Italian TexMex, Cubans, & Coffee

My roommates have been dolls and cook for me every now and then since I’m positively incompetent in the kitchen. They also joke about how I’m always eating out and have probably tried all of the restaurants in Milan by now. Alessandro and I were having spaghetti carbonera yesterday when I surprised him by saying dinner was going to be on me the next night. I had lofty ideas for the meal from variating on an Italian dish with chicken pesto pizza with a crust made from scratch or showcasing a Cuban style Chipotle citrus marinated chicken. Alas, I chalked up to the fact that I wasn’t going to become a world-renowned chef in 24 hours so instead decided to go with the ever simple burrito (they’ve never heard of it here!). After class the next day, I went to a nearby supermarket and scoured the aisles for ingredients. I picked up a few tomatoes, red onions, beans, salsa, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, cheese from the south of Italy (I like to get creative with my food), but couldn’t find any tortillas. In fact, I was very surprised they had beans since all I have eaten in the past 3 weeks has been pasta, rice, and other variations on pasta and rice. Instead, I found something called a piadina which is an Italian flatbread and is similar to a tortilla but a lot thicker. I went back home to prepare my Italian burrito and surprisingly it didn’t turn out too bad (unless Alessandro was lying to me) which makes this my first solo meal in Italy! Victory is so sweet.

After my marketing class today I had an hour and half break before Finance so instead of actually studying for my finance class I went down to the cafeteria to people watch. People watching in Milan should be a sport. I had heard the students here are wealthy but I didn’t realize going to school would be like walking a catwalk. My first day of school I see at least a dozen girls wearing 4 in stacked stilettos, carrying designer purses, and wearing what probably just flew of the racks from the latest fashion show. This is definitely a change from Texas where we don Nike running shorts (don’t worry, I brought mine here to wear on the days I want to look like an American tourist) and oversized t-shirts to class every day. I’m learning to step it up but I still refuse to make the 20 minute walk to campus in heels.

Anyway, back to my 1.5 hour break. I sat down at a booth in the cafeteria and spotted a coffee vending machine that churns up delicious Italian expresso for 25 cents a cup (the cup is actually more like the size of a plastic shot glass). Ready for a lesson in Italian coffee? You can choose from cafe expresso (straight up expresso), cafe lungo (expresso with a little extra water to soften the flavor), caffe macchiato (half expresso half steamed milk). mocaccino (my personal favorite: 1/3 expresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 chocolate), cappuccino (mix of hot milk, steamed milk foam, and expresso), latte macchiato (pure milk stained with a touch of expresso), and finally caffe d’orzo (expresso made from ground roasted barley) along with a number of decaf options. I am a true coffee lover and had to try 4 of those within half an hour… suffice to say my stomach was not too happy. Even after 4 shots of expresso, I managed to take a 2 hour nap in between classes (trying to read for finance…figures).

I had my first Cuban cigar a few weeks back! A couple of my friends bought some and were lighting up at one of the really popular bars here called Old Fashion and since they’re illegal in the States, I had to try one.

Milan fashion week starts in 2 days and I’ve already seen a couple of models walking around the city–6 feet 5 inches and 90 pounds, yep can’t miss them. I talked to my Fashion and Design professor to ask if there was any way we could get in on the action that revolves around fashion week, but unfortunately invitations are required. Regardless, we’re leaving for Munich this Thursday so I’ll be missing out on most, if not all, of the runway shows.

I’m still not used to not working during the semester or even not being involved in any organizations so when IS@B (International Students at Bocconi–an organization that plans events/trips for exchange students) sent out an email regarding applications to their board, I immediately filled out a form. I have an interview tomorrow, so I’ll keep you posted!

Some of my classes are really interesting and others I daydream through. I’m enrolled in Corporate Finance, Marketing, Public Management, and Management of a Fashion and Design Company. All of my professors are Italian (except my Finance professor who is German) and have very thick accents so it’s proving hard to pay attention 100% of the time. Classes also change rooms all the time–yesterday I spent an hour trying to find where my Finance class moved to until I finally gave up. The buildings don’t have names either (for example, they call the largest building, “The Main Building” and the one built a couple of years ago “The New Building” and the red, circular one, “The Circular Building”…yes, I am totally serious). There isn’t a “campus feel” to the university; there are simply building spread here and there. I learned Bocconi is trying to change that within a few years because they want to emulate the American university system and have a traditional campus.

