Today started with a much needed Italian language and culture crash course. In my previous post I said I needed to practice my Italian a lot more and thankfully I had that opportunity today. As a group, we learned useful phrases in different settings such as in a restaurant, cafe, and with friends. I also used the hand signal for getting the check at the end of the meal in a restaurant that I learned just hours later when we went out for lunch. Learning the numbers was also useful because it makes paying the bill easier!

Later, we went on a walking tour of Milan and had free time in the plaza and shopping mall near the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral). I looked at (but didn’t purchase) clothes from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Versace, and Armani. But my favorite place was the Ferrari store. They had displays of antique cars and also sold modern clothes. They also had special Ferrari and Ray-Ban sunglasses which looked very cool.

After shopping I ate and rested because I needed my energy for the soccer match later that night. A few of us attended the AC Milan and Bologna FC match at the very impressive San Siro Stadium. I had never been to a professional soccer match before and I loved the experience! The men, women, and children cheered with equal passion for their team and relentlessly shouted chants throughout the match. AC Milan won 2-1 and the locals were very happy about the victory. The metro ride home was full of happy fans who were not shy to share their emotion. This day was full of new experiences and I cannot wait to make even more memories in the near future!