(1) Professor Gupta’s academic course on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),

The first week of classes did not technically include Professor Gupta’s academic course on Corporate Social Responsibility. However these themes present themselves all over Milan’s daily activities on the physical streets, downtown, city centers, and more. Outside Milano airport on day one I immediately noticed the increase of bikers, personal bikes chained/stationed (near buildings), and tons of rental bikes scattered across Milan. Compared to NYC which also houses many rental bikes and bike riders as well, it did not live up to Milan’s immersed bike culture.   Most locals seemed to walk everywhere, ride their bikes, and take the stuffy communal tram on the surface. In addition the bike lanes were even painted clearly on some sidewalks, despite most bikers riding all over the place.The local people appeared to accept this energy controvation as an established norm that everyone was expected to follow. So far many Milan transportation companies fulfilled this social responsibility to conserve and maintain the go for green energy. 

 

(2) Professors Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar 

Well being twenty eight minutes late to the Professor Swain and Gupta’s Internship seminar on the first day, due to missing the tram twice, panicking, and then getting delayed by fifteen minutes did not pan out well at all. However, like Professor Swain mentioned in class, time scheduling/planning is key, and communication is essential in the workplace to mold your superior’s perception of you. Everything we learned about in class was incredibly helpful (learning about symbolic coffee breaks, self advocating/communication, language barrier, lunch breaks, etc) and even more so after truly experiencing one of the ironic key points of managing time. I believe learning the new social customs and how to present yourself in a foreign workplace is truly valuable information. Providing the interns with mental tools to keep in mind while navigating their internship hands on. I agree that social awareness and advocating for oneself in the workplace is just as dominant as learning essential educational skills as well. If you can’t work with others but get the job done to perfection, who’s to say someone may come along and do it better simultaneously.   

(3) Practicum in Milan with an Italian Company, 

Considering I only attended MKS Milano Fashion school once yesterday, it did not entail a ton of major assignments yet. My superiors just gave me a building tour and went over a variety of details involving interdisciplinary tasks that involve research and analysis of schools/companies in the U.S. that match our characteristics/interests and are interested in collaborating with MKS. Furthermore a mixture of documentation/reporting (with records of lists)  and cultural exchange (present/promote cultural exchange internationally with partner companies) all entail that I’m basically promoting this school abroad mainly to the US partners to increase diversity for MKS’s student body and make it more well known abroad. Currently I was only tasked with learning more about the school on their website before getting started. In terms of my social experience, well the language barrier is something I knew in concept but not something I truly realized until I used google translate for fifty percent of my questions. Also the computer I’m supposed to use was completely in Italian and it took me almost an hour to change it to english. I was originally  unsure if that was an ignorant question for help, but now I know that I should embrace all questions and take initiative more. I noticed that they literally don’t tell you what your next tasks are in one sitting, while Americans dogpile all the information at once. There are no spoon feeding methods and you must ask for guidance when needed. Otherwise they let you be free thinking you know what to do while the directions may not be entirely clear. I guess always asking is key. Another difference is that fifty percent of the people in the school including the students either dress pretty nice or way more casual than me with an artsy/edgy vibe. I was truly surprised by this amount considering it is a fashion design school and I thought fashion expectations would be higher. Considering a fancy sweatshirt was the bottomline here, it was not even close to what Americans consider casual outfits (the milano outfit bar was still objectively high). Lastly, after asking my coworker a million questions on google translate. I learned that lots of people pack/eat their lunch in a designated room or are free to just eat out. But in any case I unfortunately forgot to pack lunch so that was a missed opportunity that day. 

 

(4) Social and Cultural immersion through travels in Italy and Europe.

I have visited many restaurants and cafes in Milan, but unfortunately cannot pronounce the names of them. All of the food has been delicious, yet very late and long meals. It’s very interesting that the breakfast is so small and it’s pretty difficult for me to stay full for those meals since I’m an athlete and used to fueling during all meals (or at least two massive meals with a third small meal per day). Also the dinners are double the time of American meals and even the waiter moves slower to each table. I find myself feeling awake eating late at night and then trouble sleeping after my meals at times. However I guess this is part of the adjustment process. I also traveled to Lake Maggiore and could not believe how clear and beautiful everything was. The views were something you hope to get off the internet to put as a wallpaper image on your laptop. Yet now I can just look outside and appreciate the beauty in person and it’s ten times better than the internet’s wallpaper image. I’ve never been so grateful to travel here and immerse myself in another culture and their natural environment gems.  

