Life in Italy post-classes (read: I'm an intern!)

Well! It has been quite a long long time since I have updated my blog. Sorry to those of you who actually read this (hi, Mom).  I did have some articles though for MOVE between my last blogs so you might be somewhat aware of what's goin' on like Donkey Kong.

As many of you might know, I am STILL in Milan even though I was supposed to come home May 12 because I accepted an internship at Neri Pozza Editore, a publishing house, here in Milano! I have already started it a couple weeks ago and I love it! I read a lot of books in English and write book reports and make suggestions on whether I think it was good or not. I have also been working on translating some material from Italian to English to pitch Italian authors to English-speaking publishing houses in the USA, UK & Australia. So that's pretty cool! The colleagues are great & we drink a lot of coffee. (Random fact: they DELIVER coffee here, like little shots of espresso or cappuccinos to our office sometimes! Bars here are cool.)

The office is right in Brera, which is a super cool area of Milan with lots of little cafes so I have been exploring on my lunch breaks and stuff. I have been working from 9:30-6:30 which is good for me because I like getting up late.

Lots has happened since Spring break, I went to Tuscany to visit Madeline in Terriciola and we went to Volterra, I went to DUBLIN!!!, then was the big family week in Europe where we went to Barcelona, then on a cruise to Marseilles, Genova, Naples, Messina, Tunis and then we went to Venice! Then finals week and then last weekend I went to Cinque Terre so I have been pretty busy! I'm thinking about making individual blog posts for some of the main events so stay on the lookout! Tomorrow I am going to Rome with Momo and then next weekend is SCOTLAND!!!!! Then one more week and I'm home June 12 which I can't wait to see all my lovely friends and family and mexican foods that I miss so much.

Anywho, forgive me for forgetting about you guys for a hot minute, but I hope to have some good stories up for you soon!

Ciao for now! 

Marching forward

One part of me wants to shout, HOW IS IT ALREADY MARCH? Another also wants to say... I've only been here for six weeks and it feels like an eternity.

Living here is so weird, and I'm not sure if it's because it's such a big city or if it's because it's another country but I'm pretty sure it's a combination of both. Last weekend I went to Florence. It was so beautiful. Completely different from Milan. It definitely looks like what you picture the "typical" Italian city to be like. Cobblestone streets, little accordion players everywhere, windy streets, beautiful views, olive trees and gorgeous architecture. However, there were so many people there speaking English! And so many students.

Sarah got punched on her birthday, which you can read all about in my MOVE article. But honestly the trip was still amazing. We had a great time other than that. After we finally got there and Asha pulled a track star move running all the way back to her apartment to get her passport, Florence was a blast. On Friday we went to an aperitivo and then to a pub and gelato. We got free champagne for Sarah's birthday and Rhianna made the bar play a ridiculous chipmunk happy birthday song when it turned midnight. Ana and I also decided that when the men selling flowers all the time try to bug us we will just react like crazy buffoons and say "ciao ciao ciao prego prego prego" like broken robots. I'm sure everyone thought we were legitimately off our rockers when we were walking around that night, but it was definitely worth the good laughs.

On Saturday morning we got kicked out of the hostel for a lock-out so they could clean our rooms. We went on a little walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo where we saw some fantastic views. I got some really great gift as a prank for Nick. The prank was real good though, and I executed it perfectly. It's really a shock he's still talking to me because I play such mean jokes on him. We then went shopping and I got to see the statue of David. It is so much bigger in real life than I imagined. We also ran into a weird little festival and the Gucci Museum. That night we went to dinner at Za Za's for Sarah's birthday. We had terrible service, but it was still a fun night! Afterwards I went to a pub with Nardi for some Phi Mu fun Italian style.

Sunday we got breakfast at an American style diner, HALLELUJAH BACON. It was good, and I'll probably kick myself when I get home for wasting a meal on diner food, but it was well needed after a long weekend. Ana and I then went to the Uffizi. So many historical pieces of art. Florence really would be the perfect city to study abroad in for art or design. Not so much for Italian language though. After Uffizi we went shopping for a little bit and then caught the train back to Milan. I was so exhausted afterwards... trains can really drain you.

