life in italy – ⋆ Second Gen Desi ⋆

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I value having paid vacation. Days off for fill-in-the-blank leave. But like with anything else in this world, there has to be balance, and it has to make sense.

When I was in grade school, my school adopted a novel-for-that-era schedule. From 3^rd grade through 5^th grade (6^th grade I left for middle school), I was on a year-round schedule, meaning that the school was open year-round, but parents had the choice to put their kids in one out of four tracks.

We had red, yellow, green, and blue tracks, and their distinguishing factor was what months each track got off.

My parents were intrigued by blue track because the off months were perfect for traveling sans crowds. September? January? May? Sure, their kids would have to sit in class during the traditional dog days of summer, but at least they could plan a long trip to India in the off-season and save hundreds on our flights.

I personally wanted to be in red track, because naïve little me thought I could use third grade to win over Jainey’s friendship, even though she made it clear time and time again I could never fit in with her Filipino clique.

But I digress…

Looking back, I’m glad I got to have that unique experience. We had some really amazing family trips during our off months those years, and I think they might not have been so great if we had to battle summer crowds.

Also, going to school during the summer wasn’t *too* bad. My teachers were usually lax, and we got to do more activities outside, while cooling off with treats like popsicles and ice cream cups after a long, hot week—if my teachers thought we were deserving of it!

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I eventually got to experience my years of a real “American summer break” once I hit middle and high school, but family vacations were no longer the priority. They couldn’t be, since I was worrying about college and figuring out how to use my time wisely. Long story short, it really didn’t matter, and I do wish I hadn’t been so anxious about things out of my control at such a tender age…

Because I was so used to working through “traditional vacation time” (a lot of my high-achieving, “poor student” friends were), I entered my PhD not batting an eye at the thought of spending almost every day in the lab in some form. For a five-year period, I was able to find moments to carve out time away, but it was never in the form of an elaborate, dedicated vacation.

Even if I was away, I was always “on-call”. In fact, my Dad can attest to the fact I always had some anxiety-ridden episode during my “time off” because one of my undergrad students would message me with a mini-emergency, or my boss would send an urgent email.

I once got in trouble for going home for Thanksgiving. I ended up having a heated meeting with my boss, and even the question of “do PhD students even get time off?” was brought up in conversation. It’s a sad occurrence that is brushed over in the real world, but PhD students don’t have mandated days off. They are at the mercy of their superiors, but even if they do get the okay, the guilt that follows is incredible. When working in the lab, there is never a “good time” to leave…

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When I first came to Italy, I was excited about the thought of the mandated 20 vacation days I heard so much about. I was thrilled about finally having the chance to achieve work-life balance, but what I didn’t realize was that academia is the same all over the world. Even though I was working in Italy, I was working in a lab, so the “standard rules didn’t apply”. It was like I was doing my PhD all over again, and it was one of the many factors that contributed to my misery…

Hot city, minimal traffic – Milan in August

Now that I’m working a “real world” job, I finally have the chance to experience a true “vacation” period, but being Italy, there is always a catch.

Since my contract switched from the US-to-Italy mid-year, my yearly vacation days were adjusted as well. Unfortunately, I “had” to use a good chunk of them during the August period, since that’s when the company I work for (along with most establishments in Italy) closes up shop to “vacation”.

According to this article, abandoning “real life” for the majority of August is an Italian tradition dating back to the BC era. But if I’m being honest, it’s a kooky one that desperately needs to be relooked.

I mean, the article says some Italians have taken out loans this year just to vacation in August. Um, WHAT?!

Why with the criticism and lack of appreciation for the fact I even have time off finally? Because at the end of the day, there is no freedom in this procedure.

