Reasonable Doubt

So, you guys probably haven’t heard, but there is thing called COVID-19 (popularly known as “the corona virus”) which has people all in a panic. There are some cases of COVID-19 in Northern Italy. None are too close to me for me to be in any danger, but as the CDC has issued a level 3 warning, all of the American universities are taking their students out of Italy. So, I’m coming home.

Here are some questions you may have and the answers:

When are you coming home?

March 1st! I’ll be back tomorrow night.

What are you going to do about school?

I don’t know yet. I’m talking with ASU on Monday about that. I’m hoping I can still get the full 15 credits I was supposed to this semester so I can graduate on time.

Will you get credit for your Bocconi classes?

Nope. We’ve had very few classes, so we haven’t learned enough to get credit. There was talk about having me take the classes remotely, but that would require waking up at 2:00 am to skype in, so, no thank you.

What are your next steps when you return?

On Monday, I’m meeting with ASU and discussing my class situation as well as getting a parking permit. And…that’s it. I live with my parents, so I don’t have to worry about finding a place to stay and I already have a life in Arizona and all that, so it is a pretty easy transition back. The only big thing is my classes.

Will you be quarantined when you come to the US?

Nope. Or at least I’m not supposed to be. I’m flying out of Milan and we have either had 1 case or 0 cases (I’m not sure), so there is little risk of me carrying the virus.

Are you disappointed?

I mean, sure. Obviously I would have liked to have seen Rome and Venice before I left, but it is what it is. We were off school this week because of the virus, so I started preparing myself in case I was sent home.

What will you miss about Milan?

It is pretty in Milan and fun to walk around. I got to hang out with students from around the world. But what I’ll probably miss the most is my pizzeria and gelateria. What can I say, I love food.

Negatives of coming home early

• Sunk cost – obviously I already paid for a bunch of things and I will not be getting that money back
• Don’t get to see Rome or Venice
• My mom’s trip to Italy is cancelled too
• I might not be able to get all my credits for the semester which could impact my ability to graduate on time. (ASU is working hard to avoid this, so I should hopefully be fine)
• No more Italian pizza

Positives of coming home early

• Cheese itz! Frosters! Burgers! (Bless the USA and our food)
• There are a bunch of things I am involved in (children’s ministry, youth ministry, 20 somethings group at my church, etc) that I was disappointed I would have to miss during my study abroad that I don’t have to miss now
• I can go see Mean Girls at ASU Gammage in April
• I will see Lydia in March instead of not seeing her until July
• I can start my summer internship (whenever I get it) in May instead of mid June
• I get to see my family sooner and be with them
• Truth is, I was feeling homesick this week, so this could not have come at a better time. It makes this whole situation a lot easier

What can I pray for?

• For everything to go smoothly at the airport tomorrow. My understanding is that it is a fairly large airport and I am flying internationally. Fortunately, I am able to get there 3 hours early, so I should be fine.
• For my classes to work out so I can get 15 credits by the end of the semester.

My Classes

Truth is, my classes are easy. It has been a refreshing change of pace. In some ways I miss the challenge and familiarity of ASU law, but I have had a lot more times to do other things. For example, I have been able to dedicate a lot of time to my graduate writing requirement paper. Most of my classes are interesting (looking at you International Law). I am taking two different intellectual property classes which is something I particularly enjoy. We discussed a case about Obama’s “Hope” posters and whether the artist infringes the Associated Press’ copyright by using their picture without their consent. It has been pretty chill.

My Paper

To get my JD, I have to complete two writing requirements: the Graduate Writing Requirement and the Flexible Writing Requirement. Both can be completed by taking a class or by doing an independent study. This semester I am doing an independent study and completing my Graduate Writing Requirement. It is nice because I have a lot of time to dedicate to it. My paper is on Adoption Law in Arizona and is geared for people considering adoption, amidst adoption proceedings, or thinking of giving up their child for adoption. My outline is due March 6th. Right now, I’m finishing up putting the rough draft of my outline together. This week I am going to figure out what I still need to research and finish that. We have the week off, so I will have a lot of time to do that. My paper is a little stressful, but I’m keeping on full steam ahead.

My Summer Internship

So, if you don’t know, summer internships are a really big deal for law students. Most students end up working at the same place they interned the summer before their last year when they graduate. If they don’t get a job there, that experience is invaluable for finding employment. I have an interview for an internship I really want this week (contracts law) and I just applied to my dream internship (in-house counsel for a company in Chandler). Last year I got my summer internship the last week of May, but I would love to get a placement much earlier than that.

My Novel

I wrote a Young Adult fantasy novel back in the spring of 2018 and have been editing it on and off since. One of the reasons I was excited to study abroad is that I figured I would have more time to work on it. That has only been slightly true do my graduate writing requirement, but I did just finish my second draft of my novel. I am hoping to go through 2 more drafts before I have my family review it and then a few more drafts after that before I submit it to literary agents. I am super excited about my novel. I know odds are it won’t ever get published, but I’m really enjoying writing it.

Snacks

What would a Durrett post be without food? Here are the snacks I’ve been having in Italy, some of which you cannot get in the US:

These things are the bomb. One day, in a moment or rather moments of weakness, I had a whole box of these for lunch. They taste exactly how they look.

There are a couple popular ice cream flavors in Italy. Both of the gelatos in the photos are “stracciatella” which is my favorite. It is basically chocolate chunk. Each brand does it a little different. Some (like the second one) have chocolate syrup in it too, which is not my favorite. If you are looking at the first picture and thinking it looks soft…you are right. But it isn’t soft because that’s a gelato thing. It is soft because my freezer doesn’t get super cold, so either I have to eat ice cream right away or have it a little liquidy.

