~ First Steps ~
"hum ... bonjourno ?"
The public gardens.
Scala theater.
Well arrived in Milan !
Landed at Linate Airport, I take back my luggage, look, find the exit and a wide range of busses. Which one will take me where I want ? I honestly don't know. I look to their final destinations, and choose to take the bus that will bring me to San Babila subway station.
From there, I take a subway ticket for Loreto station, where is my hotel. As you know, my plan is to stay at the hotel for one week, visits as many rooms as I can and find one that will enable me to stay 5 months. Once in Loreto hotel, I let my luggage in the room and go for a walk with one "Cards" goal : SIM card, city map and Transportation Card.
Sempione Park !
I begin with the transportation one.
I go to the ATM (transportation) office, and talk with a very unkind man, who tells me that I have to fill in a form and give him a picture of me to have my "Students" Card. I thus make a photo, fill in the form and wait 5 minutes : my card is ready, I have illimited transportation in Milan for one month. Then, direction Duomo, where, as a new tourist, I take my camera and my sunglasses. I find a phone shop, buy the SIM card that will enable me to contact every contact I have for the rooms during the week and find a city map in a touristic office.
I did the tourist, I have my Cards, I'm fine. Back to the hotel.
The first week will be quite hard. Every day, I walk with my backpack around the city, which I discover at the same time, and go in every room I saw on the internet. Tuesday to Saturday will only be visits : 1 Tuesday, 2 Wednesday, 2 Thursday, 4 Friday et 4 Saturday. The rooms are generally clean and great, but my decision depends on the feeling that I have arriving at the place, and the contact I have with the person selling it. The second room I visited was in the appartment of a lovely lady, and I told her I would give her my answer in the evening. Unfortunately, someone was quicker than me.
Lesson : Hurry up.
Finally, on Saturday, after crossing the town for a room that was more expensive than announced, visiting the university where I was told that announces between students had been stopped, seeing a very strange colocation and a appartment without beds, I met a italo-german woman proposing a room on the seventh floor, in colocation with 3 other students, 50 meters from a subway station and 20 minutes from my work.
Hashtag Intense Happiness : second.
I signed the contract and I arrived with my luggage on Sunday. I met my three roomates, three calabrian guys and take place.
On monday, the internship is beginning. Waw. Already ?
Personal thoughts :
- « Or the receptionnist doesn't know how to smile, or I must be very boring.»
- « That neighbourhood was a mix of ‘’Saw’’, ‘’One flew over the Cuckoo's nest’’ et '‘The Godfather’’ – Please help.»
- « In fact, I will really have to talk italian all the time ... I am going to have so headaches ...»
- « What if somebody asked me something in the street… ? Hum … I am a tourist with his camera.»
- « I can't feel my feet anymore. »
In the « That really happened » category :
- I walked in the water, my shoe and trousers were wet before my first meeting with my responsible.
- I almost ignored a tramway officer.
- I forgot my umbrella in the appartment of an old woman loving cats.
- I visited a room in the appartment of a professionnal photographer in the naked photos who put his pictures everywhere on the walls.
- His dog, named Marley (Not for Bob, but after « Marley and me », the Jennifer Aniston movie), jumped on me and made me fall.
- I had a pizza fort 2€90 and an icecream for 2€.
- I ate a 40 cm diameter pizza.
- I still have my belly full.
?!
My room, and the view from my window !