It means not being able to plan an October trip to Malta with my lab bestie from Germany, but rather forced to spend two weeks staring at the ceiling because I am “stuck” in the city. It can be incredibly annoying for those few who are still working/forced to be in the city, since even essential establishments like pharmacies can close up. Google becomes incredibly inaccurate during this time, and not being able to know if a place is *truly* open fuels the frustration even more…

Lucky for me, my cousin in Cardiff had a change of plans with her summer vacation and I’m actually heading over there for a long-overdue visit this weekend, but if that idea didn’t occur to me, I would indeed be abandoned in the ghost town that is Milano.

If I was “abandoned” in Austin, I could at least count on some vegan restaurants being open. Nothing that I value would be open in Milan…

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This is not to say a dedicated period for time off is “bad”, but forcing everyone to take time off during the period (by mandate or peer pressure) is counterproductive to say the least.

I mean, I get you can’t convince a Boomer to change his/her ways, so have it at August ya’ll! But do I have to be dragged along?

I wouldn’t mind if my superiors got priority to leave in August and I was asked to take leave in the fall (like how it works with my lab bestie’s company in Germany). In fact, I’d be thrilled by it. This would also be of benefit to companies since they can continue to be productive, even if “half-staffed”. Depending on one’s job, it’s not that hard to take on extra tasks temporarily if it means a well-deserved vacation later.

I’m also the kind of person who prefers scattered breaks throughout the year. I have 20 days? Let me do a week off every three months or so…pair it with some national holidays, and BOOM, constant feeling of refreshment while still maintaining productivity!

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Of course, there are people out there that disagree, but I’m a mature individual who encourages discussion and respects healthy discourse. I just think that if we are touting the notion that “one size does NOT fit all” in most topics this day and age—from working style to body image to sleep—how we vacation is something that should be rethought and not another thing to overlook as a tradition everybody loves.

Ha, I’m that American who shakes her head every time she passes a “chiuso per ferie” sign 🤦🏽‍♀️

It’s common to see these signs posted up in August…

What do you think about how Italians approach mandated vacation?

Do you prefer flexibility with your vacation or like that there is a designated, uniform period for time off?

Share your thoughts with a comment!

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So, this is my first blog post after deleting @secondgendesi from Instagram a little over a week ago, and the timing couldn’t have been better. I will admit that I experienced a huge amount of FOMO in the days after deleting. Feeling weird about not “posting to stories”. Experiencing sadness and crazy mood swings…it really is scary how social media can play with our mental health so intensely…

These feelings wore off about 4 days after I quit, in the middle of my work trip. Perhaps it was the packed schedule of my first industry conference, but it became easier and easier to not give a thought to the “world” I left behind. There’s no pressure to keep up with other peoples’ stories, or watch who likes my posts or views my story and get mad at those who don’t…

At the moment, my only connection to IG is through a science education account. I use it to share information about clinical trials in an easy-to-follow way, and it is meant to provide *some* useful content on a space so many spend time on.

This blog however, is the still the perfect place to elaborate on life things, and share it with people who actually care. Including things like life abroad experiences and global business trips.

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While I won’t explicitly say the name of the conference I went to, you can probably put two and two together after a little internet search, if you are that curious 😅. It was my first time in Switzerland in the French side (as an adult, not a five-year-old), and taking the train from Milan on an early Tuesday morning for a 4-hour ride was a very “European” experience.

I was traveling alone, since some of my colleagues drove on their own (dang!), took a plane, or took earlier trains. I was supposed to travel with my boss boss, but plans are always changing for directors so I had a feeling I’d be traveling on my own (which I was fine with).

The train was headed in the direction of Domodossola, a border city in Italy near the mountains. Once we passed the border, I had to rely on my company phone for data and a mobile hotspot, since my personal phone plan is a cheap Italian one that only offers good data service within the EU 🙄.

Regardless, once in Swiss territory, the views only got more beautiful with the distance. Once we approached Montreux, then Laussanne, we were encircling Lake Geneva which brought with it some gorgeous views. I of course had a headache, and couldn’t appreciate these gorgeous views to the extent I wished I could.

