After approximately 13 hours of travel, I arrived in Milan, Italy. The long journey included a taste of Germany (see below), a flight over the Swiss Alps, and a 25 minute taxi ride where I had to utilize my rusty Italian communication skills for the first time. Needless to say, I did "vado al mio apartamento" and begin to settle in.

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Despite the severe lack of air condition, Joanna (my new Australian roommate) and I were excited to open the door to our suite which included a kitchenette, personal bathroom, 2 single rooms, and a walk-on balcony when we arrived. The single rooms are spacious and filled with a tremendous amount of closet space. After a brief run to the local market, Esselunga, we bought a set of dining plates and utensils for our kitchenette, pots and pans, and cooking gear. In addition, we filled up our refrigerator with fresh fruits, vegetables, and mozzarella. Despite failing to describe salad dressing (in Italian) to an Italian worker at the store, I decided that olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon would have to do instead.