I arrived fine, got out the airport and straight onto a coach to central station. It took about an hour but was ok, the air con was on as it was so hot outside!! As we arrived, it was just tourists/travelling people about. Now I had to make my way to this hostel... I had what number tram I needed and what stop to get off, sounds easy enough - right? WRONG. I had to get a a train to a stop and then find the right tram stop to take me to said hostel. So, I get out at a stop and look around... I ask people for help but to no avail. I march onward in the heat, trying to move my bag around every now and then because it was getting heavy. I remembered the name of a main road nearish to the hostel, I thought why the hell not just head there and ask the knowning people of Milan where my humble abode is. So, on foot I set off... Asking people on my way if I'm haeding the right way etc. It all seemed to be going ok... Get to the main road but people had never heard of the hostel or the road it's on! I can't believe my luck... It's midday now, the sun is beaming down on me and I'm sweating and getting tired. I'd been walking for an hour and had no clue where I was. I asked a traffic policeman about the road I needed to get to and he was like... Why you asking me for? The police are useful in every country, it seems.
I'm on this road now, it's miles long... I just start to walk down it hoping to find my way. After a while I thought I'd check to see if somehow I could read my emails on my phone that I already had recieved from the hostel, hopefully it could help... It worked, I was so glad! I rang their number and explained where I was etc and I was actually going to right way. I did later on find out I went maybe the longest way possible but still, I was close...After a few wrong turns and detours I think I'm near... I mean by now I'd been on foot for two hours - I just HAD to be close. I see an old nono seated on a wall in the shade so I go over and ask him if he knows where the road I'm after is... He comes out with the line, I'm not from round here. Another helpful person on my journey. As he says that I look up and across the road is the named road of my destination. I did not care that this lazy old man couldn't be bothered to help me... I had arrived!!! I get to the Zebra and it looks just like a seedy night club upon entry... I check in fine and go to my dorm room. It seemed empty, a few people obviously there - I noted dirty clothes beside a few beds but it seemed vacant considering there is like 26 beds in this room. I was on the top floor. I put my bag down, take my socks off and head out.
I had two numbers of people to call regarding housing so I thought I'd get straight on it. They both got back to me and I was on my way. Two appointments and some time to kill. I headed back the way I walked and found a train station and went into town. I'm staying fair close to everything it seems - I like the area. I go to the university to see if I can enroll but it was lunch time by now so everything was just shut down. I spoke to a lady and she pointed me in the direction of where I needed to go but they were also closed so I had to go the next day. Wasting more time I go back into the centre now, I see a massive queue outside this pizza bar. It was locals eating there, all over the street just sat down on the pavements. I joined in with them, queued up and got a folded pizza - a fritta of sorts. Fairly cheap and very nice. I still needed to waste time before my first meeting in the Navigli area. I get to the tram stop that would take me there. It is so close to the centre of Milan, so I go and just check it out. Walking around I see the lake that runs through it. I'm expecting bars everywhere but see nothing... Slightly disappointed with the area I find the house that I'm viewing and the lady is already at the door. It's worked out well. She leads me up and shows me around... It's a one bedroom flat. The advert said two people... Obviously forgot to mention you'd have to be sharing a bed. On top of all of that she also wanted 800€ a month and a two year contract. I told her that this was not what was advertised etc. She apologised for wasting my time and I was on my way. I had about 4 hours in between meetings so I went and sat at a bar. I ordered a beer, little did I know it cost me 5€! I was slowly falling out of love with this super cool hot spot that I'd read and heard so much about.
Hours passed, I got my mum to call me because I was sitting at a bar with time to kill. It turns out I was still running on English time, so I had to wait an hour less than expected - score! I expected I was because the lady was waiting at the front of the previous house and I thought I'd just walk past to see where it was thinking I was an hour early haha. Time passed, I liked the area this was in. Romolo was one train stop from Navilgli but a bit more residential so I was like this could work. I meet the girl who advertised this room. Again, thinking I'm going in for a house share she opens the door with a kid wrapped round her leg. He must have been no older than 3. I was a bit perlexed, her husband was also there! I thought, living with a family... this could be ok... Again, it was a house for myself. These guys said it would cost 900€ a month plus some bills... They were very nice people and seemed real interested but let's be honest, thinking I was going to pay them that money they would have cooked me a full on meal if I asked. They also wanted three months rent up front... I don't even have that in my account... Oh well. I head home a bit deflated. My feet felt destroyed, wearing no socks was also a terrible shout in hindsight. I was walking with a limp because of my knee and as a result of walking like a hardcore gangster my other leg began to hurt because I was putting all this added weight and strange movement on it for about 10 hours now. I get back to the hostel, and get on the internet and house hunt. Got loads of numbers and enquired about them today. All seemed good. It was late, thought I should get some dinner and went to a place literally 50m from where I'm staying called Da Willy. I laughed when I first saw it, for obvious reasons but they do real big and real good pizzas. I took it back to the hostel and sat down with my pizza and a beer watching the last of the Milan game over the shoulder of a man who was streaming it on his laptop. As I started eating a man and his terrible keybaord began to make noise. Such typical Italian nonsense, oldsongs and murmurs of english sounding things coming out his mouth. He was being watched very closely by a woman in her 30s clearly pissed off her face, he invited her to sing and she just sat at the seat all slumped and slurred noise came out of her mouth. The man was dancing around all happy but nobody cared for it. I thought, time for bed... This should be fun. I bought two small bottles of water (that's all they sold in the hostel) in anticipation of the heat that night. It was so hot.
Some people were already asleep when I went to the room, I thought ok... This can work. I made my bed and lay down. For the next few hours people were arriving etc. I was sweating madly despite being under a window and a fan on the ceiling... The person sleeping above me left right in the middle of the night and woke me up in the process. He obviously was trying to be quiet but at time of night, also next to my head it made his task very hard. Anyway, I woke up early... I don't know how early but people had already got up and gone. My 9am alarm hadn't even gone off. I stayed in bed till the alarm went and slowly made my way up etc. Breakfast was available downstairs and could be dealing with bad Italian toast so I got orange juice. Well, I thought it was orange juice... It was super sweet semi flat/sparkling orangeade. I went back upstairs, got my notepad and valuables from the locker thing I decided to use last night and planned my day.
I found a much quicker way to get into Milan and to University. It actually is a 15/20 minute walk in! I was on the hunt to register and enrol today. That was my priority. After going back and forward to places I found out that the university didn't even know I was coming... Typical UCL, god awful at everything. Erasmus people are fine, I went to their office and top of the pile was a class mate of mine, she just enrolled literally minutes before I got there. So, now I'm thinking... Can I just do the bare minimum and get away with it? I mean, it doesn't matter what I study here or what actual grade I get so I'm not too sure what the deal is. I have a form to fill out etc. That will be done soon. I've got more meetings tonight/this evening for houses. Happy days.
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