FORGIVENESS: IT’S MORE THAN SAYING SORRY
“Mandela let us down. He agreed to a bad deal for the blacks.” Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela expressed this in an interview with the London Evening Standard earlier this year.  “Economically, we are still on the outside. The economy is very much ‘white’. It has a few token blacks, but so many who gave their life in the struggle have died unrewarded.” Throughout South Africa, I was exposed to these disapproving comments, notions, conspiracy theories, and criticisms including, “Mandela was brainwashed!  A sell out!  He hurt his people more than he helped!” My biggest presumption before arriving in South Africa was that Nelson Mandela was the savior for black South Africans.  The media portrays Nelson Mandela as a hero for his people exemplified through clips of crowds protesting for his prison release, celebrations for his accomplishments, and movies portraying his sacrifice and heroism.  There was plenty of Mandela propaganda disbursed throughout the nation in the form of pictures, t-shirts, posters, museums, and statues.  Encountering this alternative prospective humanized my view of Mandela and demoted him from my previous idea of an idolized post-apartheid savior to the nation of South Africa. MC from the Foundation of Human Rights surprisingly voiced out that “A revolution would have been better!”  Before visiting South Africa I was under the impression that Mandela executed the best strategy for the nation, specifically lobbying for the best interest of black South African people. My new found observations introduced me to the opposite end of the Mandela spectrum, and empowered me to reassess previous beliefs and analytically contrast Mandela’s accomplishments. The concept of whether or not forgiveness was the best approach pressed me to investigate the standpoint and perceptions of local community members and leaders we interacted with throughout our travels.  Utilizing outside resources and reflecting on my interactions with South Africans, I will address the following frameworks:

•    The macro-level socioeconomic state of post-apartheid South Africa
•    The micro-level psychological and behavioral aspects derived from South Africa’s new “freedom”
•    The current opportunities created and available after post-apartheid negotiations

My paper delves into the ongoing debate of whether the black South Africans were mistreated, or if the philosophy of forgiveness and restorative justice demonstrated through the Amy Biehl Foundation was the most effective strategy for Mandela to manage the intricate situation.  I found that either way you look at how post-apartheid was handled, adaptability and a sense of urgency is crucial from both white and black people to help their transformational country succeed.  It is important to note that Mandela had been working in broad consensus with the African National Congress (ANC) to solidify much of the negotiations.  Therefore, it would be unfair to place the weight solely on Mandela’s leadership, when the ANC and its history of decisions should also be taken into account. 

The socioeconomic state of post-apartheid South Africa
    The current broad socioeconomic state of South Africa will be the first criteria used to analyze post-apartheid conditions. South Africa has overtaken Brazil as the country with the widest gap between rich and poor, according to figures put together by a leading South African academic, Harron Bhorat (Pressly).  The inequity of South African society translates to inequalities of family incomes.  Bhorat warned in an address to Parliament, “In the long run it is bad for growth. It is a threat to social stability and to growth itself. The long-run trend is a worrying one.”  Bhorat argues that South Africa is in “a high deficit” environment and its ability to maintain the social security bill is being challenged.  Brazil is a country seen as successfully moving down the inequality ladder, which can be attributed to its more flourishing industrial policies.  Presidency’s deputy director-general, Alan Hirsch, stated, “Brazil’s government has implemented a greater variety of industrial development programs and small business support programs than South Africa.”  These statements are all ones that confirmed the general consensus of the leaders we met with throughout Johannesburg and Cape Town.  The leaders of entrepreneurial incubators such as Raizcorp and Endeavor informed our group that the current government, the ANC, could do a much better job in creating an attractive and fruitful environment for entrepreneurs.  Sedick Isaacs confided with a small group of us and revealed that corruption within the current government is leading South Africa into an “economic trap.”  Professor Goldman from GIBS drove home the point that the government could better manage and invest its money into more effective programs that increase the welfare of the South Africans in poverty.  Since many of the comments from the speakers lacked specific and supportive examples, I performed outside research to confirm or disprove what was said.  I discovered in the scholarly journal, Mediations, many facts that confirmed the points of Allon Raiz, Sean Walker, Dr. Isaacs, and Professor Goldman.  First, there are several socioeconomic and environmental areas that represent flashpoints in the post-apartheid era, resulting from either post-1994 policy or even deeper structural forces dating back decades:

•    The official unemployment rate doubled (from 16% in 1994 to around 32% by the early 2000s)
•    The provision of housing to several million people was done sloppily as the units produced are far smaller than apartheid “matchboxes,” are located further away from jobs, are constructed with less durable building materials, and are connected with higher-priced debt.
•    The overall price of water and electricity has risen dramatically since 1994, leading to millions of people facing disconnections each year.
•    The education system is still crippled by excessive cost recovery and fiscal austerity, leaving 35 percent of learners dropping out by Grade 5 and 48% by Grade 12, and leaving 80% without libraries and computers.

South Africa’s current “developmental state” is meant to reverse these processes. However, the abuse of funding by the government directed money to only few major projects, ensuring that the reversal would last only as long as the artificial construction-sector boom.  Examples of the few major projects that are dominating South African funds include:

•    The Coega complex in Nelson Mandela Metropole where massive amounts of electricity and water could one day be consumed in a new smelter.
•    The unnecessarily expensive new and refurbished soccer stadiums for the 2010 World Soccer Cup, which by early 2009 were a third over budgeted expenditure.  Small local vendors did not even benefit from World Cup as they were pushed out of stadium parameters by FIFA and large corporations (Octogon visit).
•    The corruption-ridden R43 billion arms deal, which implicated a wide slice of both Zumite and Mbekite ANC factions starting at the very top.
•    Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactors potentially costing hundreds of billions of rands, alongside hundreds of billions more rands spent on coal-fired power plants.
•    The R20 billion plus Gautrain fast rail network that will link Johannesburg, Pretoria, and the Tambo airport, affordable only to elite travelers.

Professor Goldman urgently addressed our group and stated that the only institutions that can save South Africa are job creation and housing development in the townships.  Goldman stressed that without 3 million jobs created and 3 million houses created per year for the next 3 years; South Africa may never be able to start closing the income inequality gap before another uprising occurs.  The huge capital projects stated above are distracting the current government from investing more into the root problems of poverty such as equal educational opportunities for black South Africans, housing infrastructure in the townships, and more incentives for entrepreneurs to start businesses in order to create jobs.  On a macro-perspective, the ANC and the foundation of what came out of the post-apartheid negotiations are not favorable to the black South Africans at all, and rather, the elite seem to continue to benefit most from post-apartheid policies and investments.  It is obvious that the elite white population will continue to be the beneficiaries of Apartheid as well as the post-Apartheid era if the majority of the money is not being directed to attack the poverty epidemic crippling South Africa.

