English Lessons/ Lezioni di inglese, Milano

Waiting for the tram, Milan

Rooftop - Duomo, Milano

Took these with a crappy camera, but the view was amazing.

What gets you through the day,Milan

Autumn Love, Giardini Indro Montanelli, Milan

and some music to add to it. Nick Drake's music for me captures the mood of this season.

A warm autumn day in Milan

La bella vita

This year has already passed in such velocity that I find it hard to keep up with all the things that I need to and want to do in the time that I have left here - it includes writing anything on this blog. I have been reluctant also to write to personal things here lately, as I really don't know so much how I feel about sharing it all with strangers, and also that it would not interest people (judging from the statistics of my blog, it is not just my family reading it any more. But a few people have been sending me some worried messages after a few negative status updates on Facebook, and I have not had any time to write long letters to anyone, so I want to use this platform to send out a quick update.

Summer has arrived in Europe - albeit a very unstable one at that. It has been raining a lot this month, and we also had an earthquake (what a strange feeling to wake up and feel like you are on a boat) but the past few days have been just lovely out and I have been indulging in the things that make Italian summer wonderful.  I am still stressed because exams are right around the corner and I am still nowhere near anywhere in terms of preparation for it. Tonight however  Iv'e decided to take some time just to reflect a little bit on the things I am happy about and to breathe a little. So just as a remedy to all those who always here me complain about everything, here I list a few of the things I absolutely love about my life right now. 

I have handed in a thesis proposal on Friday which is a huge relief for the moment.

There are two things Italians are the best in making;  gelato and cappuccinos. Really there is no better pick me up then these. I would recommend people to come to Italy even just for these two things. 

Italian cooking. I learnt how to make eggplant parmegiano last week from one of our classmates. It was delicious. 

Cheap wine. In Italy you can still get a good wine even if it is cheap. In South Africa buying cheap wine is usually a bit of a gamble, you either end up with some good wine or really really bad wine. Here though, one can be sure of wine still being absolutely drinkable at 3 euros per bottle. (Sometimes even less if you find it on sale in the supermarkets).

Travel, It is so easy to travel from here. I am heading to Paris this weekend. I am so excited

I have great opportunities ahead. Going to take part in a program at the Dokumenta in Kassel. I am super super lucky. 

I have amazing friends all over the world. That makes me rich.

Lastly, I love these summer nights, they buzz, people are outside and the sun goes down late. Makes you feel like there are more hours in the day and when the sun sets it cools down a little and some nights you can even see two stars.

Abandoned Space,MACAO, Milano

View from M^C^O, Milano

Read more about it here.

La Festa di Isola Pepe Verde

Sunday I was at the festival of Isola Pepe Verde. Isola Pepe Verde is an association started by the local community of Isola (a neighbourhood in Milan) to work together in finding a park for the neighbourhood, which is now dominated by construction, skyscrapers and cement.  Only a small patch of green remained next to the train and metro station Garibaldi. They have proposed that this strip of green along with the adjacent old parking lot can become a small garden and community centre. This has been quite a difficult project for them as community hardly seems on the minds of the big industries being built around it. However the municipality of Milan have assigned it to them, and on Sunday they started planting on the green strip.  Along with it they had they’re festival which has now become an annual affair.  Also see the adjacent project  that I was part of here.

Welcome Spring!!!

Finally March is drawing to a close and I cannot be happier. I despise February and March! The winter just becomes too long, the Naviglio  (the canal in the street close to where I stay) is just empty and disgusting, revealing everything that people dump in it, including a stench which makes the daily walk to school quite nasty. March also seems to be the month of homesickness, me and my fellow foreign student friends all felt quite down and out in these days. With lots of classes and lots of pressure, everyone seemed just a little bit on the edge lately.

But now spring starts to settle in here in the Northern hemisphere, and the trees start to show little buds of green, while the hedge down below my apartment is covered in yellow flowers.  The weather allows for strolls outside and wearing dresses with tights and gelato. Hopefully soon the Naviglio will get its water back.  The end of March brings some relief as sweet April with all its goodness is on its way.  April bring Easter holiday ( me and my friends are heading to Spain) and spring picnics.  

Corporate structures, Isola

From Garibaldi station, Milano

Bosco Verticale, Milano

At the moment the skyline of  the neighbourhood Isola  in Milan is dominated by large cranes and construction. These visions of progress seems to represent the opposite of how a lot of the citizens of Italy experience it. Amongst  these constructions is the Vertical forest designed by architect Stefano Boeri. While I quite like the idea of it and the design concept; the reality of it is quite something else. These apartments will cost more then most people can afford and instead of being seen as positive thing in the community of Isola, it becomes a symbol of the gentrification that has been taking place over the past few years. This has led to the already very cement area to become even more grey, and it has also taken away the spaces used by the community, there is no longer a park (apart from the future park that will be there for the inhabitants of the obviously not very inclusive Vertical forest ) or community centre, something they have requested several times with constructive proposals.  Read more about the community's struggle here (unfortunately all in Italian) and in english and italian on the website of the Isola Art Centre. This  situation lets me wonder what the point of good design is if it is at the cost of others?  

Isola Skyline, Milano

Centro, Milano

And more snow!!

Friends

I have been pretty blessed in my life to have made some really awesome friends, and here in Milan it is no exception. They really are people I could count on and then they are also a wonderfully talented bunch too. Most of them are artists who enrich my life with their perspectives and humour and inspire me with their discipline. I've come love them like family. So on my art blog I will be doing a little feature on each of them soon. Read it here.  

(Below are a few photos of my favourites. The first one was taking by Wei-Ning on our last night out, the rest was all taken by me through out the year)

 

Foggy nights, Milan

We can all, Milan