This week was fun filled with friends, foods and dancing. And a few good long sleeps. And my stupid permisso di soggiorno appointment. Italian bureaucracy sure is fun! But I can't complain I'm sure it's a much bigger hassle to come into the USA than it is to come here.

Today I have locked myself indoors so as not to spend money. It's so hard here! I'm surrounded by beautiful clothes and delicious noms. Although I have made it to a few museums here now, so I don't feel so ridiculous that I haven't done any cultural activities here in Milan. I think I might be going to Dublin sometime in April (hopefully) and might be getting visited by Jacqueline in May!! With so many trips to look forward to, how can I possibly be expected to study for midterms? Just kidding... I will mom, don't worry.

I suppose I should go do that, now instead of rambling on about nothing. Ciao for now!

A drawing by Ana to sum up our trip: 

Steal me with a kiss

I've been really bad about keeping up with my blog. Oops. Last weekend wasn't too eventful besides a a lot of shopping. I went shopping around Duomo on Saturday and bought a new cheetah coat! And some socks. Ana and I went looking for some "culture" but all the museums were closed by the time we finally made it out of the dorm and then we tried to see a movie but we couldn't find any in the original English they are all voiced over in Italian and we didn't want to do that.

So we went to Duomo and met Rhianna and Sarah. We saw some street performers and we stopped to watch them do their breakdancing routine. And during the middle of the routine one of the dancers came up to me and said, "Can I have a kiss on the cheek?" And it was the middle of the show so I felt socially pressured to do give him a peck on the cheek and he turned and kissed me on the mouth! Those Italians are so damn sneaky.

It was a little like this except he won. -__-

But we finally escaped and went onwards to Mango where I found my beautiful cheetah coat and all was well.

The crazy guy who stole a kiss. -__-

Another break dancer.

Then on Sunday we went to the vintage markets at Navigli. It was so cold! But I scored some vintage Valentino sunglasses for 35 euro and a little clutch thing for just 5. Ana got a gorgeous red purse! 

I haven't done too much this week because we have been getting so many projects in our classes for our midterms. I have to write a ten minute short play with two other girls for Methods of Illusion, I just got finished making a book cover for my Publishing, Publicity and Cultural Journalism class and we also have a big Transmedia project due soon in the Digital Media and Journalism class. Who knew I actually came here to learn stuff?? Ugh. 

I have also been trying to lock myself in my room so I stop buying so many things. I got this sweet bracelet and I discovered Pull & Bear which is basically like another awesome version of H&M or Forever 21 or something. And it has lots of clothes with bears. I love bears. So it was bad news. On the plus side I have gotten a lot better at grocery shopping! Next week we are doing an American night for the other people in our dorm and I think I'm going to make gooey butter cake and we are going to have chicken nuggets or PBJ sandwiches or something. American delicacies at their finest! 

Tomorrow I am going on a field trip for my Publishing class to a real Publishing house here in Italy that my professor works at. Since I've wanted to be a book editor since 6th grade, I'm totally geeking out over this project and this field trip and this class in general. Later in the semester we are going to get to visit the offices of Vogue Italia and Glamour Italia! 

This weekend I'm also going to Florence for my friend Sarah's birthday. It's supposed to be really nice weather so I am excited! Although I can't figure out how to buy a bus ticket sooo that should be interesting tomorrow. Might just cave in and buy a train ticket for the fast train. Trenitalia and Eurolines have the most stupid websites for purchasing tickets and finally after hours of looking for the tickets and trying to make it work I was like: 

Today marks my one month of being here! Lots of things have happened and I can't wait for the many more adventures to come. My parents are coming in April for a cruise! I can't wait to see them :) 

I like having my own room here and all but sometimes it gets scary because I always think there is someone behind me...

