a day in the life

It just recently occurred me that I haven't blogged here half as much as I initially planned to, so from here on in, I will blog once a week, at the very least.

My everyday routine here in Italy is very

v
ery Milanese. I wake up around 7 every morning and sneak around my room because my room

mate, Amanda sleeps later than I do. Once I'm ready to leave the house, I embark on my short trip to campus. I am lucky enough to live within 15 minutes (walking) from the IES Center, but if I'm feeling lazy or running late, I take the Metro.

Milan's streets are always crowded in the morning, which I love. I'm fortunate enough to witness Milanese parents w

alking their children to school, which involves fabulously dressed parents holding brightly colored backpacks, as tiny talkative Italian children scurry underfoot. It is among the most enjoyable sights of my morning.

The streets are also full of crazed vespa riders who pay no attention to traffic laws. Walking in the mornings is dangerous, but kind of like a game. I try and j-walk as much as possible because it is characte

ristic of true Milanese. This weekend, a police officer helped me j-walk, that's how normative it is here.

Walking down Via Carducci is the highlight of my morning walk, it is very much a New York styled street in Milano. There are people everywhere, cars, taxis, shouting journal sellers, butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers, the whole lasagna! It's fun to walk and just watch everything that's happening, because honestly, there is so much going on.

I usually have breakfast at the bar across from IES. The traditional Italian breakfast is "una brioche e un cappuccino." I essentially live at this bar and the owners kno

w me now. Everyday it's the same exchange of pleasantries, followed by a fantastic cup of

cappuccino and a lovely croissant.

[Insert Classes Here]

LUNCH! Normally, I eat at Pan e Vita with some friends from IES, it is a little pasticeria near campus. It's traditional for students in Italy to have a panino (little s

andwich) for lunch and I love them. They also have foccaccia covered in vegetables and cheese which is a favorite of yours truly. Sometimes we get gelato, because realistically, we look for any reason to eat it. It's wonderful and I'm going to miss gelato so much when I go home. Italians love gelato, but we recently discovered that many gelateria close for the winter! Fortunately, we're having a bit of an Indian Summer here, so they're still open.

[Insert Evening Class]

Dinner! I cook alot here in Italy. The price of food is so much cheaper than in the US. Usually, I either cook for my housemates or help cook at dinner parties. There are usually at least 2 a week, and they are hosted by IES students. I must admit I enjoy the company of friends around a dinner table. We've formed a faux family here in Milano and it's comforting when things get stressful. Living outside the US can be really stressful, especially when the language is such a challenge.

In the evenings, I do homework and go for late night gelato with my housemate and best friend Hannah. Our evening walks around our neighborhood are among my favorite daily happenings, despite the onset of mosquito attacks! Then of course, I sleep.

:)