The micro-level psychological and behavioral aspects derived from South Africa’s new “freedom”
Strictly analyzing the macro-economic perspective does not paint the whole picture, as it ignores the individual human aspect.  To better realize the Mandela and ANC legacies, one must investigate post-apartheid micro-level psychological, social, and behavioral components.  As I immersed myself into the culture through conversation within the townships, I realized a strong spirit of complacency that is hindering black South Africans from succeeding in this economy.  The views of community leaders revealed the effectiveness of empowering and enabling black South Africans through technical education.
As our group strolled along the dirt and garbage-filled roads in Kliptown, right outside of Johannesburg, we witnessed orphans on the streets with no shoes, old women manually filling buckets at the lone water hose, and poorly maintained portable bathrooms scattered throughout the township. At the end of the tour, there was a request for donations in which many of the students in our group were touched and felt compelled to donate significant amounts of money to the township.  I pondered how that money would be allocated, how efficiently it would be used, and overall how much of an impact these blind donations would actually make.  While returning through the township I took a critical look at the differing lifestyles of the community. It was mid-day and there were people gambling and playing dice, others sitting on their porch drinking, and the stench of marijuana reeked of complacency.  Complacency was a prevalent theme suffocating many townships we visited.  My initial reaction was that the most effective donation one can give is to help people in the townships help themselves through technical education.
A defeated mentality of complacency was portrayed through an interaction I had with one of the local soccer leaders for the kids at Lebo’s Backpackers.  He showed genuine compassion for the kids that played soccer around Lebo’s.  His eyes lit up when he explained how good these kids were at soccer and how much potential each one of them possessed.  The tone quickly changed though as he blatantly told us that none of these kids will make it to the professional level because they will most likely fall into wrong influences such as drugs and alcohol.  The lack of positive role models was another point he made, ironically, while he himself was lighting a marijuana joint. This scene of hypocrisy perfectly encapsulates the dichotomy of what South Africa is.  South Africa is a country of contrasts and contradiction, but one of the biggest irregularities is the overwhelming hope, optimism, and positivity around the idea that things are going to get better. However, there still remains a lack of urgency for action towards and sense of responsibility over pursuing a brighter future. I wondered how there could ever be an economic shift of power towards the black South Africans if a large majority of them stay unmotivated and content in their current situation.  We inquired about personal sentiments towards the rich white people from a storyteller in Soweto, who answered, “We don’t fight with them. That is their privilege.  This is our suffering.  We just want them to work with the government to help the poor people.”  The storyteller’s response to our question embodies a surprisingly relaxed attitude that I did not expect.  There was no acknowledgment of how rich white people profited from Apartheid, or any sense of urgency to fight or compete for economic justice.  It was astonishing how completely dependent they were for help from the government, and their misguided confidence in the rich to achieve change for them. To make sure I was not being too critical and biased with my suburban-American perspective, I asked the local leaders what their opinion was with my observation of complacency within the townships.  I posed my views to Sedick Issacs and Professor Esterhuyse who both supplied me with intriguing answers that confirmed my initial perceptions.  They both agreed that there is currently a high sense of complacency within the townships and much of that is attributed to deep-seeded feelings of inferiority, the culture of patience, a society that remains stratified, and the lack of educational resources.  Both Issacs and Esterhuyse echoed each other as they explained to me that after the post-apartheid negotiations, many black South Africans felt comfortable with the new “social equality” enough to sit back to wait for someone or some group to lead and save them.  Sedick nodded in agreement to Professor Esterhuyse that “their culture of patience is hurting them, they need to be enabled, and they need to be empowered to start doing things themselves.  Technical education is the key!”
Unlike large academic universities, technical education programs would immediately enable the black South African population.  Mike Miller, a successful businessman in the UK who sells traditional South African products in Europe states,
“Apartheid showed, just putting people into jobs for which they were not qualified, does not work. You have to set up some sort of Graduate training program to train people in situation experience. They need to experience certain things before they can be given those jobs. If you just push people into a situation - which has happened too much in South Africa ‘s recent history - they will take wrong decisions.” 
In the article Mike Miller is featured in he makes the point that South Africa has more than enough capable people, but it’s just a matter of properly training them.  The article also points out that programs like BEE, which were set up post-apartheid to “empower” the black population, are actually hurting South Africa because it is not encouraging putting the best people for the position, rather, it is once again appointing people to positions based on their color (Bills). 
The overlying points made by Issacs, Esterhuyse, and Miller are that economic equality cannot be achieved until the black South African population is enabled with technical skills to build, fix, and create for themselves.  Unfortunately, as I pointed out in the macro-level section, money is currently not being justly allocated and invested into technical education. Even if it was, it would take a few generations to see the fruits of that investment.  Investment into technical and extracurricular education can work as seen through the Amy Biehl foundation’s progression and success.  I spoke with Themba Diniso, a program manager at the foundation, and questioned him on his observation of the kids going through the program.  The program takes a proactive approach of offering extracurricular activities to young kids after school in order to keep them away from drugs, sex, and alcohol.  Diniso shared with me that he sees a significant attitude shift between his generation and the new youth coming up through the Amy Biehl foundation.  The new youth are more motivated, and have the mentality that they can achieve greater things. The Amy Biehl Foundation is instilling in these young kids the right foundation needed in South Africa to be adequately prepared to compete in the economy.  The psychological oppression and bad behavioral habits can be attributed to the ANC’s oversight of the importance of technical education.  It is definitely an institution that needs to be modeled after and invested in immediately.  The philosophy behind this foundation enables black South Africans to rectify perceptions of inferiority and helpless state of mind. 

The current opportunities created and available after post-apartheid negotiations
    Lastly, we can evaluate Mandela and the ANC’s negotiations on the opportunities that have developed from specific programs the ANC has architected during the post-apartheid era.  The most common program talked about in our group’s meetings is the Black Economic Empowerment Act (BEE).  Although the title of this act sounds exactly like what South Africa needs, there has been a significant amount of criticism towards its intentions and effectiveness.  The act aims to promote and achieve equality in the workplace by not only advancing people from designated groups but also specifically disadvantaging the others.  Government’s employment legislation reserves 80% of new jobs for black people and favors black-owned companies.  There is growing discontent in South Africa that the BEE Act has only enriched a select few black people in the country, generally those who were well connected within the ANC.  A black author, Moeletsi Mbeki, published a book entitled ‘Architects of Poverty’ in which he describes how BEE has failed most South Africans by creating a small group of black elitist capitalists made up of ANC politicians, consequently hindering the emergence of black entrepreneurship (Affirmative Action). 
Aside from the negative aspects of BEE, one cannot ignore the positive effects of Mandela and ANC campaigns. This was a statement by Nelson Mandela and one that even the skeptics would agree embodies how he lived his life:
“I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal that I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” 
Mandela negotiated the lift of the sanctions of the prejudice Apartheid laws, stopped several armed revolts on government by the ANC, retrieved black South Africans a vote, and put the ANC into political power.  The main achievement of Mandela that breeds opportunities was his ability to gain social freedom.  Freedom is not welfare though.  One could argue that Mandela negotiated the best deal he could without going forward with a Civil War.  After many discussions with the local leaders and community members of South Africa, I don’t think anyone agreed that there was a chance to have a wholesale agreement based on a complete transfer of land, economic resources and power from a powerful, undefeated elite entity.  Mandela provided the South African people a potential destiny far greater than one under Apartheid, and a chance to compete.  The underlying question is if the majority of the black South Africans are just too disenfranchised and ill-equipped to compete.  I approached Diniso from the Amy Biehl Foundation and asked, “if a young kid from the township was really motivated to make it to a top-level corporate position, would the current education system in the township enable him enough to reach his goal in the future, and would his education be comparable to that of a white South African kid?”  Diniso simply stated, “no, the educational opportunities are still not close to being equal and the current township education system is nowhere near enabling or preparing a kid to pursue large dreams for the future.”  Therefore, from an opportunities standpoint it seems as though Mandela and the ANC made huge accomplishments but came one-step short as they allowed black South Africans the ability to compete, yet not the chance to compete because the inequalities remain too vast.

