For Gupta’s class this week, we had no in-person sessions, but we were encouraged to utilize the time to watch Erin Brockovich and work on our final project. The movie follows a case involving Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and their role in the contamination of Hinkley’s water system. Similar to Civil Action, the small private firm in the film takes up the case, despite being up against a large corporation like PG&E. Erin’s commitment to bringing justice to the families that were medically compromised due to the water is the reason why the case goes to trial. She does everything in her power to show that the people of Hinkley were worth fighting for. While devoting most of her day to the case, she also does her best to support her three children as a single mother.

With less than one week left in my internship, I have been helping my team wrap up some of their projects. Since one of our bosses is out on vacation, I had the chance to fill in at meetings where they review daily tasks and upcoming projects. One of the main tasks assigned to me was to complete the final round of review for the surveys to be sent out to participants. The survey is a sustainability project that the company Tetra Pak wants to release. Monday should be the first day of the field study and I hope that I have the chance to see the results before I leave. Having to sort through excel files translated in dozens of languages requires a lot of time and attention to detail to ensure accurate study results. One of the lessons that I will take away from this internship will be the importance of organization and precision.

This weekend will be the most exciting trip yet! On such short notice, twenty-two of us packed our bags and made our way to Tuscany. Once we reached our beautiful villa, it was time to socialize by the pool. For dinner, we had many helping hands in the kitchen to make pasta, chicken, and meatballs. It was nice to sit around the table with everyone to mark our last weekend in Italy. Throughout the night, we danced around to very loud music that most likely woke up the neighbors. In the morning, a round of eggs and sausages were passed around the table for breakfast. Almost immediately after, we all jumped back into the pool and laid out under the sun. My expectation for tonight is for all of us to watch the sunset and blast some more tunes. I am glad that we have all gotten so close and were able to celebrate the end of our study abroad program altogether!