Lost in Translation

Today proved that culture shock is definitely an unavoidable aspect of any experience while traveling or staying abroad. Firstly, the time change (8 hours ahead of Denver) caused me to sleep through my first corso di italiano, in other words, my first Italian language course. Whoops! Not only did I find myself running to get to my Scoula, but I also discovered that I have absolutely no idea how to navigate the absurd layout of Milan; and, shortly thereafter, I made another breakthrough about the Italian culture in Milan--no one speaks English! Talk about culture shock! Here I am, a dumb, American girl who not only speaks maybe five words in the entire Italian language, but who is also completely lost and wandering alone in a city... Let's just say that my day improved upon my executive decision to take advantage of the regional cuisine and indulge in some carb loading. Thank god for bread and Nutella-filled pastries... I will make any excuse to indulge in some chocolate and hazelnut spread, even if it means waking around a mysterious city among those who speak a language that becomes obscure to my ears...