A couple of things I’m still trying to get used to: not having a dryer (you’ll be hard-pressed to find one in Europe and I don’t like it when my jeans don’t shrink a size or two!), odd colored water (I hope the drinking water in Milan is safe–I’m sure it is–but you have to wait 20 minutes before it goes from cloudy white to clear), speaking Italian at the supermarket, clothing stores, metro, gym etc (Milan isn’t very touristy so not many people speak English and most of the time I think I’m speaking Italian when in fact I just reverted back to Spanish), and finally Bocconi having such a huge international student body (there are 500-600 exchange students! That’s crazy considering McCombs only has about 50 each semester).

Okey doke going to go for a run before I turn in for the night. Tomorrow we’re going to Old Fashion to party with some models! Haha kidding…sort of

xox,
sweta

Vespas, Cigarettes, & Aperitivo

Damn I’m sure not in Spain or the US anymore where I can atleast wade my way through airport signs and ask for directions. Italian is a whole other animal.

I arrived at my Milan apartment around 1 am and was welcomed by Carlotta (my roommate) and her 2 friends. She gave me 20 minutes to freshen up and promptly said we’re going out. It turned out that Simone (2nd roommate) recently got a job at a nearby bar and was working that night. So we all went to go visit him (he works at a floating bar on one of the nearby rivers–siiick) and met some of his crazy co-workers and friends.

Here’s what my living situation looks like: Texas and Bocconi have an exchange agreement where each year Texas sends 15 or so students to Bocconi and Bocconi sends the same number to Texas. One of the Bocconi students who is currently at Texas offered to sublease her half of the room to a student arriving from Austin. So, here I am! I share a room with Carlotta who is a fashion design major at Politecnico de Milano. In the other room live Simone and Alessandro. They are both business economic students but Simone goes to Cattolica and Alessandro will be with me at Bocconi. Alessandro is actually German and originally from Munich so I think we’re all going to be crashing at his pad during Oktoberfest! The roommates have been awesome so far; I couldn’t have asked for a better living situation.

One thing that I was expecting before coming to Italy was the number of people who smoke. After a night out, I come home and my clothes and hair reek of cigarette smoke. What I wasn’t expecting was that I would actually learn to tolerate (and maybe even enjoy?!) it. Yikes, that can’t be good for my lungs–I already feel like I’m cutting off a couple of years off my life by living here and inhaling the sweet smell of tobacco for 5 months. It’s crazy. A funny fact: On a pack of cigarette in absolutely enormous letters are the words “Smoking Kills”. The deathly message takes up about half of the box. Think it works? Think again.

The next day, I decided to run a few errands. First on the list was buying laundry detergent so I could wash my 2 weeks of grimy clothes. Just stepping into the supermercato was an experience. One semester of Italian is so incredibly insufficient it’s mind-blowing. I had no idea what “detergent” translated to and even more there was no way in hell I could ask where I could find some. Geez, I think I ended up spending over an hour walking down the aisles and trying to translate everything. The big pat on the back of the day was when I found the fabric softener (hoorah!). Next on the list was to buy a cell phone. Thankfully, that didn’t go too terribly astray and I wound up buying their cheapest one (no email, no pictures, no video, no internet–I miss by Blackberry already) so I headed to the bank to open a checking account since my debit card got eaten at an ATM in London. After an hour wait I was told since I’m not a resident of Italy I have to receive verification from my university and some sort of code from this office in Milan (yeah, no idea) before I can open any sort of account. Well, I was still in a good mood after the fabric softener victory so I headed to a café with free wi-fi (my apartment doesn’t have internet set up yet) so I could Skype the parents and the study abroad coordinators to tell them I had arrived safely.

That night, Simone took me to meet a few of his friends over happy hour. Happy hour in Milano is incredible. It’s actually called “apertivo” and this is how it works: From 6-10 pm, you can go to just about any bar in the city and order a drink for about 6 euro. With your drink, there is a free buffet that is included so happy hour turns into a free dinner. That’s right, every day all day baby. This blows the Spanish concept of a free tapa with your beer or wine out of the water.

Oh, almost forgot. I was chosen by the BBA International Office at McCombs to be one of their student bloggers this semester! Which probably means I’ll have to be more careful with the language/content since my bosses and god knows how many in the b-school will be reading this.

Quick side note: Riding on the back of a motorcycle through the narrow streets of Milan in a light rain seriously equals best feeling ever. Life doesn’t get much better than this.

Ah can’t believe it’s already 7 am and I haven’t slept a wink. After going out, I came back to the apartment and stayed up with my roommate doing laundry and talking about everything from the Mafia to Italian Universities, to how I’m going to get some bona-fide Italian cooking lessons (baller). Now, I need some sleep though. Buona notte!

