Ciao tutti, it's time to get serious about blogging my experience in Milan and around. For me, Milan has always remained to be a city full of auras and dreams - waves and generations of artists, designers, writers have lived, written, wandered, and produced wonderful works in this city. There must be something about this land of creatives. As a student studying Art History and Studio Art, I have been fascinated at the idea of living in Milan, the capital of design in Italy. Now the chance has come. Here are the top five things you need to know about the sparks between Milan and me.
1. I am not looking for la dolce vita. At least not the cliché Italian cinema version: I won't go to Milan to unwind in a café for all afternoons and consume all weekends eating gelatos. There are many other idyllic places to do that sort of activities. Words of mouth have educated me that Milan is something different. It probably shares more characters in common with London and Paris than anywhere in Italy. Cosmopolitan, busy, glossy, Milan has every aspect ready for my ideal future.
2. I love exploring off the beaten paths. Travel has been part of my life in a way that I find it lame to describe it as my passion. My passion, instead, is to connect cultures and different people. Over the summer, I had an amazing time interning for Absolute Travel in the Marketing department. Through the internship with this premium luxury travel brand, I’ve learned so much about independent, in-depth travel like I would have never before. Meeting travel professionals and having long conversations with destination experts has intrigued me even more about uncommon discoveries in a new country.
3. I am an art enthusiast and design aficionado. Getting lost in a museum, having my breaths taken away by a brightly colored, but vaguely contoured, painting sounds 1,000 times more appealing than snapping a photo of the Duomo to me. Long before departing for Milano, I researched must-see spots in every up-and-coming neighborhood. Fondazione Prada and Milan Fashion Week are on top of all, while galleries in a smaller scale around the artsy Brera district seem to be fascinating as well.
4. Outdoor trips can never go wrong. Although growing up around an overwhelmingly busy metropolis in Asia, I am an urban soul with a real country heart. Camping, hiking, trekking, or simply walking along the seashores excite me more than window-shopping. In June, I went to the Great Smoky Mountains for a camping weekend and many small botanical garden explorations every once in a while.
5. Speaking Italian inspires the romantic part of me. A polyglot in progress, I am fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Spanish, and can make friends in Italian. It's true that speaking different language reflects the distinct characters of me. When I am speaking Italian, I feel myself being more emotional, romantic, and interesting more than ever. Under this enthusiasm for Italian language, a semester immersing in Milan sounds just right.
Having just landed in Milan, I have already felt in love with the creative vibe along every street corner and of course, the Milanese glamorous street styles. Tune in next week to see more romantic stories between Milan and me!
Jiaqi Luo
<p>Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Spanish, English and currently perfecting her Italian, it's clear why Jiaqi chooses her next adventure in the dynamic capital of Milan! An art lover and a free spirit, Jiaqi is now majoring in Art History and Latin American Studies at the University of Richmond. During high school, a month of staying with a host family in Helsinki, Finland opened the doors to a world of exotic saunas, lake kayaking, and inspired her wanderlust. A self-proclaimed travel sensualist, her favorite way of seeing the world is experiencing the culture through its people: she's volunteered in rural Nepal, conducted Holocaust research in Poland, and has lived with seniors in Spain.</p>
