Tu Tu Tuesday!

Hi All,

So just as a quick update, Sunday I went grocery shopping, did laundry and made dinner! This is what I made:

Its pasta with sauce and peas! Along with an apple for dessert!

Then yesterday (Monday) was a typical morning and afternoon. Went to class, got lunch, but I tried the typical cuisine of Milan, risotto (rice)! Look:

Usually they have some type of seafood with the rice, but since I dont eat that I just had risotto con parmigiano and string beans with orange juice and cocoa pudding! So after the day we did the typical ride back on the metro, the typical hang out in our apartment while surfing the internet, BUT then we did something out of the ordinary. We picked up our stuff, got on the metro and decided to go to the duomo! I did not know what to expect, but as we walked out of the tunnel and up the stairs, this is what we feasted our eyes on:

Can you believe that I only live a couple of stops away from this beauty! It is absolutely a site to see...you are just sucked into the beauty of it, and you cant help but stare with some drool dripping down the side of your mouth :P 

This is the back of the duomo! We then continued on to the the place where all the high end fashion stores that you know only celebrities can afford are located. You probably think why bother looking when you know you cant have, but it was a site to see!! 

The architecture was breath-taking, and it was good exercise to walk around. As we were exploring, we found this statue:

It is of Leonardo DaVinci, but here in Milan they call him by his first name only "Leonardo" because he is such a significant person in Milans history, everyone considers him a "friend" so its okay to cal him by his first name! They pretty much worship him here! Anyway as we were walking, I couldnt help but stop and take a picture of this bad boy:

It is coconuts and some type of juice coming out as a fountain, I am guessing its coconut juice? Anyone else have any guesses??

We finally had enough, and Adrienne got some gelato while I watched her eating it (I had'nt eaten dinner yet, and I didnt want to spoil my appetite!! Be proud Mom and Dad!)

Just so you all know I was there, and that I did not just get the pictures off line, here is me in front of the beautiful church (which we werent allowed in because we were wearing shorts):

This is one of the doors to get in, sooooo detailed!

Well enough about yesterday, today was a really good day! I was so happy and peppy that I decided to wear a dress since it was supposed to be nice out as well.

Thanks again cousin Jen for the dress!!!! I love it!

During my "caffe" break in class, me and my friend have made it a ritual to go to this little caffe and get brioche which are so addicting and delicious. Of course I get the chocolate one, but it is only a euro, and they make your mouth water!

After class, me and a couple of friends go get lunch at the cafeteria, but when I say cafeteria, I do not mean a typical school dining hall. This cafeteria has some good food to offer! Today was the first day I tried the pizza line though! You get to have literally almost half a pizza along with a drink and dessert (fruit, pudding, yogurt):

The pizza was really good! Do you see a theme here? Is it sad that probably more than half of my pictures are of food!!

Anyway, after class we got home to find our new roomie! Her name is Rachel and she is from NY! Yea, holler NY! She goes to Cortland, and we tried to figure out if we knew any common people, but we havent found it YET! She is really really nice and I have a feeling we are going to get along really well! We all seem to have a lot in common so far. We showed her around the neighborhood and helped her get some stuff she needed. I am really glad that all my roommates are really nice people and hopefully friends that I will have for a long time coming. We got some dinner, got home, and now we are just hanging out. 2 of my roomies are going out, but everyone else is too tired to go anywhere. Tomorrow I have my language course in the afternoon as well, so it will be a longer day.

I hope that this post fulfilled all the mysteries that I left you all with yesterday when I was not able to post. Being able to have all these amazing places and buildings so close to where you are living in another country is such an amazing feeling. It makes me so lucky to realize that I have the greatest life in the world, the greatest family in the world, the greatest friends, and most of all I feel lucky that I have grown up to be who I am today. 

To be independent enough to be in another country on my own, to be able to make friends, and to love everything about my life truly shows how lucky I am to have grown up with the best parents and family in the world. They have shaped who I am now, and I cannot thank everyone enough who has loved me, helped me, laughed with me, cried with me, and just been there for me. This experience abroad will and has been the greatest experience I have ever had, so don't worry, I am having a ball and it's all thank to you!!

Love you!

“Maturity is when your world opens up and you realize that you are not the center of it.” 

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.” -Anne Frank

Night,

<3 Lauren