F1 Monza and Classes

Once again, sorry that it's taken a couple days to update, I've been busy with classes and sorting some other stuff out. The F1 race was awesome! We left at 6:00 am to catch a 7:00 am train from central station. It was probably unnecessary to get there this early, as the race didn't start until 2:00 pm, but it's a good thing we did because it was a disaster getting into that place. From where we got off the train station to where I thought I was supposed to redeem my online ticket voucher was probably an hour walk. Once we finally got there I was told that was not where I was supposed to redeem it and they directed me to another ticket booth. That booth told me to go to another booth and so on, and I finally grew impatient. I was told that they didn't know where I was supposed to redeem it and they couldn't really help me. I was on the verge of buying another ticket (another €70), when one of the girls we were with suggested to try one last place, and that ended being where to get it. Luckily, everyone I was with was really impatient through the whole thing.

When we finally got in we settled in on a set of bleachers to watch some porsche racing before the actual event. At 2:00 pm the race started, and these cars were incredible. We were seated right after a curve that the cars took at 105 mph, on a straight away that the cars would eventually reach 225 mph by the end of. The sound they made was one of the loudest things I've ever heard, louder than any concert I've ever been to. I ended up witnessing F1 history, as the guy that won it was only 21 years old, making him the youngest person to ever win a Grand Prix. After the race they let you go on the track and walk around, which was probably the best part. I got to stand on the starting line and see some of the cars up close. The event was really interesting, and much different than Nascar. The track wasn't circular and boring, there is elevation change in the track, and the cars go much faster. The cars in particular were amazing, each car is so intricate and different from the others. In general, it sort of seemed like a classier version of Nascar (sorry Nascar fans) that most of Europe is crazy about.

This week I finally got into the swing of my classes. I'm taking Intro to the Legal System, Economics of Globalization, and International Business and Management. Intro to the Legal System seems like it's going to be very boring, but the latter two mentioned seem like they're going to be really interesting. It's awesome learning about subjects like globalization while abroad, you kind of get a more worldly view on it that I don't think you would get in the states.

The next couple days are going to be a lot of fun, tomorrow night I'm going to the AC Milan vs. Zurich soccer match and this weekend I'll be going to Florence. I'll try and keep you guys updated on those in a more timely manner than I've been doing!

Starting Line at F1 Monza