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Once I arrived in Geneva at noon, I had to find the bus that would take me to PalExpo, where my conference was taking place. Years of navigating public transit in foreign cities has helped me to figure out new cities with ease, but even then I face hiccups. I spent about 20 minutes waiting on the opposite side of the station for the bus, and only after a kind woman helped a French-speaking bus driver translate did I realize I had to walk back to the right side of the station.

My patience was wearing a bit thin, since Tuesday wasn’t a “good mood” day due to my social media “withdrawl”, my heavy bags, and accumulating sweat on my work clothes 😅.

Things were fine once I checked in at the expo, dropped off my bags at our company’s booth, and joined my colleagues for a talk being given by one of our scientific collaborators. Besides the collaborator just staring at me upon a colleague introducing us, not offering a handshake, and asking “do you speak Italian?” in the most judgy way, the talk went fine 🙃.

I went to some more talks in the afternoon, met with some companies we might be interested in collaborating with, and also snapped up some freebies wherever possible. I came away with ALL the vitamins, gummies, rice snack bars, and reusable bags…my countless experience with race expos came in handy here.

My half-day at the expo was tiring, yet I managed to have enough energy to chat with one of our sales guys on the shuttle back to the hotel. My colleague helped check me in, and once I got up to my room, I could not help but crash on the bed and lay motionless for a full hour—but not without taking some pics first.

A luxurious bed with some expo freebies on top

Concierge reminded me I could “order” a complimentary pillow before 10pm. I didn’t take advantage of it because I was too tired to make the choice, but some of these options sounded intriguing:

I had to get ready for a dinner out with some colleagues, which also felt exhausting because it was an added “Italian immersion” session for my brain. When I have the energy, it makes tackling language learning a *bit* easier, but after a long, busy work day that was already full of interactions? My brain was dead, and the bland excuse of a pasta dish (the only vegetarian option, of course) I had at the overpriced restaurant we visited did not help…

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The next morning, I surprisingly had enough energy to squeeze in a 3 mile run before the day’s events. Geneva is a beautiful city to run around in:

I got up at 6, and after the run, shower, and getting ready, I was waiting for everyone in the lobby at 8:00 sharp.

Too bad the shuttle was scheduled to arrive at 8:30.

My colleague spotted me and urged me to get some breakfast, since the day’s events were set, but could turn unpredictable. I couldn’t say no, since it was a business trip meal expense, after all.

I was obviously tired of bread and pasta, so I took a stab at the cold bar. Got some interesting picks for “breakfast”, including pickled onions, jam, cream cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and goji berries. I even asked for a cappuccino, but it never came. Sadly, I couldn’t be patient. I had to dart back to the lobby so I wouldn’t miss the shuttle at the actual time!

Wednesday was packed with more talks, booth visits, and two presentations particularly important for my company. One of the presentations was right before “lunchtime”, and I knew I had to eat something or I’d collapse.

Too bad the organization of the expo regarding food options was abyssmal. Swiss prices are crazy to begin with—at least have plenty of food hot ‘n’ ready for hungry industry professionals!

I had to choose between a 20CHF salad (that I wasn’t sure would fill me up) or 20CHF crepes made with egg, cheese, and spinach…the crepes won over.

Egg, spinach and cheese crepe — the food truck ladies packed the spinach on THICK. Which was appreciated, but I had to make sure none of this spilled on my dress!!

Was it worth waiting 40 minutes in line, plus another 20 for the crepes to be made? Not really, but my ravenous stomach begged to differ.

Anyone else hate eating hot/oily food when you’re dressed up? I’m so paranoid about sweating from the effort of eating—it’s a never-ending struggle!

I managed to make it to the end of the day, but not without feeling like a truck had run me over. On the shuttle back to the hotel (after waiting under the heat of the uncharacteristically hot May sun…), I found myself falling asleep, and once I got back to my room, I crashed.

