... a funny ride

"Life is a funny ride with different people along the way".

- Christine Wong (a friend from Edmonton)

A Week Before Christmas

From last Friday to this past one, my first semester at the Politecnico di Milano closed with a resparked interest in the concept of “Strategic Design”, and the program I’m enrolled in.

It began with a lecture from an Italian-Canadian who formerly worked in the banking industry as a technology forecaster. He talked about technology parks, business strategy and the importance of matrices in analysis (I’m now convinced they are too). It was great to know that despite all the cynicism and doubts, I could still find some hope.

Friday evening I went to Caffe Carribe, danced, and learned my German friends would be leaving Milan that weekend. It was a bit of shock, because I thought they were staying here for a year as well. I walked home that night, and did a lot of thinking.

That weekend saw my Indonesian classmate leave the program in favour of an alternative program in the Netherlands. As I mentioned, a lot of us have been having doubts about the program, so this was not unexpected.

On the Sunday, I went to a salsa club in the south of Milan that I’d never been to before, for the goodbye party of my German friends. The experience reminded me a lot of my sudden departure from the salsa scene in Shanghai last year, and what my relationships there meant.

...

December 17th, Monday morning, after a skype meeting, and arranging some initial tasks and timelines, I officially started the job I was offered in Shanghai. That day was also the first day that I officially entered into the globalized business world- working in Milan for a company in Shanghai.

In the evening, some classmates organized a Christmas party. Although I went, my mind was still at work. A lot that would need to be done before the new year.

I arrived home earlier than my roommates and went straight to work. We all slept very late that night, waking up the one Lativan roommates who hadn’t come to the party. As a consequence, the next day, the relationship between the Latvian and my Chilean roommate changed, probably for good. The Latvian resorted to securing his own things (including the speakers which we all had used), and buying more furniture for ‘his’ space. The Chilean decided that day that it was probably best that he leave in the new year. I think that was also the first day that I called him “the drama king”. Ah, the crazy life of student residencies.

Wednesday through Friday were school days filled with theories, matrices and decreasing student attendence. Call me one of the geeks in the class, but I found more reasons to attend and at least try to pay attention, no matter how easy it was to fall asleep.

Thursday evening some of us went for Aperitivo (free food in select restaurants, a tradition in Milan) to celebrate a classmate’s birthday. Friday evening I went for salsa one last time before Christmas. Two of my roommates joined, which really changed the mood for me, but it was nice to show them that side of my life.

Today I spent the day eating out and Chirstmas shopping with one of the secretaries from my department. A really talented Chinese girl, who has lived in Milan for 8 years, but doesn’t like Italy, and speaks 7 languages. Crazy! She won’t be back next semester, but I’m getting used to this.

Tomorrow, it’s off to Germany to celebrate Christmas with my godfather and his family. My first Christmas away from home…

isn't fair...

"World-class success requires that you grow up emotionally and come to terms with the fact that life isn't fair and success isn't free."

- Steve Siebold

Informal Lessons and Plans

Last week’s Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were largely dedicated to my group’s first major project. Lots of research, ideas, discussion, debate and emotions. I’d say my major role was that of secretary and facilitator. A role I felt I had to take on almost by default. It brought back memories of my old days at APIRG.

Our group presented our concept along with the other three groups in the class that Thursday. There were many things about our group dynamics that really opened my eyes to a lot of issues that I never took much notice of before. I think I gained a new appreciation for management, and an understanding of why English teachers are in such demand world-wide.

Over lunch, I had a great discussion about relationships with the same Indian classmate/cousin/temporary roommate as before, that echoed my sentiments that I had when I wrote my last posting for my The Road Not Taken blog. The most memorable line he said was (pretty close to an exact quote): "Make sure the relationships you put your efforts into are clear. Because if they are not clear, your whole world will be screwed up." What a cousin.

That evening I also had some sense knocked into me by my Chilean roommate in a passionate speech about social expectations and money. I don’t really have a quote of his, but the general idea was that I don’t take these two things seriously enough. To use some of his words, I’m “like an animal” (refering to my tendency to eat just about anything) and should be more concerned about being remembered as the guy who eats like one. I think this was the first time I saw myself this way. What a roommate.

Friday was a holiday in Milan. St. Ambrogio day. All my roommates left the city for Naples and Riga (Latvia), leaving me alone, with the apartment to myself. I couldn’t stand the thought of staying home the entire weekend because of a lack of funds. So, I did the only logically thing: rely on credit. A thing that I feel I’ve been doing too much here, but the best way I think I could have managed. It’s times like this that I both love and hate “the system”.

I met my newfound German friends from salsa that afternoon. We had coffee and then explored the old castle market (where only tourists apparently go). I didn’t know this until I met them that day, but they’re part of a larger expate German babysitter community (some more of which we met in the market). It was a really stange discovery for me, which is why I include it here.

We spent a good hour or so there, then I got lost. Typical. Luckily, I found some of my classmates and stayed with them the rest of the time. All I could really say about that, was food. A lot of food! This is indeed what Italy is known for. I bought roasted chestnuts (which I happen to hate now), and the others got a lot of food from Sicily. Once again, as my junior high french teacher would say, it was “to die for”. In the evening, we went to another classmate’s houseparty, where a bunch of us stayed overnight, dancing a bit of salsa, eating small sandwiches and watching home-made videos.