Photos not in order but it’s labeled with their section number:

    

I would say that after seeing a couple of the WSJ posts, I was able to get a glimpse of what topics interested certain people in the course and what was important to them.  From that, I can gather that not only are our conversations going to be very relevant to the issues that we are faced with daily, but they’re also going to get deep.  Some of the topics were very personal, whether it be in terms of abortion or other things which helps me to tell what topics we will most likely get passionate about when discussing and debating in class.  On the other hand, actually seeing Italy, there are some environmental things that I’ve noticed here that might be interesting to talk about in class.  I’m curious about the waste and recycling regulations here and whether big corporations enforce recycling like other places do.  In aparto alone, there are like 5 different garbage bins for different types of waste and recycling.  I’m also curious to zero in on how Italian companies are improving their ESG compared to companies in the US because I feel like I’ve noticed a bigger push to be sustainable here.  Especially when it comes to the way they travel here, mostly by public transportation.

I thought that today’s internship seminar was a great introduction to the course.  It allowed us to reflect not only on our values, but also on the experiences that we’ve had both in the city and in the workplace this past week.  I learned a lot about Italian culture that confirmed some of the things I had noticed and introduced me to things I had not yet seen.  I thought it was really interesting how much Italians value companionship and bonding with their coworkers.  It’s kind of refreshing to see how collaborative and fun many of them are in the office rather than competitive and to themselves as we’re often used to seeing.  Those were two aspects of Italian workplace culture that really stood out to me from class.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the portion where we discussed the feedback from previous Lehigh interns because I felt like that information was really valuable and helpful.  In terms of my values, it really made me reconsider what side I leaned towards, especially when it came to being an individualist or collectivist.  I feel like many of my feelings on the topics discussed were situational and not set.

Today was my first day interning and it really made me look forward to beginning my project and just interacting with the company more.  I’m working with LG electronics which makes up a third of LG corporations and focuses on providing innovative and useful electronic appliances for both businesses as well as consumers.  Their product lists, both b2b and b2c are very extensive and impressive and I was able to preview many of those products in their showroom during my office tour.  I was genuinely amazed by the way they’re integrating current technology and trends into their products such as AI and work on the go.  Their collaborations with fashion companies in terms of billboards and other displays were also super cool and their OLED products were so impressive.  My internship is human resources and marketing based and it’s focused on employer branding strategies and promoting DEI in the workplace.  My peers and I are expected to come up with activities that are to be done in the LG Milan office and a communication plan that demonstrates the activities to internal and external stakeholders.  The last deliverable is creating desirable content that grabs people’s attention and draws them to LG.  This all aligns with LGs mission statement which is “Innovation For a Better Life”.  They elaborate on that by saying “We create a better life for people and a better future for our planet through smart life solutions.”  We are trying to find innovative ways to reach consumers and people on job searches who might not have considered LG prior.

Over the weekend, IES hosted a trip to Lake Maggiore where the majority of my cultural immersion so far took place.  Prior to that I had gone out to eat a few times with a combination of people from the Lehigh in Milan program as well as IES abroad students from Indiana University.  Through that, I was able to try several different foods native to Italy which of course included pizza and pasta.  I was able to see that the food is much more fresh here.  I also went to the grocery store near aparto and was interested to see how differently those are structured.  One thing that really shocked me in my first week here was the structure of the meals, breakfast being very light, then lunch, then aperitivo which I think is my favorite time to eat and then dinner.  I had aperitivo with some friends in Navigli and was able to capture some great pictures and take in its bustling scene.  

I was completely mesmerized at Lake Maggiore, the mountain communities that we could see from the water, the surrounding town that just screamed luxury and the 3 islands themselves.  The botanical gardens were gorgeous and so was the architecture. I was shocked at all of the different species on Isola Madre that you usually don’t see together at home.  I was also surprised to hear that only 50 people inhabited Isola dei Pescatori.  The food that we ate on that island was delicious and gave me the opportunity to bond with 5 girls that are helping to make this trip even more special.  When we arrived at Isola Bella, the palace was absolutely breathtaking.  With every room I was more and more surprised by its beauty.  It also gave a lot of information regarding the rich history of the islands and Italy itself.  This short couple of days that I’ve been here has given me so much hope for these next 6 weeks.  Side note, I was really sad to see the notification telling us to pet the peacocks after we had already left.  I was considering doing it, but a friend convinced me not to lol 🙁

