Are you lost in paradise? I am!

Before we begin, here are some random pictures of downtown Milano that I recently shot:

 This past weekend, the Venetian Carnivale made its way to Milano. It's celebrated similarly to Halloween in the States, only less scary and lots of confetti. Here is an adorable little boy and his father making their way to the parade:

 And this is the tightest parking job I have ever seen:

So it just occurred to me that I haven't told you all about my goals or to-do list while I am over here, and since I am currently trying to find something to distract me from reading about the EU budgeting process, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. 

So, goals. 

As many of you might have guessed, I intend to be fluent in Italian by the time I return to the States this summer. For some strange reason, I have always viewed fluency as the ultimate social status. All the cool kids do it, right? Given that all of my classes are conducted in English and my roommate is from California, however, this may be more difficult than I originally intended. But one can hope. And try. 

This is just an overall life goal: I want to learn what it means to be truly present. I feel like one of the best times to understand and adopt this is while I am young, alone, and in a vibrant, historic, beautiful city. 

Most importantly, I want to mature. I have already been blessed with one "fresh start", as I call it, when I started at Penn in a new city where I had no prior connections. While I have dramatically changed since I first set foot in Philadelphia, I know that I have much more to learn and change about myself if I want to be the woman that I aspire and know that I can be. This is now my second chance at a "fresh start", where I have another opportunity to discover my passions and desires in life. I just hope I have enough confidence to accept and encourage whatever I find.


And my to-do list: 

- learn to prepare a meal like a true Italian woman. 
- ride on a vespa through the cobbled streets of an old Italian city. 
- visit a winery. 
- find the best espresso in Milano. at the rate I'm going, it shouldn't take too much longer.
- shop in Versace and look and act like I belong there. 
- visit a Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini dealership. 
- buy a Venetian Carnivale mask. 
- go skiing in Torino. 
- see an Italian opera at La Scala. 
- find an attractive Italian man to marry so I can stay over here for the rest of my life. JOKES. but only about the man and marriage part. I think I could picture myself over here longer than a few months. 
- take a stereotypical picture of myself cheesing in front of the Eiffel Tower. 
- memorize all of the names of the tram stops from my dorm to Bocconi so I will no longer be the lost American blonde. 
- visit the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain in Rome. 
- look at art in Florence like I know about, well, art. 
- learn how to properly say "take away" in Italian without people looking at me like I'm an idiot. 
- buy a jersey and watch an AC Milan game like an Italian hooligan. 
- attend Fashion Week in Milano. 
- take pictures from the roof of Il Duomo. 
- see The Last Supper. 
- be a beach bum on the Mediterranean coast. 

I know this sounds like a lot considering I do have these important things those darn kids call 'classes', but this will probably be the only chance I will have to do a majority of these things before I become an adult. Terrifying, I know. I found some wise words to inspire me, though: 


"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein."
H Jackson Brown


Last thing: before I go, I just want to share one of my favorite songs with you. 
If you don't like it I will no longer acknowledge your existence. More jokes, but I will judge you a little. 
Seriously, it's great. Not a new find, but still fantastic. Enjoy.



XOXO

Yours,
A