Bocconi and Esselunga

So, I woke up this morning a little bit in "pissed off" mode because the cleaning lady was attempting to enter my room while I was still sleeping. Apparently, Monday is cleaning day (the landlord hires a cleaning lady to come on Monday - I knew this, but I completely forgot). I didn't mind her cleaning - the apartment needed cleaning b/c it didn't appear to be freshly cleaned when we arrived, but I would have appreciated a knock on the door or some warning to let me know she was even in the house. Apparently she has a key, so she just let herself in. I got showered and dressed and got out of her way so she could do what she needed to do.
After the cleaning lady left, we walked up to Bocconi's main campus to make our 3:30pm appointment with one of our Bocconi "tutors". I was trying to figure out all this time what the tutor's role was b/c we're not taking any courses here. It seems like "tutors" here are the same as "advisors." Our tutor's name is Stefania and she seems like a very nice, down to earth woman. She also speaks good english, which is always a plus in my book. She gave us an overview of the school and the project we will be working on. It turns out "Ashley" (from my previous post - one of the girls who will be working on our team) is really "Audrey." Lol, I guess it would help if I got my team members' names right. Our project will be focused on the US and Italian markets and will involve field research with the luxury companies that are part of the Italian luxury association, as well as the retail channels they sell through. We will get to utilize the Bocconi alum network (supposedly they have alum working with all the major luxury companies both in Italy and internationally, including the US) to conduct interviews, as well as do some customer surveys to analyze how the customer segments are similar and different in the US and Italy. We will also have full access to the clients member companies, which include Bulgari, Ferragamo, Valentino, Gucci, Versace, La Perla, Max Mara, Gianfranco Ferre, Missoni, Bottega Veneta and tons of others. It sounds pretty exciting, and hopefully I will be able to network and gain some valuable industry contacts. Of course, I'm more interested in the fashion side of luxury, but the client companies span a number of industries including auto, food, design, and hospitality. Stefania also clarified the project timeline and dress code. There is very little over the next week or so: we have an internal project team kickoff this Wednesday at 8:45am (y'all know I cringed on that one - anything before 10am requires serious effort on my part), then we have two meetings at the client next week - one with the client contacts, and one with the client's board. Also, we only have to dress up for client meetings, and their dress code is more like our business casual. That's a good thing b/c I didn't bring any business formal attire. The Wharton students who went last year said they rarely had client meetings but it looks like our project might involve quite a few. I only brought one business outfit, so I will most likely have to buy another pair of slacks at the very least.
After we met with Stefania, we walked in the scorching heat, most of the way back to our apartment (about 25 minutes) and hopped on the tram to this 2 story supermarket called Esselunga that we passed during our neighborhood walk the other day. While I was waiting for the tram, I noticed the screws in my Marc Jacobs were loose (that would be my sunglasses). Sure enough, two seconds later, one of the lens' came apart from the frame. Just my luck. Now I have to find an eyeglass shop to have them fixed. I remember passing one near the train station in Cadorna, about two metro stops away from the apartment, but given this heat, I may try to find one closer. I don't know how long I can go without my sunglasses!
Since we were pretty much out of food (with the exception of fruit), going to the supermarket was a necessary trip. I've been living off of sandwiches, fruit and cereal - you know, things you don't have to cook, lol. I actually did attempt to use the oven. I bought the Buiconi version of ham and cheese Hot Pockets and was going to make them in the oven, since we don't have a microwave. But when I turned the oven knob on, all I heard and smelled was gas - no fire. I didn't see a pilot light to ignite the fire, so rather than burn us all up, I decided to wait until July 1st when the landlord returns for the rent, and ask him. At the supermarket, I got my usual (bread and cold cuts) but I also got some cooked green beans and broccoli (my mother sent me an email the other day that it was National Eat Your Vegetables day or something like that, so it reminded me that I had not been eating any vegetables - thanks Ma!). I also got snacks: sugar wafers, Oreos (I guess those are universal too), and some Italian biscuit cookies to try. When we left the supermarket, we went to the tram stop. We sat there for 10 minutes waiting, but when the second tram went by in the opposite direction, we finally looked at the screen that shows how long it will be for the next tram. It said 16 minutes! Ok, we were only about an 8 minute walk from the apartment, so we sucked it up and walked. The 16 minutes is unusual - the trams usually run very frequently and you rarely wait more than 5 minutes.
We didn't do much else the rest of the day but relax in the apartment. I woke up not long ago from a nap and I'm about to do my tae-bo :-) Tomorrow, Simone and Daniela are taking us to lunch. I also have to stop by a different supermarket called "sma" to buy some asiago cheese (they seem to be the only place I can find a reasonable sized block that doesn't look like its been sitting out in 90 degree heat). There is another market on Tuesdays so we may attempt to find that and I will most likely try to find someplace to get my Marc Jacobs' fixed. We shall see...