 

 

Breakfast on the first day of class

Rory and I on Isola Bella

A view of Navigli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sunrise from Aparto

After an entire semester, an eight hour flight, and an extremely heavy suitcase, we are finally settled into Milan. Now, being here, it is clear why this city is an excellent place to take our Corporate Social Responsibility class. The city is such a vibrant hub for a variety of companies and businesses, and also well highlights the differences between American and European culture, both in business and in general. Choosing my first Wall Street Journal entry was interesting. I felt like there were many stories that had many different underlying themes to delve into – it was almost difficult to pick one path to write about. However, although I wrote an article more about social ethics in business, I found it very interesting to read my classmates’ articles about sustainability. I think this topic sticks out even more when in Milan because the city’s emphasis on sustainability is much more prevalent and taken much more seriously than it is in the U.S.. This in particular has shown how the country considers its own social responsibility and holds itself accountable for certain values. I think it will be interesting to study how companies hold themselves accountable compared to this.

Today we had our first internship seminar with Professor Swain and Gupta. In this class we reviewed all of our individual internships, and shared our tasks and what is expected of us. We also discussed what we experienced in our first days of work, and how it differed and compared to interning in the United States. It was really interesting to hear about the significant social traditions of Italy, and how each custom holds different meanings. For example, we spent a lot of time talking about the importance of coffee. We learned that an offering of coffee is meant to be a show of hospitality and kindness, and it is actually impolite to decline the offer. It was fascinating to hear how different Italian business culture is from American business culture. I found it to be more relaxed and welcoming, which I enjoyed.

Today I also had my first day of my internship! With another intern from the (non-Lehigh) IES program I commuted an hour both ways to the home office of my host company, BoutiqueNB. This company is a rental management company that assists its clients in renting and maintaining their properties to outside guests. The company works mainly through Airbnb and Booking.com to communicate and coordinate reservations with travelers of all kinds, taking all responsibility and worry off of its clients. There are four people total currently working for the company, two of which are me and Sebastian (the other intern). Today we reviewed our tasks and expectations, a lot of which is communicating with clients and inputting client information for upcoming stays. We reviewed a lot of technical information about this type of business, which is new to Milan and faces many regulations. Overall, It was also interesting from an entrepreneurial standpoint to work with my boss and owner of the company, and to learn about the challenges she faces and her business strategies to move the company forward. I’m very excited to work with this company in the coming weeks here.

When arriving in Milan, the city was instantly busy and gorgeous. Immediately, you can feel Italian culture everywhere, in every little thing you do. There are instantly many little habits and customs you realize you do not know, but learned to pick up quickly (usually by doing the habit/custom wrong the first time). On first impressions, the coffee is fantastic, the language is pronounced very specifically, and independence and self-reliance is heavily emphasized. Overall, Milan-style city life is already a fun and unique experience. This past weekend, the whole IES program went on a day trip to Lake Maggiore, a beautiful lake that is adjacent to Lake Como and only an hour away. The entire trip was stunning, and I don’t think most people here have experienced anything like it before. After busing there, we were taken to three islands scattered in the middle of the lake. The islands had gorgeous, blooming gardens and big castles. On the first island, we were able to talk around the gardens and tour inside a beautiful house. On the second island, we had an amazing lunch outside and got to shop around at little kiosks and booths. On the third island, we took a tour of an enormous castle, and got to walk around the perfectly-kept gardens, which were unreal. Everywhere we went, we were surrounded by green mountains and beautiful water – the whole experience was very cool and unique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My time in Milan has made me increasingly excited to begin learning about corporate social responsibility. I have been very aware of the environmentally sustainable practices here in Milan that I do not see at home. Some examples are caps that stay attached to plastic water bottles so that they can get recycled together and lights in Aparto that only stay on when your key card is in the holder in order not to waste energy when nobody is home. Additionally, the workplace culture has made me curious about how Italians approach corporate social responsibility in comparison to Americans. Finally, completing the WSJ entry made me realize that I do not read the news often enough. I enjoyed reading the WSJ for that assignment and look forward to doing so consistently during this program. I hope that it forms a habit that lasts me far past my return to America. 