Well, I actually just wish this guy was hiding in my room somewhere! But I will see him again in 2 1/2 months, and he got us tickets to see Ludovico Einaudi in Chicago for my birthday since I missed him here in Milan! I can't wait to see everyone that I am missing who has probably forgot about me! Just kidding. Love you all! Don't forget to check my new column tomorrow about fashion week and getting lost etc etc etc. Ciao for now! 

Running around

Since I've been here for a little less than a month, I finally decided it was probably about time I exercised. I went on a nice little run Sunday which I've been meaning to blog about for a) to let the world know that occasionally I do work out and b) to share some of the cool sights around the area where I live!

The buildings here are so beautiful! 

Yeah there's a gate like this in front of my house as well...

Sculpture in Piazza Concilazione

Lo Gnomo gelato... it tastes even better than it looks! 

I have probably been eating too much gelato. I'm also not so hot at cooking so what I've been eating in the dorms has been pretty limited. Although mozzarella and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar has always been a favorite of mine, and it's so cheap here! 

Ana, Alex and I also made some pasta and chicken the other night. I fooled Nick when I sent him this picture... he thought we had cooked something really fancy and goes "what is that golden thing?" 

My response?

"A chicken nugget." Gotcha.

Well, it's time to go stalk some models and designers outside the Prada show because it's fashion week in Milan! 

Ciao for now.

#Nerdproblems

Warning: this post is about a total #nerdproblem.

I missed seeing Ludovico Einaudi in Milan by 3 days. He's my favorite pianist for those of you who are unfamiliar. I'm such an airhead I had looked up his tour dates before I even came to Italy and was really excited that he would be in Milan. I didn't buy a ticket and completely forgot about it until yesterday... 3 days after he performed in Milan. 

He was performing still though tonight in Ancona, which is just about a 3 hour train ride away from Milan, so I was like heck I'll just travel there to see him and call it my birthday present to myself (my birthday is Tuesday weee) since seeing him live is on my bucket list, and when is the next time I'll be in Italy? So I looked up a train and found a hostel and found the Ticketone place to buy the ticket with a little help from ESN folks. 

It was closing in 8 minutes so I started running there, then decided I wouldn't make it so I went to the next closest one to where I was. He told me I was too late to buy one. Safe to say I was pretty upset. 

Then on the train home, there were two boys playing music on the metro. People are always playing music and doing other various things to earn money on the metro at rush hour on my way home, and I usually never think twice about them. These boys were playing the accordion and the violin and it was actually very good. Somehow that made it a little better, that although I didn't get tickets to see Ludovico Einaudi, there is still beautiful music all around. 

Someone posted this really beautiful video about Milan for those of you interested in seeing a lot of the different sights of Milano. 

Also this morning I woke up thinking in Italian, so maybe that's a sign that I'm getting better! Which makes me a little bit closer to checking off speaking fluent Italian on my bucket list. I also got to go to Venice Carnevale last weekend which was a major to do on my bucket list, so I guess you're not meant to check that many things off in one week.

Don't forget to read my latest article for MOVE about my wonderful experience at La Tana del Lupo. You can check my Facebook or Instagram @holyguacamollie for more pictures of Carnevale and the snow!

Hope everyone is well! Ciao for now! 

From CoMo to Como

So I missed my first class. Oops. But I have gotten back on the track, so all is well!

Well this weekend was very event filled. On Friday after class I went to the exhibit "On Space Time Foam" that is temporarily in Milan (well it was, it left on Feb. 3) at Hangar Bicocca. It was completely free thanks to ESN.

It was really strange to be up there on the bottom level because I felt like I was in a zoo with everyone looking up at me and getting excited when I crawled around instead of just lying there. I guess that must be what the tigers feel like so I amused the viewers by crawling around and making faces at them. I was just glad that I didn't wear a skirt or a dress like I usually do, because that would have been... interesting. I got a video of some other people crawling around, but you couldn't bring your camera in there because that wasn't part of the art. The artist apparently had been there the day before and he wants to build islands like this where people can live. I'm sure some people would be into it, but not me. It was a fun experience, but I don't think I could live like that!