The Verdict
Through this trip I have discovered that my preconceived notion that Mandela’s negotiations saved the black South Africans was half-baked, ignorant, and misinformed.  I’ve realized that Mandela’s leadership has initiated small steps in the right direction, deserving some credit and praise, however this trip has revealed an overindulgence in positive Mandela propaganda, which saturated worldwide media and diluted the accuracy of South Africa’s history.  His negotiations fell drastically short of delivering any type of economic equality and the socioeconomic landscape in South Africa has actually undeniably worsened and has continued to leave the black South African Population isolated in a country where they are the majority.  The cliché “the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer” is prevalent and extreme this country.  On a macro-level perspective South Africa is the most unequal country in terms of income equity, resulting in high unemployment levels.  On a micro-level perspective, the majority of the black South Africans in the townships still suffer psychologically by feeling inferior and incapable compared to the elite rich white people.  Lastly, from an opportunity standpoint, there is currently “social equality” but that has not resulted in any significant upswing in opportunities available for blacks and they are still not empowered to seize many opportunities that are available. 
The long-term solution for the stability of South Africa that seems obvious is the investment into technical education, but there might not be time to wait for a long-term solution that lies in the hands of the government.  Mandela did a great job of buying South Africa time and preventing mass bloodshed and possible destruction of the country in the 90s, but if the pressing problems continue to grow and worsen, another uprising or revolution might soon be inevitable. I believe that more immediate measures, where private organizations step up, need to be taken to ensure the stability of South Africa.  Even with the corruption and inequalities, private sector programs to uplift the nation can still thrive, make a difference, and be successful.  Two examples are the African Leadership Academy and Raizcorp.  Both organizations have one aspect in common: innovation.  Both organizations are able to think outside of the box on how they could make a positive impact on South Africa and innovate ways to breed excellence that can greatly benefit South Africa.  The African Leadership Academy (ALA) is graduating 100+ of the most talented students in Africa per year, who will eventually come back and start their own companies and organizations that will create jobs and influence and inspire others.  Raizcorp “prosperates” over 200 companies in its facilities and they all contribute to South Africa’s economy and job creation efforts.  Each of these organizations has been highly successful in fulfilling their mission and is a testament to the fact that there is hope and that successful institutions can be created. 
Reflecting on our trip, I have realized that it is actually not highly beneficial to continue to debate whether or not black South Africans were mistreated or shortchanged.  I discovered that productivity fails where there is a breeding ground for negative commentary. The places where I saw success in South Africa was with organizations such as ALA and Raizcorp who realized that they can’t rely on government, rich white people, or anyone else but themselves.  These organizations have moved on and are taking it into their own hands to create their own environments to become successful.  One of the founders of ALA, Fred Swaniker, stated,
“The book Outliers shows how people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were lucky with the environment they grew up in.  Africa doesn’t have time to wait for luck, rather, we need to create our own outliers.  We can’t leave it to chance.  We need to create the environments for ourselves based on leadership, practice, and networks!” 
Swaniker has created an environment where he has given the ALA students their first chance at thinking critically and expressing their opinion.  This has enabled the students to have a vision, gain specific goals, and acquire motivation to change the African continent.  Based on my interactions throughout South Africa and through further research, I would strongly agree with Swaniker’s mentality and I believe the only way South Africa will make it is if more people and organizations start fostering this type of urgency and vision.  Black South Africans should strive to compete and fight as complacency produces nothing, and rather, conflict forces you to be better than you were before.  Glenn Philips, Business Development Manager from South African Parks, stated that, “change has got to be painful or else you’re not really changing.”  I am not only targeting poor black South Africans as ones who need to change and step up though, as wealthy black and white South Africans have just as much of a responsibility in the future well-being of their nation.  I believe that the people who profited during apartheid have an obligation to help reconcile the vast income gap between rich and poor through community work, social investment, and lobbying and supporting more effective programs targeted at poverty.  A statement I heard in a video at the Apartheid Museum was that “the white people got a damn good deal” (Roelf Meyer, previous Minister of Constitutional Affairs for National Party).  Success, peace, and freedom can be found within forgiveness, and even though it seems many people had forgiven the ones who profited from Apartheid, I believe that in return, those who profited have a duty to say more than just “sorry.”
Through conversations with racists at the bar in Eschowe, witnessing horrid living conditions in Kilptown, and hearing first-hand accounts of government corruption from Sedick, I surprisingly came back from South Africa with the same attitude I experienced from the general South African population, which is an attitude of optimism and hope.  The massive problems are obvious and seem huge, but the people are staying positive, and no matter how many times people predict South Africa’s self-destruction, the country continues to surprise the world by surviving and bouncing back from adversity.  That was the story for the 1995 Springbok Rugby match, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and I hope it remains the story for South Africa’s immediate and long-term future.  At a hip hop event in Soweto I learned that one way of explaining Ubuntu is “it doesn’t take a family to raise a child, rather, it takes a whole village.”  In that same light, it is going to take more than one group or organization to instill meaningful change, it will take the whole nation!

Works Cited
Hlongwane, Sipho. “Did Nelson Mandela Sell Out?” Thought Leader. Web. <http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/siphohlongwane/2010/03/10/did-nelson-mandela-sell-out/>.
“Mike Miller: ‘The Biggest Problem Facing South Africa Is the Attempt at Africanisation’ - Peter Bills, Columnists - The Independent.” The Independent | News | UK and Worldwide News | Newspaper. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/peter-bills/mike-miller-the-biggest-problem-facing-south-africa-is-the-attempt-at-africanisation-1781197.html>.
Pressly, Donwald. “South Africa Has Widest Gap between Rich and Poor.” Business Report - Home. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5181018>.
“South Africa’s “Developmental State” Distraction.” Mediations. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <http://www.mediationsjournal.org/articles/developmental-state-distraction>.
Stewart, Robb M. “South Africa Unemployment Hits 25.2% - WSJ.com.” Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703866704575223993865587422.html>.
 

I really cannot sum up in words what a great experience exchange in Milano was.  I have created one of the most significant memories of my life through these past four months.  I had the opportunity to travel across Europe, meet interesting and odd people, and adapt and immerse myself into the Italian culture.  The earlier part of these last few months, I was fortunate enough to travel all around Spain, France, Hungary, and Sweden.  Each country had their own charm and crazy stories.  In Spain, I was traveling from Barcelona up to Pamplona to visit some fellow UW students studying abroad up there.  Upon my arrival to Pamplona, I found myself at a train station which my friend had no idea as to where I was.  At that point, I had to ask around and with my best Spanish I was able to hitchhike from the train station to my friend’s apartment in Pamplona.  “Perdon senor, mis amigos estudian en La Universidad de Navarra.  Puedo usar tu telefono y necesito a ride to mis amigos (I said this while performing hand motions of driving a car and pointing to the address of my friend’s apartment).”  Even though my Spanglish was horrible, it was sufficient enough to be able to get a ride with a very nice older couple who lived a few blocks away from where my friend lived.  On the way to my friend’s apartment, the older gentleman who was in the passenger seat whispered to me that it was his wife’s birthday and signaled over to his wife who was driving.  At that point, we proceeded to sing her Feliz Cumpleanos in the car and I gave my best rendition of the song.  The randomness in Spain did not stop at the point though.  Once I got to my friend’s apartment, I settled in, and we went out to meet his friend’s there.  That night I met a girl from Britain who was half Filipino and half British.  Since I am also Filipino, we had a lot to talk about so we exchanged contact information.  Later that night I found out that she was just visiting Pamplona, and was actually doing exchange in Madrid, which was my very next stop in my travels.  So while I was in Madrid, we had the chance to meet up and she introduced me to all her exchange friends there.  When I went out and met her friends that night in Madrid, I was fortunate to meet a French guy from Paris.  We got to talking for a while and I told him that my next stop after Madrid was France.  At that point, he connected me with some of his friends that were in Paris so that they could show me around when I got there!  Random events, openness, and this type of hospitality and friendship is what exchange was all about for me.  My ability to put my guard down and to allow myself to meet, get to know, and build relationships with other students across the world is what made my experience amazing. 

After Spain, I visited my German roommate from Milan in Lille, France where he was visiting his girlfriend for the mid-semester break.  This small French town that might be overlooked by many tourists was one of my favorite cities in Europe.  After that I was able to stay with my German roommate’s girlfriend’s best friend in Paris, as she had an apartment right in the center.  After Paris, I took a plane to Budapest, Hungary and toured the city, ate great food, and relaxed in their wonderful open air bathhouses.  After Budapest, my final trip out of Italy was to Stockholm, Sweden where I stayed in a boat, met up with a fellow UW student coming from Pamplona, and met two really nice random Italians from Milan who we ended up getting some drinks with and keeping in contact with up until now. 

After I fulfilled my travel fix, I spent the latter part of the last two months developing friendships with the local Italians that I had met through classes at Bocconi.  Most notably, I was able to get really close to 4 Italian Bocconi students that were in my group for a marketing research project.  Even though we had a large communication barrier due to the fact that their English wasn’t that good, and my Italian is sad, we were still able to put together an amazing presentation.  We found ways via sign language, pictures, and simple sentences, to communicate, work, and delegate out tasks.  They were much more than just my fellow market research group members though, they were some of my closest friends in Milan.  Often times we went out after working on our project and they taught me some Italian, introduced me to other Italians, and showed me to places where all the locals eat and hang out.  We got so close that they are actually coming to visit Seattle in the summer now and I can’t wait to show them around.  I also became good friends with a post-graduate from Bocconi who is from Naples.  I met him through my German roommate who had become friends with him through a previous exchange program in Shanghai.  He invited us many times to his apartment and cooked typical Italian food and showed us how to make it.  My all-time favorite is the pasta Carbonara he made for us.  One other friendship I was able to make was with a local Milanese girl who I met during my international business class.  I simply complimented her presentation after class one day, we got to talking, and I found out that she had done exchange in high school in Salem, OR and had been to Seattle a couple times.  After that, we would occasionally go out to dinner and she would explain to me various things about the differences between the North and South of Italy, Italy’s business community, and political system.  Hanging out with the local Italians, learning from them, and just immersing myself in their culture were one of the most cherished experiences in my 4 month journey. 

If I could give just one piece of advice to anyone going on exchange, I would tell them to simply be open.  Expect the unexpected, be cautious but get out of your comfort zone, and most importantly, build as many relationships as possible!  Simply being a positive, optimistic, and generally nice and caring person will take you far in exchange and in life in general.  I am so fortunate to be able to have friends across the globe.  I can go to Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Romania, etc., and not only have a person who can show me around, but a person that can also offer me a home to stay in.  It’s cliché to say that studying abroad broadens your perspectives, but I think it’s a cliché for a reason, because that is exactly what studying abroad does and I encourage everyone to do it if possible. 

