So many blogs say you need a VPN for travel that I almost believed it. Then I talked to a tech expert about online security while traveling. Here are some snippets of that conversation, including something that’s much more important for your online security – a password manager. I’ll admit that for five years of […]
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16 Things I Learned From An (Italian) Master’s in Sustainable Business & Energy
If you’re thinking about an MBA because you’re interested in learning business stuff (economics, corporate finance, managing a business) but also interested in recycling, pollution, electricity and climate change, AND you’re looking to drive yourself crazy… well then I have an idea for you: There’s a way to combine all of these. I spent 2018, […]
A Look at US Culture via the “Most American” City in the USA
Back in May, I told a cab driver in Milan I was moving to the US and he said “oh really? You mean New York?” This is pretty common. People all over the world tell me they’ve experienced the US – usually New York City, Miami, San Francisco, or Las Vegas. While these cities are […]
Detroit, USA: Attempting Train Travel in the Motor City
“Do NOT get in line. I will LET YOU KNOW when the train is pulling into the station and I’m NOT gonna let anybody miss it.” She says this as if it were obvious. But it’s 10:24. Our train should leave in six minutes and still there’s no hint as to whether it’s here or […]
Summer in Chicago & Reflections on a Whirlwind Year
It’s almost Labor Day weekend, which in the US culturally marks the end of summer. But my mind is still on August 15, known as Ferragosto, which marks the middle of the Italian summer vacation season – not the end. Yet it was right around Ferragosto that Chicagoans started reminding me to enjoy the very […]
What is Italy’s “Ferragosto” and WHY Am I Not On Vacation?
…And why does Europe shut down for a month in August? Two years ago, I wrote a post called August in Milan about the Italian holiday period of Ferragosto, and how the city heats up and empties out. I spent much of that August sitting on the stone floor of my un-airconditioned apartment (the only […]
What Pink French Toilet Paper Taught Me About Globalization
Being an expat lets you discover the little things about different cultures that don’t change with globalization. Being an expat in France, one of those things is pink toilet paper.
Starbucks in Milan… Is This the End of Italian Coffee Culture?
All about the new Starbucks that just opened in Milan – the first one in Italy. Plus, cultural background about Italy and espresso, coffee history, and my own longtime feud with Starbucks. I’ve been meaning to write about Starbucks in Milan ever since I moved to this city – exactly two years ago. That’s also […]
Life in Milan: We Got Married!
I have news! Sort of old news, but most of you don’t know it, so it still counts I think. I got married! Yes, it’s true. I married the Italian man who I met in Shanghai, and traveled a dozen countries with, and moved to Milan for. Actually, Emanuele and I just had our seven-month […]
How to Eat in Italy: the Ultimate Travel Guide to Italian Meals & Courses
I’m writing this because it’s what my friends have asked for when they visit from abroad: A guide to Italian menus, with each meal and course explained. If I’ve learned just one thing in the past year living in Milan, it’s how to eat in Italy. Food here is not just food, it’s a respected […]
August in Milan: Surviving the Heat & Enjoying the Quiet
This is about life in the city of Milan, which I now call home, how its culture differs from the rest of Italy, and how it changes in August. For more about the Italian holiday period of Ferragosto, I wrote another post all about it. I am writing this sitting on the floor of my […]
Writer’s Block, Too Much Free Time & Living Abroad
As I’m getting back to writing, I’ve been contemplating the blogging business, writer’s block, living abroad (most recently in Italy), and the elusiveness of ever feeling like I’ve got it all together. The more I learn about the industry, the more I believe the most important factor in blogging – and maybe in any writing […]