Still, I had to make it out for yet another “team dinner”. Actually, we started off with aperitivo, or whatever it’s called in French Switzerland. I didn’t complain too much because 1) there was a fantastic cool breeze that made me feel cold for once and 2) the view was breath-taking:

After my colleagues downed their Aperol spritzes and I my orange juice, we went downstairs to the hotel restaurant. The lighting was dim and I was around people, so I wasn’t going to be that girl and take obnoxious photos.

I did partake in obnoxiously-priced Swiss food and a custom-made pea risotto, because yes, only ONE item was vegetarian on the entire menu…

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The next morning was one that I did not spring out of bed for—I sacrificed what could have been the perfect opportunity for another run around Geneva, for an extra hour in bed. I also had hotel breakfast again, and this time, I got my cappuccino in time.

It looks adorable, but tasted *oh so* bland.

Thursday was the last day of the expo, and also the slowest. I was able to fit in some last minute booth meetings, after getting a shot of espresso from our booth closet (lol) and resting at one of our tables for an hour.

I left with my colleague around lunch to catch the train back to Milan. We got some lunch and snacks to-go from Migros, a local Swiss store chain, and shockingly, our combined total for lunch, snacks, and chocolates to bring back to share with colleagues that stayed behind ended up being 90 CHF….how?

At least one of the items of that purchase was a good one: vegan chewing gum that had a fantastic flavor:

It was a slow four hours back, but at least I slept well that night. The next day was still a working day, but at least my inbox was pretty quiet 😅.

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For my first ever industry-related event-focused business trip, Geneva was not a bad destination at all. This was also the first time post-COVID I experienced long-term interaction with thousands of people (I didn’t talk to all of these people, but just navigating a large crowd again…man, it was exhausting!).

This trip was also a reminder of the language barrier I still face. I had my share of “how’s your Italian going?”/”do you speak Italian?”/”why don’t you speak Italian?” questions thrown at me on this trip, and of course it’s an annoyance I know will pop up as these events continue. I said in a recent post that while picking up Italian would be nice, it really isn’t my ultimate goal. I have so many other dreams that I hope I can make true, and speaking fluent Italian isn’t necessarily one of them…especially if it means I’d have to sacrifice time spent to make the other dreams possible.

But of course, is that politically correct to say as an expat? Am I just being a stubborn American?

Maybe, but maybe I’ve also struggled and failed way too many times in the past to feel motivated enough to try again.

Some thoughts to pick up on in a future post…I’m sure I’ll experience more situations that will elaborate on this issue further, and perhaps better explain why language learning has been one of the greatest banes of my existence…

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This month has been so calm, peaceful, and happy. I didn’t think I’d make it to such a mental state so quickly, but it’s happening.

Besides having a mini emotional breakdown at the end of January (being uncertain about the start of my business trip given the Omicron scare and waiting on the Italian consulate to process critical documentation to begin my EU Blue Card application were my triggers), I’ve felt relatively calm ever since, and I’ve welcomed it with an embrace of a mother who just saw her grown kids after 10 years 😅.

I know that I would have never found my current position in industry if it had not been for academia driving me out of toxic working conditions, but I do wonder what would have happened if I had joined my current company back in June 2020, rather than pursuing a post-doc, if everything I have been provided with so far was provided to me back then 🤔. I am almost certain Italy would have tasted sweeter.

Maybe as sweet as this donut I had the other day? I know, not Italian, but when it comes to breakfast, my cravings are all-American.

I definitely would have been over the moon about the Italian course they are willing to cover. Right now, I feel like I have to force myself to get motivated.

Despite the harsh reality I ended up having to face, I am forever grateful for the current calmness of 2022, and the calmness of my return to Milan especially. I mentioned in the linked post that I face doubts about what my current “passions” are, and if I will find success and happiness if I continue to pursue them, but I must also acknowledge that the new work-life balance I’ve found has allowed me to figure this out, day by day.

