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