#euromavs Italy Blog: Post #1
by Kyler Erickson
Ciao, my friends! As a first-time visitor of Italy, there was a lot to take in today. Our nine-hour flight from Atlanta to Milan went better than I had expected. With free on-board movies, games and TV shows, the whole team spent the majority of the flight focused on the little TV displays in front of us. After sleeping for about an hour total and eating an unhealthy amount of sour gummy worms, we arrived in Italy and took a bus to Milan. I was hoping the little sleep would help Tre'Shawn Thurman quiet down, but he was awake and energized as ever. The time change (seven hours) provided some jet lag as we prepped for a day at the Piazza del Duomo.
Upon arrival, we were blown away by the architectural ingenuity and design of the Duomo. I have never seen anything quite like it. Full of elegance and beauty, the inside tour seemed like a scene straight out of a movie. After taking a team photo in front of the Duomo, we split into groups and toured local shops and restaurants. My group decided to spend most of the day shopping, and shoes, shirts and soccer jerseys seemed to be the hot ticket items for us. I bought a Juventus soccer jersey, only to support my favorite club team. We stopped to get gelato and smoothies, which were out-of-this-world delicious. Italians sure do make good sweets!
In our class sessions before the trip, we studied some Italian, which really came in handy when exploring the city and talking to people here. Although some do speak English, a majority of employees could help us only if we spoke in Italian. This created a language barrier, but it was not too difficult to overcome.
It is hard not to get teary-eyed when I think about this trip that we're on right now. I am beyond thankful for the coaches, administrators, team supporters and athletic department as a whole that made this trip happen. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we will remember and cherish forever. We are going to play our hearts out for all of you back in Omaha!
Thanks for taking the time to read this first post of our blog -- we will chat again soon. Ciao!