Back on the train now and heading to Madrid from Pamplona.  Pamplona was a great trip and not for the city itself, but for the great people I met and the friendships I was able to establish.   Pamplona is a very small but rich city in the northern part of Spain.  It’s most known for its “running with the bulls” event in July, but other than that, it is not a place on many tourists’ priority list.  That’s what I loved about it.  It was a really good way to get away from big city life and to be in the company of a diverse mix of International Students studying in Pamplona.   I hung out with Belgians, Romanians, Iroquoians, Iranians, Americans, Portuguese, people from El Salvador and Honduras, Italians, etc, etc.  I am so happy I’m fulfilling my number one goal of meeting people, building relationships and continuing to stay connected with them.  I have met so many nice people who have opened there doors, time, and/or knowledge to me and I look forward to pass on the favor by welcoming some people to Milan or Seattle.  I stayed with my buddy Andrew Swanson who was a great host from the very beginning.  I can’t thank him enough for his hospitality.  We did have kind of a miscommunication on where I was arriving in Pamplona though and both he and I didn’t know where I was, so I ended up hitchhiking to his house.  It worked out fine.  I went along with an older couple I met at the train station.  I found out during the car ride that it was the wife’s birthday so we sang feliz cumpleanos to her in the car.  Yet again, another random event.  I thought Pamplona was gonna be a place where I could rest and save money, but I was totally wrong. Haha.  We ended up going out every night and staying late.  Long days and little sleep.  I guess the Erasmus (Exchange) lifestyle is pretty much the same everywhere.  We went out the first night and I met tons of people and the local hang out spot.  Then the next day we relaxed for most of the day and at night we saw the main center (I think it was the old town) and then we met up with some Spanish girls for a Asian buffet (which was disgusting lol).  After buffet, we went to meet up with some friends to go dancing.  We woke up relatively early the next day and did a day trip to San Sebastian which is a beautiful beach just an hour away from Pamplona.  There, we took it easy, walked around, got some Pinchos, then gelato, and then did a small hike up a hill with nice views of the city.  After San Sebastian we celebrated an Italian friend’s birthday at an Italian restaurant.  I met him in Pamplona but his home Uni is Bocconi, which is the school I’m doing exchange at.  Really nice guy and he’s coming back to Milan in December so I look forward to meeting up with him then.  Dinner was great..pretty good Italian dishes, but the paying part was a nightmare.  We had 25 people at the dinner and they didn’t separate the check so we had to manually figure out who owed what.  It took forever and the owner was getting frustrated at us for it, even though it really wasn’t our fault.  That’s Spanish customer service for you (the customer is always WRONG.. very similar to the Italian customer service philosophy).  He even charged us 20 e for putting candles on the cake and for bringing the cake out to us, EVEN THOUGH, we are the ones who brought the cake and they only put two candles on it.  Ridiculous.  It didn’t ruin our night though and we hung out a little afterwards then went home.  The next morning Andrew and I had breakfast with a Romanian friend who lives right next to Andrew.  We said our last goodbyes (always a sad thing to do) and now I’m on the train to Madrid.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly.  I’m not sure how I’m going to get to my hostel or how I am going to call my friend (I have no more credit on my phone).  Eh, this should be interesting lol. 

It is so hard to be consistent with a blog when on an exchange program.  That’s good though in a way because it means that I have been doing a lot, experiencing a lot, and meeting a lot of great people.  If you are reading this and are contemplating doing an exchange, my advice is, to DO IT!  100% it will be the most unique, interesting and fun experience of your life.  Companies love it.  You become more cultured by just observing different people in different countries with sometimes TOTALLY different lifestyles from what you are used to.  Learning different languages such as Spanish is also something that is VERY useful.  You can go a very long way by knowing other languages… it opens so many doors.  I am seriously considering doing another abroad program for next spring in Taiwan.  Europe has been amazing so far, and I think Asia would be equally as rewarding.  We’ll see I guess..

One of the best moves I’ve made this year was to join a group of Italians in my Market Research class for a team project.  It was a little bit hard at first since most of them didn’t speak English very well, but the combination of hand motions and basic knowledge of each other’s language, communication became possible.  Being in this group is not particularly the best for efficiency or effectiveness purposes for the project we need to complete, but it is such a good way to meet more Italians and gives me a chance to hang out with them outside of class.  I went to Aperitivo with them and they introduced me to their group of friends.  We hung out in all the places where the locals hang out.  They showed me all the popular places where students get drinks and just chill at night.  They were all ridiculously nice and I had a great time.  I met a ton of Italians from the South (Naples, Sisley, etc.) and they seemed a lot more welcoming and laid back then most of the northern Italians (Milanese).  One of the guys in our group who actually studied for a month in San Fran, does a hilarious impersonation of Michael Jackson.  He teaches me a lot of things in Italian (words/hand gestures) and I’ve had the honor to teach him a few American handshakes.  It’s hilarious.  The girls in our group too are really fun.  Very charismatic and they have a great sense of humor.  I look forward to hanging out more with the Italians. 

I also have an amazing buddy though the Bocconi buddy system.  He actually does a great job of following through with things like showing us great aperitivos and setting up great soccer matches between us exchange students against the Italians.  We’ve of course beat the Italians every time so far, but it’s getting closer and closer each time.  I’m not good at soccer (football) by any means but I’m getting the hang of it.  It’s actually really fun despite my previous biases.  I’ve scored a few unorthodox goals and my teammates have been really nice about being patient with me and teaching me some techniques.  We often times go to the pub across the street and watch football on the big screen.  I’ve already learned so much about football that I would have never learned if not being abroad in Europe.  It’s a good past time and bonding experience with the other exchange student guys. 

Me and a few buddies took a day trip to Torino a couple weeks ago.  Great day trip filled with great weather, scenery, piazzas, and FOOD!  Torino definitely wins for the best aperitivo spread in Italy.  Steak, shrimp, calamari, fish, cheeses, antipasta, meatballs, etc etc AND a drink for just 8 e.  Such a good deal. 

A week later we found ourselves in Rome with a great group of 10 people.  All exchange students from Bocconi and great friends we’ve made throughout these past couple of months.  We did an obscene amount of sightseeing in Rome for the 3 days we were there.  I was completely exhausted every single night in Rome.  The Coloseum, Panteon, Vitorian Manuela, Palentine, Vatican Museum, Roman Forum, St. Peters Cathedral, Borgesa Museum, Trevi Fountain, etc etc.  A very artistic and historical journey through Rome, as well as tiring one.  Probably my favorite site was the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s work with the Last Judgement.  I can’t imagine that one man could create such a masterpiece.  It was truly incredible and I ended up just staring at it for like half an hour and admired the detail and genius of the painting.  Michelangelo didn’t even consider himself a painter, rather a sculptor, and still managed to achieve probably the most legendary piece of art of all time.  I was in complete awe and all you can do is just stand in the cathedral and feel small and lucky to witness it.   Another highlight of Rome was having the change to take the group to a Filipino restaurant there.  It was so great to have a nice sit down lunch with the group and to eat like I was at home.  Adobo, Pancit, Lumpia, Apretada, and for dessert, FLAN!  It was a hit with the group.. they all loved it.  The service was great and I always love being in the company of other Filipinos.  Very hospitable. 

My next journey was to Barcelona.  I traveled to Barcelona with my roommate Michael.  It was yet again a very successful trip.  Barcelona isn’t the MOST beautiful city I have seen but it has a very unique charm.  Las Ramblas (famous street) is really fun.  It kind of sums of Barcelona.  Diverse architecture, people and food!  It’s food paradise!  Best thing about Barcelona is the food probably.  A pleasant surprise to find GOOD AND CHEAP food, especially since we’re coming from Milan (one of the most expensive places in Europe).  The great invention.. MENU DEL DIA.  You can get a 3 course lunch in Spain for 8 or 9 e.  Such a good deal.  We ended up having it our last day here and it was great food.  The steak was soo juicy and tender which is definitely worth 9 e in itself.  We had this menu del dia in a place where all the locals go as well.  I really think we were like the first tourists to ever be in there.  Service was great and they were so welcoming.  Everyone in Barcelona in general was VERY nice.  Another pleasant difference from Milan.  We saw all the major sites.. the water tower, la sagrada familia (kinda overrated from the inside since it’s still under construction but very nice on the outside), mt montjuic, mt serrat (where we hung out with a random/nice Russian girl), a few palaces and cathedrals, some guadi buildings, the gothic quarter, and the last thing we saw was parque guell (guadi park).  Park guell was actually kind of overrated and way to crowded with tourists.  Still, it had some unique designs and good views.  Overall it was still enjoyable.  I’m now about to head on the train to Pamplona to visit some fellow UW students on exchange.  4 hour train ride!  Ugh.  Ciao for now… 

In the Woods!

