Mia's Life

Though I know I’ll always carry this place in my heart as home, time refuses to wait for me. In just 42 days, all of this will become nothing more than a collection of beautiful memories. It feels like I’m living in a fever dream—so surreal that I sometimes question if it’s really happening. But then again, Nobody ever complains about having what’s too good for them.

As soon as Easter break began, my family and I made our way to their house in Sanremo. This time, the town radiated that unmistakable beachside charm—clear blue skies, gelato shops on every corner, and the kind of warm weather that instantly lifts your mood. On our first day, we picked up some fresh Sardenaira, a local Sanremo specialty—essentially focaccia topped with red sauce and olives—and had a seaside picnic. We lingered there for hours, soaking in the stunning views and basking under the high UV sun. I brought along my new Italian book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was the first book I ever read on my own in English, so I wanted it to be my first in Italian too.

On our second day, we headed to Torino—a city I had heard so much about but had never visited until now. Many exchange students are placed there, and it’s mainly known for its museums. Naturally, we spent the day exploring several of them. Our original plan was to visit the renowned Egyptian Museum—ranked second only to the one in Cairo—since I’m absolutely fascinated by ancient Egypt and all the wild conspiracy theories that surround it. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out by the time we arrived, which made sense given its reputation. Still, the museums we did explore were incredible. I was especially struck by how much actual gold adorned the rooms—it felt like walking through a treasure chest.

The third day was Pasqua—Easter! It’s a much bigger celebration here than it is back in the U.S. Normally, I’d be spending the holiday at a volleyball tournament, but this year felt far more festive and meaningful. We started the morning by attending the most stunning church service. Just outside the church, the streets were wrapped with vintage antique markets. I was completely in awe. I saw dozens of old digital cameras, phonoboxes, typewriters, record players, jewelry, broken parts, house phones, baseball cards, beautifully patterned china, and all sorts of little trinkets. I had to seriously stop myself from buying a typewriter—it would’ve absolutely come home with me if I didn’t have limited space and a long flight ahead. I’m completely in love with antique things. One day, when I have a place of my own, I want all the decor to be thrifted, secondhand, and vintage.

Back at the house, my host parents gave each of us these massive chocolate eggs—an Italian Easter tradition. Instead of baskets or chocolate bunnies like we have in the States, they give out face-sized chocolate eggs in all kinds of varieties. After lunch, we walked over to their cousin’s house, where we were welcomed with even more giant eggs. We spent a few hours chatting—they’re always so warm and inviting toward me, even though I’m not part of the family.

The fourth—and final—day arrived, and we drove to Genova, another charming beach town. This time, we visited a small Egyptian museum. I’m so grateful to my host family—they found it just for me, knowing how fascinated I am with anything related to ancient Egypt. It meant a lot. For lunch, we stopped at a pizzeria where I ordered the Tricolore. It was delicious—though honestly, anything with burrata tends to be.

We spent the rest of the day wandering through the town. We stepped into a breathtaking church with the most captivating details covering the walls and ceiling. Every couple of meters, the design seemed to shift. We walked up to the roof of the church for an overlook of the city. Most buildings had terraces, which I loved—they allow for the prettiest of views.

As soon as I got home, I was off again—this time for Emelia’s birthday dinner in Milan. We met up with Wilmer and a few other exchange students I hadn’t met before. The dinner spot was a restaurant called Crazy Pizza, which we’d all seen circulating online. It was hyped for its supposedly incredible pizza and over-the-top pre-dinner “shows.” While we had a great time enjoying each other’s company, I honestly wouldn’t recommend the place. The pizzas were priced between 50 and 70 euros, and the so-called show? Not much of a show at all. A single worker came out, spun a towel shaped like pizza dough for about ten seconds, and that was it. Definitely not worth the hype. After dinner, we wandered around Chinatown for a bit before everyone split up. I was spending the night at Emelia’s house, and her host family was incredibly kind. Even though we came back late, they still sat at the table with us for nearly an hour, sharing stories while I did my best to speak only in Italian. We ended up laughing the entire time.

