un piccolo riassunto

Since it's been a really long time since I posted anything of substance on this blog, I think it's about time to give the people I haven't spoken to in a while an update on what my life has been like since last August.

Geographically

At the end of August I moved to the other side of the Atlantic, to New York City. I know I'm from here and all, but believe me, the transition from life in Milan to life in New York was no piece of cheesecake.

Italians from all over Italy will tell you that Milan is a fast paced, hectic, and stressful place to live. To me that simply means that they have never tried living on the island of Manhattan. Milan, in comparison with NYC, is a relaxed, go with the flow, take an hour lunch break and as many espresso breaks as you want, kind of metropolis. Upon returning to NYC one of the things I found most different were the schedules adhered to by my friends and family and their availability to just chill. In Milan, on any given day of the week, I would usually be able to round up 3 or 4 of my friends to meet for a post-work aperitivo: sit down, chit chat, grab a cocktail and something to nibble on. When I tried to arrange this kind of impromptu gathering with my sisters or friends upon my return to NYC, the responses I got had changed from, "Si, certo! A che ora?" to "Great idea! Let's figure something out for next week!" Sigh.

Professionally

I resigned from my position as a research engineer with STMicroelectronics at the end of August, and in early September I was thrown into university with a transition abrupt enough to make me want to pinch myself to make sure I was really in Brooklyn and not in Agrate Brianza anymore. I have started my PhD at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, majoring in Materials Chemistry. Last semester was full of old experiences made new again, like making friends in my classes and pulling all-nighters at the library in preparation for exams I felt completely unprepared for.

There was one interesting aspect of returning to university that was definitely unexpected.

For the first time in my life, I am a studying at an institution of higher education in the United States. Having pursued my undergraduate degree in Canada and my masters in Sweden, I actually never studied at a US university. Prior to my arrival at NYU Poly I never would have been able to guess that at an American university I would be the minority as an American student.

During my first days at the school, at orientation in late August, this became quite apparent. At orientation one morning, a large chunk of the graduate student body gathered in a large auditorium to learn more about what was in store for us in the coming semesters. We were told that there are approximately 2000 students pursuing their masters and PhD degrees at NYU Poly, and then the presenter requested some audience interaction. He asked all the international students to raise their hands; looking around me I seemed the only one without my hand in the air. Then he asked people to shout out what countries they hail from. The response was resounding: the student body is largely represented by Chinese and Indian students. And I mean almost everyone; my guess wouldn't be far off if I said that 90 % of the graduate student body came from those 2 countries. The next request was for the students pursuing PhD degrees to raise their hands. In that full auditorium, I raised my hand, along with maybe 4 other students. It was clear that as an American student in this American university, oddly enough, I am the minority.

Personally

Being back in my hometown means that I don't have to make a completely new set of friends (as it was when I moved to Montreal, Gothenburg and Milan), but that I needed to rekindle old friendships, spend some much needed time with my sisters and mother, and be open to new and interesting people whenever they come my way. Lucky for me, NYC is full of interesting people! I've found camaraderie with my classmates (like myself, I can call them undercover nerds), solace in my sisters, and the best kind of mischief with one of my oldest friends Julide.

Needless to say, I miss my friends in Europe and in other reaches of the globe! One of the best things that traveling has taught me, however, is that your closest friends shine bright when there's an ocean between you.

Ok I think that was a pretty thorough update on my situation! Now that you're all caught up hopefully my future posts will make sense when put into context :)

Ta Ta!