With running, I am finding my mental and physical stamina again. In the weeks leading up to my departure to Milan, I was running 9-10 miles for long runs on Sunday mornings. It was easy to zone out, get lost in my Spotify playlists, and enjoy the long Texas roads, stumbling across the occasional longhorn and galloping baby calves 😍.

While in Italy this month, I crushed my long run goals, going back to running distances that once came second nature to me. 11, 12, 13 mile long runs didn’t feel so intimidating this time around. I ran the hills of Como during these long runs, and I didn’t stop in a work anxiety-induced paralysis, which often prevented me from going the distance last year…

I feel good with my runs so far, even though I’m still off with my goal pace. But based on past experience, I know that increasing my weekly mileage will help. I’m trying to get back to where I was in 2017, where I was running 40-50 miles a week, in peak marathon training shape (pace-wise), and had built great comradery with my marathon training group as a plus. Running with people is a painkiller for me, it feels amazing to run with others, but finding a solid group of people to train with in Italy has been an impossible task. Especially due to the pandemic...

I have a half marathon in Texas scheduled in early April, and my hope while I am at home again for the next four weeks is to incorporate double runs (running in the morning and evening of the same day) again, to hit a higher weekly mileage. In Italy, it seems as though I’m better off finding people who smoke more than participate in cardiovascular exercise, frankly speaking, but we’ll see what happens as the months progress. While in Texas, it shouldn’t be too hard to stop by a Fleet Feet for a weeknight or weekend morning run with a group of like-minded runners 😀.

With writing, I go through moments of impassioned writing bursts, or days of procrastination. I think all writers can relate. Last year, I decided to stop writing short-forms on IG because it is a platform that doesn’t appreciate that kind of work. So now, my writing has become a private endeavor in the short-term, and this tests my patience immensely.

Coffee shop working and writing has always been a hobby of mine. It’s not a usual thing to do in Italy though…

I’ve chosen to keep the details of my writing projects private for now, but my close friends are writers themselves, and it’s been nice being able to bounce ideas off of them now and then. When I was back home, it was easier to write after work, and after an evening run. While in Italy, finding motivation to write in the evenings has been difficult, but I’m trying not to force myself if I don’t feel like it. I’m hoping for more days where I can bust out work in less than an hour due to passion (lol), like a post I wrote regarding Women’s Day. But even if those days are rare for now, I’m trying to use this time to figure out what works best for me when it comes to creating a “writing routine”.

Last week, I was successful in devoting 30 minutes to one of my projects every day, no matter what. Even if some of those sessions were not extremely productive, the minutes I had my doc open helped me in some form with the process as a whole. I’m hoping to continue meeting these “mini goals” because it’s better than not doing anything at all!

With my career, it’s something I’ve said a number of times but still holds true—leaving academia meant getting my mental health back. There is no doubt that me talking about running and writing here is because now I have the time to invest in them again.

I was also able to work remotely 2x a week while I was in Italy! It made long walks or lunchtime breaks outdoors so easy to fit in, and it definitely made me happy…

My job so far has been so perfect in terms of work-life balance, but even within the role, there have been discussions on what I can be involved with in the near future. Like, pipeline stuff. In the industry, this refers to a series of projects the company is working on or plans to work on. Some of the items proposed to me sound really exciting, and sound like they would utilize my skillset. Makes me feel important 😌

With life abroad, I still don’t know if I desire anything new. I had really high hopes during my first Italy stint, but learning the language is something that no longer excites me. Still, I will give it my best shot with the classes my company is offering me, it’s the least I can do, but if I had to choose between becoming an elite runner overnight or waking up speaking fluent Italian? I’d go with elite runner, hands down.

