First Impressions

Since this is the first time that I'll be writing from my new home of Milano, Italia, it might take me a while to convey everything that's happening. Bear with me. Otherwise, just skim through (I won't be offended).
Only about 10 days have passed since I arrived, and yet I already feel like I could get used to this new home. The city is full of life and very fast-paced. Just today I was waiting for the metro (subway) with a staff member from the program and it was supposed to arrive in 3 minutes, which is an incredibly long time to wait in this city. When we arrived last Monday, we were whisked away by IES (the program) to a gorgeous little town called Stresa, which is north of Milan, on Lake Maggiore -- see picture for a view from my hotel room.
We spent the first two nights there for orientation, then got settled in our apartments in the heart of the city on Wednesday. Since then we've started our intensive Italian language course and I've been exploring the city. I'll share with you some of my initial observations now, but I'm sure that this is a list that will be growing in the future.
* The cars are very small and most people have motorcycles. Because of this, people just start walking in the crosswalk, since the small cars will easily brake quickly.
* There are lots and lots of Alfa Romeos. And other gorgeous cars.
* The Duomo is infinitely more gorgeous in person than in photos, and very large.
* Whenever I tell an Italian that I'm from the US, they instantly say "New York?"
* People have no concept of personal space, especially when public transportation gets crowded. A student (a guy) from my program claims to have been pushed by an old lady. I believe it.
* Italians smoke a lot. At every age. And everywhere. Everyone disregards the no smoking signs.
* They start counting one from their thumb, so if you give a "thumbs up," you're counting one.
* People stare. Everyone stares. Non-stop, just staring.

I've been taking lots of photos, which I will post on Picasa once I have the energy to do so.
I've already had some great experiences here -- going to an AC Milan/Fiorentina soccer game, buying cheap fruits and vegetables at a street market, drinking caffe marocchino, conversing with Italians in Italian, attempting to navigate the idiosyncrasies of the Italian government, and just enjoying the city. I'm excited for future experiences and traveling with other students in my program. My roommates and I are thinking about going to Prague in one of the coming weekends, and I might go to Bologna on a day trip on Sunday. I'll keep you updated!

Hope everyone back home is doing well.

Ciao,

Anna