The title of this post truly captures how I have felt the last month living abroad.  After a little over three months, I can truly say Milan is my home.  Whenever I travel on the weekends, I simply can not wait to be back home in Milan.  It is strange to think about, because three months ago this city was foreign to me.  The city felt very big and the language barrier made it seem even bigger.  As each week has gone by, I have become more accustomed to the culture of Milan, therefore giving the city more and more of a feeling of being home.  I remember not being able to pronounce anything in Italian, now I can speak full sentences with the locals.  A month ago I decided to break free from that routine I found myself in that I mentioned in my last post.  I decided to pain the town everyday as much as possible, because I do not want to leave this place with any feeling of regret.  I do not want to regret not going out to explore as much, regret not walking without a destination in order to discover more of the city, and specifically regret not feeling as if I did my best to immerse myself as much as I could.

As a student studying abroad, I believe it is important to immerse yourself in the culture of the city you live in.  Do not waste the limited time you have on social media, watching Netflix, or anything in particular that you know you could do back home.  I only have three weeks left in this beautiful city, and I do not plan on wasting a minute.

Location: milan

Last weekend I had the ultimate pleasure to travel to one of the most famous cities in the world! Paris!  It is one thing to see what Paris look like from photos in magazines, postcards, school textbooks, but it is entirely different to see the city from your own eyes.

We left from Centrale station in Milan and caught a 5 euro bus that transported us to Bergamo Airport.  We flew from Ryanair, a cheap airline that flies throughout Europe.  The pilot must have had a few Redbulls because we got to Paris in about an hour and ten minutes; opposed to the hour and forty minute flight that was scheduled.  We come to find that Beauvais airport is an hour and fifteen minute bus ride from the city of Paris, and we had to pay 17 euro for the ticket.  My suggestion if you are traveling to Paris take Easyjet Airlines.  We get to Paris and purchase a two-day metro ticket in order to maneuver easily in the city which costed 18 euro.

At this point, we are all starving and are excited to try and taste French cuisine (except escargot).  We head to the Eiffel Tower and find a small brasserie and have dinner.  I ordered french onion soup of course and chicken with potatoes.  The french onion soup was amazing with shredded cheese and bread, but the chicken tasted like a traditional Colombian dish called “Sudado de Pollo”.

We walked towards the Eiffel Tower and it was absolutely incredible.  If you are fascinated by in pictures, you will admire its true beauty in person.  At night it is lit up with golden lights and during every hour it shines with twinkling blue lights.  The next day we set out to accomplish as much as we can, since it was our only true day there.  Our mission was to go to the Louvre museum, see the Arc de Triumph, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and climb up the Eiffel Tower.  Paris is a huge city compared to Milan, and we were overwhelmed by the end of our day.  We visited everywhere we wanted to go, except the Louvre museum.  The line to get inside was two hours and we simply did not have the time to spare.  Mona Lisa I will return.

Paris is definitely a city worth exploring and getting to see while you study abroad if you can, or to check off your bucket list.

Paris during sunset

Arc de Triumph

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

French Onion Soup

Location: Paris

Once I woke up, I decided to write a blog post that currently expresses how I feel about my study abroad semester so far.  In less than a week I will have already completed half of my semester abroad.  It is crazy to even fathom the thought of it.

At Penn State Berks I am a commuter student, so I drive to school everyday.  I had a routine back home that I always repeated in order to start my day, be productive throughout the day, and to end my day.  Living in Milan has completely changed my perspective on how I should attack my days.  Once I arrived 7 weeks ago, I immediately knew that that old routine was out the window.  Everyday being a student in Milan feels like an adventure.  I don’t know what the day will have in store for me.  I don’t know what train stop will I get off, what I am going to have for lunch, or what will I see that will completely boggle my mind.  It has been an eye opening 7 weeks for me.  As a student you want to always keep an open mind and be ready to embrace and soak all the information you acquire, whether it be: in class, in the streets of the city, meeting new people, etc..  At this point I am not displeased I have already completed half of my time studying abroad, but I am content that I have become more aware of my surroundings and how to learn from them.  Yesterday I was satisfied I was able to send complete emails in Italian, speak to the cashier at the groceries in Italian, and have conversations with strangers in Italian.  You hear a lot of people use the saying, “it’s a small world,” but I believe it is only small if you see it that way.  Any students who are considering studying abroad and are afraid of the language barriers, the feeling of feeling lost in a new environment, rest assure it’ll be an unforgettable experience.

Location: milan, italy

What’s going on everybody!  I had the ultimate experience this past week, spending it in the Swiss Alps.  I personally have never had the opportunity to go skiing or snowboarding back in the states, so there was no way I was going to miss this trip.  IES, my study abroad program coordinator, planned the entire trip.  They gave us the pleasure to stay at a 4 star hotel in St. Moritz, a small town in Switzerland that has hosted the winter olympics twice in the past!  We arrived in St. Moritz on sunday and automatically the landscape of the town captivated all of us. The town literally looks like you’re inside a snowglobe.  There was not much to do in the town except eat some great chocolate, and window shop because everything was really expensive.

As I had mentioned earlier I have never had the opportunity to snowboard.  This could have been detrimental to the Swiss Alps trip to me for not being able to snowboard.  All of the IES students tried to convince me that snowboarding would be too difficult to learn in three days, and I would not be able to enjoy my time there.  I promised myself before I got there that no matter how many times I fall or felt frustrated that I would learn how to snowboard in the Swiss Alps.  I mean in the future I could look back and say I learned how to snowboard in the Swiss Alps with no lessons, how amazing would that be.