Do I want to travel? Sure, but only if the travel is spent with people I want to be with. I still haven’t been south of Florence when it comes to Italy. I’m saving places like Rome and Naples for when people I love can join me on those adventures. In the near-term, I don’t expect my family or close friends to be able to afford to see me in Italy, and so I have no complaints about going to see them where they are. My friend in Germany recently invited me to join her in Turkey for a few days during the summer to attend a wedding. I’d love to join her for that, only so I can spend quality time with her. I’ve heard Turkey is beautiful, but I don’t have the desire to go by myself at the moment. Such a stark difference from my solo travel days…

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It’s nice to be able to reflect on these past few weeks and be happy with them. I can only hope that things continue to go well and develop to my liking, but like I mentioned in a post from a few weeks ago, I’m attempting to adopt a “cruise control” attitude for all of these things. I know now that I can experience calmness for a long period, and that makes me feel so good.

And it only further drives home the point that our environment is so powerful, so do whatever you can to put yourself in a place that gives you the best possible.

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When I was given the greenlight to pack my bags for Italy in June of this year, I did not give a single thought to what would happen in the months after—let alone days after—arriving in Milan.

Once I was out of my self-quarantine, things began to take shape. I was able to socialize, meet new people, and get back to filling out my bucket list of all the places I wanted to visit now that I was living in Italy (of course looking back at it now, this seemed like a wishful thing to do as we are now trying to survive a second wave of COVID…).

My birthday was coming up in August, and my original plan was to visit Cinque Terre—but life had other plans that I was unwilling to pass on.

So on my 28th birthday, I wasn’t on a tourist bus snapping pics of coastal towns and the sea—I was several miles north, deep in the Canton of Ticino, Valle Verzasca.

From Northern Italy (Como), it takes about 1 hour by car and 3 hours by train to arrive here, and it’s difficult to miss.

Despite Italy being a sweaty mess that August afternoon, the weather in the valley was mild, cool, and cloudy—the definition of a perfect escape from the horrors of summer weather. So many others had the same idea that day…

Even though a lot of time was spent commuting, getting through one of the trails that was linked to a parking area took no more than an hour! And within that hour, there were so many picture-worthy sights to take in and return home with:

Honestly, my most favorite sight of the entire trek was this building—the blue window shutters against a white backdrop and flowers on the window sill? It just screamed classic Swiss/European design 😍.

Ultimately, I was glad I was able to celebrate my first day of being 28 years old in the middle of lush, Swiss greenery.

This was my last “trip” of the summer, right around the time others in Italy were preparing for their August getaways. I didn’t feel comfortable asking for an extended amount of time off at the time, since I had just started a new position, and I’m relieved I didn’t. At least I can say I didn’t put myself or others at risk for the sake of lounging on a beach…

Of course, I’d love to explore more of Italy and its neighboring countries when the time allows for it. Verzasca was a lovely teaser for what is still out there waiting for me…

2021, I hope you have more lush green landscapes in store for me...

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After almost a month in Milan, I was itching to explore. Quarantine-ing for two weeks made me feel restless, and starting work soon after made me feel a bit overwhelmed, but I went into this experience telling myself these things –

A) Don’t feel pressure to go out “exploring” every single weekend if you don’t feel like it. Italy and surrounding countries will still be there, and you’ll get to them eventually.

B) Weekends are yours and yours only. Work is always going to have its demands, but keep it at work. Do your best and give it your all during the week, but the weekend is there to relax, recharge, and rest. Those PhD weekends working on quantifying images from microscopy even with Netflix in the background were not exactly “fun”, admit it 😂!

Despite starting my new job at a time when people were planning their grand vacations for Ferragosto, I didn’t feel comfortable asking for time off within a week of starting. Looking back, it would have been nice to plan a more leisurely, longer stay in a city outside of the Lombardy region, but I felt most comfortable staying local and going out on weekends when I could.

When my labmates inquured what I would be doing in my next “free weekend from quarantine”, I turned the question on them and asked where they would recommend I travel. One of them immediately spit out “Como!”, and I thought why not?

It sounded beautiful, wasn’t too far by train, and was near one of the supposedly most beautiful lakes in the country. The word for lake in Italian, lago, even sounds more regal than just plain ol’ “lake‘.