Today we had our first internship seminar. Leading up to this trip I was confused what such a class might include and did not know what to expect. However, today’s session made me very excited for what is to come for the rest of the trip. I really enjoyed listening to Professor Swain’s unique insights and I now understand how much there is to be gained by diving deeper into the experiences we are having in our internships. I left today’s class with a much greater understanding and appreciation for what I had experienced at my first two days of work. I expect that this seminar will give me much to think about throughout the program and, therefore, allow me to go home with greater takeaways from my time here. 

I have had a wonderful time in my internship so far. I was nervous to work at a quantum computing company because it is not a field that I knew anything about. However, within just two days my worries are gone. I have absolutely wonderful coworkers. We have spent a significant part of my first two days just chatting and getting to know and learn from each other. I have learned a lot about quantum computing, but do not need to understand the field at a very deep level. I will be mainly helping the company market themselves more effectively. I am not a marketing major but I really enjoy being creative and am looking forward to this assignment. My company does not have an office, but rather moves to different coworking spaces depending on how they feel that day. The spaces are very nice and, in my opinion, a perfect working environment. I like that I will not be in the same place every day. I am very much looking forward to the rest of my internship and everything I stand to learn from it. 

I am enjoying my time in Milan so much so far! We have only been here for a week, but I feel like I have taken in so much already. I am amazed by so much here. The transportation system is incredibly easy to navigate, the views throughout the city are stunning, the people I have met are very nice, my living accommodations are great and the food is delicious. This feels like such an easy and comfortable place to live. We also had an absolutely wonderful trip to Lake Maggiore last weekend. The scenery was incredible and I had so much fun exploring the three different islands. There are a few things I am still adjusting to, of course. It has been difficult speaking no Italian at times (especially in restaurants). I do not eat pork and it has felt like every single dish in Milan has pork in it, which has been a bit difficult. I also do not enjoy when the tram is super packed and I have to be pushed up against other people. Overall things are going better than I could have hoped and I am so happy to be here. 

 

As we have not started Professor Gupta’s class yet I cannot report on the contents of the class. What I can talk about is the information I have learned through the WSJ articles I have read due to the WSJ article summary assignment and just the articles I get emails about in general. WSJ has many topics that I find very interesting from sports, to real estate, to food and lifestyle. The article that I chose to focus on was about the justice department suing Live Nation/Ticketmaster to limit their monopoly and foster more competition in the ticket sales and live entertainment market. Other than that I have read a couple of articles about real estate and the arrest of Scottie Scheffler and look forward to reading about more topics! Normally I am not someone who reads the newspaper or pays much attention to the news so I believe this class will be very eye-opening to me and allow me to broaden my knowledge of various topics

I really enjoyed today’s internship seminar. I thought it was really comforting to know that some people are going through the same culture shocks in the workplace as I am. I also liked listening to other people’s experiences in their internships that are different from my own experience so far. Professor Swain has given us very good advice so far about how to adapt and thrive in such an unfamiliar environment and I appreciate her for it. I think it is very cool that things that would be considered not a big deal in the United States like getting coffee or lunch with someone hold a lot more value here in Italy. I am however not a huge fan of how relaxed the work culture is especially when it comes to timing and scheduling. While I am pretty go with the flow in most aspects of my life, when it comes to work I would like to have a routine that is not so much “play it by ear”.

I have greatly enjoyed meeting my fellow coworkers and getting to know the ins and outs of Easylife. The people who work there are all very nice and it is a small company which I like. Every day so far I have been offered coffee and I happily agree although i am still getting used to drinking a straight shot of espresso. I work with a woman named Alessia who deals with a lot of the marketing of Easylife and she has been very welcoming to all of my questions and even likes to ask me a lot of questions about the program and life in the United States which I appreciate! So far I have only worked on small tasks like posts for their social media and translating some of their Italian presentations into English so I hope that I will be able to start working on bigger, more important tasks soon. I will say however I am not a fan about the response I get when asking about my weekly schedule. I would like to know what to expect for the week so I can plan out my days, but most of the responses havebeen “text me on whatsapp later and we can figure it out” or telling me the morning of what time I should come in. It is kind of frustrating, but I am hoping that as the internship progresses we can reach more of a stable schedule

Finally, my favorite part is talking about all of the things I’ve done so far to try tp immerse myself into the Italian way of life. We visited Lake Maggiore this past weekend which was an amazing day trip. It was beautiful and I had so much fun exploring all of the islands and I am greatly looking forward to our upcoming trip to the Alps this weekend! I have also just loved exploring the streets in Milan. So far my favorite area is Navigli, the canal district, which is extremely close to Aparto. Through our Italian boot camp, I have started trying to use the basics we have learned while I am out and about even if I get a laugh back when I try to speak to someone in Italian. I also went to an AC Milan game which was very exciting and fun to watch because the crowd was so energetic!

