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.