Bologna, Italy
I arrived in Bologna on August 14th, 2019. After a year-long break from studies I was excited to begin my graduate education in Italy. It is one of the reasons I chose to study at SAIS as not many schools offer an opportunity to spend an academic year in one of the best places to be in Europe. Coincidentally, one of my family relatives lives in Bologna so I had a place to stop while looking for an apartment. SAIS Bologna has a long tradition of students living in the city and has housing services set up for them to quickly find apartments. Salvatore, a local realtor, organizes housing tours where students can see places around the city and by the end of the day decide where they want to live. Fortunately, this is where I met one of my best friends and roommate, Zixuan.
Pre-term semester began with courses in Statistics and Italian, and I think learning Italian is particularly helpful to understand culture and traditions. The European rituals of breaking ice between one another consisted of regular drinks at the bars or pubs, playing football at Giardini Margherita, and formal networking events organized by SAIS. During first week, I met more than one hundred new people from all over the world. Together, we began a year that would end in a global pandemic shattering destinies and dreams of many. On the right, you can see the view from Asinelli Tower and below the tower itself, Pia-zza Maggiore, and porticoes in the evening.
One of the first adventures in Italy led me to Val Gardena in South Tyrol. Me and a group of students rented a car and went on a road trip to the mountains. The views were breathtaking and hiking trips always clear my mind. I enjoyed not only the nature but communicating with locals as well. They speak German! Also, eating Apfelstrudel at 2300 meters is worth the effort of getting there.
London, UK
Traveling to London has always been one of my dreams. I think everybody who grew up in a non-Western country is especially excited to see it. The movies and the internet are the only sources one can know the streets of London but seeing them in person is entirely different feeling. Everywhere you go, you can be sure that something import-ant has happened there. I visited major sights like the Buckingham Palace, the Parliament, and the Tower Bridge. What's more, some of my friends also went to London at the same time, and I had an opportunity to visit one of the Soho houses where celebrities often go to socialize. Unfortunately, I didn't meet anyone famous. Below you can see the video of the Queen's Guard marching near the Buckingham Palace with crowds trying to film the occurrence. Something that is unlikely to happen in the near future due to the pandemic.
London Finance Career Trek
Less than a month after visiting London for the first time, I left for London again but this time it was a business trip. I applied for the London Finance Career Trek and I was fortunate to be selected to go. It was the trip that familiarized me with the world of finance and inspired me to pursue finance-related jobs and concentrate on finance coursework at SAIS. The trek is organized by former Alums willing to introduce current students to the companies and talk about careers in finance. The banks and institutions we visited include Moody's, Fitch Ratings, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, S&P Global Platts, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, HSBC, and Citi Group. Each financial institution offered insightful and invaluable advices. In particular, Barra Little from Morgan Stanley (picture below) has shared about his experience of entering the finance field and how he applied his skills and knowledge acquired at SAIS in his day-to-day job.
Holidays in Bologna
Halloween and Thanksgiving are two of the most celebrated holidays at SAIS Bologna. Each year, the school organizes formal events where students come together to celebrate. It is also a great way to meet people you haven't yet met and new students coming for the Spring semester. A big Christmas tree near the statue of Poseidon creates a holiday mood in the city while the first snow brings joy to many people who associate it with festivities. After the first semester which ended in mid-December, I decided to visit my family back in Florida for Christmas and New Year.
Photo credit: Gun Potsaton
Oslo, Norway
After arriving in Bologna from Florida and taking final exams for Fall semester, I went on a multi-city trip around Europe in mid-January 2020 during the recess between the semesters. It was my last journey before the pandemic engulfed the world. First stop was Oslo, as I always wanted to visit Norway. Vikings fascinated me since childhood and the dream of going to Norway was always on my mind. I finally made it, however, it was raining for the entire day I was there. I went to the Viking Museum and explored the city through a free tour. Bus rides are expensive yet I managed to free ride as I the bus driver did not have a change as I only had 100 kroner. Seafood is amazing there, I tasted the best salmon in my
life. If you ever find yourself in Olso, I highly recommend a restaurant called Den Glade Gris. Another amazing fact is that the sun rises around 9 in the morning during winter season.
Brussels, Belgium
My next stop was Brussels. After two days in Oslo, I landed in a capital of Europe. It is a city that, I think, is one of the most culturally diverse on the continent. I toured a military and a car museum and visited Atomium and stayed near the city center. The central plaza is breathtaking without exaggeration. Belgium waffles and fries are a delight anyone visiting Brussels should try.
Brussels Career Trek
While in Brussels, I attended another career trek but this time focused on European institutions and organizations. For some of them like the European Commission and European External Action Service, I do not have an EU citizenship therefore cannot work there but still visiting them offered a first-hand European perspective on politics and economics. Transatlantic relationship is an important factor in the stability of Europe and the US, and I was glad to hear that there are dedicated people working on improving and expanding this relationship through various U.S.-EU initiatives. The most impressive was NATO Parliamentary Assembly which faces a number of global and regional challenges.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Three days later, I took a bus from Brussels to Amsterdam. It is often said that Amsterdam is a Venice of the North because of its canals, and it does feel like that. The streets look grandiose and it reflects the fact that it was once the richest city in the world. What's impressive is how narrow the houses can be. The tour guide showed our group the narrowest one - just 2 meters wide. Another interesting fact is that famous Dutch tolerance goes back centuries and is tied to taxation. Besides touring the city, I visited Rijksmuseum that houses masterpieces of Dutch painters like Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer. On the right, you can see a video of the widest canal on the Amstel river.
Vienna Ball of Sciences
After a week of traveling, I finally reached Vienna for a Ball at the Town Hall. This is an annual SAIS tradition where students dance Viennese waltz. For those who have never danced waltz, Austrian students at SAIS help out by organizing practice lessons a few weeks before. Last time I've danced waltz was in May 2011 for a Kalush city contest breaking a Ukrainian record for the most people dancing waltz at the same time. However, doing it in Vienna at a Rathaus ball is an entirely different feeling. I love Vienna and it is my favorite city in Europe with its classic architecture, culture, and imposing views. The video shows the opening of a ball with couples beggining to dance.
Life in Bologna under the lockdown
COVID-19 engulfed Northern Italy incredibly fast, and I was in the epicenter of it. In late February 2020 with cases rising, few took it seriously and there was widespread ignorance of any calls to socially distance in public places. Yet on March 5th, Bologna went into a complete lockdown with SAIS campus one of the last facilities to close down. Nobody was allowed to be outside except for grocery shopping, going to the hospital or the pharmacy. There were trucks with megaphone suggesting to stay at home (on video). I went outside to local store only twice in two months since my roomate managed to fly out before complete lockdown leaving me with plenty of supplies.
A different Italy...
On May 4th, after two months in complete lockdown, Italians were allowed to go for a walk marking an end of strict restrictions. People flocked to Giardini Margherita but police officers still cheked the documentation one still had to have when being outside. For the first time in my life, it felt surreal to go for a walk. The local store that I went to twice was around the corner and in residential area where there were no trees. Last time I saw them was in February when they were without leaves and seeing them in different season felt like I was in a coma for two months and woke up only in May. This is a feeling that many Italians shared who also were fearful of being near each other with or without masks. A sense of stress, anxiety, and trauma was in the air yet people were hopeful that this will end soon. In May, I toured Italy before departing home (after three cancelled flights) in late June.
