I’m currently writing this blog from my little apartment in Milan, Italy! It is a crazy feeling knowing that I’ve been living and going to school here for the past 6 weeks.
First off, if you’re reading this blog because you’re unsure if you should study abroad, please do it! It is an experience that I think everyone should have at some point in their lives.
Well, where do I even start? Milan is an amazing city, and Italy is easily my favorite European country. The people, environment, and beauty that this city and country have to offer easily make it a great option to study abroad.
School
To start off my time in Milan, I took an Italian Crash Course taught at Bocconi University, which is the university that I’m attending. If you don’t know Italian and will be at Bocconi, I highly recommend taking it! You get to meet a lot of other exchange students, which is a great way to quickly make friends!
For the most part, I spent the month of September traveling around Italy since I only have classes from Tuesday to Thursday. But the days that I spent in class were long days. Although school is not the most fun thing in the world, it is incredible going to class with students from all over the world. The insight that you gain from their experiences and knowledge is seriously invaluable. I’ve met some of the brightest students here.
People
I feel like the Italian people are on a wide spectrum. Since Italy is a young nation and split by so many regions, it depends on which city and part of the country you’re talking about.
As far as Milan is concerned, the people here are fast-paced. Milan is a major metropolitan city with some of the most fashionable and hardworking people you’ll meet. They walk fast, don’t smile as much, and cut you in line to get to where they need to go.
But the students that I’ve met from all over the world are amazing! It’s so awesome to be able to say that I have friends from The Netherlands or Brazil or Canada or Singapore. Easily my favorite part of being abroad thus far is the people I’ve been able to meet.
Food
Although the food has been great, I miss food from back home! Tacos, Chick-Fil-A, What-A-Burger, please send some over. I would trade 10 pastas and pizzas for a taco from Mad Taco or Torchy’s. Haha. But seriously, I eat so much pasta and pizza here because that is seriously the norm.?I thought people exaggerated about it before I got here, but it’s the truth.
Milan and Navigli (the area in Milan that I live in) is well known for its aperitivo, which is a concept where you pay for a drink and the buffet is included. It is a great deal to socialize with friends after school and get some food.
Transportation
If you’re going to be living here, you’re going to have to choose a mode of transportation. Those include biking, metro, or walking.
If you choose to bike, it’s a good deal! You pay around 28 euros and get everywhere quickly. I personally travel via the metro, which is very easy to navigate and takes you everywhere that you need to go. If you get a metro card, you are allowed to use the metro, tram, or busses. You pay 22 euros a month, which is a steal in comparison to how much I spend back home on gas.
All in all, this first month rocked. I seriously cannot wait to see what the next few months have in store!