So this week is my last in Milano and I find myself at this moment to be reasonably frazzled, and this is not a state of mind I enjoy as I’m normally a very calm person, however I think moving countries is a fairly good reason to be feeling somewhat stressed.
In order for me to explain a bit about how I’m feeling I’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 Things I really don’t feel like doing anymore this week, even if I know I will be doing each of these things every day until I leave next Monday!
The list is:
1. Saying Goodbye to Beloved Friends: It’s really hard. Full Stop.
2. Going to the Post Office: I’ve been three times already in the last week and it was on my second visit that I realised the people who work there actually don’t know how to send large boxes internationally, which got me to wandering what they actually do learn at Post Office School? Perhaps the first thing they are taught is how to frustrate clients?!
3. Cleaning: I actually think that cleaning would be on my Top 5 Things that I don’t like doing ever (along with ironing), so it’s no surprise its here on this list. But bit by bit I am getting there and I have a cleaning lady coming to do a big clean with me on Friday so I think it will be all ok in the end.
4. Packing: A Complete Nightmare...but I think I’m over half way there, so I’m going to get there as well. I think I might be still chucking out more clothes though! It is true that you never realise how much you accumulate until its all in front of you or if you need to carry it all. Then you really do realise that perhaps the clothes wardrobe and shoe collection are in a much better state than you thought.
5. Dealing with Fastweb, A2A, Vodafone: Where do I start? Seriously, in Italy these three companies are some of the biggest service providers available yet I would say they provide probably the worst customer service around. Vodafone actually has days when they are not too bad, yet they are very inconsistent. Fastweb (for internet, phone etc) simply told me that although I had requested our account to be closed on 27th June, that their computer actually decides on the date the account will be closed, and there is nothing they can do. When I was told this over the phone last week I started laughing! Have you ever heard of anything more ridiculous? I’m therefore awaiting the day when I wake up and there is no internet nor extended TV channels. These providers seem to think we as customers should be grateful to them for existing and therefore have an attitude of superiority and any customer of theirs asking a simple question ends up feeling like they are a child being told off.
Right....enough for today I am off to do some packing!
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Friday 17 June 2011
Unique Bars & A Trattoria: Milano
This week I have been to a couple of great bars and a lovely trattoria just near my office here in Milan. These places are all a little bit special in their own way, and different from the run of the mill type bars and restaurants, so definitely worth a try.
- Bento Bar: Corso Garibaldi 104, Milano. Website: http://www.bentobar.com. The aperitivo price is €12 which includes a drink (with some nice Japanese style cocktails to choose from) and a Bento sushi box. Although €12 is a bit on the steepish side for an aperitivo the sushi is really nice and fresh so in the end the price really doesn't feel too bad. Also its great to sit outside, on Corso Garibaldi and do some people watching. Other places to try in the same location are Radetzky Café and Princi (http://www.princi.it) which is more a pasticceria but you can also sit outside. These are both found in Largo la Foppa, or Piazza Moscova. If you feel like a slightly cheaper drink than the Radetzky prices, then pop straight across Corso Garibaldi to a small bar run by some guys who sell more well priced drinks, and you will find that you are not the only one with that same idea! In the end everyone ends up hanging out on Corso Garibaldi and chatting, so where you bought your drink is irrelevant! A new addition to this area is a German style birreria which is found at the end of a little Galleria, and their beers are €4 each, and they also serve you plates of aperitivo food.
- Fioraio Bianchi Caffè: Via Montebello 7, Milano. Website: http://www.fioraiobianchicaffe.it. This is both a restaurant and bar and located in the Brera neighbourhood of Milan. The closest metro station is either Turati or Moscova. This is such a nice place, as its actually both a florist and restaurant. I went for dinner years ago and I still remember that the food was delicious and the atmosphere is lovely. This week I went there for an aperitivo and shared a nice bottle of wine with friends, and they offer a nice selection of food for their aperitivo too.
- Trattoria Aurora: Via Savona 23, Milano. T: 02 8323144. Standing on Via Savona and looking at the entrance of this trattoria you have no idea what is inside, and its such a lovely surprise when you do go in. This trattoria is in a great location diagonally opposite Cafè Savona and also Murphys Irish pub, both well known in the Zona Tortona / Savona area. I've walked past this trattoria so many times and finally yesterday went to lunch there. So you walk inside and instantly feel like you have been transported to another time, with dark furnishings and booths to sit in, then you keep walking all the way down to the end of the restaurant and before you is a beautiful courtyard covered with vines, grapes and tables of people enjoying their food. The lunch menu is really well priced, and mains are around €8-10 each. The food was brilliant and service really friendly.
