Italia

Landed at 0530 hrs Milan time. No security scans, no spot checks, no customs declaration, no one was even around. Nothing. Just grab your junk and go. Antonio and Melissa got me from the bus stop and led me home. Didn't become a victim of pickpockets today, thanks to them. Poor fellows waited almost an hour for me at the bus stop because my bus ride took twice the amount of time estimated by the bus company.

Went to my school to get a lot of administrative things settled. Today I received my matriculation card, applied for an ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi; their equivalent of our ez-link cards--not the cash dispensing machine as we know it), filled in some forms to get a permit of stay, and bought a new SIM card for my phone for local use. Melissa brought me around to do everything, so I needn't waste any time figuring out for myself what worked and what did not.


Amazingly, for all the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis in this great country, almost every car I saw today was a tiny little hatchback. Streets were nice. Trams run all over.

Got to witness Italian efficiency at its best. Over the counter while doing some applications, the dude daydreamed wistfully, had a passionate chat with his colleague, stared vacantly at a spot behind me, and yawned painfully at least 5 times, all while in the midst of tending to me. Naturally, I was stuck at his counter for a good 45 minutes.


This is a famous landmark in Milan. Gorgeous isn't it? This church is huge, it's the Duomo. Beautiful weather today.

Cooked some carbonara and here I am, feeling really sleepy. Tomorrow's another day of exploring to do, with a considerable amount of junk out of the way.