Ciao, introduction for a new point of view

Ciao,

Contrary to popular believe and some do’s and don’ts of Italy websites saying ciao to everyone is not frowned upon or disrespectful. So the first thing I have learned since being here is to be nice and respectful to every non-American you meet and say ciao. My name is Christopher Patton I am a junior in business at the University of Kansas and hold a degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas as well. I grew up in Overland Park, Kansas and have lived there all my life. Every year my family would take a trip to a new state and we never flew so I have been in 41 of the 50 states as well as Cancun, Cozumel, and the eastern Caribbean. So needless to say I have done my fair share of traveling around the US in my life but, I have never crossed an ocean. So Italy, as for many, is going to be a whole new world.

I tried one of the pre-departure tips for packing when they said only bring one bag because you will be walking a long way with them. I tried for two hours to fit the small amount of luggage I had into that one bag but to no avail. I would suggest to future CIMBA students that two bags are perfectly fine. Also when booking flights make sure there is enough time in between each flight to account for random bag checks, as i found the airline staff didnt not care if you were going to be late for your flight and were quite slow about checking bags.

The rooms here in Paderno are of good size for single and double and everyone has their own bathroom (which if you lived in a dorm at your home institution I guarantee was not the case).  The view from the campus is very picturesque and the building architecture is no slouch either. All over campus there are statues and stain glass windows which is very historical in itself. So in the first week just walking around to see what all campus has to offer is not a waste of time.

Till next time ciao

Chris