Milano - Day Due (Two)

Ciao!

Today was my first day of language and cooking class. What an experience! When I got into Milan last night, I was very nervous about speaking Italian to actual Italians. I couldn't even get out the simple phrases that I had been practicing before I left. Today, I feel a bit more confident, however I realize that my knowledge of Spanish is actually kind of a hindrance - I keep confusing Italian and Spanish words and think I'm speaking Italian when I'm actually speaking Spanish. This morning I had 1.5 hours of language class - it went by so quickly. It was very fun. There are 4 other people in my class, a young Chinese male, a model from France, a girl from Finland, and another girl.

After my language class, I headed over the cooking school which is about a 10 minute walk away from the language school. Once I arrived, I was introduced to the instructor Mario. Seriously, this guy's name was Mario. :) The cooking school is actually a 3 year program, so I was learning with young people who are studying to be chefs. Everyone was very friendly, but no one spoke English so we had a lot of fun communicating. We made Lasagna with homemade pasta noodles and 2 kinds of sauce: bolognese and bechamel. We also made fresh bread, biscotti di limone (lemon cookies), and a sacher torte. The students were very impressed that I lived in California. They asked me if I liked to watch the OC (which I do) and then asked if I knew any stars from the OC (which I don't). They wanted to know if I go to the discoteques in Hollywood and if I liked Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, etc. It was really fun hanging out with them. I was finished by 1:30 so my friends walked with me to the Metro and I decided to go out and do some sightseeing.

I walked along Monte Napoleano and Via della Spiga which is where some of the famous shops are. There is an Armani store that is 1 full block - wow! I walked through the public gardens and then I went by Teatro della Scala (the opera house) and the Duomo and Galleria. I came back to the hotel and worked on my homework for a bit and now J and I are going to head out to dinner.

I'll try to get some pictures up on the blog soon!

Miss you all!