Ciao. This is Dan writing to you at the beginning of my 4th week here in Lugano. Having spent a little bit of time here now, I am pretty-well oriented to my surroundings and the weekly routine. This translates into a less chaotic and more enjoyable time. I have also started sitting in on some Italian classes with the students, and am getting better about taking time for solitude. 

The greatest need of our time is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds. - Thomas Merton

  

Solitude is really important at a place like TASIS, where your day can easily be filled with activities, although wonderful, from dawn 'til dusk. But, what are some of these wonderful activities that I speak of?

Last week we put on a Casino Night for the students.

They all got dressed up,

tried their luck at games like Black Jack, Poker and Uno,

and bought prizes.

Here is the high rolling Saudi crew who did well enough to buy this large Swiss chocolate bar. Look for these guys in Forbes Magazine in 20 years. They needed to eat the chocolate quickly before their fasting for Ramadan started two days later.

Another night we had a Mystery Van evening - students got into a van driven by us counselors not knowing where they would be taken.They were thrilled when we arrived at the carnival.

Then the weekend came. On Saturday I got to chaperone the Milan trip, which I was very happy about.

The students did their Gucci and Prada shopping at the Victor Emmanuel II Mall,

we spun three time on the bull of Torino for good luck,

and marveled at the Duomo (cathedral) di Milano. This place took 500 years to build .... that's more than twice as long as the USA has been a country!!!

The entire Duomo is made out of marble. Its elaborate carving, from foundation to roof, were amazing,

as well as interesting.

We also got to see some of Da Vinci's work including the Last Supper (sorry no photos were allowed). It might have been the highlight of the trip.

But the sharing gelato with the other counselors was close second.

Life is about balance, so Sunday found us away from the cities enjoying Switzerland's great outdoors.

 It is hard to believe, but the first of the two summer sessions is almost over. This group of students goes home next week, which means my time is about half over here.

I guess all we can do is live in the moment. Arrivederci.