Right now I am sitting in Anne Marie’s cabin on the outskirts (the woods!) of Warsaw, Poland in the afternoon.  We just had a very nice breakfast/lunch that Anne Marie prepared (Bread, Tomatoes, Cheese, Pepper) with some tea.  We knew Anne Marie from UW’s Global Case Competition last spring as she and 3 others represented the Business School over here in Warsaw.  From the very beginning Anne Marie has been the most amazing hostess.  She has graciously let us stay at her Mom’s beautiful house in a nearby suburb of the city center.  She had our beds prepared, bought us bus tickets, printed out maps for us, bought us breakfast, picked us up from the airport, made sure we had fresh towels and linens, etc, etc.  We really couldn’t ask for anything more, and don’t know what we did to deserve such great treatment, but we are so appreciative and hope that we can return the favor somehow in the future.  After we arrived and dropped our stuff off at Anne Marie’s house we headed for the City Center and walked along Anne Marie’s favorite streets.  Spontaneously we decided to have a food extravaganza in Poland and to try out all the best restaurants and café’s in the city center.  We started the evening off with Sushi.  The sushi place we went to was right in the heart of the city, very inexpensive, nice, and had amazing food.  After devouring a huge platter of sushi, sherry and I didn’t know how we were going to make it if that was only a “starter.” Lol.  After Sushi we continued to walk around to see the sights and the city.  We then stopped at our next destination, Vincent’s, a bakery full of croissants, pastries and macaroons.  It was the first time I had tried macaroons and I instantly fell in love.  We continued the journey, did more sightseeing, and came across our third stop, a popular café in the center where we got drinks.  After drinks, we viewed the royal castle, checked out the old town and new town and finished our food extravaganza at a Polish restaurant.  Polish food is great and we definitely feasted at that last stop.  Bread, polish pickles, sauerkraut, polish soup with dumplings, more dumplings, a platter of polish meat we couldn’t finish, and outstanding mushrooms with a garlic spinach dip.  Mmmmmmmm.  Thus far, the best and most successful food run I’ve had in Europe and that says a lot since I’m living in Italy.  After that we hung out at Anne Marie’s friend’s apartment for the night.  We just chilled, talked, and one of the polish guys there rapped and it was pretty interesting.  We then headed back to Anne Marie’s to sleep.  The next day we slept in pretty late and started our day off with viewing more of the city center.  Warsaw is quite big.  It’s amazing to me how fast everything had been rebuilt in Warsaw.  It had completely been destroyed during WWII, but the city is now very much full of life with a great atmosphere.  You have a great mix of crazy night life with peaceful settings.  You also have a great mix of old and modern architecture.  It’s a very exciting and laid back city.  Anne Marie then prepared us a wonderful lunch (she’s a great cook), some soup and an Italian dish (spinach garlic pasta).  Her friend Mieshkov joined for lunch, shared with us his entrepreneurial ideas, and after, we headed back to Anne Marie’s house to pack up to go to the woods.  We arrived at the woods kind of late because of traffic, but it was definitely worth it.  A beautiful cabin in the middle of the woods, peaceful, and relaxing.  Definitely something I needed after always being out and doing things in the city.  It’s nice to relax, talk, and eat by the fireplace in the middle of nowhere.  The next day (today) we were supposed to pick some mushrooms but it has been too dry the past few days so there are no mushrooms right now.  Kind of sad because Anne Marie was going to make some mushroom soup, but it’s okay, it gives me time to catch up on my blogs!

So now I am going to try and summarize everything that has happened since Florence (which is the last time I blogged).  It’s impossible to capture everything in words or even through pictures and I will miss a ton, but here goes my best attempt to share what has been going on in a very concise manner.

Adapting to living in Italy has definitely not been easy, but at the same time, hasn’t been too difficult because of the great friends we’re surrounded with here.  For example, simple things like getting a haircut, I imagined would be very difficult in a city where no one over 25 speaks English.  Even if they do speak English, they won’t speak it to you.  Very proud people in Italy, who sometimes will act very standoffish if you don’t speak any Italian.  Unfortunately for me, I don’t speak any Italian so I get the cold shoulder many times.  I feel like sometimes, it’s a privilege to talk to the waiter or waitress or person at the grocery store.  I’m getting used to it though, and picking up a little Italian here and there.  What has really been a blessing though is having a great roommate, Michael, who has the basics of Italian down pretty well.  He has been so helpful in getting around and getting stuff done like getting our bus pass and my hair cut.  We used a combination of pictures and basic Italian to explain to the hair dresser how I want my haircut.  It actually turned out okay, and I wasn’t disappointed. 

Another thing that you must get used to in Italy, besides the fact that no one speaks English, is how many things are so inefficient and unorganized.  It’s Italy though, and you just have to accept it.  Stores just don’t like to open on Sundays or Mondays.  Even at school, things don’t make sense.  They send out sign-up sheets but end up overfilling classes anyways.  Teachers show up 45 minutes late.  Students talk during class and teachers just try and talk over them.  There are no dryers for your clothes.  Cars drive on the sidewalk.  It’s just an ongoing joke between all of our friends that when we find something not working, we just accept it because it’s “Italian.”  One thing that is always very organized here though are the parties put together by Bocconi.  Bocconi never fails us, and you can’t help but have fun and be happy here.  Bocconi just doesn’t allow you to be bored and not have fun.  They do a great job of organizing parties and events to meet people, eat free food, and get the best deals to the most prestigious places in town.  Because we are from Bocconi, we never wait in line anywhere and our always treated as VIP.  The group of friends we’ve established so far has been such a blessing.  I am so thankful to have met such a great and diverse set of friends.  Finland, Portugal, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, London, France, Mexico, Norway… basically the EU.. etc.  Such a great group of people who I would already miss so much if I were to leave now.  I hope to stay in touch with all of these people and to have a lot of them visit me in Seattle so I can show them around. 

Sports here in Milan are pretty scarce.  Bocconi students are pretty preppy and seem more into posing with their prada shoes and Gucci sunglasses, rather than playing sports.  That’s another thing I’ve had to adapt to, the style.  If you’re not wearing collared shirts, or v neck sweaters at bocconi, you will feel very out of place.  I don’t think they’ll allow you in class if you were to come in sweats.  Very different from back home.  But anyway, I have still found opportunities to play some sports.  I occasionally walk across the street to the basketball court by my flat and play with the locals.  Not the best competition, but it’s a good workout.  It’s a very different style of play here in Italy with a lot less focus on ball handling or flashy moves, and more emphasis on nice passes and great cuts and slashes.  I enjoy playing with the locals and hope to make it a routine.  A group of us also played some soccer one night but weren’t to successful since we found out the fields are like 60 euro to rent an hour.  We ended up just messing around and playing little games on the free field with no goals. 

We’ve done some more traveling in between Florence and Poland.  We went to Bergamo for a day which was really good.  Right when we arrived it started pouring, which kinda sucked, but we waited it out and the rain eventually stopped and it turned out to be a really nice day.  Bergamo is what I imagine when I think Italy, an old town with narrow streets and quaint shops.  It’s so very different from Milan, which is very industrial and not pretty, and not what I think of when I think “Italy.”  We also took a day trip to Como which is absolutely beautiful.  George Clooney apparently lives there but unfortunately we missed him.  We took a tram up to the hills and had an amazing view of the islands.  I think the view was even better than Michelangelo’s hill in Florence.  We spent the day just relaxing under the sun, seeing the island, eating, and talking.  Another very successful day trip. 

Other than traveling and school, we’ve been filling our time with movies on Mike’s laptop, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, dancing to house/techno music (which I’m unfortunately getting kind of used to), Bocconi arranged parties (Old Fashion (where they had an Italian dance group perform.. it was like America’s Best Dance Crew, but not as good lol) Shu Café (Free food offered once again), Lime Lite, Kathy’s Place, and Paulo Alto where they were celebrating something and brought out free champagne for everyone (random and fun things just happen here in Italy.. it’s great)).