When I think of ‘lake’, I think of this stagnant body of water (Folsom Lake, CA, 2005)

I started my half-day “adventure” with a lazy wake-up call (8am for me, lol) and proceeded to take the green line to the closest transfer point for inter-regional trains.

I ended up getting off at Sesto San Giovanni station and made sure to get myself a take-away cappuccino before boarding my train.

From there, it was about a 1 hour train ride to Como Lago station, one of the most beautiful train stops I’d ever seen—perhaps it was the summer flora that did the trick:

From there, I followed the crowd of passengers from my train towards the city center…since I made the mistake of not downloading Google Maps for the area (I didn’t have data yet because I still had my US number…had to wait at least one more week before getting my Italian one 😂).

As I walked on through, I realized this was the beauty people talked about when they referred to Italy.

The narrow roads, the faded, but beautiful-in-its-own-right architecture. It made sense to take pictures here.

Once I got to the center, I wasn’t sure what to do first—eat? Wasn’t too hungry yet. Shop? Didn’t feel like it. Walk some more?

I opted for walking, and felt the need to inch away from the crowds. Even during pre-COVID times, I tried to keep a distance from crowds 😂.

I ended up walking up an incline into what seemed to be a private neighborhood. It was a long, winding road, and I could definitely see it being used by the locals for their daily cardio.

I love seeing funky buildings like these and wondering what it would be like to live on the top floor.

Bikers passed by me, as well as cars and their annoying honks, as I made my way up. I didn’t want to walk too far without knowing where I was headed, so I made the wise choice to walk back down and orient myself towards the lake instead.

Before turning back however, I had to document the fact that yes, I had stumbled upon something beautiful.

As I made my way back down, it looked as if the crowds had doubled. Orienting myself so the lake was in front and the city center was to the back of me, I decided to walk north starting from the right side of the lake.

I realized about 20 min in that the “better” side of the lake was the left one—after seeing what all was there from my current viewpoint.

As I got further away from the center (and the crowds, again) I was starting to feel hungry and agitated. There were scattered groups of teenagers chatting animatedly and elderly folk walking hand-in-hand, but I soon found an isolated place to rest for a bit.

My walk back to the center was slower in pace, but at least I was ready to eat something. I ventured back to where the shops were, and found a cute bakery:

I wanted to use the opportunity to practice my Italian, but two things happened: 1) I happened to be in line right after a pushy Englishman who put no effort whatsoever to speak un po’ italiano. He demanded still water and extra forks. I was embarrassed for him, but mostly irritated by his behavior since the ladies behind the counter assumed I was a tourist who only chose to speak English as well, and 2) I pronounced olive wrong (I should have said “oh-lee-vuh”).

At least I had my (unpictured) foccacia olive alongside some gorgeous views.

After my lunch, I headed towards the left of the lake and the most exciting:

I didn’t care to hop onto a boat or go on a fancy lake tour—-taking my time by foot and soaking in the views on my own was enough for me.

Since it was a day in mid-July, the weather was starting to get unbearable. I had to take another break, but at least it was at an adorable stopping point.

For me, 4 hours was enough, especially going solo. Before leaving back to the station, I got myself a cup of mint gelato. I admired the front of the station before hopping back on the next train to Milan.

Little did I know that I’d be back very soon.

Since that first day in Como, things have taken wild turns on all accounts. Things that I never would have expected, but made me rethink what my priorities were for the time being in regards to travel.

I knew for sure that I wanted to try new activities, have novel experiences, and meet amazing people, so in that sense, I may have sacrificed the chance to explore more of Italy earlier in my journey. I’ve stayed “close to home” for the past (almost) six months in Italy out of choice due to work demands, my personal energy levels, and as already stated my new priorities, but I don’t regret this at all.

My (half) day in Como has led me to where I am right now.

Ferie Freak-Out

Expat Adventures: An American’s Italian Work Trip to Geneva

Keep Calm & Carry (Yourself) On

A Verzasca Twist

A (Half) Day in Como