Cominciamo a Como
For every exchange student of Politecnico di Milano the university offers the possibility of applying to an Italian language corse of two weeks settled in Como, right next to the beautiful Como Lake. Concerning the fact that I am about to study Architectural Design in Italian - every single corse - I decided this is something I must apply for. That was my best decision eversince!
Although I really enjoyed every single day of these two weeks I can't stop myself from writing a bit about the caotic start of it. To begin with the university offered limited places at the dorms in Como, that means 24 beds for more than 100 students applying. As I was working during summer I couldn't manage to write back as soon as the application started, so I wasn't able to get one of these places. So here I was, without any accomodation, and even with the links I received from the student office for accomodation I could hardly find anything, and the most common answer you can get when you try to speak English and get some help is: "Sorry, I don't know, we can't help you. Sorry, sorry!". Also I must point out that Como - just like Milano - is a quite expensive place, especially for a Hungarian erasmus student. Also, the compulsory test took place on the 1st of September, however, out course starten only on the 6th, on a Tuesday afternoon. Why? Why would I have to arrive so much earlier and why can't I take this test online and then arrive one day before the course starts?
Finally I booked a place - really last moment, only one bed left in there... I must say I felt so lucky - at a hostel named Cascina Respaú, located a bit outside of the city centre, in a shared room of 8 girls. Though this number of inhabitants in one space made me a bit worried, but it was far the best offer I could take, I hardy had enough time left to pack myself, and to tell the truth I really didn't want to stress about this trip. I have enough stress at home: too much work, too much pressure, what do I wnat to do with my life and so on, that's exactly what I would like to get away from!
So here I was, the Hungarian 'studentessa' after scarce amount of sleep and taking my test at uni carrying my huge luggage all the way up and down the streets of Como, where the vertical changes are quite significant, so the 30 degrees sunshiny day became a bit of a heart attack. Moreover it turned out at the tourist office - when it finally opened after the lunchbreak around 2 pm - that my hostel is on the very top of one hill... Awesome! Well what can I do, I need a shower and some rest, I have to drag myself up there. Luckily the guys running the place have a check-in and check-out service which means they take you up to the hill by car from the closest bus station, which is indeed a great deal of help.
And you can't imagine how glad I was when Katia, one of the owners of Respaú arrived with the lovely red minibus, and took me up to the hostel in the middle of the forest up above Como city. I believe this place is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited!
Arriving there it turned out, that a lot of guys booked place there from the same course, so instead of wondering around alone for a long weekend, I started getting to know my future mates at Polimi, and had a wonderful trip with them to Bellagio, a small town next to Como Lake with a view I wouldn't dare trying to describe. We ate the best icecreams and pastas made fresh at out hostel by Alessandro, the other owner, and had the funniest nights drinking wine and getting to know eachother.Next week the school began and it turned out to be really useful for reviving my faded knowledge of Italian and meeting even more people. We had lessons of 3-4 hours every morning and afternoon which seemed not too much at the beginning, but actually talking a foreign language almost all day required so much from by brain that I ended up really exhausted every day.
Looking back I believe it was a perfect idea of the Politecnico to organize the course in Como. the place is not too big, but has lots of beautiful sights to see and events every now and than that keeps you entertained. I really loved the market and the shore, where you can always sit down and relay a bit. We spent a great deal of time there. Also there's the nice habit of aperitivo, which means you buy a drink at a bar or reasturant and get prosciutto, bread, olives and other nice meals depending on the place included in the price. I must say in Italy everything tasted wonderful! Everything! And you can always take your time to relay and take pleasure in every bite, every moment. Eventhough I love living in Milan, I can't imagine nicer mornings than those I had in Respaú, eating breakfast with my friend Lalie from Australia, who I met there, and then walking down the hill trough the forest enjoying the view, the clean air and the amazing scent of the plants.
By the end of the two weeks I fell completely in love with the place and I got really attached to the people I met there, both the local guys, the ones travelling around with whom I met at the hostel and my schoolmates. Thanks to this time I found really great friends and never felt the uncomfortable solitude of being so far from home alone. I found my network of great people to count on for the next two semesters I will pass in Milan.
