Category: Milan

As I’ve reached over one month of living in Milan, I am finally feeling a little bit like a local with my routine. Growing up, I learned the importance of routine and order in my life. Of course my days are never exactly the same, but I will try my best to capture a typical day in my life of living in Italy. Monday and Wednesday’s are my busiest days with class from 9:00am-2:30pm. Those mornings begin around 7:00am when I wake up and get ready for class. I usually take a bit of time picking out my outfit because everyone always dresses so nice! This is very different from wearing my athletic clothes at Wofford, haha! Before departing for class, I grab a coffee from the coffee shop in my dorm. I always go with a cappuccino, which is hard to beat here for only €1.50. My first class begins at 9:00am, so I leave my room around 8:15am to walk to the metro. I commute to class with friends and the metro ride is around 20-25 minutes…not bad at all! Some mornings we are all sardines in the metro as there are many commuters. I have been so grateful to have public transportation here because it makes life so much easier! We normally are able to find seats about halfway through our commute when a large number of commuters leave the metro before our stop.

Each class is typically 1 hour and 40 minutes, but we only have the same class two days a week. My first class is called “The Mediterranean: A Plastic Sea.” This is my smallest class with only six students, including myself. This topic has been so informative about the effects of plastic pollution in the oceans, and specifically the Mediterranean sea. Because of this, I have been able to reflect on my plastic use and how the plastic pollution affects the world’s entire ecosystem. My second class is called “Positive Psychology: The Science of a Good Life” and we begin each class with a brief meditation session to prepare our minds. My professor travels from Brussels each week…isn’t that crazy?! All of my professors are amazing and I have really enjoyed each of their classes. Between my second and third class, I have a 40 minute break which is when I eat my lunch. Because of this short break, I pack my lunch these two days and eat at the center. My third and final class is called “Italian and American Approaches to Mental Health.” This is by far my favorite class because mental health is so important to me and I am fascinated by learning more about it. This class is so informative and I love every second of it. I am so thankful to be able to take classes outside of my comfort zone and expand my knowledge. My final class ends at 2:40 and then I usually commute back to my room.

My Tuesday class schedule consist of Italian 105 and is followed by “Managing Fashion and Luxury Companies.” On Thursday, however, I only have my “Managing Fashion and Luxury Companies” until 12:30pm. Thursday’s are very easy and I usually am able to complete a lot of tasks this day.

I normally go straight home from class, but if I don’t, I typically stop at Tre Torri and grab a bakery item and espresso. Tre Torri is a newly built, modern area that has shops, restaurants, and beautiful scenery. This stop is on my way home, so it’s always very tempting for me to get off. Once i’m back to my dorm, I usually lay down for a little and sometimes even sneak in a little nap. I also complete my homework and any other assignments that I have.

I love FaceTiming my family, friends, and Jackson in my free time! I try to talk to them as often as I can to stay up to date about everything back home! Although I miss them all like crazy, I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have and am soaking up every last bit of it. How can I not?! I’m only in this beautiful place for three more months and I feel like I just got here. Time is truly flying, especially now that my classes are cranking up!

I end my nights by cooking dinner with my friends and watching some tv. I’ve recently been watching Law & Order SVU and it is so good! I love anything crime or medical in shows, so this is right up my alley. I love ending the day with a show to relax and have some self-care time.

P.S. I have been lacking in my blog posts…I am aware of this. I am much better at staying up to date on my travel instagram @carols.life.in.europe

I am officially living in Milan, Italy! I still cannot really believe those words are true. What a surreal experience it was stepping off the plane in Milan and realizing that this would be my home for the next semester. Although it has only been 14 days here, I am already convinced to move here! The people, food, and experiences so far have been more than I could have hoped for. I have made so many new friends from all around the States and world! What an amazing thing that we all have gathered in Milan to study.