- Turne Bar: Via Paolo Frisi 3, Milano. Website: http://www.turnenightbar.com. The closest metro is Porta Venezia. I've been to this bar many times, not only for drinks and aperitivo, but also to watch football matches as they have a great room at the back of the bar where they can put up a big screen for different events. This bar is a casual, friendly local, with well priced drinks and its great to go for a good catch up with friends.
Hope that you enjoy these!
Tuesday 14 June 2011
It's Getting Close...
In exactly two weeks from today I'll be hopping on board a Singapore Airlines plane and heading for Sydney. I'm moving back to Australia for good. This journey is one I've been thinking about for months, and now that it's so close I can't quite believe that it is actually happening. The days at the moment are going incredibly quickly, and I'm starting to say my goodbye's to friends both here in Milan and also in London where I was last week. My week in London flew by with both seeing friends and colleagues plus being busy at work, and I think I was kind of almost in a state of shock that I won't be heading back to London in a month, like I have been for the past couple of years. Saying goodbye to Milan and everyone here is going to be even tougher.
I have been living in Italy for five years, and although it's had some challenging moments, like for example this morning when I had to deal with a really rude lady working at my local post office, and living with an incredible amount of bureaucracy (like you could never imagine!), my overall experience has been incredibly rewarding and unforgettable. I couldn't even tell you the number of times I've been asked by Italians why I'm living in Milan and in Italy, and what brought me here in the first place. Well, I have to say I left Australia and told my family and friends that I'd be back in 3-6 months! I wanted to experience living in Italy and to learn a new language. I studied Italian in Bologna for my first three months, and then because I was enjoying myself so much I decided to stay. I found a job in Milan during the month of August (which is almost unheard of), because in August Italy completely closes down. Everyone goes on their summer holiday, including businesses shutting up shop for weeks, and cities like Milan, Bologna and Turin become ghost town's. You have to witness this phenomenon to truly understand how a bustling city like Milan just becomes empty. It's actually not such a bad thing IF you know what is actually open because Milan becomes really calm and mellow and those that do stay in the city find it to be not so bad. If you have a car its great, because suddenly you can have your pick of parking places!
So after working in my first job for about 9 months I changed jobs and started working for an online marketing company called 77Agency. For me this was a significant change. I had been working for a small recruitment company in Milan, and after being there for a few months I realised that this company wasn't one I wanted to work for long-term and also that I actually wasn't enjoying the work. I had already thought about looking for a new job but my decision was made for me when my bosses sacked me and told me to leave that day. That was a shock to the system! I had never lost a job, and also made to feel like I was completely useless. So although I was upset, in the end it was the best thing that could of happened to me. I started working at 77 less than a week later, and have an Aussie friend to thank for it. I had never actually worked in the online marketing / advertising industry before, and I have to say now four years on, its an industry that I really enjoy and find challenging and one where I learn something new every day. In these four years I have witnessed the huge growth of for example Facebook which now has over 680 million users, and one that I use every day for work and also personal reasons. The online industry is definitely booming, and there are so many new channels and companies constantly popping up, it actually at times feels hard to keep up! I'm also going to be starting up 77 in Sydney, and focusing specifically on social media and Facebook. So it's going to be exciting to be back working in Sydney and working in an industry which is really dynamic - setting up and introducing 77 into the market in Australia.
I have been incredibly lucky throughout my time in Italy to have met and made some wonderful friends, and these are the people who made my time here so memorable. When I arrived in Milan I knew two people, and thought to myself, right, I need to get out there and start networking and making friends, because they are not going to come knocking at my front door. I joined a couple of ex-pat networks which I started to regularly attend, and this is how I met so many of my friends and created my social life. I've danced, laughed, travelled, cried, talked for hours and drunk myself silly with these people who are now unforgettable and incredibly special to me. I realise that amazing people are key to any experience, and how good it becomes. Also I think a positive attitude doesn't hurt either!
