ciao milano!

Sigh..... last weekend in Milano. I'm still quite content with the idea of going home and although I have fond memories of Milan, I feel fine leaving it. This past weekend I wanted to get everything done in Milan so that I would have done everything that I planned on doing and wouldn't leave with anything unchecked on my to-do list.
Saturday I slept in, went downtown, window-shopped at Prada, went to the Duomo, did a little last minute shopping and had dinner with my classmate. The duomo was BEAUTIFUL and packed, because there was a full chorus and full orchestra performing Christmas songs (in Latin and Italian). Now Milan (and Italy in general) hosts a lot of operas, so this isn't your normal church choir. This is a church choir filled with opera singers from the most famous church in Milan, and one of the most famous in all of Italy. The sound quality is amazing within the cavernous sanctuary, so wherever you are standing there is a surround sound effect. It was magnificent. Then, Olga and I went to the top of the Duomo, where you can walk around on the roof and see the thousands of statues on top of each spire more clearly. The weather was beautiful and so was the rooftop.
Sunday, I went to my own church, which is magnificent in its own right. The children performed two Christmas plays in lieu of a sermon. The first play was a more traditional Nativity play, except that each child represented a person from the story by holding up a picture of the person, rather than being dressed in costume. There was a large nativity scene painting hung on the alter, and at the beginning only Jesus was in the nativity. So, as the play went along, each child spoke from the point of view of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, etc., and would tape their picture to the scene. Everyone who came in had been handed a small cutout of a person on their way into church, and we were all asked to write our names and a thought about Christmas to the person. The paper people were then collected by the children during the play and were also added to the large nativity. The second play was a bit harder to follow (both were in Italian) because it had something to do with Harry Potter....characters from Harry Potter learning about the Bible and the true meaning of Christmas (I think). It was nice, and after the service they had a Christmas bazaar upstairs, where I did a little more shopping!
After church I had lunch with my classmate Kristina and was able to pick up a few small odds and ends from various shops along the way.
Tonight I packed..... my suitcases are very full, and I might have to sit on them, but I will be able to fit everything in (although my fingers will be crossed as I zip everything shut)!
Now all that's left is running around campus tomorrow collecting signatures and finishing paperwork. Then I'll be traveling to the airport with 2 giant bags (my classmate Weichun will help me with them on the bus) and a long flight home!