Went to the AC Milan Game!!

Boats docked at one of the islands on Lake Maggiore

Me and Sophia in front of the lake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have not yet had Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, however, this past week, I have been particularly observant with how well Italy treats its environment. My general consensus is that Italy has a solid effort in regard to energy efficiency and environment preservation. The first thing I noticed was that my apartment’s electricity only works if my swipe card is in a designated slot. This ensures that nothing is left on when I leave the apartment. Funny enough, it took me a solid 10 minutes and a bathroom break in the dark to figure this out. The next thing I noticed was all the forms of improved/public transportations. There are trams, trains, subways, bikes, scooters, etc. This helps Italy reduce their carbon footprint. The main issue with how Italy treats its environment was all the cigarette smoke flowing into the atmosphere and all the buds left on the ground.

Today was the first day of Professors Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar. First, we did introductions and all spoke about our internships. It was insightful to hear about all the different types of opportunities everyone has. For the remainder of class, we discuss the cultural differences between the US and Italy, specifically when it comes to the workplace. We talked about the importance of coffee, the flexible and laid back environment, the collectivist culture, in addition to much more. Professor Swain gave the class numerous tips on how to maximize our chances to succeed including, asking a lot of questions, being proactive, proving ourselves, and to never decline an invitation for lunch or coffee. Looks like I’m going to have to try coffee for the first time…

Today was also the first day of my internship. My classmate Livi and I are working with a company called Turbo Crowd. Turbo Crowd is a crowdfunding platform that helps companies fundraise money and market their products. Our internship will be all remote, which is something I have mixed feelings about. It will be nice to wake up later and travel less than everyone else, but I’m certain that I will miss out on several key components of going into the office like going to get coffee or lunch with my coworkers. Today I had the introductory meeting with the founder Claudio, a very charming and welcoming man. He explained that my objective this summer was to conduct market research on the current state of crowdfunding in Europe for 2024. Then, using the data, we would ask these companies certain questions, ultimately to sell them our service.

Although I have only been in Milan for a little less than a week, I have done and explored so much. One of my favorite parts so far has been the aperitivo. For those of you who don’t know, aperitivo is when you buy a drink from around the hours of 6-9 PM, before dinner, and it comes with unlimited finger food. Specifically, on Sunday, I enjoyed a wonderful spritz aperitivo with my long-time friend Luca, who is from Genova. Another one of my favorite parts was my experience at an AC Milan football game, in the legendary San Siro Stadium. The passion from the crowd was like something I had never seen before: non-stop chanting and banner waving for 45 minutes. They even lit flares after halftime and filled the stadium with smoke.

First Looks of Duomo

Legendary San Siro Post-Halftime Traditions

Homemade Charcuterie Aperitivo

Street Performers at Piazza Mercanti

We have yet to attend a class for Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, but we have completed our first Wall Street Journal assignment. I analyzed an article discussing incentives for companies to develop clearer and more detailed sustainability information to attract investor funds. I enjoyed reading and reflecting on this article, but I recognize that I need to improve my understanding of the background of the articles I select. I hope that as I continue working on the WSJ assignments, I will develop the ability to internally analyze articles similar to how Professor Gupta broke down the article in one of our classes at Lehigh. Formulating better questions and internal dialogue will guide my research and help me understand each topic more deeply.

Tuesday night, my internship sponsor invited our group to a doctoral presentation on “A Bottom-Up Modeling Chain to Evaluate the Impact of Urban Road Transport Policies on Air Quality and Human Health” at Politecnico di Milano. We were excused from the Internship Seminar to attend this event. After navigating some challenges with public transportation, we joined a class of Italian students to hear Andrea Piccoli, a PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering, present his research on Milan’s traffic emissions. Although I did not completely understand all of the graphs shown, the presentation was interesting. Afterwards, the professor, who taught the class we visited, mentioned that Milan is one of the most polluted cities in Europe. This was new information to me.