Talking about gelato, this is from my favorite gelato place which is on my route from the school to my apartment. This has two flavors. I don’t remember the Italian names, but one is like a plain vanilla-ish ice cream and the other has white chocolate pieces in it.

These are pretty good. The brand has a chocolate-chocolate version which is delicious as well. The cookies here are hard and crunchy. In fact, the cookies they sell in Italy which are soft are called “American-style cookies.” I don’t usually like store bought chocolate chip cookies because I am so used to having homemade ones (thanks Mom!) but these are so different from the chocolate chip cookies I’m used to, that I don’t really mind.

This is a brand of sour gummy worms made in Italy. They are really good. They have a lot stronger fruity flavor than the Trolli gummy worms (which are also sold here) than I am used to. They are also smaller and less chewy (I don’t have to bite down hard on them! What a crazy idea).

These cookies are okay. They taste exactly like hot chocolate. If you like hot chocolate, I’d highly recommend.

Just found these delights today! They were great. The only way I would improve them would be to put some caramel in them as well. For sure a good buy.

They had this pack of lemon sorbet and I couldn’t resist. I don’t usually like lemon desserts, but lemon sorbet is sour instead of sweet, so I like it. There were four flutes in the pack and I ate them all in a few hours.

These are okay. They just taste like regular Pringles with a nondescript flavor. Not anything to write home about.

I got these because I wanted gummies. But they are not regular gummies. Instead they are soft and only a little chewy. They are also just okay. I will probably bring some home, but I’m not planning to get any more to just eat for fun.

I got these crackers because I wanted cheddar crackers and this was the closest I could get. They were…fine. They really should be eaten with cheese on them. By themselves there are just something to fill yourself up with because you were too lazy to pack lunch.

I got this from a vending machine at school. They are okay. They taste like dried blueberries, which is nice. The problem is they are super chewy and put a layer of something on your teeth which is not pleasant.

Note: I do not have any pictures depicting what I’m talking about so I just put some pictures I found amusing in instead.

Okay, I have officially been in Milan for over a month. I have my route to school memorized, my classes are starting to focus on content that will be on the exam, and I finally figured out that my grocery store has a second floor. Needless to say, I have now been here long enough to notice some differences.

Differences between Bocconi University and Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law

No clocks in the classrooms

It drives me crazy! At ASU we have 2 clocks in every classroom so you can constantly check it while hoping class is over. Bocconi only has 1 clock per floor. Instead you either have to not know what the time is or have to keep your phone out. I have heard that there is this new technology called a “watch” (?) which can be used for the same purpose, but for now I’ve been just keeping my phone on my desk.

No penalty for being on your phone

If a student is on their phone at ASU, they can be reprimanded. Will they? Maybe, maybe not. But, everyone has the decency of going on their phones behind their laptop or under the desk. At Bocconi, it is acceptable to have your phone out, on the desk, and be on it the whole time. Now, I’m guessing the professors would prefer students were not on their phones the whole time, but I have yet to have a single professor say something about it.

Students chat while the professor is talking

This difference was probably the biggest culture-shock I’ve experienced while being here. Students will talk to each other at a regular volume the entire lesson. Some of my professors will get annoyed and chastise the class, but people still talk. It can be really frustrating in my classes where I have professors with stronger Italian accents, because it is hard to understand them with two people gabbing right behind me.

No textbook or casebook

In the United States, most law classes are taught out of a casebook (which is exactly what it sounds like). You read 20-40 pages before each class and then discuss them. But for my classes at Bocconi, we do not have a casebook or even a textbook (except for International Law which is its own weird thing). At ASU, I learn the material by reading the book but at Bocconi I learn the material by attending class and taking notes. We do read a few cases, but it isn’t the same. In the US we dissect every last detail of the cases, but here the cases are more general examples than the main point.

No cold calling

Law school in the US practice what they have named “cold calling.” If you’re like me back when I was touring law schools, you’re wondering why law students are calling random people. But “cold calling” in a law school context is just a fancy term for calling on students without them volunteering. Cold calling is an integral part of the US legal education system. Each class consists almost entirely of the professor cold calling students, the students explaining the cases they read, and the professor expanding on what the students said. There is not cold calling at Bocconi. No one has to speak unless they want to. However, two of my professors are trying, in their own words, “to imitate the English-speaking law school model”. So, in those classes we have a bunch of discussions, but, since the Bocconi students have not been forced explain concepts orally before these classes, they are out of their comfort zone while the other American students and I excel. I’m hoping the other students will grow more comfortable, because, right now, the Americans in my classes talk about 2-3 times the amount the rest of the class talks combined.

It is easier

Ultimately, the classes at Bocconi seem a lot easier. I do not feel stressed at all in them. There is a lot less homework, not to mention no accountability for doing the homework. The professors all provide the slides or detailed notes which include everything we need to know for the exam; I’ve been told several times by professors that I don’t have to write stuff down (I do because that helps me remember it, but still).

Differences between Milan and Arizona

Humidity

So…I’m used to dry heat. I mean, I lived in Florida when I was a baby and we lived in South Carolina for 5 years, so it is not like I’ve never been exposed to humidity. But I didn’t realize that even if there is zero chance of rain, if the humidity is 90%, you will get wet. My shoes have been soaked through by the humidity several times. The funny thing is that this girl from Hong Kong in my criminal law class says that Milan is super dry compared to her home.

Anna vs. Hannah

In Italian, just like Spanish, “H” is silent. I finally get why people get so cranky when people mispronounce their names. Most of my professors have figured it out by now, but it was a struggle.

Right of way

I don’t know this for a fact, but based on observation, pedestrians in Italy pretty much always have a right of way. However, cars also have a right to almost run you over. It is totally normal here to be crossing the street and have a car turn into the crosswalk mere inches from you. Plus, if you want to cross the street, you just have to do it and assert yourself. The cars will notice and stop for you. If you don’t, they just keep going. To be careful, I always watch and make sure the drivers are paying attention, but I haven’t had any problems so far.