The next day, I tried to go the salsa congress I mentioned earlier, but gave it up when I realized it would have been too hard to get to in time. And it was probably a good thing that I did.

When I got back to my apartment, the Romanian girl who I met last year in Modena messaged me. After coordinating a trip with a fellow classmate, I made it there the next day.

Being a Sunday in a small Italian town, meant time for church once again. It was cold and raining, so even though there was a market in the central square, the cathedral also seemed a warmer alternative. I met the Romanian girl after the service. She looked different from what I remembered, but it was nevertheless good to see her again. She invited me to her home, where I met her mother and aunt. It was a strangely familiar experience. After a lot of good food, practicing my Italian, and helping to decorate their Christmas tree, I was invited to stay an extra day. I didn’t have a change of clothes with me, but accepted the invitation nevertheless.

The next day, we were visited by my friend’s priest. Naturally, over coffee and later in their church, he told me of the benefits of their religion. It wasn’t done in a demining way, and I didn’t think it was the reason why I was invited to stay an extra day, so I didn’t mind. I even ended up helping to clean their church.

The rest of my time in Modena was spent touring the town, eating and praticing more Italian. Upon, leaving the two of us said we would spend more time together. I really hope so.

On Tuesday, I spent a large part of the day buying things for Christmas, paying off my bus ticket, and cleaning the apartment. In the evening, I went salsa dancing at a place called Tropicana. Although I could only stay for an hour (due to the metro schedule), it was a really nice time.

On Wednesday, I woke up with a very heavy head, that grew into a really bad headache. And to make matters worse, a good portion of the morning class was focused on a discussion about our course. A lot of dissatisfaction on the part of us students. I even took a risk and voiced some of my own concerns. It was nice that our professor, also the director of the program, was open to our opinions. Nevertheless, a lot of doubts remained with us.

On my way back to the apartment, I spoke with a classmate from Brazil and another from Indonesia. They came up with a good metaphor for what we are going through as a group though. It’s like we’re going through military service. We know it’s painful and hard (though not very disciplined), and a lot has to be done on the students’ part to get what we want, but hopefully we are stronger afterwards.

I had a long nap that evening, and woke to the return of my roommates who had gone to Naples.

Today, it was back to normal. Whatever that is.

... what happens to you...

Life is what happens to you
while you're busy making other plans.

- John Lennon (Beautiful Boy lyrics)

Two Unpredictable Weeks

Ok, here it goes...

Monday, November 19th, was a day largely of reflection and contemplation for me. I spent the morning getting a few things out of the way before arriving at the library to use the internet. After reading my emails, I spent some time in the park nearby with my thoughts. My conclusion once again, with no further explanation here: life goes on.

I had lunch with my Brazilian classmates, and in the evening I had my first Italian class, half of which were Japanese students.

On Tuesday, a classmate visited our apartment early in the morning to help us with our internet connection, but ended up just having breakfast with us. We spent the rest of the day with my Chilean roommate making our way to IKEA once again to buy some more things. I only bought food. I figured the rest of my furniture could wait.

Wednesday was back to school, and then a surprise meeting of us roommates to talk about eating and buying food. I think that day, the four of us really started to make a commitment to work together. It was a great feeling to know that.

Thursday, I woke up late, but then spent the rest of the day working on a presentation about research on the fur trade in Canada. My Chilean roommate and I stayed up really late that night working on our laptops. It reminded me of my undergraduate years in design, and how much I hated staying up late for our projects. If this really is the life of a designer, I don’t want it.

The next day was a mix of different things. The presentations in the morning went on until 1pm, and the afternoon class was complete write-off as far as formal education goes. I didn’t even know what the “professor” was trying to say (Yes, the “professor”). It was in that period that I re-realized that despite the good efforts and theories of Ezio Manzini, and his close group in academia, this course in strategic design is by and large another do-what-you-want-and-learn-by-yourself-as-long-as-you-repeat-abstract-concepts-and-someone-else-thinks-it’s-important program. I would even go so far as to argue that this is the new credo of the design industry, and why it’s killing the profession, but I won’t now.

Anyway, what saved my sanity that afternoon, was a deep conversation with a fellow classmate next to me about meaning and control. Despite the fact that we were sitting right in the front of the class, and paid no attention to the “professor” (as did most of the class), it was then that I also re-realized the importance of learning from my fellow students. I think this is where I will gain the most from this program.

That evening I went to Caffe Caribe by myself. My Chilean roommate (who ironically doesn’t like salsa) managed to convince the rest of our class (and almost me too) that it wasn’t worth going to. I’m glad I didn’t listen. It was great. A lot like On the Rocks back in Edmonton, and Zapatas in Shanghai. A big space and a tile floor with a lot of people (mostly Italians). I was welcomed in by an older lady from Calabria, and just continued to meet people from then on. Most of the dancers weren’t as good as I expected them to be, but there were of course some really outstanding dancers, and a generally friendly Italian atmosphere (take that to mean: fashion statements, showing off, and a lot of yelling). There was also a performance, and news about the Cavalese salsa congress. Ah! Another congress! I really didn’t expect that. If I can afford to go by then, I’ll be there.

