Internship: On Monday, I had my first real day of work and met my boss in person for the first time. My company, Metabolism of Cities, does not have a physical office in Milan, so my boss and I met at the IES abroad center. This was a good way for me to better understand my position and the project I have been assigned to. My task is to look at the Sustainable Development Goals that the United Nations developed to be met by 2030 and relate them to the One Health approach that was created by the World Health Organization. This will be my focus until Jun 12, 2023, when I will then shift my focus to pollution data from oceans around the world. I was remote the rest of the week allowing me to work on this project at my own pace and on my own time.
Academic: In class this week we discussed corporate governance and the different levels of regulation that corporation management levels face. I enjoyed these conversations because I have not taken many high-level business courses, so my understanding of these topics has grown exponentially in these past few classes. I never thought about how many problems can arise from different levels of power between stakeholders, board of directors, and management. I also enjoyed our discussions on current events in the news and hearing different perspectives on issues that are relevant to our lives. Ranging from Skittle bans to Florida and Disney, I have enjoyed learning about my classmates and hearing their opinions on topics. These discussions have been informative and respectful in many senses. I appreciate these types of conversations because I feel comfortable sharing my opinion and find that we end up discussing topics outside of the classroom as well.
Social: This past Saturday, we took a trip to Lake Maggiore with IES and traveled between the three islands in the lake to look at the architecture and Botanics. It was so beautiful, and I was shocked to see how intricate and well-preserved the architecture was. On Sunday, a group of us took the train to Cinque Terre and went to Monterosso. Visiting Monterosso was an amazing experience as we sat on the beach and relaxed after a busy first week. When we arrived in Monterosso, we walked through the town and got breakfast at a cute restaurant near the water. We then made our way to a beach club and rented chairs for the day. This allowed us to sit on the beach and relax, enjoying the water and the sun. Some people even invested in snorkel gear, and we took turns admiring the wildlife of the Mediterranean Sea.