Probably the only really sad thing that has happened so far is Cindy (Mike’s girlfriend) leaving us.  She visited and stayed with us for 10 days, but was a great addition to the flat.  A great person to laugh with, have fun with, travel with, and a really good cook.  It’s sad that she went back to France, but Sherry and I will be visiting her soon in Lille (a town 45 minutes away from Paris).  I’m glad we got to introduce her and the rest of our roommates to some Filipino food – adobo, spam, cornbeef, etc.  Spam is soo bad for you, and probably takes 5 years off your life, but tastes so good.. our roommates agreed.  What’s life worth living longer for 5 more years if you don’t experience spam? lol And plus, we used the “lite” version. :)

Making friends with the local shops here has been great.  We made friends with the gelateria around the corner from our flat.  The owner, Pedro, from Venezuala has the cheapest gelato and BEST gelato in town.  We are so lucky to have him.  We have also made friends with the kebab place around the corner.  It’s very strange though because the owner is Egyptian, doesn’t speak Italian or English well, serves fish from Athens, and has combined a kebab and pizzeria place in the outskirts of Milan.  Seems kinda random and out of place, and that’s probably why not too many people go there, but the owner is actually very nice, gave us free fries, and even told us not to pay if it isn’t good.  It was very good though, and we paid. :)

Last thing I want to mention before I sign off is how jealous I am of all these European friends we have who know multiple languages.  A lot of our friends are bilingual and some know 3 or even 4 languages very well.  Mike’s girlfriend Cindy knows French, English, German (since Mike’s german), and Mandarin (as she studied in China for a year).  It’s sad that I’m not even fluent in Tagalog, but it motivates me to work to learn another language fluently. 

The rest of Poland…

We went to a Jazz Club in the city at night.  The next day we went to a Piano concert with one of the best pianists in the world who played Choppin’s music.  The concert took place in the nicest park in Warsaw, which was absolutely beautiful.  In the park we tried an authentic polish sausage which was one of the best sausages we’ve tasted.  That night we went to a Ballet, “Tristan,” at the royal theatre.  It was a good experience and I’m glad I went, but I don’t think I’ll be going to another ballet anytime soon.  Lol.  Those were the highlights.  A million thanks to the hospitality of Anne Marie and her mom!  Goodbye Warsaw!

Praga!

We ended up having a 7 hour layover in Praga on our way back to Milano from Warsaw.  This was probably the best layover I’ve ever had.  We spontaneously just took the bus to the city center and headed straight to the old town to do some sightseeing.  The city is definitely one of the best I’ve been to so far, if not the best.  Well preserved, colorful, and beautiful architecture at literally every turn.  The goulash was pretty good and inexpensive too!  What a win.

New Motto: Perche No!? (Why not!?)

It’s Europe…anything is possible

It’s Italy… you just have to accept it…

So I’m only a week behind which I think is pretty good.  There is just so many stories and random things that have been happening, it’s going to be really hard to summarize, but I’m gonna try my best.  Even though I’ve only been in Europe for a few weeks, it seems like I’ve been here from a few months, which is probably due to a ton of traveling…

This past Monday I had Bocconi orientation.  It was good to see all the other exchange students… this program is sooo diverse.  It was also interesting to see the locals’ style here.  Everyone dresses up and is very fashion forward.  Very tight pants, button ups, sweaters tied around the nick, and v necks everywhere!  It’s going to be interesting to adapt to…

That night we wanted to save money so we went to the supermarket next to our flat and bought 30 e worth of really good food.  So cheap when we’re able to split up the costs and sherry made such a good pasta with mozzarella which cost us like 50 cents each when you add up the cost of the ingredients split up by 3 people.  Such a good deal. 

Tuesday was so random… my roommates and I were eating in the cafeteria at school and were talking about the party at Hollywood that the school put together for that night.  We wanted to all meet at our flat beforehand so that we could all go together.  We knew some people sitting across the table from us and invited them.  Then we just started looking through our phone books to invite a few more people.  Those people invited people and by the end of the night we had a good size get together at our flat.  It was so random and spur of the moment, but really good because I met so many people.  Germany, Finland, The US, Netherlands, Mexican, Canada, Italian, etc.  After the get together at our place, we all headed down to the party Bocconi put together for us at Hollywood.. supposedly one of the hippest places in Milan.  We all got split up at one point trying to get to this place, but we all ended up making it and having a good time.  The get together at our flat was a lot more fun though.. I think most people agreed.

The next day, school was supposed to start, but it just didn’t.  I looked at my schedule and my classes don’t even start til Tuesday.  My roommates were also in the exact same situation so we spontaneously planned a Florence trip.  We planned it in like 5 minutes and invited a bunch of random people we had just met.  We planned to leave that Thursday and come back Saturday night.  Wednesday night though, we went to a free buffet that one of the school associations put on.  It was in Parco Sampione, one of the nicest parts in Milan at a very upscale restaurant.  The food was amazing and we got a free drink, all for free.  I had no idea why it was free because it was so good, but it just was.  Amazing.

The next day we left for Florence in the morning with a good group: 2 guys from the Netherlands, a girl from Holland, my German roommate, and Sherry.  Later on we met up with 2 girls from Portugal that also go to our school and along the way we met a bunch of random people.  When we arrived we were initially surprised on how small Florence was.  You can walk around and through the city center in no time at all.  Definitely the biggest site to see was the Florence Duomo… such as massive building.  Colorful and detailed.. definitely the best cathedral I have seen from the outside to date.  The first place we went to though in Florence was McDonalds haha.  After a long train ride, we were all starving and just had to eat.  McDonalds is such a cheep alternative and you get so much value for your money.  We loved it so much that we ended up eating lunch there everyday when we were in Florence. Haha.. so ironic that I ate more McDonalds in Florence then I had in the US for like the past 6 months.  Poor students have to do what they gotta do though.  I will not eat at McDonalds for another month though.  So sick of it.  After Micky D’s and walking through the city center we settled into our hostel.  Our hostel was so cheap and in a prime location right in the city center.  You could walk out and stumble upon the Ponte Vecchio bridge.  Such a great deal.  How could you not go to Florence?  Bocconi didn’t give us class and Florence was ridiculously cheap… they basically made us go. 

That night we walked to the supermarket and got some drinks and chilled out on a really nice piazza… I think it was called piazza pitti.  The sun was hitting just right and we ended up meeting this random guy from LA who joined us.  He had just gotten laid off and was traveling for 6 weeks.  It was a good time.  After the piazza, we met up with Mahrou (from Holland), who was running a little late, and then we all headed to one of the nicest Aperitivo places in Florence, Noir’s.  For 9 euro we got a free drink and an all you can eat buffet.  Definitely the best value in town behind McDonalds :). 

The next day in Florence we went to on top of the Duomo, which was such a spectacular view (and exhausting walk up…I’m so out of shape lol).  We went through the market and the girls bought some stuff… it’s so fun to bargain with the vendors there because they do the negotiating for you.. if you ask what something costs, they say like “50e” then you walk away and then they say.. “okay okay.. 25e”… then etc etc until they talk themselves down to 5 e.  haha great salesmen. Hopefully they didn’t study at Bocconi. Another very random thing happened at the market… I was looking at some fake Rolexes and the guy that was trying to sell me the rolex asked me where I was from.  I told him and he said he was also from Seattle.  I totally thought he was making it up, but then he showed me his Washington Drivers’ Liscence.  (Just a few hours previous I met a husky alum on top of the Duomo).  Yet again, I meet more people from Seattle… it is so weird to me.  Anyway, the craziest part is that he is brothers with Mohammad Sene, who was drafted by the Sonics in the first round a few years ago.  So random!  I asked him what he was doing in Florence and he goes.. “Studying…..nahhhh.. making money!” haha!

The next thing we did was get some drinks from the supermarket and headed up to Michelangelo’s hill.  It was a little bit of a hike but so worth it.  You could see all of Florence from the hill, and we were definitely rewarded for the hike.  We then walked around a bit and chilled by the river before Aperitivo again that night!  This aperitivo place (Trateria Cafetorri) was also highly recommended by the Lonely Planet guide book and rightfully so.  7 e for a drink and all you can eat buffet.  It was cheap and actually had better buffet selection then the night before.  We had aperitivo with our group plus the Portugal girls.  It was a lot of fun, and I ate sooooo much… too much.  After aperitivo, we met up with some more guys from Bocconi who just got there (both from Germany) and then headed up to Michelangelo’s hill again to see the view at night.  The night time view was even better.  We even finished off the night by buying a picture for our flat from a vendor.  He talked himself down from 30e to 3e.  Such a good deal. 

