Monday, September 27, 2010

hira: living a dream (albeit frustrating dream)

wow, what a week. a beautiful weekend spent in milano--i never, ever thought i would be able to say that. the day started early--like 5:00 am early. we wanted to ensure that we got the most out of our day, taking our time to hit all the sites, shopping, and leaving enough time for mindless wandering. essential.

a 1.5 hour train ride later (perfect nap-time with the ipod), and i'm suddenly staring at the milano centrale platforms with walls covered in ads by cristiano ronaldo. things are definitely starting off right ;). what started as a rainy day, quickly turned into a sunny afternoon and evening--we made our way to the Duomo, the Arc de Pace, the Castello Sforzesco, the Teatro alla Scala, and Santa Maria delle Grazie--housing the Last Supper. so much well-preserved history.



surrounded by fashion week milano--i can assure you that we took advantage of the fashion capital and strolled the shops and gallerias, stopping for a coffee or panino.


the day ends, and i find myself back in torino--home. its a good feeling. i can happily wander the streets because i am finally familiar with major streets, piazzas and bus routes. this week, i have been forgoing the bus during the day and instead walking to my destinations--it is never more than an hour away and i really enjoy the walk. i can never get bored of walking through the gardens of parco dello valentino, crossing the bridge over the river po, or standing in the middle of piazzas and admiring baroque architecture. it's not better or worse than our home in the states--just different. different is a good feeling.




i started a little tutoring project with two girls, meeting them each once a week to help them in their english lessons. i have to say, its a mutual learning experience--it's quite humbling to learn so much from a 9-year old. again, i'll choose to walk to their houses, even though it's a 35-40 minute walk. i find that i've been craving that lifestyle--we both know that we cannot do much walking to our destinations on the mountain. except maybe to the cornfields. it's easy to lead a healthy lifestyle here--i never feel deprived, i'm always eating bread and cheese and dolce--but in moderation and so fresh. my daily yoga on the balcony helps me stretch out my legs and realign my spine. my days end with dinner that we cook in our tiny apartment, followed by a walk for digestion and perhaps a nightcap.




goals accomplished:

- i cook at home approximately 6 days a week. it saves me so much money, and i can relish the time i spend on cooking for myself and my roommates. slowing down.
- walking everywhere, and exploring torino on foot, be it running or walking. things are kind of blurry behind autobus window panes anyway.

new goals:

- drink more water! last week, i started slacking in my water intake and can definitely notice an increase in 'hunger' (i.e. thirst). its essential to keep me moving.
- invert eating patterns so that i eat a bigger lunch and therefore, less in the evening.

currently obsessed with: the entire ZARA store. new season of gossip girl. navy slacks. new boots. uva fragola---a hybrid grape-strawberry fruit eaten in italy.

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