Sojin Josephson

Well folks, I’m almost eight weeks into my semester abroad. I have 16 weeks left. I have exams tomorrow, Friday and Monday, so I really should be studying, but “When in Italy…” (motto of the semester). Now that I’m not busy writing stories or shooting and producing videos for class every second of the day, I don’t feel as productive in a tangible sense, so I thought I would try and update you instead of let another post perish in an overflowing “drafts” folder.

When I arrived in Milan that first day, it felt like I had a lifetime in front of me. Now, the time is going by a little too quickly. I’ve made lifelong friends and memories and am quite settled. I haven’t felt 100 percent at home since I got here. Maybe it’s the constant traveling and living out of a backpack (yes, I gave in and got a backpack) or missing the simple comforts of Montana, but now faces here are familiar and I’m used to the Italian ways.

I have class five days a week. I am taking a mise-en-scéne and textual analysis course, a publishing/journalism course, a fashion history course and a design course. I surprisingly haven’t missed one yet. The travel clan—Kim, Melissa, Michela, Stas and I—leave Friday afternoons and come back on Monday mornings just in time for class. This routine has worked well thus far.

As for food and drinks…you know, the important things in life, I found a mug and a pot that work for making tea. Jane (treasured friend and roommate in Missoula) sends me packets of chai in the mail that I save for the most needed times. Thanks, Janie! I can’t afford the 6 fluid ounces of coffee and foam everyday, even in the vending machines, so cappuccinos are more of a treat now. I finally found oatmeal at a store near school. I ate it for dinner four nights in a row. I talk about peanut butter on the daily and the Italians always tell me, “You really just have to give in and get Nutella. It’s better anyway.” Nope, it’s not better, but I did buy some and it’ll do for now.

I’m finally getting used to city living, where I spend what seems like hours commuting around Milan. Then every weekend, we take a bus or train to the airport, get on the plane, take another bus or train from the next airport and then maneuver through a new subway system. It’s the norm here—not like walking across all of Big Timber in 10 minutes. Through this experience, I’ve learned that I am more of a small-town girl than I thought. It’s still a goal of mine to live in a big city for a few years—for the culture and fast-paced atmosphere—but I do miss grass, smiling strangers, stars and empty streets.

Life really is incomplete without travel. It’s fulfilling and rewarding in every sense. I have learned so much trying to navigate new places and breakdown new language barriers every week. I’ve learned to plan trips efficiently and inexpensively, to be more flexible and to not be a germaphobe. It’s also mind-blowing the amount of shopping you don’t do when you know you can’t (money and suitcase space). I walk past beautiful stores everyday and say “hi” to the manikins dressed in new lines of spring fashion, but I think I’m semi losing my shopaholic inclination. I’m now teaching English twice a week to a 4-year-old boy named Lupo, which will help me save some extra money also.

Stay tuned for the next few weeks because there’s a lot coming up. Here’s the itinerary:

March 27-29: Florence and Pisa, Italy

March 29-1: Claire Adele Chandler visits Milan

April 1-7: Spring Break: Barcelona, Spain

April 7-11: Spring Break: Lisbon, Portugal

April 17-20: Brussels, Belgium

I hope to get a Prague post up soon, too.

It’s hard to imagine people studying abroad to ever have a moment of frustration or period of stress, but it does happen. Everyday is mostly rainbows and butterflies and all that good stuff, but balancing travel plans, budget, school (when you can’t understand the professors half the time) and everything for my final year of college back in the States can be challenging. There’s a lot of pressure to make the most of every second (quite literally—we don’t sleep much), but even in everyday life, remember to take a breather for a minute or go on a run or spill your creative juices onto paper (or a Word doc). It helps! That’s my lesson for the week. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Ciao,

Sojin