The next day we slept in a little, checked out of our hostel, and went to a sculpture museum.  It was a good museum (very big) but it was hard for me because I know nothing about art.  I tried to do as much reading as I could, but I definitely have to research more about the history before I go into museums again so that I can take more away from the experience.  After the museum we went to get the famous Florentine steak but the restaurant was just way to crowded so we went to get really good Florentine beef elsewhere… McDonalds! Yet again.. haha  

The last thing we did in Florence was take a bus to the countryside of Tuscony, Feisole…  Probably one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip and one of the best views I have ever seen.  A great panorama of the Tuscony hills, as well as the city.  I am from Seattle, so I definitely know great views… and this was up there as one of the best.  After the countryside we went back to the train station to go home to Milan.  My roommates and I had a really deep discussion about religion and cultures and 9/11.  It was a good train ride back and now I’m in Milan again! :)

- In Venice: They don’t prefer hot chocolate or even coffee, rather, they seem to love Hot Barley..ew

- “Whoever keeps the ability of seeing the beauty of things will never become old” Franz Kafka

- In Venice: When you get a bite to eat.. you literally only get a bite..(for 20 e) ha

- American music plays at every cafe and restaurant in Europe…even though they don’t understand the words.. we own the entertainment industry

- ”There’s a difference between shopping and SHOPPING” – Sherry

- Everything is negotiable

- The hierarchy at concentration camps (from people treated worst to people treated best):

o Homosexuals (Treated Worst)
o Roman Senti Gypsies
o Jews
o Communists/Faciasts
o Christians
o Criminals (Treated Best) 

- “When you start burning books, you end with burning people”… a quote 100 years before the Nazis came to power.. the Nazis started with burning books..

- Why is wine cheaper than water here?

- The little boys in Milan show their love for a girl through graffiti .. what happened to passing notes (will you go out with me, check yes or no)? lol

- You know you’re in Italy when:

o The cab driver already has 20 e on the meter when you enter the taxi
o A water taxi zig zags across the islands
o Have to turn the key 20 times before unlocking/locking the door
o Validate your water taxi card when they have no way of checking if you have validated it or not

 So inefficient…

- The Italians know that everything in their country is… imbued with their spirit.  They know that there is no need, really, to distinguish or choose between the smile on the face of a cameriere and Donatello’s San Giorgio…they are all works of art, the great art of being happy and making other people happy, an art which embraces and inspires all others in Italy, the only art worth learning, but which can never really be mastered, the art of inhabiting the earth.” Luigi Barzini, The Italians

- Laugh.  You live longer.

- Little decisions and choices you make can lead to astronomical changes for your future…

- Balance your life

On the 4th we dedicated the day to the Venice film festival (2nd best film festival in the world) on the Lido.  We got up early to get in line for tickets.  On the way to the Lido we met a screenwriter and shot the breeze with him on the water taxi.  Very interesting and nice guy.  He was from Australia, currently lives in Berlin, and it was fun talking to him about how interesting of a time the state of Berlin is currently in.  If you feel like being spontaneous and wanting to live somewhere at the absolute right time, Berlin is the place to be for the next 5 years.  It’s undergoing a ton of change but right now the culture is amazing.. so hard to explain.. something you just have to experience.  The guy gave us some tips for the film festival and we ended up getting tickets to 3 films.  One was a documentary on Fellini (a famous Italian director), and the other 2 was part of a double feature – “Bad Lieutenant” with Eva Mendes and Nicholas Cage (oh, and Exhibit! Ha) & a Chinese film called “The Prince of Tears.”  After we got the tickets we explored the Lido, checked out the Adriatic sea, and ate at a little sandwich shop where they had sandwiches such as Bread Pitt, Basil Instinct, and Tom Hamks.  We then viewed our first film which was pretty interesting.  We thought it was gonna be an actual Fellini film when we got the ticket, but it was just a documentary, so that was kinda disappointing and my roommates fell asleep, but I stayed up and it was actually very intriguing to see Fellini’s style of directing.  The most exciting part of the day though was before the first film, where we wandered around and ended up on the press conference level.  There we ate the fancy press conference cheese and bread.  Then I stalked Eva and Nick’s press conference and when it ended Eva walked towards the area where I was and I wanted to say “Eva, Hi, I love you!” but nothing ended up coming out (ha!), and instead I just waved.  She smiled at me and said “Ciao!”  It’s kinda self-indulgent to brag about that lol, but I thought it was pretty exciting.  That night we went to the red carpet event for the premier of Eva and Nick’s movie and saw some pretty Italian actresses, Paris Hilton, Nick, and Eva.  Eva ended up coming to our area to sign autographs bc I was surrounded by a bunch of teenage girls who were going crazy and screaming her name.  Standing 2 feet away from her, I finally conjured up the courage to say “hey!,” but it didn’t seem like she remembered me from earlier haha MILA.  She is very gorgeous in person. 
The “Bad Lieutenant” was a very very odd movie.  It was about a cop (Nick Cage) who hurts his back after saving a person during post-Katrina.  Bc of his back pains, he gets a addicted to painkillers then coke.  He has a relationship with a prostitute who he does coke with (Eva Mendes), and makes friends with a drug dealer (Exhibit).  The whole time I thought it was a very bad movie just bc it was so crude and random, but I thought the ending was very well done and bc of that I liked the movie overall.  Definitely entertaining.  The Chinese film followed the Bad Lieutenant and that one had great cinematography, but it was really hard to follow the complex plot bc I was trying to follow the subtitles the whole time which were translated horribly according to my roommate.  I didn’t enjoy the story too much bc the bad guy ended up living happily ever after (which I guess is the reality sometimes) but overall it was well put together. 
The next day we went to Murano Island which is famous for its glass blowing & art.  There we went to a glass blowing demonstration which was amazing.  On the island we met some other exchange students from Milan (originally from Maryland) & a girl from Chicago and hung out with them for a little.  We then headed back to the Lido to swim in the Adriatic.  Ironically, it had been over 100 that whole week, but on the day we decided to swim it was like 60 with very cold wind.  It heated up a little bit though and swimming in the Adriatic was very fun, but also very salty.  We ended up getting kicked off the beach later on bc it was apparently a private beach.  That would explain why not a lot of people were on it. Lol.  That night we went out to Campo S. Maguerita and chilled there for the night.  Currently on the train back Milan…perfect timing too.. I’m exhausted!

8/29

The trip to Milan was a very long one.  I had a stop in San Fran for a couple of hours and then I headed off to London.  When I got to London, there was barely any time for me to go through security, as my plane to Milan was taking off right away.  I actually ended up going through the line and asking people to cut while showing my ticket of my soon departure.  Everyone was nice, let me through, and I fortunately caught my flight.  I landed in Milan and took a cab to my apartment near the University I will be studying at.  I didn’t know what room in the apartment building I was in, but a guy came down the stairs and greeted me.  He asked if I was American, I said yes, and he told me that he knows where I am staying.  He introduced himself, Alex (from Germany), and went on about how he knows Michael (one of my roommates) and how he is staying with us for a little until his apartment is ready.  After answering a few of my questions, he seemed to be telling the truth, so I felt comfortable letting him in.  I dropped off my stuff and we started eating and talking, and about 30 minutes later Sherrylyn comes in and starts bursting into tears.. “Vance, you’re heeerree!!??”  I was a little confused of why she was crying, but Michael then came in, and she started to explain.. Michael had been pick-pocketed at a party the night before and lost some money and his keys.  Michael’s phone ran out of battery as well that night and so they were pretty much stranded outside.  They ended up sleeping in the park near our apartment and got woken up by a homeless guy.  They witnessed a girl with ripped up clothes get chased by some guys.  They then proceeded to try and wait by the apartment for someone to come and ended up sleeping on the stairs for a couple of hours.  Nobody came so they went and hung out by the school and the supermarket and finally came back at 4:30pm when I arrived.  It probably wasn’t funny for them at the time, but I couldn’t help but laugh. 