The next morning, Emelia and I took a train to Lugano, Switzerland. Spoiler: it’s now one of my favorite cities. I feel like I’m always saying, “This has been my favorite day so far,” but somehow each memory keeps topping the last. We decided to get off the train early and stopped at St. Martino to visit Foxtown, a large outlet mall. We walked around for a bit and stumbled into an UGG store—where, by chance, the woman working there turned out to be the host mom of another exchange student we know. We chatted with her and her coworker for a while, which made the stop even more fun.

Next, we went to the Lindt store—Switzerland’s iconic chocolate brand—and were surprised to see shelves full of Lindt Dubai chocolate. I didn’t expect to find it there, since it’s usually only sold at Lindt factories and is almost always sold out. We didn’t buy any though, since we’d both already tried Dubai chocolate before. Afterward, we had lunch at a Swiss restaurant, where we shared a pot of fondue served with a big spread of potatoes, bread, onions, and pickles. Everything was amazing. I’ve always wanted to try a real Swiss meal, and we finally got to do that.

Afterward, we headed back to the train station to finally make our way into Lugano. From the moment we arrived, the beauty of the city was obvious. We both instantly agreed—we could’ve stayed forever. The very first shop we walked into was an old-fashioned journaling store, and it was pure heaven. I fell in love the second I stepped inside. I couldn’t even find the words to explain how much I loved it—I just kept saying, “Oh my god, I love, I love, I love.” It was filled with ink pens, wax stamps, handmade paper, leather-bound journals, beautifully illustrated postcards—everything you could dream of. I wanted to buy it all. Honestly, if I ever go missing, that’s probably where you’ll find me.

The next shop captivated me just as much. It was a vintage store filled with unique pieces from decades past. It was owned by the sweetest elderly italian woman, which made it even cuter. We ended up sitting on the street for at least fifteen minutes going through a box of old postcards—ones that had never been delivered. They were from all over the world, written in different languages, with long handwritten letters on the back. One postcard, written in 1954 from Milan, was addressed to a little girl. This is exactly the kind of shopping I live for. I’ve never cared much for clothes or shoes—take me to an antique store, and you’ll have to drag me out. Honestly, all the shops in Lugano were up my alley.

We even stopped inside a McDonald’s just to check out the menu—and it was totally different! They had McPops, an Ovomaltine McFlurry, a paprika veggie burger, a curry burger, fried shrimp bites, potato sauce, curry sauce, and cocktail sauce. We didn’t get anything, though, since we were still full from the fondue.

As we walked along the lake, two guys shouted out asking if anyone wanted to ride a water bike for free. We immediately took them up on the offer. They pointed us toward a dock, and sure enough, there was a double water bike waiting. No rules, no time limit—they just let us go. We pedaled wherever our hearts took us, soaking up the sun and the spontaneity. It was one of those in-the-moment decisions that ended up being completely worth it.

Later, we grabbed gelato to cool off and found a perfect spot overlooking the lake. We sat high up on a terrace ledge, and the whole scene felt straight out of a movie—it was that picturesque.

Eventually, we wandered into a nearby park where people were having picnics. We pulled out our journals, read a few entries, and talked about everything we’ve experienced so far. It hit me then how sad I was that Emelia and I hadn’t gotten close until the WEP Venice trip—because we’re basically the same person. She’s so much fun to be around, and I’ve honestly never met someone I relate to more. We share the same outlook on life, and our top three passions—cooking, traveling, and writing—are exactly the same. Every time one of us shared something about ourselves, the other would say, “same.” I mean, what are the chances that we both journal—and that we both happened to bring our journals with us on a day trip where we could only carry a single bag? I have a feeling we’ll end up on some wild travel adventure together one day after our exchange years are over.

Before leaving, we stopped by a local market for some Prosecco. When we returned the glasses, they gave us two francs in coins—which we happily kept as souvenirs. Our last stop was a vintage designer shop, a hidden gem packed with high-end pieces—some painted on, some discontinued, all one-of-a-kind. Everything was still super expensive, though, so we didn’t stay long before it was time to catch our trains back home.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to become one of those annoying people who constantly compare everything to their exchange year—sharing unprompted stories no one asked for. Nostalgia is definitely going to be my biggest enemy in just over a month.

“The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”- Wilhelm Griemm