My roots

The reason I am here is ultimately because if I were to study abroad it HAD to be Italy. My Grandparents left Italy in the 60’s to come to America to start a new life. They along with multiple other family members began their new life in NYC. They took all their knowledge of living in southern Italy as farmers in the mountains and took that to the Bronx.

Years later here I am. A senior in college going back to Italy to get in touch with my roots. Although Milan and Selvacava the town in which my family came from are 7 hours apart. Similar culture values are found here in Milan. I have been easily able to recognize food and language relations as my family has.

I really am lucky to say that my italian language skills have purely strengthened since I have arrived. I cannot say I am fluent but I am very conversational and I can understand very well.

The food is incredible. Everything is so fresh and so flavorful. Any restaurant or pizza place you go to you know you’re getting a good deal. Most meals are between 10-15 euros which means you will get a big full plate that will leave you quite full.

There is something special here called Aperitivo where you get a drink which can be non-alcoholic for about 5-10 euros and you have access to a full buffet of fantastic Italian cuisine. This is something I will miss extremely when I go back to the U.S.

But here I am..Una Ragazza Italiana.

 

 

Ready For My Closeup

On the set of Pomeriggio Cinque!

On the set of Pomeriggio Cinque!

The opportunities I have in Milan are truly mind-blowing.  This past Monday I was able to take part in the recording of a television show, as a member of the studio audience.  This is indeed something I have done before in the United States, so it was an interesting contrast to see what it was like in Italy.  The even cooler part was that this was for one of my classes.  Yes, this was a field trip for my Television, Advertising, Music: The Italian Approach to the Media class.

A screen grab from the episode itself

A screen grab from the episode itself

We were in the studio audience for the show Pomeriggio Cinque on Canale Cinque.  The show is hosted by Barbara d’Urso.  This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.  Here is a link to the show if anyone would like to watch the episode:  http://www.video.mediaset.it/video/pomeriggio_5/full/lunedi-23-marzo_524295.html

Yes, the whole show was in Italian so I couldn’t really follow too much of it.  But just by chance I got really great screen time, so that was pretty surreal.  I kept gazing through the bright lights to the monitors, to see me looking back.  I especially appreciated this considering I had not made the cut for screen time when I was in the studio audience for the Rachael Ray show (one of my idols).

IMG_1992The preparation for the show was MUCH more relaxed than for US television.  The wardrobe requirements were simpler, and the seating was random.  I was also exhausted because I flew in that morning from Barcelona.  I went straight from Barcelona to class to the tv show.  But I made sure to keep my eyes open as much as I could.

I would not be opposed to doing something like this again.  I’m just excited to see what my next class trip looks like!  Till next time, thanks for reading!

Tamara

P.S.  No autographs please =P

My class with the host Barbara d'Urso

My class with the host Barbara d’Urso

 

Ciao USA

It is strange how many mixed emotions one feels before they get ready to study abroad.  I felt every single emotion humanly possible all at once.  I was excited about traveling to Italy, a place I have never been before, and have always dreamed of going.  I was nervous about the language barrier, having never learned a single word of Italian.  I was in anticipation of the carb haven which awaited me.  The month before I left flew right on by, especially because my mother was off to Hawaii for 2 weeks prior to my departure.  I also wanted to make sure I said all my goodbyes, and then some.  I ventured up to New Paltz for a few nights to say goodbye to everyone there, because by the time I fly home their semester will have ended.  I was also very grateful for the wonderful friends in my life who attended my going away party in Queens.

Saying goodbye to my summer staff at Asian Fusion

Saying goodbye to my summer staff at Asian Fusion

Sisters of Kappa Alpha Gamma chapter of Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S. at my going away party

Sisters of Kappa Alpha Gamma chapter of Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S. at my going away party

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luckily, just by chance I was flying on the same flight as another New Paltz student, Kara, so I had the comfort of knowing I would not be alone upon my arrival.  I was also fortunate enough to have the knowledge that the housing service in Milan would be at the airport upon arrival to whisk us off to our individual apartments.  Considering my lack of prior exposure to the Italian language, these were blessings for me.

Selfie with Kara at the airport

Selfie with Kara at the airport

There was a lot that had to be done before I left.  My flight was the same day as the Super Bowl, which was unfortunate however, Milan trumps football any day.  My parents took me to the airport, and I was off to the biggest adventure of my life.

Saying goodbye to my dad at the airport

Saying goodbye to my dad at the airport

Kisses from my mom at the airport

Kisses from my mom at the airport

Second Half Of A Wild Winter Break

After a day of traveling, Trish, Gissel and I arrived in Nice around 7pm to meet Anna and Gabby at the next apartment we reserved through airbnb. All of the palm trees made it feel like a true vacation.

Once we settled in, we walked through town to find a place for dinner. We landed at Poupon & Marinette, a small traditional Nice restaurant. There were two men and a woman working, which I assume were the owners. I had honestly felt like I was just invited into a grandmother’s house because the woman taking care of us was so inviting.

She decided that we would be eating from the prix fixe menu and she decided almost everything else for us but I was totally fine with that. We started off with bread, raw vegetable that we dipped in a fish paste, and some more bread toasted with olives because you can never had too much bread in France. She then decided we were going to have a bottle of red wine with that.

For the main course we enjoyed gnocchi and a stew of our choice. Gabby had beef, Anna had chicken, Trish had lamb, and Gissel and I had rabbit. I wanted to try something knew and I was definitely not disappointed.

Our stews came in huge portions

Our stews came in huge portions

After being completely stuffed, we had dessert and an after dinner shot almost against our will. It was a delicious meal and an incredible experience.

The next day was the Carnaval de Nice, the reason why we traveled over 8 hours from Besançon. During the day was the flower parade where women on the floats threw thousands of flowers into the crowd and many different countries were represented.

I had bought some festive glasses

I had bought some festive glasses

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Many things were also written in Italian since Nice is right next to Italy

Many things were also written in Italian since Nice is right next to Italy

We even got to spend some time on the beach

We even got to spend some time on the beach

After the carnaval, we rested up before heading out at night for the Festival of Lights. We grabbed some pizza from an Italian pizza truck on the way, each ordering a personal pie. that definitely is up for the running for the most amazing pizza I’ve ever had.

Pizza with chorizo, peppers and olives

Pizza with chorizo, peppers and olives

 

We were caught in a torrential downpour on the walk to the night session of the carnaval and the rain soaked right through our jackets. So we ended up turning around, heading back to the apartment and streaming Girls for hours. We ended up having a fun night regardless before we had to spend all of Sunday traveling for over 9 hours back to Besançon. This break beats any other break I’ve ever had.