Sorting trash

Trash is sorted in Italy into four categories. Depending on where you are, the categories are different. At my apartment, we sort trash into: paper, plastic, compost, and everything else. At Bocconi, we sort trash into: paper, plastic cans (?), glass, and everything else. I mean, I don’t love it, but it isn’t too hard to do.

Park on sidewalks

Cars in Milan are allowed to park on the sidewalk, or so it appears. Usually cars are only parked on the sidewalk in the morning (like they were parked there overnight) or during busy restaurant hours. There is this one van that always blocks the entire sidewalk on my way to school which is super irritating. I have to go in the middle of the road to get around (it is really slow area, so that doesn’t really matter, but it is still annoying).

Where is the instant gratification?

Restaurants and fast food places in Milan are closed from either 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm or 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. It has been an adjustment. I am used to getting whatever I want when I want it, as is the American way. I’ve been trying to plan so that I am not hungry until 7 or at least have snacks to hold me over.

Grocery bags cost money

This is not really a big deal for me. I am shopping for one person, so I rarely need a bag. When I do, I either use my backpack or one of the reusable bags I bought from the Italian Wal-mart equivalent “Esselunga.”

Weigh vegetables yourself

My first week in Milan I got in trouble for not knowing that customers were expected to weigh vegetables. I guess the cashiers do not have weighs at their registers. Instead, you put the vegetables on a scale in the produce section and it prints out a barcode with the weight recorded on it. The cashier at Esselunga yelled at me for not knowing that and then not knowing Italian…it was not a pleasant experience.

Toilets don’t flush themselves

The bathrooms in Milan all have handles which you use to flush and you decide how long the toilet flushes for. I have no idea how you decide how long to run it for. It is weird.

No cheddar

This is saddest difference for sure. I love cheddar cheese. The Esselunga near my apartment sells one brand of sliced cheddar cheese which I use for my quesadillas, but otherwise, cheddar might as well not exist. There are no cheddar chips or crackers. I’ve been craving some Cheese Itz or the like, but alas and alack.

Ground floor

In Italy, the ground floor is the first floor, the first floor is our second floor, and so on and so forth. It is probably for the best. I have a class on the “fourth floor” and if I fully processed that I was walking up 5 flights of stairs, I might be crankier about doing it.

Not afraid of dying in a fire

In high school, we watched “America the Story of Us” (I super recommend. Those videos rocked). One of the episodes deals with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Since watching that episode, I’ve been super aware of buildings’ compliance with fire safety or not. The buildings in Milan do not follow a lot of the rules our buildings have to follow for fire safety. For example, it is just as hard to get out of my apartment as into it. I have to first unlock my door and then turn this small knob to the outside door in a particular way to exit. If there was a fire and a mob grew, they would be stuck and die. Fortunately, I am on the ground floor and would live.

Likewise, at Bocconi there are several buildings that require you to scan your student ID to get out. Hopefully they have some mechanism in place to open the gates if there is a fire. If not, in the case of a fire or a shooter or whatever, you would either have to scan your ID or try to climb over the stuff blocking the exit. Plus, restaurants and such all have doors which open inward. I think that is to keep from hitting people on the sidewalk outside. However, if there is a fire and a mob presses against the door, they won’t be able to open it. That’s why doors in public buildings in the US have doors which easily open out. Anyway, I’m guessing Italy doesn’t have a lot of fires because otherwise I presume they would have more safeguards in place.

Things I miss from the United States

I like being in Milan, but there are some things Italy does not have or I don’t have in Italy that I miss. I did not provide explanations for most of the following, because I figure they are pretty self-explanatory.

• Chick-fil-a
• People speaking the same language I do
• Krispy Kreme (the closest one is in Ireland)
• Cheddar flavored stuff
• Having a car
• My family (I mean…I guess…;))
• Cases as the foundation of law (plus apparently our cases are known in Europe for including more interesting facts)
• Hulu (I have a VPN for now, but it expires in less than a week. Although, I probably don’t need to be watching TV…)
• My church
• Easy access to a printer and scanner
• Having an oven (aka, cooking french fries myself)
• Did I say cheddar flavored stuff? Goldfish, I miss you!
• The beautiful ASU law building (I did not appreciate how new and clean it was!)

Classes finally started this week! As someone who loves routine, I am excited that the semester has begun. I suspect it will take a couple more weeks before I can accurately analyze the differences between the Italian law classes and my law classes at ASU. For now, I just welcome the return to a familiar structure.

My Classes

International Law

My first class of the semester was International Law. It is my highest credit class and meets 3 times a week. It is…boring. My professor prescribes to old school teaching methods, so we literally just sit there as he lectures with his audio-book-appropriate voice the entire time. Not a single student has yet to say a word in that class. Well, a word relating to International Law anyway. A trend I’ve noticed is that in every one on my classes, the students talk to each other while the professor lectures. In my classes in the United States, that is frowned upon. In fact, it would not be tolerated by the law professors at ASU. So, I was quite taken aback to have constant background conversation while the professor was discussing stuff.

The one thing I do like about my international law class is when my professor tells personal stories. The professor is from Australia and likes to share about his culture. According to him, most students in Australia go to class without shoes on. In fact, when one of his classmates was in Iraq, the professor’s first concern was whether his classmate was wearing shoes. Now, an Australian law exchange student I’ve been hanging out with says that characterization of Australia is inaccurate, but the story was amusing nonetheless. Particularly because my professor feels compelled to use voices and accents when he tells stories.