Spain

Things I love about Spain: bocadillos, how the Madrid metro kicks ass, cheap wine, Principe cookies, asking for directions in Spanish, talking in Spanish, hearing Spanish (maybe I should rethink this Italy thing), plazas spread out across the city, tapas…

As soon as our flight hit Barajas Airport, I knew I was home. Although Madrid’s airport is huge, I can navigate through it blindfolded, hands tied behind my back, on one knee, with Blink 182 blaring in my ears (9th time flying into Madrid). One thing that caught me off guard was learning that my Spanish has deteriorated to almost crap. It’s slowly starting to come back which is just as exciting as going to all my favorite spots in Madrid. Since I lived in Spain last summer and Andrei’s family is Spanish, we’ve decided to take it easy and pass on the rushed tourist mindset of see everything in as little time as possible. Instead, we started out with heading to Sol, the center of downtown Madrid and walked to Plaza Mayor. Spanish cities are all divided up into districts, which are then each marked by a plaza. In Houston, you distinguish parts of the city by suburbs. In Madrid, it’s either by plaza or metro station. Plaza Mayor is the main plaza in Madrid and is flanked on all 4 sides by restaurants, cafes, bars, and little trinket shops and is a great place to have lunch or an afternoon coffee. It is also one of the major tourist attractions in Madrid.

After a few days in Madrid, we bus-ed it to Granada where I finally got to see La Alhambra (I tried to go so many times last year). For those unfamiliar with Spanish history, the Muslims gained control of all of Spain in about 7 years in 711. It then took the Spanish 700 years to fight them back to North Africa and South Asia. Granada was the very last city the Spanish won back from Moorish rule and this is where the Moorish palace, La Alahamba, lies. The city, and palace, are well-known across the world for it’s display of Islamic architecture, which is absolutely awe-inspiring in regards to detail and intricacy.

After Granada, we spent a couple of days in both Sevilla and Barcelona. It was my first time in Sevilla and we had some great paella and watched an authentic flamenco show at a cultural center. Its always good to be back in Barcelona which I swear is not a Spanish city. The Catalan influences overpower everything. I love everything about Spain except the food, so being in Italy is going to be a fabulous change (already dreaming of the gelato, caffé late, pasta, pasta, and pasta!)

England

So that flight to Edinburgh–definitely missed it. Ending up spending the night at the Dublin airport with Tello but it wasn’t all that bad except for the freezing cold. So we skipped Scotland and headed straight for the glorious city of London.

The actual journey to London was quite fun, not. Our flight left around 6 am but we flew into this tiny airport outside of London (Stansted) and after staying up all night we were both out of it. We had to then catch a 2 hour bus to central London and then the metro, sorry the Underground, to Darren’s apartment (Darren is the guy whose couch we are “surfing” while in London). Upon arriving we met Darren and his crazy tattoo (a massive piece of art that covers his entire back). Darren and his roommate, Matt, are both music students here in London and they definitely live the musician/hippie lifestyle–it’s fabulous. After going out for a bite at this Lebanese cafe and showering for the 1st time in over 30 hours, I passed out on Darren’s couch. That night, we all went out to a pub near our hosts’ place which had a live band who played some great American classic cover songs. 2 for 1 drink specials are a great way to get buzzed really fast.

Day 2 involved Andrei arriving from Edinburgh. After a late lunch, the 3 of us set out for central London and the free New Europe walking tour we’re determined to hit up in each major European city. Since we got there a little early, we took a stroll through Hyde Park where we witnessed some sort of triathlon going on. Our British tour guide, his name is actually Alfie (Jude Law anyone?), was a character and absolutely hilarious as he took us through West London also known as Royal London. We saw everything from Buckingham Palace, the Eye of London, Big Ben (actual name–Clock Tower), London Bridge, Westminister Abbey, Downing St, Trafalgar Square, etc. etc.

I’m quite set on picking up some sort of accent before I head back to the States. Maybe it’ll be an eclectic mix of the Spanish lisp, the charming British accent, and the singsong Italiano. So far, loving London. Didn’t like it so much when I first came here 5ish years ago but now…could definitely see myself living here.

Our last couple of days we explored “Old London” which is the part of London that you don’t see on postcards and in movies. It’s very much the financial center of England and is framed by St. Paul’s Cathedral. While the boys left to see Buckingham Palace, the art lover in me went to Tate Modern and explored every nook and cranny in what is probably the world’s most famous modern art museum. One of my favorite works is this cell-like interpretation of life through the eyes of the scientist, Jean Arp. An art critic said of the sculpture, ” In a sense, randomness and chance constrained by interactions programmed by genes, is fundamental to life itself”. Brilliant.

Off to Spain for a week. I’m in love just thinking about it.

