Pasta Day!

Hellooo!

The past couple weeks have been FABULOUS as per usual. Went to Venice yesterday - walked across the city 4 TIMES! Can you say beast? Venice is such an interesting place in contrast to Milan. There are so many tourists there, people walk MUCH slower and, well, the obvious fact that the public transportation system is based upon ferries and water taxis. I just absolutely love Venice, though. San Marco's is just the best. It's so amazing considering how old it is, what cultures influenced the architecture, and what the rest of Italy was like when it was built. It's so strange and different from anything else in Italy, but at the same time, it's uniquely Italian in contrast to other eastern structures. I wouldn't mind going back again before I leave. Today I went to "Pasta Day" at Castello Sforzesco - essentially a place with live music and tents full of people giving out free pasta. Gotta love Italy. Afterwards I hung out with some of the Italian students at the Collegio, walked around Parco Sempione, and got a coffee. Even though the language barrier makes it difficult to make friends with Italians - I feel like I'm slowly getting there! : D Oh, we also chanced upon some strange Celtic Fair/festival type thing. There were people running around in Celtic warrior garb and others doing River Dance. Interesting to say the least.

I'm also really enjoying getting to know students from all over the US better. The more I meet new people from different areas of the country, the more I want to drive across the country and experience the cultures from which these people come. I've had some really awesome, deep conversations with some of the American students at IES about spirituality, morals, psychology, politics, education, relationships...I don't know. Getting to know people from all of the world and all over the US is really making me realize how much I love learning about people and their cultures.

Reflection of the day: Italian women really know how to make the most of their appearance. And men too for that matter. I mean, I look at a lot of the women in the US, and many of them are beautiful, but they don't necessarily know how to maximize that beauty. I don't even know how to explain it really - they just know what looks good on them or are more picky about it, maybe. They see potential in their appearance and make the most of it, though not in the trashy way that some American girls do. It's a really neat way of looking at one's appearance and I hope it's rubbing off on me! : -)

Some cool things I've done the past couple weeks:
-Went to discoteca
-Watched the Minister of Finance come to the Collegio (Giulio Tremonti)
-Went to a church service in English (attended by people from the Philippines, Africa...all over)
-Learned part of Dorian step routine via skype :-P
-Did a 3o minute presentation in Italian (without a functioning powerpoint!)
-Went to a "hole-in-the-wall" bakery where some of the best bread and focaccia is made...yum!
-Explored the Navigli district (and indulged in a nutella crepe and an apertivo in the evening)
-Learned how to make Lasagne alla Bolognese from scratch!
and...all the things I said up top, among other things! : )

I've got midterms coming up next week and my parents are coming to visit me Wednesday and I absolutely can't wait!!!

A dopo,
Lauren