Apparently, during his university days, my professor traveled around the continent of Africa teaching English and was arrested 5 times. He told us that whenever he was arrested he would ask for the American Embassy because the word “American” carried more weight than “Australian”. He also said that when he was in the Republic of the Congo, his friend and him were thrown out of a moving car and they decided to go to a nearby US Marine base to be safe. In class what he literally said was, “We decided to join the US Marines,” but I’ve decided he must not have meant he was actually going to JOIN the US marines, because that would be crazy.

Anyways, my professor is a character. The class…well…that’s pretty dull so far.

European Intellectual Property

So far we have only done introductions in my European Intellectual Property class. In fact, we went around the room and all 30 of us introduced ourselves. I went first and my professor was aghast to learn I was American. He very apologetically informed me that the class covered European intellectual property and not American intellectual property. Now, I already knew that since I read the course descriptions and titles before I registered for my classes. Understandably, my professor, who is Italian, was not aware that in the United States, law students can take whatever law classes they want, no matter how related to what they will practice, because it isn’t about learning laws but learning how to think like a lawyer. That is quite different to law curriculum in Italy where students are required to memorize all of the important relevant Italian statutes, since Italy does not have common law (law made through court cases instead of by a legislature).

This looks like it will be favorite class so far. My professor is nice and speaks English well.

Legal Issues in Marketing

The subject matter of this class is fascinating to me. We are learning about all the legal issues you need to think about when you market a product. While highly unlikely, I would love to get a job (in Chandler, which makes it unlikely) doing this kind of law. So far we have been discussing trademarks. My professor, while Italian, likes American intellectual property, which is fun for me. About half of his references are American. For example, we discussed whether “covfefe” can be a trademark of a company if it is associated principally with President Trump.

My professor for this class understands PowerPoints better than my other professors; he uses a lot of visuals and does not crowd the slides with words. Unfortunately, he has a thick Italian accent and stands at the back of class, so I can’t see his mouth moving. Thus, I often cannot understand what he is saying. With his visual aids, though, I can figure out some of his pronunciations and infer the rest.

Paths to Internationalization of Criminal Law

This class actually starts tomorrow, so I don’t know what it is like yet. I am tentatively excited for it. The subject matter has huge potential to be stimulating, but my enjoyment of the class will really depend on the teaching choices of the professor.

Language Class is Over

Language Class Final

Having the final for our language class the Saturday after classes started perhaps wasn’t the best idea. By that point, I was so done with the class that I just wanted to get it over with. So, naturally, they dragged it out as long as possible.

First we had a written test which consisted of an audio portion, fill in the blanks, and matching vocab to pictures. It wasn’t too bad. It would have been easier if I had studied as much as I do for other classes. The majority of the test covered article adjectives and conjugating verbs, both of which I find pretty useless. I had a bad headache during the test, so I just quickly got through it. I did take the time to check my answers, so we’ll see if I pass. If I don’t pass, there are literally zero consequences, so it doesn’t really matter either way.

After the written test, we had a two hour break. Why? No idea. Grace (other ASU Law student), Jason (Australian law student), and I hung out and got some food while we waited for the second portion of the test.

The second portion of the test was oral. First the professor asked us some questions in Italian. Some were easy like, “What’s your name?” while others were harder. Grace and I went first so we got the easiest questions. As the time went on, the professor got bored and started asking questions with vocabulary we never learned that required answers using vocabulary we never learned.

After the questions, we would perform skits. Grace and I wrote our skit the night before, so we were pretty well-prepared. Because I am sure anyone reading this is SUPER interested in our skit, here is how it went:

(Waitress is cleaning tables when Customer walks in. Customer is visibly upset.)

Waitress: Buongiorno Signora (Good morning, ma-am)

Customer: (dejectedly) Buongiorno (Good morning.)

Waitress: Cappotto Signora? (Coat, ma-am?)

Customer: Si, si. Il menu per favore? (Yes, yes. The menu please?)

(Waitress gives Customer the menu)

Waitress: Que cosa bevande? (What would you like to drink?)

Customer: Vino biancho. Una bottiglia, per favore. (White Wine. A bottle please)

Waitress: …Sta bene? (…are you okay?)

Customer: No! Mio fidanzatio…non capisco. (No! My fiance…I don’t understand)

Waitress: Cosa non capisci? (What don’t you understand?)

Customer: Mio fidanzato non piacianno capelli castani, apparentemente. (My fiance doesn’t like brown hair, apparently. **Customer has brown hair**)

Waitress: Cerco un altro findanzato. (Find a different fiance)

Customer: Fidanzati non sono i bar. Non sono cento ragazzi in Italia mi piacciano. (Fiances aren’t like bars. **there are a lot of bars in Italy**. There aren’t 100 boys in Italy I like.)

Waitress: Abbiamo cento i dolci che ti piacciano. (We have a 100 desserts you like)

Customer: Non voglio i dolci! Vorrei un fidanzato simpactico. (I don’t want dessert! I want a nice fiance.)

Waitress: Abbiamo il gelato cioccoleto… (We have chocolate gelato…)

Customer: (beat) Okay. Due, per favore. Quanta costa? (Okay. Two, please. How much do they cost?)

Waitress: Gratuito. (Free)

Now, I love acting, so I enjoyed performing our skit (I was the customer). However, then we had to sit for an hour and a half and watch everyone complete their oral exams too. Between each pair’s test, the professor would put notes into her computer which is what took most of the time.

The exam was finally over at 2:00 pm (it started at 9:30 am).

Celebrating the Italian Language Crash Course being over

Jason, Grace, and I decided to go celebrate our class being over by getting gelato and walking around Milan. The closest gelateria to the university happens to be on the path I take to school and back. While super convenient, it was also bad because now I will be tempted to get this delicious gelato after class every week day.

I got three flavors: stawberry, cream, and white chocolate. The strawberry tasted too much like real fruit for me and not enough like a dessert, but the other two flavors were AMAZING. I will definitely be going to this place again this week.