The night I arrived in Milan, I got to know Michael and Alex a little bit more, then Sherrylyn and I went out to dinner with a few of the students she had traveled with and met already (Daniel, Jenna, Gabe, and Rico).  Going out was a little overwhelming because outside of the students in Milan, nobody speaks English.  The communication barrier is definitely a big thing I’ll have to get over, but hopefully I pick up some Italian after I take some Italian courses through the school.  The students we went to dinner with were all very nice: Daniel (Singapore), Jenna (Florida), Gabe (Florida), Rico (New Zealand).  One of the first things I saw in Milan by my apartment was a basketball court, which I was very excited about, but Jenna legitimately thinks she can beat me (she says she’s played college ball), so I’m very interested to see how I size up.  I’m pretty confident going into this 1 on 1 game, but I’ll keep everyone posted with a video of how it goes down. ;P  After dinner we got some gelato, a nice welcoming dessert to Italy, then went to a bar to watch the AC Milan vs InterMilan game (a huge town rivalry).  InterMilan ended up dominating (I had no particular favorite), but it was very fun being in the environment of a heated town rivalry with fans of both sides in the same bar.  After the game we headed back to the apartment and chilled at the internet cafe, which is actually just a couch in our apartment (the only spot that receives internet access), and Alex and Michael gave Sherry and I tips and pointers about Berlin. 

8/30

We woke up at 3am the next day to catch a cab to the tram which took us to the Airport.  Our flight took off at 6:30am from Milan and we arrived at 7:30am in Berlin.  I was very nervous going into this foreign country with no knowledge of the language, culture, or people.  From the very beginning though, I realized that the people in Berlin were very very friendly.  An older gentleman ended up teaching us how to by a train ticket and directed us on how to get to our hostel.  We met girl from Sweden on the way to our hostel who spontaneously decided to move to Berlin to study the language and because she loved the city so much.  Later on I found out that it was actually very common to meet people from all parts of the world to spontaneously have the urge to move and make a living in Berlin.  I didn’t understand it at first, but the city has actually really grown on me.  The architecture is beautiful, it’s very laid back and open-minded, not crowded, relatively cheap, has a very diverse array of people, and many people speak English. 

We finally arrived to our hostel at around 10am and grabbed some free breakfast.  We then went to our room and passed out for a nap.  We were exhausted!  We had a really good nap, woke up at like 3pm and decided to explore the city.  We found ourselves in Alexander Platz, home to the famous TV tower, and immediately were amazed by the monumental buildings and statues there.  We just roamed the city and stumbled upon a fair they were having to commemorate Berlin history.  Walking around and witnessing the people dressed up in old traditional uniforms and outfits was very entertaining.  We kept walking around and stumbled upon a beautiful Anglican church.  It was absolutely gorgeus and we had to go in.  We were stopped by an usher who told us that service was about to be in session and that the church would open to the public later on.  We wanted to go in, so decided to attend the service.  It was actually very interesting to be exposed to that type of church (it felt very catholic), but unfortunately I could not understand anything the priest was saying as he preached in German.  We grabbed a bite to eat, and then went back to the hostel.  We ended up meeting these guys (Blake and Tegan) from Seattle in the elevator and one of them is actually going to UW next year.  We played pool with them that night, and a girl joined us, Blanch, who was from Portland and goes to the U of O!  We later on then found out that a couple of our roommates in our hostel room go to the UW as well and one of them lives a street away from Sherry.  A very weird experience to meet so many people from the PNW in Berlin!  During pool it was funny because Tegan would always say, “you’re up dude!,” to Blake, and Blake (a little faded at the time) would respond.. “Ya, dude, Europe is siiickkk!”

8/31

The next day we decided to do a free walking tour of Berlin.  We had an amazing tour guide, Natasha from Scotland, who took a group of us to some of the most famous sites of the city.  We did not only get to see these amazing sites, but we were able to hear about the history and significance of each place and monument.  One of the first things I found out was that Berlin means “Swamp City” as it was literally built on a swamp.  We started the tour at the Brandenburg gate and ended at Museum Island near Alexander Platz.  Some notable sites we saw included Hotel Adlon, which accommodated people like President Obama and was also the place where Michael Jackson held his baby over the balcony.  We stood at the death site of Hitler, visited a part of the Berlin Wall, passed through checkpoint Charlie, stood in front of the University where Einstein taught at, and strolled by beautiful graffiti on the way.  Graffiti in Berlin actually carries a more artistic and positive feeling compared to how its viewed in cities like LA.  I learned a ton about Berlin history and a story that stuck out to me was told at the end of the tour.  The story was about how the fall of the Berlin Wall was actually an accident.  I wasn’t familiar with the story, so it was very interesting. 

In 1989, there were massive protests (upwards of 100,000 people participiated) about the current state and division of West and East Berlin.  Because of the protests, a press conference was to be held.  The leader of Berlin at the time was running very late to the press conference and didn’t even make it to the meeting before where they discussed what he was supposed to talk about and about future plans.  So he scurried into the press conference room and someone that attended the meeting just handed him the meeting notes.  The journalists could only ask questions from a set list, so the first 30 min of the meeting was very boring, but then one journalist decided to deviate from the list and asked what the leader would do in reaction to all these protests.  This really put the leader on the spot (he didn’t know what to say bc he wasn’t at the meeting), and in a panic, he grabbed the meeting notes and read the first sentence he saw.. “we will lift all travel restrictions.”  This created an uproar amongst the reporters and they fired questions left and right and finally someone asked if this meant the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and when this would be in effect.  The leader was under a lot of stress and really didn’t know what to say.. he ended up saying, “Effective Immediately.”  This led thousands of people in the east of Berlin to flood the gate to try and get entrance into West Berlin.  The guards said that anyone can pass as long as they have the right documentation (they said this bc they knew nobody would).  2 people though, fought their way to the front, and actually had the correct paperwork.  The guards told everyone to step back as they let the 2 go through, but when the doors opened for the 2 to go through, the thousands of people flooded the gate and pushed through.  Family members, friends, and relatives were all united after 20 years of not being able to see each other.  That night it was a huge party in west berlin and the movie playing at the time was Dirty Dancing.. the box office for that movie that day was off the charts… and it’s one of the most beloved movies in Berlin to date.  I just thought that this story was so amazing, recent, and one that not a lot of people know about.

After the tour Sherry and I took a walk by the river and ended up doing a boat tour.  The guide only spoke German which kinda sucked lol, but it was just nice to relax on a boat on a sunny day.  Right when we got on the boat he says to us, “Welcooome!  You from America?” haha.. Sherry and I are still wondering how people spot us as American so quickly.. hmm.  After the tour we grabbed a famous German hotdog and took a nap.  We rested up bc that night we headed to a social event the hostel told us about.  We ended up meeting tons of backpackers and Berliners which was really great.  We met people from DC, San Diego, Canada, Australia, London, Scotland, Ireland, a UW Alum (haha!), etc.  It was great to socialize and roam the city at night with a great group of diverse cultures and backgrounds.  That was the number one thing I was excited about.. meeting people.. and so far it has been pretty successful. :)

9/1

The next morning we headed to a concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin.  Definitely not a happy and fun trip, but I am thankful for the experience.  Obviously, I could be spending my vacation in a less depressing way, but I felt it was important to visit a concentration camp at least once in my life.  I took a lot away from the experience and really witnessed how dark humans can be.  I think it’s important not to forget history like this, so that it does not happen again.  It was truly a humbling experience. 

After the concentration camp we went to the Parliament building which was amazing.  They have a huge dome at the top for people to go up and at the top you can actually look down at the politicians meeting.  The idea is for them to look up and remember that they are there for the PEOPLE!  Hopefully it’s effective…

9/2

The next night out, we hung out with Sherry’s friend Wolfrom who she met at the UW while he was there doing research.  We then played pool at the hostel with a couple we met in our room from LA.  They are on a world tour, hitting up places like France, Germany, Greece, India, China, Fiji, and Australia.  They are traveling for 7 months… ridiculous!

9/3

We started the next morning on our way to Venice.. woke up kinda late so had to rush to the airport, but made it just in the nick of time.  Venice is absolutely gorgeous.  I cannot believe someone throught they could build a city in that area, but they did, and it’s breathtaking.  Every turn, alleyway, river, and bridge is amazing.  This is definitely the most romantic city I have ever seen.  It was our friend Kathy’s birthday and we celebrated by going to San Marco, witnessing the sites & shopping, and then we went to dinner at a really fancy restaurant right one the water.  It was very nice but I think we paid for the scenery bc for 12 e I got one bite of lasagna. Haha!  It’s okay though, it was fun to celebrate with Kathy and Sherry.  Afterwards we bought gelleto on the supermarket and ate it right on the water and stared at the Venice night lights!