Milan

Hey everyone!

I'm now back home in California and wanted to make this update video regarding my study abroad. It is very unfortunate that my study abroad experience was cut short due to the virus but it was one of the best months of my life. It's crazy to think that when I left Milan, I was expecting to return back a few weeks later. No one knew how bad it was going to get and due to the fluid circumstances, all IES Abroad students were forced to return home. 

During the week of Feb 20, our classes were all moved online and my roommates and I did not leave. We only left to buy groceries twice that week and then I returned back to the states. Fortunately, I am able to still take my classes and attend lectures. I was also able to receive my things that I had left in Milan through mail as my CA was kindly able to pack them and mail them to me. Although I was unable to properly say goodbye to my friends, we are still in contact with each other and I am able to still talk to my classmates. I definitely have plans in the future to return back to Milan and to also visit all the countries I was unable to visit. 

Thank you all for watching my vlogs and for following my journey. I had a lot of content planned out that I wanted to post while I was Milan but can only hope to do it when I return in the future. Thank you to the IES Abroad staff for being so helpful to us during those times of uncertainty and for providing us with support now! 

Hi everyone! This was such an exciting week because it was the beginning of fashion week. Although I am not as into fashion as some of my friends here, it was definitely an experience. IES Abroad sent us a list of fashion shows and events to all the students which was very helpful. It basically impossible to get into the fashion shows, but many people still dress up and go outside the venue to see people. It was truly an experience. I remember walking around Duomo after shopping for a bit and I just saw a swarm of photographers taking pictures of some people. My friends and I went to the Prada show and stood outside for around an hour. It was so fascinating seeing so many unique outfits and models there. We were also able to see Miss Universe, Charli, and Kylie Jenner. Being able to see people just model in front of you for cameras was so interesting and definitely an enjoyable experience.

That Friday, I spent the whole day on a field trip for my Brand Management course. It took us around 4 hours to get to Biosudtirol one way, and was a very long day. However, we got to visit the company, visit their factory, and meet one of the farmers who plants organic apples for the company. The road getting there was really tiring but I was able to meet some new people in my class during the visit and turned out to be more fun than I expected.

A few days later, I attended another talk on sustainability for fashion week. This was for my Managing Made in Italy course. I went along with my roommates as we were allowed to bring a +1, but the talk was all in Italian so it was hard for us to understand. Afterward, we toured around Duomo.

Now that I am editing these clips, these events essentially concluded everything up until the Coronavirus hit Milan. A few days afterward, fashion week shows were canceled and we even had a week of online courses. I returned back to the U.S shortly. I am still very sad about my study abroad cutting short but very thankful for all the fun I had in the month.