We then decided to go to this old church Jason had seen before and thought was really cool. On our way, we saw a small flea market so we stopped and looked. My two companions didn’t buy anything, which was good, because if they had I would have been tempted to do so as well. I know they have a bunch of flea markets here on Saturday, so I am going to try to go to one of the bigger ones and get some fun stuff sometime.

We then went to the church. The church had an interesting mix of people there: older touristy people, middle aged men singing and playing instruments, “hip” teens hanging out, etc. It was old and pretty and had nice columns.

It was a bit of adventure due to some construction nearby, but we also got to see the back of the church. There was no one hanging out in the back of the church so it felt kind of empty and peaceful.

Later that night, I further celebrated by getting myself a pizza from the pizzeria just next to my apartment. I was surprised to discover that it was my favorite pizza I have had here so far.

Unlike the other pizza I have had here, the cheese was melty! It tasted so good, I got another pizza from them today.

The Oscars

So, the Oscars are not that long from now. The red carpet starts 12:30 am Italy time and the actual show starts at 2:00 am Italy time. But, I love the Oscars, so I am watching it anyway. My whole family (Lydia included, even though she hasn’t seen too many of the movies) are going to watch the Oscars together and talk about via a group phone call. I got a VPN and a Hulu Live Free Trial just for this purpose.

I am not going to go through all the categories, but here are a few of my Oscar predictions and wishlist:

Best Picture

Who I think will win: 1917

1917 was an Oscar movie through and through. One thing 1917 had that the other 8 best picture nominees (although, admittedly, I only saw 7 of the 9) did not, was that almost every single element was incredible. Some of my family members would disagree with that assessment, but they are wrong. ; )

First off, the cinematography in 1917 was amazing (if it doesn’t win best cinematography, I’ll riot). They used this technique so that they recorded the film in 8 minute segments and then pieced it together to feel like it was a single shot. Watching the film, you really felt like you were walking with them. There was also this super cool scene where the protagonist is *spoiler!* a German camp (it is a WWI movie. This is probably not a spoiler…) and it is night, but explosions are going off. The lighting is beautiful during that scene. Once that scene began I was like, if they weren’t already going to win Best Cinematography, this scene would have gotten it for them.

But, in addition to the cinematography, 1917 had impeccable special effects, production design, makeup (lots of dead bodies), costumes, and acting. The only things that were just average were the score and the script. The score and screenplay were great, but not spectacular in my mind. Having said that, 1917 had more speculator elements than any of the other films we watched. Thus, I think it will win Best Picture.

Who I want to win: Marriage Story, Parasite, Jo Jo Rabbit, or 1917

I’m not super picky. I actually liked a lot of them. Marriage Story had an amazing screenplay and acting (That argument scene!), Parasite was unique and compelling, Jo Jo Rabbit was cute, comedic, and moving. Honestly, as long as Joker doesn’t win, I will be okay. (For a long detailed rant about Joker, pm me. Just make sure you have a few hours to spare.)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Who I think will win: Joker

Did Joker have good makeup and hairstyling? Sure. Was it amazing? No. I am biased due to my strong dislike for Joker? Absolutely.

I think Joker will win this category despite not deserving it at all because their use of makeup and hair-styling is obvious and connected to an emotional moment. The audience watches a man with a mental illness (a made-up one, but whatever) transform into someone violent and dangerous. The make-up and hair is part of his transformation. Of course, Joker makeup has been done a million times and isn’t something unique or special, but considering Joker was nominated in the category at all, that doesn’t matter.

Who I want to win: Bombshell

When Gabrielle and I went to see Bombshell, I knew Charlize Theron was in it, but I didn’t know who she played. Much to my surprise, it took a good bit of the movie before I could figure out which character she was. The makeup was that good. Charlize Theron has defined cheekbones. She is usually easy to identify among a crowd of blonde actresses. And yet, somehow, the makeup crew of this movie made her not only look like Megyn Kelly, but not look like herself.

Best Original Song

Who I think will win: “Into the Unknown”

Disney has dominated this category in the last few years, with the exception of last year. (They were not about to win against Lady Gaga’s hit which was not just popular among movie goers, but played on the radio.) They’ve won with “How Far I’ll go”, “Let it Go”, and “Remember Me” (even though the latter really should’ve lost to the epic anthem that is “This is me”).

While I understand why “(I’m gonna) Love Me Again” is a popular contender, I think Disney is still going to pull out a win. Rocketman, which paralleled Bohemian Rhapsody in many ways, did not have nearly as much as success at Bohemian Rhapsody at the box office or among the nominations this year. Nor is the song played much on pop stations. (The music I listen to can best be described as “basic” and record shows that the Academy has similar taste.)

Who I want to win: “Stand Up”

This song has made me cry. Now, is it “Shallow” or “This is Me”? No. Which is why I won’t be made if it loses (when it loses). “Stand Up” is from Harriet, which I have not seen, but the song follows the same storyline. It describes Harriet Tubman’s choice to stand up and do something about the injustice of slavery in the United States. I think “Stand Up” is the most emotionally raw of the 5 contenders which is largely what makes it my favorite. “Into the Unknown” is pretty and “(I’m gunna) Love Me Again” is boppin, but they just don’t have much emotional depth. When I listen to “Stand Up”, I feel moved.

That’s some of my predictions. My family have all guessed the winners for most of the categories (I abstained for the documentaries because I haven’t seen any). It will be fun to see tonight (this morning?) who is right.

I am officially 23 years old today! After 4 years, it is nice to be a prime number again. When I realized I was going to be in Italy for my birthday, I had all sorts of ideas of what I should do. I thought about going to Rome or Venice. But traveling stresses me out and makes me feel sick. So I decided that I wanted to relax, watch TV, and EAT. I also decided that 1 day was hardly enough to celebrate a birthday (notwithstanding that my little sister Lydia and I are having a joint birthday party this summer.)

