An extensive overview of my first day in Europe.

It's been quite a day. I woke up Sunday at 9:00 AM in Chicago and now I'm getting ready to go to bed at 1:51 AM in Milan (I took a 4 hour coma nap in between). In that 34 hour period, here is some of the stuff that went down.

1. I exchanged dollars for euros, which made my wallet sad. $180 = 106 euro at O'hare.

2. I got to Rome and had to switch planes which was a disaster. Turns out the Romans can run an empire, but can't figure out how to speed up customs. Hundreds of people eeked their way through 4 metal detectors. A rope boundary to direct the line got knocked over and all hell broke loose - their was actually almost a fight between an Asian man and an Italian.  I think the kid I met at O'hare who was also headed for Milan missed the flight due to the poorly run system.

3. The movie selection on the way to Rome was truly horrendous. I didn't tune in, but the English movie choice had the girl from Little Miss Sunshine, Jody Foster, and a seal that I believe saved the day. From Rome to Milan they showed videos of a fashion show. 

4. When I got to Milan, I got my bags, and boarded a shuttle to the city. In the city a kind gentleman asked if he could help me find a taxi. I said yes, and he helped me carry my 2 bags around 50 yards to where the taxis were. He then charged me 5 euro. I'm an idiot. 25 euro later I arrived at the dorm.

5. This might not be interesting to other people, but on the cab ride to the dorm I saw a ton of advertisements for an upcoming Twisted Sister and Blind Melon tour. Seriously? Time warp to the one hit wonders of the 80s and 90s. 

6. I got to my room and realized I forgot a towel, clothes hangers and toilet paper. Minor details (my room has a bidet, kind of bizarre, but sweet). 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet

7. After sleeping a couple of hours, I started meeting people from around the world, all living at this incredible dorm south of Milan. Off the top of my head I've met people from Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, Brazil, Portugal, England, Romania, Turkey, Syria, Canada, Spain, Russia, and Germany. They are all young. They are all outgoing. And they are all down to have an awesome time. 

So far that's it. I have my first Italian class in 8 hours and need to try and get to sleep. I'm thinking about everyone in the states though and must admit that no matter what happens in the next 120 days, my heart is still in the heartland. Buona sera mi amici.