Sojin Josephson

Hello, again. Clearly, it’s been awhile since my last post. I’m going to break the remainder of my study abroad blog into three final posts. The first being this one about my long, busy, learning curve of a June, the second being my two-week grand tour of Italy with Mom and the last to wrap up my thoughts on the  study abroad experience and the people that made it so worthwhile. This first one is long as it covers an entire month and six countries.

June was an adventure filled with jam-packed days of sightseeing, meeting friends and packing my bags for the next city. During my final week at Cattolica, I spent time as a tourist in Milan doing the things I said I would and never got around to. I finally made it to the top of the Duomo and Teatro alla Scala to see an opera. I went alone to the opera and while I was looking around for the door that would lead to my seat, I heard, “Do you speak English?” Words I know too well myself. I turned to find a very elegantly dressed woman, who said she was from Oregon. We were both relieved and excited to find someone from so close to home. Turns out, our seats were right beside each other, so we had a wonderful evening at the opera and still keep in touch. Mary Margaret is her name.

On the last day before departing for Greece, I spent a lot of time packing up my apartment, sending a suitcase home and searching for another suitcase to pack a semester’s worth of purchases. Talk about procrastination. But Stas and I still found time to get our favorite gelato, go to the Giorgio Armani exhibit and eat Risotto Milanese on Navigli for dinner.

May 31-June 11: Greece

• Athens
• Paros
• Naxos
• Santorini
• Ios

The morning of May 31, I had mixed feelings about leaving Milan. I was excited for the month of June, but also nervous because I figured moving to a new place every few days would be tiring and present challenges. I am also Milan-obsessed, had a routine there, friends there and enjoyed having a home base. I think we were all reluctant to leave, but Stas, Kim, Melissa and I went to the airport anyway. We would meet Michela in Naxos for one last hoorah.

After our flight to Athens, we got on a 5.5 hour ferry ride to Paros, our first destination in Greece. We had no lodging booked, but Stas (being a Greek-native) swore we could bargain for places to stay at the port. She was right.

The rest of my ten days in Greece consisted of island hopping, shopping, four-wheeling, swimming in the Mediterranean, tanning, eating some of the best food I’ve ever had and exploring picture-perfect scenery. Anastasia’s parents lived in Naxos and owned a restaurant there for 12 years, so we received local hospitality and guidance. We went to a traditional Greek event with music, dancing and unlimited wine. We found an abundance of nightlife and Australians in Santorini and Ios.

The only sad part about Greece was that one of the girls left every other day, starting with Melissa. On my 9.5 hour ferry ride from Ios to Athens, Stas and I were the final two to separate about 4 hours in. I then sat with an 80-year-old Greek-American grandpa named Basil who talked to me about politics, history and his children and grandchildren for 5 hours straight. I was going to sleep in the Athens Airport, but ended up staying at Basil’s house. In the morning, he made me breakfast, showed me Olympic Stadium and took me to the airport. Trusting, I know. I never would have done that six months ago.

June 11-14: Salzburg, Austria

After a flight from Athens to Milan, Milan to Munich and a missed bus from Munich to Salzburg, I was so ready to see a familiar face. I made it to Salzburg a tad later than I was hoping, but the second I saw Claire running down the train station stairs with her beloved bike bouncing beside her, I couldn’t help but smile. I was so excited to be in Austria and I knew Claire would have multiple itineraries to choose from.

The first day, Claire led me on a walking tour of Salzburg. We walked through her school, Salzburg’s Old Town and ate Mozart Kugel–we were in Mozart’s birthplace after all. That night, we went to Alumnifest, an event associated with Claire’s school.  There we saw a symphony, ate, drank and danced.

The second day, we went on The Sound of Music Tour. While the soundtrack played, we rode in a bus to all of the famous spots from the classic film. We ate apple strudel and witnessed a wedding where the guests looked like they could have attended Will and Kate’s. After the tour, we climbed to Fortress Hohensalzburg to see views of the city on one side and views of the Alps on the other. After we made dinner, we watched The Sound of Music.

