I'm just kidding, we didn't rest at all.

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.

They say "it's the little things that make a big difference," and while it may be slightly paradoxical, since I've arrived in Beijing the things that remind me I'm in China are often quite small ones. Since this is my second time traveling to China, I was prepared for the "big" things--squat toliets, crowded streets, eating with chopsticks--but after two weeks, I was surprised by how many differences I hadn't noticed the first time around. 

I have been in Germany for less than a week, and I could probably fill a book with my adventures already.

NEW FRIENDS.

The countdown has come to its last, crucial moments!

Well, here we are, two days before my departure to Paris, and I am surprisingly prepared. Despite all of my efforts and planning, I usually end up leaving at least half of what needs to be done until the last minute. It is the stress and disorganization of this last-minute frenzy that I usually associate with travel. I am nearly never ready to go.

Greetings from flight SK-0926 to Copenhagen, Denmark (for my layover)!

The following is an excerpt from the sad, homesick blog post I wrote on my second night on my own in Amsterdam (I'll spare you the rest):

Wow.

The program has started. It's felt so far away for so long, and now it's here which is kind of messing with my mind right now... And so far it's fantastic! The other students, the staff members, the Spanish compañeros, the host family. Even after being in Madrid for 2 months prior, it's like a whole other mini-world has been opened, and it's pretty awesome so far...