After a long and exhausting day of waiting in lines at the airport and sitting through eight hours on a plane, I finally made it to Milan, Italy! Struggling to fight my lack of sleep, I followed our group to various welcome events and orientations. The first week consisted mainly of introductory material such as a six-hour survival crash course in Italian, learning how to navigate the public transportation system, and getting situated with our internships. This means that I can now say and understand a little more than a simple “Ciao!” In Professor Gupta’s class, we continued our discussions about Adam Smith’s theories and the subsequent impact they had on free markets and the economy as a whole. It is so interesting how influential and relevant Smith’s ideas are despite being formulated over two centuries ago.
Apart from attending classes, I am also interning at SuiteFood, a startup based in Milan aimed at making the Asian cuisine experience available to everyone. In the past, they have launched recipe kits and cooking courses as a means to accomplish this mission. What I am tasked with is creating content to promote their next launch of products. As a marketing major, I hope this experience will allow me to gain insight into how to attract an audience, decide what strategies to implement, and how to convert social media interactions to purchases. I am working with another Lehigh student, Lili, to tackle this job with our primary focus on Instagram and TikTok. So far we spent the first week discussing and planning what types of content to create and what messages we want to convey through them.
Regarding Milan in general, I must express the beauty of the city. The architectural marvels and the captivating fashion scene never fail to astonish me. The views here are so enchanting that I doubt I will ever tire of them. It is no surprise that Milan is renowned for excelling in these areas. On Saturday we took a day trip to Lago Maggiore and the scenery was nothing short of breathtaking. The beauty of the lake and islands left us in awe as we soaked in the picturesque landscapes before us. We took a boat to stroll around the islands, wander through the exquisite Palazzo Borromeo, and explored the meticulously manicured gardens, adorned with vibrant flowers, elegant statues, and whimsical fountains. I think it is safe to say that we all left with plenty of Insta-worthy pictures.