Thursday Night, Birthday Bash Day 1

After 4 days straight of 4.5 hour language classes, which are rather boring, and working on my research paper, I was ready to celebrate by eating pizza and watching Dance Moms.

I got a margerita pizza from a Napoli pizzeria near my apartment. The man who owned it was super nice. He was patient and smiled a lot. The pizza was pretty good, but I haven’t gotten used to the Italian style of pizza. When I ate the pizza, it was super fresh. I watched them make it. And yet, the cheese wasn’t hot. Frankly, the cheese added very little to the pizza. But the bread was soooo good.

One of the things I learned from this pizzeria is that there is a “Pizza Americana” in Italy. What is on it? Potatoes and Vienna sausage. Hmm…

I couldn’t have pizza without dessert, so I tried this ice cream-log-thing I saw in the grocery store.

Every major grocery store I have been to here not only has this, but has their own brand’s version of it. All it is is vanilla gelato with chocolate shavings layered in. That’s it. It is pretty simple, but DELICIOUS. I ate 2 all by myself over this weekend.

Friday, Birthday Bash Day 2

One thing I really wanted for my birthday was some sort of pastry. I wanted cake, but the places here that sell regular vanilla cake are kind of far from my apartment. So, I decided to check out bakeries near my apartment which was fun both because I got to get desserts, but also because I got to walk around places I hadn’t been to yet.

There are 2 canals making a “V” in southern Milan and my apartment is close to one of them. It is so weird because on one side of the canal are these new buildings with awesome shops and the other side looks abandoned and old. To get to the canal, I walked next to a high-speed road, which was a new experience for me. I usually think of the side of a high-speed road as being super unsafe. However, this road had a wide raised sidewalk all along it.

I ended up stopping by 3 bakeries and a grocery store to find my goodies. In fact, I was able to order entirely in Italian, which made me happy because people are almost cranky with me here when they learn I am not fluent in Italian.

Here is what I ended up getting:

This is a brioche con cioccolata from a place that specializes in filled brioches. It was a lot like a croissant, but sweeter. The brioche was my favorite thing I got.

I like to call this a tart. I got it from this snazzy bakery that specialized in chocolate. The middle is like a ganache and was sweet, not bitter.

I got this from the same bakery I got the tart. It was not good. The chocolate was delicious, but the bread it was in was not my favorite.

There are macarons everywhere in Italy. Makes sense, they invented them. Most are outside my price range, but these were at the local grocery store. It only cost 4 euros for 6. The raspberry macaron was particularly yummy.

For dinner Friday night, I decided I wanted a burger (I know, I’m such an American). Unfortunately, the burger I got was rare, which wasn’t wrong but not my favorite. I ended up putting it on the stove to cook it more. I also got a whole lot of fried foods. You know…cause I’m American.

Monday, Birthday Bash Day 3

So obviously today is my actual birthday. I knew I needed to do something special. What I decided to do was to go downtown and see JoJo Rabbit in theaters. It was only available in Italian, but I didn’t mind. I mostly understood what was going on. There were these two friends in the audience with me and I used their laughter to gauge the tone of the dialogue. I really liked it and look forward to seeing it in English when it is available for rent on Amazon.

I didn’t walk around too much after I saw the movie, but I did get to see some nice parts of downtown Milan, including the famous Duomo.

The Duomo is incredible in person. You just kind of stand there in awe of it. I wish we had more things in the United States that looked like that.

The theater was part of a really nice tourist area that was beautiful and full of American shops and designer brands.

I had language class today, but only for 3 hours. It was our worst one yet because it was all about describing people’s appearances. The whole thing would have been fine if we stopped at hair color and height, but instead we learned the name for every nose shape, ear shape, etc. We had to look at a picture and decide if the person was muscular, fat, or average weight. We learned a special word to describe “the eyes of Asian people,” which, frankly, I didn’t even bother to write down, because I thought it was offensive. Perhaps the exercises were appropriate in Italy, but they would not fly in the United States.

After class, I rushed to the grocery store (which I had forgotten closes an hour after my class is over and it takes me 40 minutes to walk to my apartment from school) and got myself my final birthday treat:

This is something Lydia and I have on special occasions at home. It is ice cream with a lot of white chocolate shards in it. It is amazing. I ate the whole thing while watching Dance Moms and messaging my family. All in all a pretty good end to pretty good Birthday bash.

So, yeah…now I am 23. I’m fortunately still at the age where it is fun to get older. I love mi compleanno and am excited to celebrate even MORE when I am home this summer.

I have some extra pictures from this week, so here they are. They didn’t really fit with the format of this post, but I thought I’d share them anyway:

I’ve become UberEats’ biggest fan (you can order in English without people getting mad. It’s awesome!) I was waiting outside one time and it was super foggy. I think it looks pretty.

One of the places I’ve ordered from on UberEats is McDonalds. This is a Smarties McFlurry. Smarties here are candy covered chocolates, similar to M&Ms, but with thicker candy shells. For whatever reason, McDonalds did not mix the McFlurry before giving it to me. It was weird. But, fortunately, I have two hands and was fully capable of mixing it myself. It was good as McFlurries always are.

McDonalds in Italy sells macarons. The minute I saw them on the menu, I knew I needed to get them. The flavors I got were raspberry and “salted butter.” Neither were very good. I know, shocking. McDonalds doesn’t have stellar macarons? Who would have thought??? The filling of the raspberry macaron still had seeds in it and the salted butter flavor was just not one I could get behind. The one thing I can say for them is they were cheap.

