Paris or Milano?

Ciao!!

So I've been in Milan for 2 weeks now, and everyone keeps asking me the same question: Which do you like better, Paris or Milan? And the answer to that isn't an easy one.

Before I left to come study abroad again, I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to compare the two. They are completely different experiences and I refuse to keep telling myself things along the lines of, "Paris is so much better than Milan because....." and not to pat myself on the back, but I think I've done a pretty good job so far. There are differences of course, but I need to complete this experience before I decide which one I like more. I can't judge it now. I absolutely love traveling and I'm eager to experience new things, so I've just accepted that Milan is just...different than Paris. I love Milan for completely different reasons than Paris. However, there are some differences between the two cities that cannot be ignored.

Paris is a much prettier city. Milan actually isn't that attractive with the exception of the area around the Duomo. Other than those few blocks, Milan architecture can't hold a candle to Paris's gorgeous buildings. But then again... no one ever said that Milan looked like Paris, so once you accept that Milan is an ugly pretty city, you warm to it much faster.

I love Italians. =) The Italian way of life is...slower than in France. Not only are they friendlier, things here are just not as intense as Paris and far less intense than in the U.S. Everything that could possibly go wrong, does. The trains are always late. People show up to things at least an hour and a half after the scheduled time. Shops are always closed. Nothing ever goes smoothly. And people just shrug it off and go home to their families and drink wine. I love that attitude.

Classes here are much more laid back. Maybe it's because I have Italian professors instead of French/American professors as I had in Paris, but here you can be 15/20 minutes late and the professor won't say anything. Why? Probably because they understand that the trains are always late....

The attitude towards Americans are also different. Here when you say, "Sono Americana" (I am American) Italians say, "ohhhhh!!!" and they are excited and eager to talk to you. Whereas in Paris, I didn't want to tell people I was American because I didn't want their attitudes to become snotty. I definitely feel more comfortable here. I feel like I've made more Italian friends in two weeks that I did in 4 months in Paris.

One of the most important things I've learned about traveling is that you need a sense of humor. If you can't laugh at yourself, then you will never get the most out of your experiences. I promise that. For example, yesterday our power went out completely and the flipping the circuit breakers wasn't working, so we went to ask our neighbor who didn't speak a word of English how to turn it back on. After a few minutes of miming "light" and "none" he finally got it and helped us. But I look at some of my friends who I know would never go up to someone without speaking their language and ask for help. I wonder sometimes how they survive(d)/will survive their study abroad experiences...

Of course it's impossible not to compare the two cities, but I'm trying not to compare the experiences as a whole. I've just accepted that they are very different. Besides, I haven't been here for that long! I still have 3 1/2 months of adventures to experience. And I can't wait.

I love you and miss you all.
Ciao ciao!!