On the third day, we decided to climb to the top of an Alp, with a scenic view of Salzburg. Then Claire reenacted The Sound of Music with her own rendition of ‘The Hills are Alive.’  We ate cake and hiked back down. Then we went to Augustiner for pretzels and beer. It was the perfect ending to my time in Austria.

June 14-17: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam was my first solo trip. I was in between seeing Claire in Austria and meeting my friend Lia in Scotland. It didn’t start out well as my laptop and camera were stolen at the airport. I went to Europe with an iPhone, MacBook and Canon camera and returned with none of them. I did learn many lessons about keeping my things close to me and also in purses that zip instead of snap. Also, back your stuff up, people. Not to be melodramatic, but I barely slept or ate for the days I was in Amsterdam because I was so distressed about my things being gone. I went to the Apple store in Amsterdam, which happened to be right next to my hostel, and Apple Paul gave me some words of wisdom when I went in there complaining about having nothing left. He said, “That’s not true. You still have the experience, memories and friendships, so you actually have everything.” He was right and although it was a hard pill to swallow, I managed to get out and see some of the Netherlands.

My first full day in Amsterdam, I explored the city center, open markets and Red Light District with Ella, an Australian girl staying in my hostel.

In 8th grade, I did a research project on Anne Frank. In 10th grade, I built the Secret Annex out of glass. The Anne Frank House was 80 percent of the reason I added Amsterdam into my month of travel. I also wanted to take a canal tour, so I bought one in the morning and got off at the Anne Frank stop. I waited in line for two hours, but it was so worth it. I spent another hour going through the house and read every word in that place. Afterward, I took the boat back near my hostel and walked through Vondelpark. Then, (no shame) I went to Hard Rock Cafe because I was for the first time in my semester abroad, homesick. I got a giant Cobb salad and watched American 80’s rock videos for two hours. I enjoyed it.

On my final morning, I went to a pancake house close to my hostel. I ate outside on the canal and even witnessed a marriage proposal. I was ready to get out of Amsterdam, but my stay ended on a much better note than it started.

June 18-21: Edinburgh, Scotland

After the best weekend of my life in Ireland, I was excited to go to Scotland because I knew the atmosphere and scenery would be similar. I took a bus from the airport to the city center, where I got a little lost before I found Castle Rock Hostel. My room had a view of the Edinburgh Castle and was my favorite hostel of the semester. Soon enough, I was joined by my friend Lia. We went to school together at Cattolica and she was taking a month-long class in London post Milan, so she decided to meet me in Edinburgh for a few days. She brought friends from her London program, who stayed in a hostel nearby. After meeting up with the rest of the group, we ate at a pub and acquainted ourselves with the Edinburgh nightlife.

The next morning, we ate at an Italian restaurant. It was comical to eat at an Italian restaurant in Scotland, and for breakfast. Italians don’t really do breakfast. We ate eggs and pancakes and drank American coffee–not very Italian, but good. Then we bought hats because it was colder than any of us expected (I packed for Greece), explored the Royal Mile, the Edinburgh Castle and went on the Scotch Whiskey Experience Tour. Then we “hiked” to Arthur’s Seat. In the evening, we went out for dinner and drinks on Princes Street.

On my final day in Scotland I was determined to go to the St. Andrews Official Golf Shop to get my dad a shirt. Lia agreed to go with me, so we found a bus station and 2.5 hours later, made it to St. Andrews. It seems like a long trip just for a shirt, but I’m so glad we went. The British Open was held there this year and we got to see the setup for it and walk on the 18th hole of the course. I spent a long time in the golf shop searching for the perfect shirt and with the help of several staff members, I finally chose one. Dad loves it! Lia and I ate lunch at a pub famous for hosting golfers during tournaments and then got back on the bus. After we returned to Edinburgh, we met the others and went to The Elephant House for tea, which is where JK Rowling started writing Harry Potter. Greyfriars Kirkyard was our final stop of the night.

