Notes From Life in Milan
We all know those people who claim “studying abroad changed their life” or “living abroad was super life changing.” Well, I’m here to (shamelessly) say that I can be grouped into that category. The months I spent in Milan was only the beginning of my time abroad, and little did I know I would end up extending my stay in Europe to a full year.
When picking my ideal location for studying abroad, there were a few factors top of mind:
It had to be a fashion capital
I wanted to go somewhere where I didn’t speak the language
I needed accessibility to travel easily (so, near a major airport)
I craved a cultural challenge
Having never been to Italy, Milan ended up being the clear choice. With access to schools like Bocconi and Cattolica and a pre-exisiting network of my MaxMara coworkers, Milan made the most sense. However, upon arrival, I felt a little taken aback. I was the only one from my university there, and even the only one from New York. Suddenly, the city went from feeling exotic and refreshing to lonesome and intimidating.
On top of that, the majority of people in my neighborhood did not speak English. Unless you are in the center of the city, this is is not uncommon. This element was both exciting and nerve-wracking. With a strong desire to gain the respect of my local barista (who must have been sick of me only knowing '‘il cafe, per favore’), I poured myself into my Italian studies and practiced after class for several hours a day. I made it a challenge to communicate primarily in Italian, which worked in my benefit as most people were pleased to speak with me, even if it were slower and a bit butchered.
Eager to make connections, I quickly befriended a couple girls in my course, and we got straight to booking our weekend adventures. A huge benefit of being in Milan was the accessibility to other Italian cities by train. It was in the hectic moments of navigating Milano Centrale with hyper-attention to pick-pocketers and a mix of languages being yelled in every direction that I was grateful for my experience using NYC public transportation. Many students in my program had not lived in a metropolitan city before, so they were adjusting both to a foreign place as well as busy city life.
I found myself comparing New York to Milan nearly every day and consciously telling myself to let that go. I believe it is natural when you travel to say things like “oh my god we could never do this in [your city],” or “I wish we had this in [your city].” It isn’t that I wanted to get New York out of my mind, but I didn’t want to stay too attached to my past life. Instead, I treated my time in Milan as if I had always been there; learning every cultural nuance that I could, forgetting my (now apparent) impatience with slow walkers, talking with my hands, and sitting for 2-3 hours at a single meal.
It seems easier said than done to fully embrace the practices of a new culture, but I realized my “American-ness” heightened those first few weeks in Italy. It didn’t take long for me to quickly apply for another semester abroad. I knew two weeks in that I was going to need more than a few months before going home.
I can’t begin to list all the key learnings Milan taught me, but when I think about the trajectory of my life, these are the ones that will stay with me:
Don’t be fearful to dine alone (why was this ever weird to begin with?)
Find time to do absolutely nothing- and be comfortable with that intentional choice
Food feels more nourishing when you truly enjoy it
Time spent in good company is never time wasted