Messy And Complicated, But I Love It
LAKE COMO, SUMMER 2023
After a 3-hour layover and a total of 12 hours flying, I finally made it to Milano, Italy. I chose to fly to Milano because it was one of the cities that we were not going to visit as a group, and I wanted to see for myself the capital of fashion. I arrived at Malpensa airport and got off to a complicated start that defined the tone for the rest of my trip. While going through security there was a problem with my Venezuelan passport, and I was taken to a different location with a group of 3 policemen that only spoke Italian, no English and no Spanish. After a digging up my lost Italian and a lot of google translate, I found out my passport had a denouncement in the Interpol! Scary right? I was terrified. Turns out, when I had my passport stolen in Caracas in 2013, the American visa I had on that passport was also stolen. And somehow, the person that stole my passport came into Europe with it using that visa! I was astonished. So, within my first hour in Italy, I had to prove a group of policemen that I am really me! And not a thief that is trying to enter illegally. The whole experience was exhausting and frightening.
After I finally made it out of the airport and into Italia, I had lost the train to my uncle’s house where I was supposed to be staying. It was 9pm on a Sunday and there were no more trains going to Bergamo. So, I had to book a hotel for the night near the airport. The next day I was able to go to my uncle’s house and also visit the Duomo in Milano. And let me tell you, the view from the terrace of the Duomo made absolutely everything worth it. This cathedral is amazing and the energy around it wraps you and left me feeling happy and relaxed. It was awesome! I also had the opportunity to go visit Lago Como and Lago Maggiore, which are stunning, and I would 100% recommend! I was traveling with my sister and that also made everything better. Being able to share these experiences brought us closer together and also made them fun! We got stuck in little towns because we missed trains, we ate unbelievably good pasta that gave us the worse stomach pains, we got on the wrong train more than once, and we had to ask directions from people on the street repeatedly. The whole thing was great! We both loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Left to right: Me in Il Duomo, Milano. Me eating in Bergamo
The dropping of my sister in the airport meant my adventure with her was over, but a new adventure began. Starting the study abroad experience was filled with uncertainty and excitement. I was nervous about the housing and the sharing situation. Who am I going to have to share what with? I didn’t know. But now it has been a week and I think we all have slowly adapted to this new life that will last about a month or so. The housing has been great and the sharing situations totally manageable and even fun! It is nice having a bunch of girls around that will lend you that piece of clothing or jewelry that brings your whole outfit together. It is convenient to cook together and wholesome to laugh together. It has been a great experience and I can’t wait to see what the next weeks will bring.