There was also a really cool permanent exhibit called The Seven Temples to God.  

On Friday I also went to this gigantic club called Alcatraz. International Week allows ERASMUS students to get into clubs every night for free or 10 euro for two drinks. It's a pretty sweet deal.

Saturday was a tour of the city with ESN. We ate this delicious stuff called panzarotti from Luini a famous restaurant by the Duomo. There was also this sweet gelato place there, am definitely going to have to go back and check it out.

The church right where The Last Supper is, we didn't get to see the painting, though.

I took a trip to Lake Como on Sunday. The town was very beautiful and you can read about some of the adventures that happened in my next column for MOVE coming out Friday. From CoMo to Como, I thought it was pretty clever.

Everyone keeps asking me if the food is to die for so this is my big answer, YES. I think I am turning into a wine glass full of pizza. Even the pasta that we made from ingredients from the supermarket was better than any I had ever had, and that is only props to the ingredients because I can hardly even make a frozen pizza. I also found some Mexican restaurants on Foursquare so I think I am going to try to get some people together to go for my birthday in a couple weeks.

My regular classes started on Monday, so I haven't been to all of them yet. They all seem pretty interesting. Except for the design class... all we did was look at before and after pictures of different label designs for products. But I am really excited for the Publishing, Publicity and Cultural Journalism class to start, it sounds very interesting.

So far my two favorite things in Italy are aperitivo (you pay for a drink and then get to eat at a buffet for free filled with delicious pasta, bruschetta, and other amazing appetizer type food) and SHOES.

My first pair. Made in Italy! 

Well I suppose I should do some actual studying so I can go to aperitivo tonight at Old Fashion. It's America night! It's safe to say my outfit is ridiculous... 

Reppin' Missourah, Americuh.

Ciao for now!

MOVE

Don't forget to check out my column for MOVE Magazine. Here's the latest post.

Flying ain't very fun but I'm finally here

Well I have been here for a little a day and half now and I have accomplished several of the quintessential Italian things such as enjoying an espresso (apparently it's faux pas to order coffee with milk in it after lunch), ate a pizza and went shopping! For a towel... you can read all about that little fiasco in my next "Ciao for now" column for MOVE.

The flights were mostly fine except for the very first one when a man on my flight passed out and his wife started shrieking for help. I was sure we were going to die even though we hadn't left the ground. A doctor quickly jumped up though so we all found out who would star as Jack if that plane got LOST.  But it didn't.

I did find some rather ridiculous reads on the in flight magazines, though.

I spent pretty much the whole flights reading The Girl Who Played with Fire on my Grandpa's Kindle that he let me borrow for when I'm in Italy.

When I got here some of the other exchange students from America who were on my flight and I waited for MIL service to pick us up. They dropped us off at our dorm in the nice Mercedes-Benz that they casually picked us up in.

After I got settled in I took a wee nap and then tried to find a towel. Failed at that. Just read about it in MOVE on Friday I will probably get emotional if I talk about it again.

Today I had orientation today and then a tour of campus and my oral exam for the Italian pre-intensive class I am taking. It is quite a bummer I don't know any past tense verbs because that is the only thing that put me in the Beginners class instead of the Intermediate, so the Beginners will be mostly review. But oh well, I should make it up to Intermediate by the time the semester long class starts.

After orientation business was through I went to get my first espresso with my new Australian friends Alex and Rhianna. Rhianna had to do all the ordering, though, because she has been here for a couple weeks and has two years of Italian experience compared to my mere semester. Then we went to Corso Buenos Aires for a bit of shopping. Italian sizes are definitely a lot smaller than American sizes... but it was cool because everything is half off right now mostly because stores are trying to get rid of last season's stuff before they put out there stuff for spring in February.

My first pizza!

Well it's getting pretty late here, so I am off to bed before another round of orientation type things tomorrow. I still need to get an international SIM card, as well. And hopefully some killer shoes.

Some pics of my room.

Ciao for now!