More waiting for UberEats. I always like to stand out on the sidewalk because the UberEats delivery men have struggled to find my apartment. My apartment is part of a large apartment building, which include 65 A, B, and C. I am in 65 C, which is on the opposite end of the gate for 65 A and B. More often then not, the UberEats delivery person will go to 65 A/B and then get confused when I am not there. So, if I stand out on the sidewalk, I can see them when they show up and make things easier.

In my apartment, I have a washing machine but not a dryer. So, when I wash my clothes I have to hang everything up to dry, as seen here. It isn’t too bad, except the stuff I add to the wash to make my clothes smell good can be a bit overpowering when all of my clothes are hung up close together.

Stay tuned next week to hear about my first day of classes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, my final in my language class Saturday, and my Oscar predictions!

It all started with a 2 hour wait for a 10 hour plane ride. While I fully expected to be miserable the whole time, the opposite occurred. Usually when I fly I feel very ill, but, praise be to God, my stomach behaved itself the entire flight. In fact, I rather enjoyed myself, watching movies and TV. I had been so stressed the week prior to leaving that being able to just consume entertainment with no obligation to do anything else was rather refreshing. But, the lack of sleep eventually caught up to me and I was sufficiently exhausted by the time I made it to my apartment.

Living In Milan

I have been living in Milan for less than a week, so I don’t really know what it is like yet. But, here are my impressions so far:

It is not so different than the United States.

When I went in my Uber to drive to my apartment, I expected to feel like I was in another world. But, the truth is, the city reminds me a lot of New York, Los Angeles, and London. A big city is a big city. Lots of small shops, graffiti, smoking, and people with somewhere they need to be.

The people remind me a lot of Americans too. Some people, like my Uber driver and the man who stood behind me in line at the grocery store, are super nice and accommodating. But, most people are busy focusing on their own wants and needs, just like we do in the United States. People don’t make eye contact or greet each other. Whenever you give a blank expression to a long sentence said in Italian, the person who has now realized your AMERICAN gets really cranky.

There are four kinds of public transportation, but I prefer walking

In Milan, a lot of people drive, but the city also offers:

• Bus
• Rail Car
• Train
• Metro

A company called ATM runs all four so a ticket that works for one, works for all of them. In fact, once you use a ticket, you can use that same ticket on any number of buses or whatever for the next 90 minutes. The tickets can be purchased through the ATM app or from a sketchy magazine stand.

The problem is I live far enough from all 4 that it is often faster to walk than to take public transit. Plus, the public transit options are so crowded that I would be standing for half and hour anyway. So, I have decided to walk instead. I really like walking because the cold air is refreshing and I get to see interesting parts of Milan.

The food meets all the stereotypes

There is so much pizza and pasta. Oh my goodness. Every block has a pizzeria. Every grocery store has an aisle dedicated to pasta.

Some of the foods I wanted to buy have been hard to find, like Cheddar cheese, tortillas, and rice. In fact, all but one of the stores I went to didn’t have rice. Additionally, the salad dressing options are slim. I’m guessing people make their own or just use oil or something. I grabbed one of the 5 options at my local grocery store, but, alas, it is not good. Every time I eat carrots or lettuce I also grimace a little.

Italian Language Crash Course

The University of Bocconi hosts exchange students from 54 countries. Consequently, it offers a beginner 40 hour Italian class. I knew I wasn’t going to be motivated to learn a lot of Italian over the break, so I signed up. Is it helpful? Well…

If you have ever taken a basic language class in the United States, you have taken the equivalent of this class. We watch videos and fill in blanks. We complete crossword puzzles. We look at pictures and identify what is in them. While I would have preferred to learn what to say in an emergency or how to order at a restaurant, our lessons are limited to classic language learning topics like Family, Numbers, and Basic Grammar. My professor speaks pretty good English, but two or three times every class, someone says something she can’t understand.

I find that the value of the class comes from the social opportunity. The other ASU law student at the University of Bocconi, Grace, is in my class and we sit together. There are 20 of us in total and everyone is really friendly. Half of us are American, but we also have students from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, and China. The class is at such a slow pace they we spend a lot more time talking than doing anything else.

The Great Ikea Adventure

Okay, so my apartment is really cold. The heater tries its best, but it is small and far from my bed. In order to sleep well at night, then, I need a warm blanket. Unfortunately, the duvet my landlord provided is on the loft bed, which due to my fear of heights and the slanted nature of the steps is inaccessible.

Thursday night, with my coat serving as my only covers, I began to research where I could buy a blanket in Milan. I quickly learned that Milan does not have a Target equivalent. Either I would have to pay $2000 for a blanket (just a little outside my budget) or go to IKEA.

Now, getting to IKEA from the school takes an hour via public transit. I wasn’t super excited about going that far at night (I had to go at night because of when class ended). So, I invited Grace (law student from ASU) to come along and she invited a guy from Bocconi’s International Student Dorm where she was staying, Nick (from Canada, his parents are farmers and own kangeroos). We stopped by the dorm first (half an hour by rail car) and then headed out. Our journey was as follows:

