ASU

With the passing of my uncle, comes the second affirmation that this lifestyle is viable. I miss him and I want to be a part of the ceremony that celebrates his life. However, at this juncture I do not see how that would be possible. I think that in the end he would rather that I continue on, follow my dream and press forward taking advantage, as he did, of every day. It’s a conflicted feeling. Return home, attend the funeral and celebrate his life with family…Or remain, celebrate his life alone, physically but mentally connected to my family and to him. A hard question.

Another question also arises. What is it that I must do now? I need to make decisions regarding my future and what I am planning to do as time passes. Looking at the decisions I’ve made, I realize I settle for something and grow to enjoy it without attaining a passionate burst of unstoppable will that would carry me toward a single end goal. Instead, I make do and work my way through the experience as though it were an exercise. Strange this connection to it and my experiences. International relations… a mixture of sociology, liberal arts, urban systems, planning, political science, public administration… what a trip. Throw into the mix a class on cultural awareness and dancing and you’ve got a real melting pot of ideas and disciplines. Not so much interdisciplinary as tutto disciplines. Ha.

Allora, che altro? Troppi, too much, always too much. There is a mixture of aggravation and motivation that keeps me constantly pushing forward seeking the next new experience, and because of this restless nomadic spirit I believe I need a constantly changing environment which is always demanding I develop new skills and relate to new experiences. Without it I get bogged down in a wrote pattern and my productivity and motivation falls.

Communque, there is a feeling in the air…change…a charge which is overwhelming. I’ve got a bit of work to do to finalize my current journey. Complete these videos, write summaries, cables, riassunti… sempre lavoro anche al mio paper on the future of Milano.

So much time is left yet it will fall away so quickly. And now is also a time of planning…a general outlook on the cities I must visit.

Searching. Waiting. Looking. Aspetta! Basta basta! Enough! I am done. Finished! This is over. I have found a safe, warm, place. A place with warm Italian vibes, good food, wine, and other students… best of all a place that barely speaks English.

I don’t know how to express the stress and aggravation that comes from not having a definite place to stay while in a foreign country where you barely speak the language and don’t always understand the cultural references that occur around you. I am just now beginning to cleanse that stress from my mind. Today (2:33 in la mattina) I will move in to my apartment. I share a room with another guy, and all together there are four of us. But the guys are warm, interesting and have been very welcoming of me. I will head over there later in the evening around 8pm. All I need to do is buy a blanket and some personal items for showering (shampoo, soap, razors). Other than that I packed perfectly and will be ready to start work early Monday morning.

Facebook has proven to be an interesting tool. Today I did a search for the group pages of the universities here in Milano and found a few different groups. The largest is for Bocconi. I posted a message asking if anyone would like to go out to Tropicana the Latin club on the same street as my apartment for next week and am waiting for a response.

The gentlemen I am moving in with invited me for dinner tomorrow night and I insisted that I bring a bottle of wine for the meal. I am excited for my first cooked meal in Italy. More so I am excited to have a kitchen! As well as a refrigerator. I can start cooking for myself… something I miss very much.

I am a little nervous about work, but not nearly as nervous as I was about finding an apartment. I know I will put in the hours necessary to succeed at the consulate…that at least is in my hands. Searching and finding an apartment was not fully in my control. I could ask and search but inevitably the result lay in the hands of a stranger. That I think was the hardest part.

I did more work for my Italian class today. I need to write a tema… I will do so in the morning after I get a full night’s rest for the first time since I landed. I am so pleased and excited to have an apartment, a bed, and keys so I can come and go as I please.

I am tired and we got back from the pub only half an hour ago. I think I’m headed to sleep!

Ciao,

Baci

How are you? It’s been so long since I’ve gotten a chance to correspond with you and my apologies for that. I’m sure life has been quite busy on your end as well. I want to extend my thanks once again for the kindness and hospitality you so graciously offered me, your assistance and support along the trip was an amazing boon.

In regards to keeping up I wanted to share with you what’s going on since I’ve come back to the US and gotten back into the flow of school at ASU. The rest of my summer was wonderful, Calm and relaxing I spent my days with Mum and Dad recuperating and preparing for another wonderful year at ASU. As the summer began to come to a close the preparations for school and my move into a new apartment really brought my experiences over the summer and the impending work of another school year to bear.

I moved into my apartment and found that it had not been prepared for us. The baseboards were peeling from the walls, the vent grates had been not been cleaned and the dryer and washer both had problems which had not been addressed. In addition the house had not been thoroughly cleaned, we were not provided with a pool key nor was there a mail box key. To top it off the paint repairs they had carried out were shoddy at best. After two weeks of arguing and fighting with my broker and the resident handy man about getting the apartment to a livable state. I managed to get all my immediate complaints dealt with and the place has begun to look a bit more like a home instead of just some apartment. I settled in and have begun to make it my own. As I am sitting in a computer lab at school right now I’m afraid I can’t attach pictures however I’ll send some your way as soon as I’m able. I think with a little more decoration and a few more paintings here and there it will really come to life. The more work I’ve put into it the nicer it’s become. Right now it’s looking pretty darn good, it’s a wonderful little spot about a 1.2 miles off campus. Since its so close to ASU I can just hop on the bus and ride over so that’s pretty darn neat. At the end of the third week school started up.