The first couple of days consisted of Orientation where we learned the basics…how to use the metro, why studying abroad is so important, much advice from faculty and past study abroad students, and much more. The first night, we took a tour of our dorm building and our neighborhood. Our dorm has a laundry room, bar where I get coffee every morning, a gym, an artist spot, a game room, and a huge kitchen. The area also includes many study spaces and hang out areas! What a cute neighborhood we are in! We walked to the closest market, which is a very nice and easy walk! I am there often haha! After the tour, I unpacked my bags to settle in before our pizza outing. What an amazing first meal I had. Besides the delicious pizza, I was able to connect to new people and make friends that I know I will forever cherish.

I do not have enough elegant words to describe how incredible the Italian cuisine is. I was expecting the food to be amazing, but Italian food is a new level. I should include that I cannot eat gluten or dairy in the States, but here I am able to eat all of the gluten and dairy I desire. AMAZING. I have been taking advantage of this every single day. I am probably in a caffè every day trying something new. This has definitely convinced me more to live here one day.

My favorite activity during orientation was our paint and sip while we met our Italian language teachers. My teacher, Paola, is the sweetest person ever and I have so enjoyed her class. Although learning Italian is difficult, she makes it so fun and engaging. The first two weeks are considered our “Intensive Italian” learning period where we spend our class time learning the language. Normally after class every day, my friends and I try a new caffè where we each get a coffee and pastry. What an amazing post class treat this has been.

I have already explored so much of this city, yet feel as though I have barely scratched the surface. There is so much to do and see, which is what I love about living in a city. Every single day can be so different if I so choose. I am excited to continue to explore the inner parts of Milan and surrounding areas and countries. I am hoping to travel as much as I possibly can! Until next time, Ciao!

As I eagerly await to begin my semester in Italy, many emotions are running through my head…excitement, anxiousness, curiousness, the list goes on and on. This will be my first time studying abroad and I could not be more excited. I am eager to experience and live in a different culture and I cannot wait to see what opportunities unfold during my time abroad. When I first saw the Wofford in Milan promotion, I sent the link to my parents by jokingly saying “that would be nice,” not thinking anything else of it. My parents began looking into the program and told me that this was a once in a lifetime experience. Needless to say, I applied and was accepted into the program or else I would not be writing this post.

Prior to committing to Wofford, the opportunities to study abroad set this school apart from the others I was looking at, among many other things. I viewed this new program in Milan as a sign for me to study abroad because I hadn’t felt prepared enough my two prior years at Wofford as I was still figuring out how exactly to do this college “thing.” As a junior, I can allow myself to step outside of my comfort zone more by living in a different country away from my family, friends, and Wofford community, without questioning my place at Wofford upon my return. I am so thankful for the support from my family, friends, and Wofford on my decision to join the Wofford in Milan program.

Although I am nervous to live in a different country without my family being an hour and a half drive and my close friends being with me, I am so excited to grow closer to the other Wofford students on the trip who I otherwise may have never had the opportunity to meet and know. Having a Wofford support system in Milan will be so important and will allow me to begin new relationships and create memories that I will cherish forever. In addition to exploring Italy, I am eager to explore surrounding countries! I hope to learn new things about myself through this experience and learn about cultures different than my own. I am excited to experience education in a completely different way than I have grown up with. I cannot wait to start my abroad adventure!

As I prepare to depart on my new adventure in two days, I am finishing up my packing and realized that I am already facing my first challenge…fitting everything into one checked bag…haha! Luckily this “challenge” is easy to overcome and instead of narrowing down my wardrobe and things I “need,” I have decided to check two bags. Easy solution, right?! This will make for an interesting trip from MXP to my dorm, but I am up for the challenge 😉 All jokes aside, I am so eager to arrive in Italy and cannot wait to see what the future holds for me and my fellow Wofford students in the program. We will have a welcome dinner of delicious Italian pizza in the dorm on our first night, and begin our orientation the following day. My amazing roommate, Olivia, and I have already been planning some trips we would like to take while in Europe. This has been so fun to plan with her and we are over the moon excited!