pass. It is day six of living on the edge, and sofar I have spent 3 Euros on tram tickets. I will keep everyone posted.

Thank you everyone for your unconditional love and support. Shout out to my ohana for having the guts to put me on a plane and letting me go. Much appreciation to friends who randomly think about me and tell me they miss me. Indescribable gratefulness to the universe for the serendipitous meeting of my boy, the person who most understands and most pushes me through this, even from 5000 miles away. And of course, thank you to all my other exchange students, I cant wait to see where our same boat takes us.