Taking a taxi from Malpensa airport in Milan was not what I expected. I passed futuristic skyscrapers and apartment buildings, a residential area, and ended up near trams and cars parked so close some were touching while coming to Aparto Giovenale (our student housing). This gave me an idea of how diverse Milan is and how wide the city really is. Settling in to our Aparto there were many differences yet similarities in how we were to live here. I had my first introduction to the Milan metro system on the way to our welcoming event for the IES in Milan Program. As I tried to remember the names of each stop and where to get off, I found comfort in traveling in a big group and felt like I was back on campus at Lehigh walking with friends to class. At the welcome event we were not exactly served dinner, but many small appetizers or aperitivos. This made it apparent that lunch was a big deal here taking at least an hour break to go out and eat. Afterwards some of us in the group explored the area and went by the navigli or canal district which was lively with outdoor seating and lights on awnings as well as on the water. The night after we came back to the navigli district for one of the student’s birthdays and chose to go eat later in the night that way almost all of 20 us sat at one table and more joined later. Because of this we were asked for a tip, and we all pitched in. Later in our Italian class we learned that the tip is included as well as a cover charge and waiters sometimes target Americans for a little extra, so we learned our lesson.
On the third day we had a break between our Italian class and class with Professor Gupta. Some of us went shopping at the Duomo in Vittorio Emanuele II and indulged in some focaccia bread and gelato while waiting for the tram. Despite the designer stores being out of our price range we still enjoyed exploring the area by taking pictures and dodging pigeons in front of the Duomo. Our first class with Professor Gupta was very knowledgeable as we learned of Adam Smith and the origin of the free market and how it can benefit an economy. It was interesting to see that Smith wrote about morality and values in the economy in the 18th century that are still very relevant today.
For the duration of this program, I will be working at Giuba 80 Srl, a textile and apparel company based in Bangladesh. Although I have not received any real projects yet, I was shown around and explained the regulations and terms of requesting a sample and filling an order of large quantity. This is very difficult as Bangladesh has different regulations than Europe does so fulfilling both is a challenge at times. After class later in the day some of us ventured to the grocery store, and I recognized the name as the employees’ uniforms are one of the current orders for Giuba 80. It was very cool to see and understand all of the behind the scenes and effort put into things you see in everyday life and realize that they are not as simple in actuality.