I spent much of the night with two girls from Germany that told me a lot about the salsa scene here. Apparently, there are two other places to go to during the week, and the only day with no salsa is Monday. I love it.

Early the next morning (around 4am), I walked home in the rain and ran into one of my Brazilian classmates along the way.

The highlight of Saturday was a dinner-party at our apartment. The food was prepared by a French classmate of one of my Latvian roommates, and was really good. The evening was a mix of interesting conversation and a hesitation to carry on the party experience late into the night. After traveling half the way by Metro with two of my roommates, I decided to get off and go back to the apartment. I wasn’t in the mood for another really late night.

Sunday, we all got up late. My routine was partly changed because of that, as well as a bus detour in Affori (where the library, churches and hostel are). There was a huge street market taking place with food, clothes, balloons, and tuner-cars and go-karts on the side. The market made me really happy and made me think more about what it is I really want to do for work. Design?… exhibitions… conferences… sharing ideas… meeting people… communication… I love that.

I walked through the market once again on my way back to the apartment, and returned with two bags and a remaining four euros. That’ll be my reserve until at least the end of the week.

In the evening, I had a great conversation with my Chilean roommate about design, design education, and our careers. It’s times like that that I really appreciate living with him.

...

The past five weekdays were a complete mix of things, good and bad. Most concerning of all (now unsurprisingly) was that Internet was down in all the public libraries.

On Monday, my Chilean roommate and I spent a good part of the day playing “housewife”. On Tuesday, I cancelled an evening of salsa to complete a design project that I finally started to enjoy. On Wednesday, Internet was installed in our apartment, but didn’t work on my computer for some reason. That day, I really took offense to something my Chilean roommate said, and despite the fact that we had to deal with our landlords, both of us stayed in a tense state of anger with each other until he left that evening to join some of his friends. On Thursday, he didn’t come to school, because he found out that his bank account in Chile had been cleared. That day, he also started to look for flights to return home. Once I got back to the apartment that evening, both of us reconciled our differences, and refocused on this more pressing problem. The next day, although he found out he’d been robbed, he also found out that he didn’t need to fly home. Although he was actually excited to return, I think it’s better that he didn’t have to. He really belongs here, and I think he’ll become something big.

Thursday was an important day for me as well, because that day our class was invited to a conference. (Yes, another conference. And yes, I love them). And the food of course, was amazing. One of the sessions I naturally went to was on mobility. Coming out of it, I felt like I had learned so much. After classes in the afternoon, I skipped my Italian class to return to the apartment to speak with my Chilean roommate, and then go to the conference dinner at a now-popular “slow food” restaurant. It was there that I really got to meet other people from around Europe and the US in the field of technology transfer and sustainable development, and take part in a lot of good discussions about “sustainability”, “innovation”, China, Italy, and dance. Yes, I had to include that. I even managed to convince three people at my table to join me the following night.

Before leaving, I spoke with an American from the mobility session who had used the phrase “reverse technology transfer”. A great idea in my opinion. We told each other our stories of how we ended up where we were, and after hearing mine he ‘took his hat off to me’ for being so courageous. I felt honored and a little embarrassed to hear a guy more than twice my age say something like that, but I think it was another sign that despite the hardships, I may be traveling on the right road after all. I’ll take that as a blessing.

…

This past weekend was a combination of: salsa; a Saturday night that ran until six in the morning (and coming home to a broken bathroom door that now swings open from the top (don’t ask)); borrowing money; surviving on beans, tomatoes, onions and left-overs; chores; bargaining with my roommates for their food; being labeled “the poor grandfather” in the apartment; being labeled “the peacekeeper” for a group project my Chilean roommate and I are working on; inviting our new fifth roommate (an Indian from our class that needs to find a new apartment), thanking him for helping me with my internet connection problem and then saying goodbye to him the following day (he decided to stay at another roommate’s apartment for logistic reasons); getting caught on the bus for not having a ticket (yes, that’s probably pretty bad being in a foreign country); celebrating one of our Latvian roommate’s nameday with cake and cookies (my new source of carbs).

Before returning to the apartment after my Italian class this evening, I ran into my Indian classmate as he exited the bus carrying the luggage he had brought to our apartment. We stopped to talk for a while. He reminds me a lot of my Indian cousins, and I think he shares the same kind of comfort with me. He was in a really stressful state, as I have been with money and the lack of a decent internet connection. However, his situation might have been worse, but I felt I could relate to him. Oddly enough, it was in that moment that I felt I understood why I was here in Milan.

...

P.S. I think at this point, I need to come to terms with another reality: time. I have a feeling that with school, possible work, and the many unexpected complications that seem to come with living in Milan, I may not be able to write as much or as often once again. Nevertheless, I will whenever I can. I’ve discovered that blogging is now more of a hobby for me than just a communication or memory tool.