What were you grateful for this week?
Beautiful architecture, delicious pasta, and a supportive family and friend group back home.

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?
More Italian bureaucracy, homesickness, and struggling to learn a new language.

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. 
I’ve spent a little extra time with my host brother and taught him a few new card games, including Go Fish.

Tell us about your week! 
This week I resolved most of my issues surrounding my visa. The news isn’t great—I’ll have to go home three months earlier than planned—but it’s nice to know for certain how much time I have to spend in a new country (and a new continent). I spent all of my morning in Italian schools, and can now say in Italian whether I like something or not. It’s nice to be able to tell waiters, “Si, mi piaco la pasta!” instead of just nodding enthusiastically whenever we make eye contact. My host brother and I are getting used to having an official schedule, and I can make my way around some parts of the city without a map!

This weekend, a few other Rome Abroad Travelers joined me in Milan. After a Friday night in Chinatown with some fairly decent dim sum, we spent Saturday and Sunday sightseeing, and our stops included the famous Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the world-renowned shopping center in the city center. It was a little surreal to visit the crypt of Saint Charles Borromeo while inside the cathedral, since three years ago I wrote two papers about his contributions to renaissance and Baroque architecture and his connections to some of my favorite devotional poetry. To see his work (and his body, which was cool and creepy at the same time) in person was something I’ll treasure.

I also got to see the Milanese people at their very best and their very worst. Fashion Week has made me simultaneously hate tourists more than I already did as well as my own wardrobe. Now that the streets are little calmer, I’ll be heading out to a few boutiques I’ve spotted to pick up some items that will help me blend in a bit better. By then I’ll feel like I’ve earned a “Ciao bella!” when it comes my way!