Ireland

Dublin is unlike any European city I’ve visited before. Maybe it’s the size or maybe it’s just the Irish influence but there’s certainly a easy-going relaxed feeling here. The people are good-natured and humorous and the greenery rivals that of Austin. Beer runs freely across the streets and on any given day you’re likely to come across workers rolling several hundred kegs from trucks to bars and restaurants.

Our flight touched Dublin soil around 8 am and by the time we got to our hostel and set aside our luggage it was 9:30 am. Upon checking in, we came across a free walking tour of Dublin and immediately jumped at the opportunity to see the city through the eyes of a local tour guide. After grabbing a quick expresso at a nearby cafe, we walked over to the City Hall where the tour was to began. Our guide was a 20-something college student; totally your typical Irishman…reddish curly hair; pale skin; rosy cheeks, and an Irish accent to boot. He was by far one of the best tour guides I’ve had in Europe and three hours whizzed by pretty quickly. Our last stop was Trinity University, one of Dublin’s most prestigious universities and we decided to rest a little in front of the lake near the University. “Resting a little” turned into a 30 minute power nap (even the grass here is more lush than that of the US–it feels like a blanket!).

Exhaustion had began to set in but we trudged our way to the Guinness Brewery in time to catch one of the last tours and sample a pint of the famous Guinness beer. And we sampled in style–on top of the Brewery in a ritzy clubhouse with 360 degree window view that overlooked all of Dublin. Dinner included chicken pizza with peppers, garlic, onions, and mozzarella at a restaurant in the Temple Bar area and we decided to call it a night.

On our second day we caught an early morning bus to the Malahide Castle right outside city limits. From there the bus took us to this small fishing village named Howth–I think we went the entire day without seeing any sun! It’s crazy how cold it is here for August (the high is about 65 and the low is definitely in the mid 50s). After sightseeing, we sat down for another afternoon coffee (I can tell this is going to be a daily ritual and absolutely detrimental to my budget) and people-watched. I still can’t get over how people here can sit in cafés for hours and just talk. It’s one of those European customs I wish would translate to the U.S.

Well, I need to catch my flight to Edinburgh! Until next time.

Suitcases packed

Well, I’ve somehow managed to pack 6 months of my life away into 2 small suitcases. I’m taking one with me and the other one my lovely parents will ship to my Milan apartment sometime in September. Still debating if I can sneak my tennis racket onto the plane…

Registering and successfully paying for the Italian language crash course was a big time fail. Bocconi not only dropped me from the class but sent me a rather nasty email telling me I had neglected to pay the $300 fee. Oops–on the bright sight that means I have a whole 2 weeks to explore Milan before classes start while everyone else will be sitting in a classroom M-Sa for 8 hours a day.

I’m flying out of IAH tomorrow afternoon and meeting up with Tello in Chicago. We’ll catch Andrei in Dublin around 8 am and hopefully be able to check into our hostel that early–or at least leave our luggage there while we conquer the Guinness Brewery. Holla. Anyway, need to go run some last minute errands; see yall in Europe!

Flights booked!

1. Getting to Italy. Check. Sort of…

A few of us studying at Bocconi have decided to travel a little before school officially starts up. We’re jetting off for Europe August 10 and hitting up Dublin first. A few of the Spain kids last summer went to Dublin and I’ve been wanting to go ever since. From there, we are planning a whirlwind 2 week tour of London, Edinburgh, Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, and Barcelona.

I can’t wait to go back to Madrid! I always get a little nostalgic when going back to places that I’ve had fond memories of (note: plan a visit to Burbank asap). I hope the metro between Sol and Banca de Espana is up and running by now. I also need to find my Madrid senora’s phone number so I can pay her a visit while I’m there.

After we land in Dublin, we’re mostly getting around thanks to RyanAir, the unbelievable thrifty European airline. You seriously can’t beat a 15 euro flight to Edinburgh or a 20 euro flight to Barcelona. The only drawback is the 10 kilo luggage allowance which is not enough for 5 months in Europe. Even for a boy. I need to look further into sending luggage by ship after I arrive in Milan.

I just finished the online Bocconi registration last night (kind of blew through the language placement part…oops). Now just need to get a transcript and mail in my documents so I can apply for a Visa in Houston. As for housing, I’m subleasing the apartment of one of the girls who will be on exchange at UT. She lives with 3 other Italians so I’ll definitely be getting the inside scoop of la vita italiana!

I’m so incredibly excited for the Milanese lifestyle. Everyone seems to just enjoys life through the simple pleasures like a afternoon cafe’ or pizza napoletana. Ahhh 3 more months!