My decision to return home to Australia wasn't easy. In the end though I realised that I am missing my family, I'd like to save some cash and buy a property (yes, I need to save a lot to buy in Sydney!), I'm ready to get back into the Sydney swing of things, and to top it off wouldn't it be lovely to be a bit more financially secure....plus well, yes, I'm going to admit it here, I'd also like to meet a nice man...which yes, could happen anywhere in the world and I've met some amazing, interesting men here who I want to keep in touch with...but perhaps it could be good to meet a guy in Australia. My friends are already joking that I'm going to meet an Italian in Sydney! So in the end some pretty big reasons to return back to Australia, and I'm just going to take it day by day, and see what happens. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day...but fingers crossed it doesn't take too long to settle back into Sydney.
It's a whole new chapter of my life, and one I'm ready for.
I have been living in Italy for five years, and although it's had some challenging moments, like for example this morning when I had to deal with a really rude lady working at my local post office, and living with an incredible amount of bureaucracy (like you could never imagine!), my overall experience has been incredibly rewarding and unforgettable. I couldn't even tell you the number of times I've been asked by Italians why I'm living in Milan and in Italy, and what brought me here in the first place. Well, I have to say I left Australia and told my family and friends that I'd be back in 3-6 months! I wanted to experience living in Italy and to learn a new language. I studied Italian in Bologna for my first three months, and then because I was enjoying myself so much I decided to stay. I found a job in Milan during the month of August (which is almost unheard of), because in August Italy completely closes down. Everyone goes on their summer holiday, including businesses shutting up shop for weeks, and cities like Milan, Bologna and Turin become ghost town's. You have to witness this phenomenon to truly understand how a bustling city like Milan just becomes empty. It's actually not such a bad thing IF you know what is actually open because Milan becomes really calm and mellow and those that do stay in the city find it to be not so bad. If you have a car its great, because suddenly you can have your pick of parking places!
So after working in my first job for about 9 months I changed jobs and started working for an online marketing company called 77Agency. For me this was a significant change. I had been working for a small recruitment company in Milan, and after being there for a few months I realised that this company wasn't one I wanted to work for long-term and also that I actually wasn't enjoying the work. I had already thought about looking for a new job but my decision was made for me when my bosses sacked me and told me to leave that day. That was a shock to the system! I had never lost a job, and also made to feel like I was completely useless. So although I was upset, in the end it was the best thing that could of happened to me. I started working at 77 less than a week later, and have an Aussie friend to thank for it. I had never actually worked in the online marketing / advertising industry before, and I have to say now four years on, its an industry that I really enjoy and find challenging and one where I learn something new every day. In these four years I have witnessed the huge growth of for example Facebook which now has over 680 million users, and one that I use every day for work and also personal reasons. The online industry is definitely booming, and there are so many new channels and companies constantly popping up, it actually at times feels hard to keep up! I'm also going to be starting up 77 in Sydney, and focusing specifically on social media and Facebook. So it's going to be exciting to be back working in Sydney and working in an industry which is really dynamic - setting up and introducing 77 into the market in Australia.
I have been incredibly lucky throughout my time in Italy to have met and made some wonderful friends, and these are the people who made my time here so memorable. When I arrived in Milan I knew two people, and thought to myself, right, I need to get out there and start networking and making friends, because they are not going to come knocking at my front door. I joined a couple of ex-pat networks which I started to regularly attend, and this is how I met so many of my friends and created my social life. I've danced, laughed, travelled, cried, talked for hours and drunk myself silly with these people who are now unforgettable and incredibly special to me. I realise that amazing people are key to any experience, and how good it becomes. Also I think a positive attitude doesn't hurt either!
My decision to return home to Australia wasn't easy. In the end though I realised that I am missing my family, I'd like to save some cash and buy a property (yes, I need to save a lot to buy in Sydney!), I'm ready to get back into the Sydney swing of things, and to top it off wouldn't it be lovely to be a bit more financially secure....plus well, yes, I'm going to admit it here, I'd also like to meet a nice man...which yes, could happen anywhere in the world and I've met some amazing, interesting men here who I want to keep in touch with...but perhaps it could be good to meet a guy in Australia. My friends are already joking that I'm going to meet an Italian in Sydney! So in the end some pretty big reasons to return back to Australia, and I'm just going to take it day by day, and see what happens. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day...but fingers crossed it doesn't take too long to settle back into Sydney.
It's a whole new chapter of my life, and one I'm ready for.
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