Traveling
Planes: I flew United. I started from Omaha then it was a 2 hour flight to Newark in NYC. Then after an hour we loaded up and then we were off on an 8 1/2 flight to Milan. I haven't flown much, this was only my second flight so the thought of an 8 1/2 hour flight made my stomach turn a little. Thankfully United did an awesome job at making sure we were well taken care of. They had all of the latest movies which made the time go by very quickly. We were also served a snack, dinner, gelato, and breakfast. Each meal was incredibly delicious and we also had plenty of drinks offered to us as well. The flight back was just as smooth.
Trains: These trains can take you anywhere and everywhere in Europe. Most of the trains are pretty nice, some don't have air conditioning which makes it a little rough but when there is air it's pretty comfortable. THIS IS IMPORTANT! ALWAYS have a ticket and make sure that ticket is validated. They have ticket checkers that come through and check tickets. If you are caught without a ticket you are subject to a fine. Another helpful hint when it comes to trains, NEVER let someone help you put your luggage on the train. These people are most likely looking for a way to con you into paying them. These trains are used for longer trips around Europe. SO HELPFUL!
Metro: This was a completely foreign thing to me. I had no idea what I was doing or how to do it. Thankfully we had Michael from UNK who showed us the ropes for the first couple of days. Once we got the hang of it the Metro system in Milan became one of our best friends. It's truly a life saver and the best part is you get a student card so you don't have to pay for each metro ride.
Taxi's: This was the least common form of transportation we used. Often times they are very expensive. It is important to ask the taxi driver how much it will cost to get from point A to point B. They charge a little extra if you have more than one bag. Taxi's come in handy when it's too late for the metro or busses. But again, I rarely used them.
Walking: Consider yourself warned. You will walk everywhere. Your feet will hurt. Your calves will hurt. EVERYTHING will hurt. I can honestly say I never got accustomed to walking this much, but hey I survived. Walking is also the best way to look at cities in most cases, so just do it.
Trains: These trains can take you anywhere and everywhere in Europe. Most of the trains are pretty nice, some don't have air conditioning which makes it a little rough but when there is air it's pretty comfortable. THIS IS IMPORTANT! ALWAYS have a ticket and make sure that ticket is validated. They have ticket checkers that come through and check tickets. If you are caught without a ticket you are subject to a fine. Another helpful hint when it comes to trains, NEVER let someone help you put your luggage on the train. These people are most likely looking for a way to con you into paying them. These trains are used for longer trips around Europe. SO HELPFUL!
Metro: This was a completely foreign thing to me. I had no idea what I was doing or how to do it. Thankfully we had Michael from UNK who showed us the ropes for the first couple of days. Once we got the hang of it the Metro system in Milan became one of our best friends. It's truly a life saver and the best part is you get a student card so you don't have to pay for each metro ride.
Taxi's: This was the least common form of transportation we used. Often times they are very expensive. It is important to ask the taxi driver how much it will cost to get from point A to point B. They charge a little extra if you have more than one bag. Taxi's come in handy when it's too late for the metro or busses. But again, I rarely used them.
Walking: Consider yourself warned. You will walk everywhere. Your feet will hurt. Your calves will hurt. EVERYTHING will hurt. I can honestly say I never got accustomed to walking this much, but hey I survived. Walking is also the best way to look at cities in most cases, so just do it.
Sleeping
Hostels: I had never heard of a Hostel before. Me and my friend wanted a cheap first weekend and that's exactly what we got. I know hostels can be nice, but with my first (and last) experience with a hostel wasn't great. It had to most beautiful view and the people were extremely nice. BUT It wasn't clean and their was what we thought to be a family reunion with tons of people there. I think the one upside to staying in a hostel is meeting people from different parts of the world. The first night we stayed with three girls our age from Germany. It was really nice to talk and get to know them. I don't think I would go for a hostel unless it was your last option.
Airbnb: I would most definitely recommend staying in Airbnb's. Airbnb's (foreign to me until I had a friend in the program explain it to me) are usually apartments or houses you rent out from people who own them. In my experiences the host have all been incredibly sweet and helpful. One of our host even picked us up from the train station when it arrived late into the night. The airbnb's are very homey, comfortable, and usually have anything you could ever need. I felt so welcomed and comfortable in airbnb's.
Hotel Zumbini: This is where you will spend most of your nights. It's a nice hotel close enough to the University. The front desk people are nice and helpful. The rooms were also nice, but brace yourself. There was NO air conditioning. This year all of the Italian people told us that Summer came much earlier. The nights hardly cooled off and all we had to rely on was the small ceiling fan. This was the hardest part for me. I pretty much sweated for 3 weeks straight (you'll survive, trust me). But the rooms are equipped for two small twin sized beds, a TV, a large desk, fridge, and plenty of storage! The hotel also had a laundry room in the basement which was really nice.
Airbnb: I would most definitely recommend staying in Airbnb's. Airbnb's (foreign to me until I had a friend in the program explain it to me) are usually apartments or houses you rent out from people who own them. In my experiences the host have all been incredibly sweet and helpful. One of our host even picked us up from the train station when it arrived late into the night. The airbnb's are very homey, comfortable, and usually have anything you could ever need. I felt so welcomed and comfortable in airbnb's.
Hotel Zumbini: This is where you will spend most of your nights. It's a nice hotel close enough to the University. The front desk people are nice and helpful. The rooms were also nice, but brace yourself. There was NO air conditioning. This year all of the Italian people told us that Summer came much earlier. The nights hardly cooled off and all we had to rely on was the small ceiling fan. This was the hardest part for me. I pretty much sweated for 3 weeks straight (you'll survive, trust me). But the rooms are equipped for two small twin sized beds, a TV, a large desk, fridge, and plenty of storage! The hotel also had a laundry room in the basement which was really nice.
LocalsBeing a midwesterner I appreciate the kind, caring, polite people we encounter in our day to day lives. Coming to Milan I realized that not everyone is as nice as a lot of the midwesterners are. It's apparently not rude to stare. Where ever we went we felt like escaped zoo animals. They also immediately could tell we were Americans (I'm still not really sure how). Another thing I have noticed is they don't use the word excuse me, please, or sorry very often. This was hard for me to take in considering I was born and raised to be polite to anyone and everyone. But on the other hand they were helpful when we were lost and they tried to make conversation with us as best as possible. It was also surprising to see how many Italians can actually speak English. I appreciated having the opportunity to meet people so different from the people I grew up with and the people I am surrounded by on a day to day purpose. This experience has helped me realize how truly grateful I am to live in Nebraska!
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Daily LifeMonday through Thursday was typically the same routine. We woke up around 9 am, got ready, went into Mama Cakes, and then walked to class. After the first session we would go to the cafeteria and eat then head back to our classroom for the afternoon session. We would typically be done with class at around 3:30-4:00. From there we typically went to the Duormo and explored or shopped. Finally at around 7:30-8:00 we would sit down somewhere and enjoy a nice meal! Friday once class was done we grabbed our packed bags and hop on our train and head to our next big adventure. Although the weekdays were a bit lethargic, the weekends made up for it. It was so fun being able to explore and travel around for the three weeks were here.
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