The next morning, Lia and the rest of the crew flew back to London and I got on a train headed  for England.

June 21-24: Northern England and Wales

• Lake District, England
• Manchester, England
• Chester, England
• Anglesey, Wales

England, England, England. This is a country I had dreamed about since 6th grade. If you asked me a year ago, I would have said I was studying abroad there. I will always be happy I chose Italy because it was much more culturally challenging and I can’t imagine life without the people I met there, but I am also happy I got to spend ten beautiful days in England.

Back in May on our trip to Ireland, we had the pleasure of meeting quite a few Englishmen. My friend Jake, from Manchester, picked me up from the train station in Penrith and kindly hosted me at his house for a few days. We took a road trip the old fashioned way with a paper map, a lot of candy and no plan, other than to end up back in Manchester in the evenings. We turned whenever we felt like it and only had one rule: stay off of the main highways. I got to see the stunning, green English and Welsh countrysides. For three days, I walked to the wrong side of the car and looked the wrong way before I crossed the street. Jake probably saved my life a few times. We made our way through quaint English villages, Chester (my second choice school after Milan) and even to Lyme Park, where the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice was filmed.

The perks of going with a local means I tried all of the traditional English dishes I would never have ordered myself, including black pudding. If you don’t know what that is, I suggest looking it up. One night, we had dinner at Ed’s pub (another friend I met in Ireland and good friend of Jake). It was one of the best meals with a remarkable atmosphere and was unexpectedly and gratefully ‘on the house.’  I even got a tour of the cellar. If you ever make it to Manchester, check out The Church Inn. On my final morning, Jake made me crumpets, led me on a tour of downtown Manchester, bought me soft serve ice-cream and took me to the train station, where I headed for London. Cheers to you, Jake!

June 24-28: London, England

Lia picked me up at the train station in London, which happened to be close to where she lived in Regents Park. That night, we made our way to Tower Bridge, which was beautifully lit. We met an Italian guy (of course) and made our way across the bridge and the surrounding  area with our new pal.

The next day, Lia and I went to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye and Notting Hill. Then I met up with Haley, a Montanan, for the remainder of my London adventures. Haley booked us an Airbnb in a quaint area just outside of London. It was actually a relief to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city for a bit.

Leicester Square, Camden Town, Platform 9¾  and the British Museum made our itinerary the next day before we had dinner under the Tower Bridge with a view of the London skyline.

Last October, Haley and I were sitting in the journalism school at UM doing homework and talking about study abroad. We discovered our mutual love of Taylor Swift and found out she would be visiting London on her 1989 Tour. Haley ordered us tickets for the Hyde Park concert on June 27, and that was the only thing I had planned before I left the U.S. I knew I had to be in London on June 27.

The morning of the concert, we left our Airbnb early, had tea at a fancy place near Hyde Park and jumped in line a few hours early. The concert was incredible and we not only got to see Taylor, but Vance Joy, Ellie Goulding, John Newman, Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne, Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Karlie Kloss and Serena Williams. It was a night to remember.

London is expensive. That British Pound will kill ya. But the UK is  well worth a visit.

June 29: Back to Milan

After a month packed with travel, I was ready to be back in beautiful and familiar Milan. I had an early morning flight from London-Gatwick Airport and was back in Italy by 10 a.m. I headed straight for my own stop, Piola, but not for my own apartment. I was hosted for the second time at my wonderful friend Simone’s—a person I got to know quite well throughout my time in Italy and who also made my six months abroad much easier. He studied for a year in Whitefish, Montana when he was in high school. (Michela is from Whitefish and we met him through her.) Thanks for everything, Simone and see you in Montana. Also thanks to Toto, Perotto, Giovanni, FedEx and the rest of the Italian fellas. You were a big part of our time abroad and I will be forever grateful for each of your friendships. Lots of love and I hope to see you all in the States.

Ciao ciao,

Sojin

Next: Bonnie J. Takes Italy!