I rented my snowboarding gear, took a gondola 2000 ft up to the mountain, and a ski lift up another 2000 ft where the blue trails were, which are designated for beginners.  The first 30 minutes I continuously kept falling.  I then just completely decided I had to stand up, find my balance, and enjoy my trip.  I put my mind to it and did just that.  By the third day I was already capable of snowboarding on red trails, which superseded my expectations.  The view at the top of the mountains was mind-blowing.  The Swiss Alps was the most beautiful and exciting trip I have done so far while studying abroad in Milan.  It is a must see for anyone who studies abroad!

Thank you everybody for checking out the post, I will be sure to check in again later this week.

Location: st. mortiz

Whats going on everybody?! Thank you all for the positive feedback on the last post!  If anyone wants to personally contact me with questions regarding studying abroad feel free to shoot me an email at summitchasedr@gmail.com

This past weekend my roomates and I took a trip to Firenze (Florence), Italy.  We bought a train ticket, which perfectly resembled an airplane as far as accommodation and comfort.  We rented an apartment on the airbnb.it website, which in my opinion is the best way to stay at in a city when traveling.  Most people will advise you that hostels are cheap and the best way to stay overnight at a city, but they do not know what they are missing with the comfort you have with a bnb.  We booked the bnb for 35 euro for two nights per person.  The bnb was only half a block away from the Duomo of Florence.  Florence is a beautiful city in regards to its architecture, its historic buildings, its amazing duomo (3rd highest in italy), and the overall structure of the city where everything is in walking distance.

While we in Florence my roomates and I were set on accomplishing three things: practice our italian speaking skills, eat amazing food, and purchase a leather good.  There was an amazing restaurant recommended to me by a friend that supposably it was loud, the waitresses were rude, everyone was screaming, and the food could not be any fresher.  The idea that a restaurant like this even existed, excited us a lot and we decided to try it.  The restaurant is called alla vecchia bettola.  It is by far the most amazing food I have ever had in my life, and a great experience of eating in that restaurant.  Florence is know for its leather goods, and everywhere you walk you see vendors with their shops that sell jackets, belts, purses, etc..  It is a great way to practice your italian by negotiating with the vendors to be able to pay the best price!

I personally would not study abroad in Florence.  I personally felt like I was in the 51st state of America.  Everybody I talked to in Florence spoke Enlgish.  I rather be studying abroad in a city where you can immerse yourself more in the culture, and truly learn the language.  Overall, Florence is a must see city in Italy!

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog, and I will be sure to keep everyone updated in the next blog.

Il Dumo di Firenze

The view from our bnb window

A horse taking a break from giving tour rides

Location: florence

What’s up everybody!  I apologize that I did not post a blog last week, the internet was not functioning last week at my apartment!

It has been a week and a half since I have arrived and settled in Milan, Italy.  I initially thought the transition into a foreign country, in a foreign city would be difficult.  I previously believed I would feel like a stranger and very lost, being that it was my first time away from home, and I am not fluent in the host language.  Both of those initial thoughts have been incorrect and proven wrong.  The italian language has been a little easier for me to understand and pick up, for the simple fact that I am fluent in spanish.  Getting around the Milan has been more promising, since I know any conversation I may have  will not make me look like a lost American tourist.  The Italian culture and the American cultures are two different worlds.  Despite that water is not free when you sit to eat, or the wi-fi is terribly slow; the culture is really one to admire and be amazed at from the perspective of a study abroad student.  You do not see people sitting down at a restaurant or bar locked into their smartphones; scrolling down Instagram.  No, people are actually engaged in a conversation, which I feel is crucial when you are a study abroad student.  It is an amazing experience that not only am I learning a new language, but I am actually using it daily.  Unlike in high school you are required to take a language class, but usually end up never practically using it.  Slowly, but surely I am not only adapting to the Italian culture, but truly immersing in it.  Tomorrow I will be going on an abbey trip to visit famous cathedral churches and then saturday I will head to Bologona, Italy which is famous for their cuisine.  I will make sure to post another blog sunday with pictures from the trips.

Ciao!

Location: milan

The moments in life that make you step out of your comfort zone; are ultimately the moments that will define you.  In only 36 hours I will catch a flight to go study abroad in a foreign country for four months! It is surreal to even think about it.

Whats up everybody! My name is Mateo Toro, a sophomore studying international business at Penn State Berks.  I will be attending my entire spring semester in Milan, Italy.  It’s still a concept I am trying to solidify in my mind before I leave, but I am excited to immerse in a new culture.

I am a commuter student at Penn State Berks, so unlike most other college students; I still live at home.  The fact that I will be in a different continent, around a different culture, learning a new language, can be a scary idea to others, but I am excited for what this adventure will bring. This will be the first time I am living on my own, so there is many things I will have to get the grasp of quickly.  But I am a optimistic person and feel confident in being able to adapt quickly, meet new people, and learn from the new culture I will be around.

My main objective while I am studying abroad is to be the most efficient with my time that I have ever been in my entire life.  Bold statement. Let me explain.  I want to wake up early and go to sleep late every single day of my trip. I do not want to waste a single minute in Milan.  As a college student it is imperative you are great at managing your time, in order to get the best grades and still carry on a normal human in life.  It would be amazing if I could get my classwork done as early as possible while Im out there, that way I can travel, meet new people, discover the wonders of Europe, and not come home with any regrets.

Im ready to embark on this journey and I will be sharing as much as I can with these posts.  I will be taking an enormous amounts of pictures since I will be taking a photography course while overseas and I will post them on my Facebook page, and I also will upload videos on my Youtube page.  So whether you are a prospective study abroad student or family member I hope you enjoy these posts.  They will only get better as the more I immerse myself in Italy!

See you all soon! Ciao!

Location: Reading, PA