My semester started with an inconvenient but entertaining detour- my flight was delayed three times and my luggage was left stranded at the Newark airport. I eventually did get my bags back, but arriving on a cold, rainy evening in Milan with no supplies ended up being a fun introduction to the city. I needed to find my apartment and buy clothes, and this encouraged me to find my way around the city quickly. I am used to driving everywhere, and Milan is much easier than Houston to navigate on foot. I went to a major shopping district and saw the city along the way, and then with my bags on the way back I tested out the metro. The public transport system here is efficient and easy to use, and it made my first two days much easier. As I started school I noticed a few differences in the business school here versus at Mays: The classes are heavily exam based with less emphasis on presentations and group interaction. Also, the campus is essentially in the middle of a city block, which is distinctly different from A&M where there is an extensive campus. In Milan, it felt like I was walking through a city until the moment I walked into my classroom, whereas back home you can exit class and walk for several minutes and be very much on campus. Due to this, it also feels a bit less interactive as a student because there is not a sprawling campus full of people encouraging you to join organizations or play intramurals. This gives the experience as a student here a more independent characteristic, and although I prefer the social aspects of Texas A&M’s campus I enjoyed the hustle of Milan. Italy as a whole also feels like more of a network of small communities than I am used to. In Houston and College Station, it is customary to greet people as you walk down the street, and in Italy this did not seem to be the case. However, when you enter restaurants or shops near school and home in Milan, you are greeted enthusiastically. People living nearby restaurants and shops stop to converse with the owners. It differs from the general welcoming feeling back home, but there is a definite draw of being a part of a smaller daily community with your neighbors that is independent from the surrounding city. Lastly, the food here lived up to and exceeded every expectation, which certainly needs to be mentioned.
Photos below:
- The first impression getting off the metro in Milan, the massive Duomo that took around 600 years to build and the developments for the Winter Olympics in the square.
- Breakfast and coffee on day 2
- The rain stopped for long enough to go to a park and meet people to play basketball with.
