I started working out regularly at the beginning of the pandemic. Before that I used to run occasionally but I didn’t like it very much because I got bored very easily and I also hated running during the summer due to the extreme heat. At the beginning of the first lockdown I started building my own home gym with a lot of different equipment such as dumbells, barebell, gym bench, resistance bands etc… and started lifting. As for me lifting makes me feel good both mentally, because it allows me to relax and release the stress accumulated through the day, and physically because I got to put up a lot of muscles which makes me feel stronger and healthier.

I live in Milan so I’m used to interact with foreigners. One of the most common things someone would say to you when visiting Italy is to avoid drinking cappuccino after 11 am, however Milan is extremely international and with the arrival of Starbucks it has become quite common to see people, even locals, walking around with their large cappuccino in their hands even in the afternoon. My biggest advice to those who would like to visit Milan is to avoid every restaurant around the square which are usually extremely overpriced and pretty much only serve frozen food. Also be carful of scammers. There’s people in the square who would try to put a bracelet on your wrists saying it’s free and then they harass you until you give them money. Same goes for “the pigeon guy”. If someone tries to put food in your hand for the pigeons just ignore them and move away. Watch out for pickpockets especially in the subway and around the square, do not leave your belongings unattended not even to take pictures. I recommend wearing a Fanny pack at all times. Avoid engaging into conversations with random strangers in the street. People here are extremely wary of strangers due to crime and may see you as a threat. Also if you may happen to have a nice chat with a local avoid talking about the mafia. A lot of foreigners like to joke about “pizza, pasta, mafia” and someone would laugh about it but other people might get offended, so be careful when approaching this topic.

I don’t don’t think it’s possible to fall in love on social media. Maybe you can find someone who seems interesting and sparks your interest but to talk about love I believe you should feel and get to experience the person in real life. Of course social media gives you more opportunities to get to know a lot of people, but still I think we should be careful with strangers online since it’s very easy to hide your identity and fall for scammers

Today was extremely hot and humid, the kind of heat that makes it hard to breath properly and makes you sweat like you just came out of the gym. It’s been this way for the past few months and it’s starting to become unbearable. Luckily we had a bit of a break for a couple days this past week, but now the heat seems to be back and I’m afraid it will stay for a while longer.

The biggest culture shock I’ve ever faced was definitely in the US. The first thing that stood out when I first got there was how friendly people are. Strangers would stop me in public just to compliment me or just to have a basic conversation, which was very strange to me since in Milan people are extremely closed off and wary of strangers. Another huge cultural difference between Italy and the US is tipping. I was only 15 years old when I first visited and at the time I didn’t know that you were supposed to tip between 15% to 20% of your bill. But perhaps my biggest culture shock was the use of “how are you doing” as a casual form of greeting and not as a way of actually ask how are you

Learning a new language isn’t an easy task. In fact it can be extremely hard especially if you don’t live in a country where your target language is predominantly spoken. To me the most challenging part about learning English is speaking. I’ve always tried to learn the language in a passive way through movies, books, podcasts and as a consequence there is a huge gap between my comprehension skills and my speaking skills. Another difficult aspect about the English language is it’s pronunciation. As an Italian native speaker i find it very difficult to reproduce certain sounds that don’t exist in our phonetic alphabet, such as the “th” sound or the distinction between short and long vowels, as in “live” and “leave”.

I love watching soccer with my family and friends. I also go to the stadium regularly to watch my favorite team (AC Milan) play. It’s a passion that runs in the family, but I actually started getting passionate about soccer thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a legend on the pitch and an incredible person. Watching him play is just beautiful and his life story and mentality inspires me everyday to do better and shows us that with hard work and dedication to something you love you can do anything you set your mind to. It makes me extremely sad to know that he’s going to retire at the end of this season, but I hope he’ll stay at the club as a director or something.

I don’t think there’s a correct answers to this question. Every step of our life is unique and beautiful in its own way. As a kid you are more carefree, you have more free time, have less responsibilities and everything feels magical. However, kids have no autonomy and must rely on their parents for every decision. On the other hand adults have much more control over themselves and they are finally “free” to live their own life as they please