My first day of school was spent (as usual) running around figuring out what books I need and where the closest bus stop was to my classrooms. I decided to take 17 credits this semester instead of the planned 20 because the course content is more difficult than I would have first expected. I am taking: Italian 101, SGS 394 Global Markets (econ), SGS 394 Research Methods (social sciences researching/ survey/ demographics) Hon 394 Life and the Universe with a Mr. Paul Davies, PLB 108, Concepts of Plant biology Lab science, and finally Dan 394 Latin Ballroom Swing III. These courses have proven to be quite time intensive, especially Italian and PLB 108. I love my Italian class and hope to soon converse with you both in Italian instead of English. I think that it would be both fun and education for me as well as continue a wonderful friendship. I’m not sure if you’ve left London yet and headed for Umbria but I’d love to hear about how the rest of your summer went and what has been happening in your lives.

I’ve been so engrossed in attempting to stay abreast of my school work that the social world has seemed to slip further and further away. I am still managing at least two nights out however, Fridays and Sundays I go out and dance from around 7:30-1:00am that is an amazing stress reliever. It really allows me to get my head in the right place for the upcoming week and relax enough to get everything done in the day.

I’ve now finished both my required papers for my Hon classes which I was taking while overseas and have officially closed that class, I’m rather sad about it. I miss being there already and wish I was back and had more time to explore the wonders of Europe. All in good time I suppose. If you haven’t heard Alex (my older brother) is over in Edinburgh now, he left last Tuesday and has been exploring Scotland all week. I believe he’s headed to Leeds at the moment I do hope you’ll get a chance to see him.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

David N. Berger

Having a blast in London, absolutely enjoyed today to its fullest, went shopping and found a GREAT dress shirt for £8 and a shirt for Alex as a gift for £6. Bought some other little odds and ends ate out and saw WICKED! The play was FANTASTIC! I love it.

Song number 18 (should be labeled For Good on the CD case) gets me every time. Just wanted you to know that through the entire song I was thinking of you two and Alex. Miss you guys but having such a blast. Going to spend a bit and head to a fancy club this weekend. It’s a bit adventurous and I’m not sure I want to swing the cover but I’m tempted (one of the top nightclubs/dance spots of London) so we will see what happens there. Headed to Dover on Monday, Oxford sat and who knows Sunday. Exploring like mad, having a blast and trying to keep it pretty cheap.

I loved the riverside and my adventures with Su and can’t wait to meet up with Nigel and her again. I hope Carla, Roger; Alex, the Wolf Pack etc. are all on the mailing list. I know what I’m sending is pretty rough but hopefully it gives a decent idea of life here.

Much love Hope you enjoy the song and know that I’m thinking about and thanking you for the opportunity to be here everyday
The Play Spamalot was wonderful, I can’t remember the theater but it wasn’t in the same one as Alex loved. Phantom is still playing in that theatre and I’m trying to get tickets (dreadfully difficult at the moment) I am taking pictures by the ton but uploading the bloody things is a nightmare. I’m hoping for a better connection somewhere to upload a whole bunch. It will be nice to be back so you can read my written journals as well as the typed and get a whole picture of the experience but at the moment I believe they are staying separated.

Little tired. Invited by Su for dinner and some washing before I leave for Ireland. Everything seems to be flying by today trying to keep up. Need to do a bit of reading and work on getting everything in order. This is our last week in town (we fly to Dublin next wed) Going to Canterbury and Dover tomorrow at 8:30am. Went to Oxford on Sat. lots of pictures, very fun. Went to the Ministry of Sound Nightclub. Amazing House Techno and a leader of the techno industry was there as a guest DJ so that was a blast. I need to figure out how to call Su… but I can do that, first time I’m using a phone in this country hehe. I’m pretty sure I told you about WICKED and AVE Q. but just to reiterate they were AMAZING! Friday night was spent at the Student union, dancing to techno and a live funk band upstairs. Reading “A Man for All Seasons” by Bolt a play about Henry the 8Th. Doing a few response papers for Bath and Stonehenge.

In 2007 I embarked on a journey to the United Kingdom and Ireland in order to further my education. I spent six and a half weeks traveling, attending university and learning from the people and locations I encountered.

Continuing on in Fall 2008 I applied and was accepted to work for the U.S. State Department Abroad in Italy! I will be traveling to Milan, Italy in January 2009 and will be working/studying there until May 2009.
A More detailed account of my adventures is coming soon!