Secret Sale

Today I had what I imagine to be a typical day for a Milanese fashionista.  My friend called me this morning inviting me to a secret sale of designer clothes, held at the headquarters of a famous clothing line.  Perhaps this is a common occurrence for some, but I'd never been invited to a private secret sale, and didn't hesitate to say yes!  My curiosity had to be satisfied.  It turned out the address was only a 10 minute walk from my apartment!  I threw on my boots, grabbed my umbrella, and within minutes I had found the place --an unmarked and unremarkable-looking building on a side-street of the Navigli District.  Confused and skeptical, I called my friend.  She came out to open the door for me, and I was ushered into a super-modern reception area with stark white lighting and minimal decoration.  I was asked at the front desk to hand over my jacket and purse, and given a small plastic bag in which I could keep my wallet and cell phone, in case I wanted to buy anything.  With my coat-check number and little plastic bag in hand, my friend walked me into the next room.  And there I beheld my first Italian secret sale.  Rows of designer cloths displayed on simple racks, with informal sizes taped up on the wall next to their corresponding areas.  There was a table with belts, gloves, hats, and scarves.  And there was a section devoted entirely to shoes.  Knowing I have gigantic feet, I didn't even venture near the shoes.  But I did browse the table for accessories, thinking I might find something affordable there.  I picked up a belt --oh!  It's 98 euros, down from 327.  Okay, next. Here's a leather purse for 278 euros, marked down from the original 482.  This was the general trend of my experience.  I saw a pair of TINY leather shorts for 317 euros.  There were elegant fur coats, and stylish leather jackets, and suits.  In the end I had to try on a skirt, just to take part in the experience....  and of course I ended up buying it.
Afterwards, we went to eat lunch at a little restaurant nearby and I ordered Risotto alla Milanese and a cappuccino.  I sat sipping my coffee, feeling proud that I had escaped my graduate school bubble for a few hours to experience a different side of life in Milan.

Coffee Culture

It's official.  I love Italian coffee.  Even the crappy machine coffee (for 30 cents!) we get at my school is delicious.  Somehow that machine makes delicious frothy cappuccinos (with the option to add cocoa!) and latte macchiatos, and about 17 other options.  In case I had any doubt about my new addiction, I experienced my first caffeine headache in class the other day.  Ah well, that's the nature of grad school I guess.  And at least it's only a 30-cents-a-day addiction.

Here's a pic of my frequent mid-morning snack during our class break.  All the students rush over to Taxi Blues at 10:45am for this!

Or this!  (although this cafe con panna was actually at a cafe in Pavia)

And one more picture to help convince you to visit:

Things are busy!  We are swimming in group projects and papers!  But I did manage to find time to go see the Broken Social Scene last week.  Great show!  And I threw a little party over the weekend --15 people in my tiny apartment!  It somehow turned into a cultural exchange in which everyone sang their national anthem.  We had representatives from China, Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, Turkey, India, Iran, Nigeria, Russia, and the US.  Whoo, I love MIHMEP!  

This is a pic from another apartment party.  I don't seem to have any good ones from my place that actually have me in them.  

Mama mia bionda!

...was the cat-call I received walking home tonight.  "Bionda" means blondie.  I attribute the comment to my new haircut and spiffy Internship Day outfit.  Whoo!

We sat through 8 hours of presentations today about our internship possibilities.  I think I'm more confused now than I was before.  Too many exciting options, and different pathways to take.  It all seems so important and life-changing, and I feel like I don't have enough time to process it all.  Return to the States?  Stay in Italy?  Try another European country, or Africa, or South America?  Public sector, non-profit, global organization, local company.  Agh.  It's too much!

Yesterday was one of the best and worst days I've had here.  We had a soul-crushing Healthcare Systems and Policy exam.  The professor threw us a curveball and gave us an essay question no one expected, that we hadn't discussed, and was barely mentioned in our readings.  Then we had a looong day in the boxes working out some health economics questions, after the professor threatened he'd call on one student at random to present the answers (and he did!).  I was completely deflated and feeling like our professors had turned on us by the time I walked out of the building.

But then I went to get a haircut, in preparation for Internship Day.  As I sat in the big leather chair, with my head hanging back over the basin, the hot water running over my hair, I could feel the stress of the day leaving my body.  I only remembered that I live in the fashion capital of the world when my hairdresser, Luca, gave me one of the best haircuts i've ever had in about 20 minutes.  He had some strange techniques (at one point he asked me to stand while he snipped at the back of my head, and he only used an electric razor) but in his capable hands, I left refreshed and confident again.

Then I grabbed a quick dinner before my first Italian class.  I love learning languages!  It was great --she didn't speak a word of English the whole time.  And the other students and I are on relatively the same level of beginner.  Non posso aspettare!  Why didn't I start these language lessons before?

Alarm Clock

Every morning at 8:15 the church bells ring, reminding me that I'm running late for class.  I live on the same block as the Santa Maria delle Grazie al Naviglio church, and I've come to really love the sound of those bells.  Every time I hear them ringing (which happens every day on the hour) I catch myself and remember that I am really here, in Milan!  It's a reminder not to take it for granted, to enjoy every moment....and not to be late for school.  I wish I had a better picture of the church --it's really quite lovely.  These pics of my neighborhood were taken a few weeks ago during the Last-Sunday-of-the-Month market, before they drained the water from the canals in anticipation of winter.

This is my street!

And here's a funny picture from the other night when I hosted some friends for dinner.  I'm standing on the walkway outside my windows, peeking my head into my living room.  I had forgotten to grab my keys when I went to unlock the outer door.  Great photo, Rehman!

Yay!  I have a blog follower!  Thanks Hadder.  OK, time to stop procrastinating.  I've got midterms coming up!  Quantitative Methods and Healthcare Systems and Policy.  Mama mia!

Picture Frame

I bought myself a cute but cheap picture frame to decorate my minimalist apartment.  But then the pangs of guilt set in as I thought about my student budget and my pact to spend frugally.  So rather than go print out one of my many digital photos, I decided to draw a family picture.  I descend from a family of artists, although my humble drawing gives little proof of this fact.  I tried to be as accurate as possible, hence the jowls, Dad.  Sorry.  Seth, you are definitely the loser here --you look like a 5-year old with a goatee.  I'll do better next time...

My group's presentation on Pigouvian Tax for Health Econ went well!  And tomorrow's Friday!  Maybe I'll treat myself to a celebratory gelato.  I've been really good recently.  But I still have to try nocciola before it gets too cold and wintery.  I promise to post some pics of my neighborhood and apartment this weekend.

Here we go...

My first post.  Not sure what to write, but wanted to dive in and see what happens.  

I received my Permesso di Soggiorno today --I am now an official card-carrying resident of Milano!  So it felt like a good day to start a blog.