1. Bus Stop – we walked 18 minutes through a poorly lit area to get to our first public transit option. It went smoothly enough. We reach the area the map indicated and saw a bus stop. Google told us to take “M2” which was one of the options on the screen at the stop. However, while the other options had times of arrival, “M2” had a word next to it which Grace claimed meant it was on the night schedule. A bus arrived which Nick said was going in the right direction and we got on it. But, after a few minutes, it started heading in the opposite direction we were supposed to go.
2. Unexpected Walk – Concerned we were going to get farther and farther from where we were supposed to go, we got off the bus at the first stop. Because there was no other option, we decided to walk to the first stop the correct bus was supposed to stop at. The area wasn’t really meant for walking. Most of Milan has these huge sidewalks, but we had to cut through a park, a lot, etc. We were safe, but it wasn’t a great route. We finally got there…and it was a metro station. We weren’t supposed to take a bus at all. The three of us, to this day, do not remember seeing an entrance to the metro at the first bus stop, but there must have been one.
3. Metro – this part actually went smoothly. We found the right subway train and got off at the right stop.
4. Train – the metro led to a train. Because of our detour, we had to wait 20 minutes for our train to arrive. At that point, I was really starting to feel the laptop in my backpack. Eventually the train did come and all was going well, until our stop came. We tried to get off, but the doors we went to were out of service. By the time we reached another set of doors, the train was moving again.
5. Train again – We got off at the next stop and were going to take an Uber, but there were no Ubers available. So, with no other choice, we waited for the train in the opposite direction to come pick us up. It eventually came and we were able to get off the stop we wanted in the first place.
6. More walking – the train stop was 15 minutes away from IKEA as IKEA is in a suburban area. It was really weird walking there because the area did not look anything like the rest of Milan. Instead it reminded me of Chandler. We walked past a lot of large stores.
7. Arrival – we finally made it! But, of course, that was not the end of it. We had made it to IKEA, but finding stuff in IKEA is a challenge in itself. We decided not to fight it and just follow the arrows.
8. Uber – I took an Uber to my apartment while Grace and Nick shared a taxi to their dorm. We were not about to brave the supposedly hour-long journey again.
9. Time for sleep – I got back to my apartment at 9:40, 4 hours after we had left for IKEA. With my warm blankets and my exhaustion, I fell asleep quickly.

While a long trip, I am glad we went. It was fun to hang out with Grace and Nick, who stayed positive the entire time. Plus, I really needed those blankets. Wouldn’t do it again, but not a bad experience to have.

9 Songs and 2 Canadians: Church at Night

Today I went to church. I had googled “Protestant church Milan” before I had left and had found this church: Milan Bible Church. It’s self-proclaimed mission is to “minister to English-speaking people in Milan”. I was taken aback that they meet at 5:25 pm, but I decided to check it out nonetheless.

It was interesting . In many ways it was like the churches I’ve been to in the United States. But it was unusual in that:

• Most of the people at the “English speaking church” were not native English speakers. Of the 60 people in the congregation, at least 30 were Filipino and 10 Italian. The pastor and his wife were Canadian, there was an American couple from Texas, and an elder from Ireland. Everyone else was more comfortable speaking a language different than English and spoke that language while at church.
• The songs were American and from the 1990s. I recognized most of them as songs from my church in Florida when I was six. It was weird because the people singing the songs were not native English speakers and struggled to pronounce quite a few of the words.
• They had 9 songs during the course of the service. In the United States, most contemporary churches have 5 songs: 3 before the sermon and 2 after. But this church had 7 before the sermon and 2 after. It was a lot, but I like singing so it wasn’t too bad.

I am not sure Milan Bible Church will become my church home. There are not a lot of English speaking churches and certainly not a lot that are close to me, but I might try to find one that meets in the morning I can check out.

Praises and Stresses

Things that have been awesome:

• I haven’t seen any bugs yet
• I have been able to interact with other students a lot
• I had pizza and, unlike in the US, it didn’t make me super sick (the dough is less oily).
• There is a store by my school that sells ice cream, cakes, and toilet paper (the essentials!)
• The owner of the grocery store closest to me speaks English and is super nice.

Things that are stressing me out:

• I’m still messed up from my flying and stuff. I keep waking up at 5 am and can’t get to bed for at least an hour.
• I have to complete something called a “Permit to Stay” which requires me to purchase something from a “Smoke shop”. It isn’t confusing, but it has a lot of steps and I have to turn it in by February 3rd.
• I have a research paper I am completing as an independent study through ASU which I have to do in accordance with ASU’s schedule and not the University of Bocconi’s schedule. I haven’t done any research since I got here since I’ve been so out of it, but now I am behind.

Well, that’s it, but here are some more pictures:

Yes! I am.

I am studying at Università Bocconi in Milan, Italy. Here are the answers to the questions I have been getting the most:

Where is Milan?

Milan is in the north of Italy. Florence is 4.5 hours away by public transit, Venice is 5 hours away by public transit, and Rome is 7.5 hours away by regular train and 3.5 hours by a bullet train.

How long will you be in Milan?

I will be in Milan for the entire Spring Semester. I leave Arizona on January 21st and I will be home June 2nd.

What will you be doing in Milan?

I will be taking classes at Università Bocconi’s law school. All my classes will be in English (yay!) and will be attended by both Italian students and exchange students from all over the world. My classes this semester will be:

Legal Issues in Marketing

International Law

Paths of Internationalization of Criminal Law

European and International Intellectual Property

I am also doing an independent study under the supervision of one of the ASU Law professors on Adoption Law in Arizona.

Where are you staying while you are there?

I will be living in a studio apartment which is a 30-45 minutes away from the university by either walking or public transit. It will just be me by myself. I have never lived alone before and I am excited to not have to share a bathroom.

Are you so excited?

I get this question a lot and it’s a hard one to answer. Right now, I am mostly just stressed. There are quite a few factors which I anticipate will make the transition difficult. I will be living alone for the very first time in a large city (which aren’t my favorite) where I can’t speak the language. Not to mention, I will be traveling by plane for 14.5 hours, than by train/bus/walking for an hour to get to my apartment, where I will be meeting my landlord who speaks Italian. Aye.

But, yes, deep down, I am excited. I think the first month will be rough, but there are a lot of things which will make the trip amazing. All of my classes are about areas of law I’m really interested in (my classes this semester were mostly boring classes about topics on the bar), I will have a lot of time to walk around and explore a country I’ve never been to, and I will get to meet and get to know people from different cultural backgrounds.