This past Thursday, we did a rush hour test to practice commuting to work. Although my internship will be mostly remote, my group visited the Politecnico di Milano building where we will occasionally attend presentations or seminars. This practice was helpful, although I still need to get the commute down. On Monday, Clare, Mahan, and I met with our employer, Domenico Vito, a Climate Consultant and Environment and Health Data Analyst for Metabolism of Cities. He detailed the projects we will be working on and the motivations behind them. The project I will be most involved in is called Trash2Treasure, which aims to collect data about marine trash to better manage waste and develop potential policies or solutions to mitigate future waste on beaches. Learning more about the projects and my specific tasks made me more excited to start working. In a very summarized explanation, my job is to expedite and simplify the process of uploading collected data to a database. This internship aligns well with the skills I have developed in my computer science and business classes at Lehigh and I am interested in expanding my knowledge about database management in a real-world context.

This first week has flown by, but it also feels much longer due to the eventful days. On Friday, after our IES sessions, some friends and I walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping center, visiting all the designer stores. Then we climbed to the top of the Duomo, before walking around the inside and the basement. The statue of Saint Bartholomew caught my eye with its detail and somewhat unsettling appearance. Afterward, we went to Terrazza Aperol and I enjoyed a caprese salad with a view of the Duomo. On Saturday I attended the IES group trip to Lake Maggiore. I didn’t do any research about Lake Maggiore so I didn’t have any expectations but it was better than I could have imagined. The weather was perfect and all the islands were beautiful. We visited Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori, and Isola Bella by boat. The next day, I spent some time at a huge Antique market in Navigli with 400 tables along the canal. There was a ton of jewelry, clothes, purses, paintings, books, and furniture. I ended up buying a little silver San Valentino coin charm. This week has been great and I am eagerly looking forward to the rest of my time in Milan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week, I read three articles on how companies and consumers are struggling on what to do with individuals’ data after they die. While we have not started our corporate social responsibility class yet, these articles were a great introduction on the types of real world scenarios we will be learning and applying in our class. I am also very excited to become more familiar with the Wall Street Journal as it has always been one of my goals to be informed with what is going on in the world. I believe these assignments will ease us into becoming more knowledgeable and engaged citizens. I enjoy learning about Italian culture as well and how Italian companies compare to US companies ethically. I look forward to hearing about my peers’ companies and what impact they are each making, because as of right now it seems that many of their companies focus on sustainability or impact. On the surface, it appears that European companies and the culture in general are more conscious of the effect they have on society than US companies, but I am sure by the end of the 7 weeks and the class, I will be able to confidently answer these assumptions/questions. 

I really enjoyed Professor Swain and Gupta’s internship Seminar this week. It has been one of my favorite aspects of this trip and is one of the reasons why I chose to study abroad in Europe and explains why I am drawn to study in Europe again spring semester junior year. I thoroughly enjoy learning about and immersing myself in different cultures. I truly believe this experience will enhance my ability to be adaptable and flexible– qualities I currently strive to improve. Learning a new way of life has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and I found it to be so unique and interesting how we were able to talk about the cultural significance and meaning of coffee for 20 minutes. This experience is truly a learning curve but it is so cool how I am able to take what I learn in this seminar class and apply it the very next day.

Despite working for a company I thought was only big in America, I am still gaining new knowledge and a new perspective on working for an Italian company. Within just a few minutes of first arriving, I was offered a coffee, and immediately regretted my decision of denying it because I had just finished my coffee on the way to work. (I will be sure to accept now with my knowledge!) It was unique to see my workspace as I did not really understand it until I saw it in person. I was working on the top floor of the Hard Rock Cafe in a booth alongside a few other employees. I immediately found that my tasks seemed unclear and more complicated…. Or so I thought. After about 20 minutes of questioning and getting familiar with my role, I ended the conversation with, “I am sorry for asking so many questions.” I was relieved to learn later in the day in class that it was normal for Italians to be vague and we are encouraged to ask questions and take initiative when we are confused. After I felt like “prying” answers out of my boss, I quickly discovered that my task really was not at all difficult, but it ultimately consisted of me re-organizing and gathering data in excel. I sat in the booth for the entirety of the time, but really enjoyed listening to the language around me and observing how the other employees interacted with one another. I could tell the environment was very much collaborative and not competitive and was intrigued to see that all the employees sat together at booths rather than in an office space . At the end of my shift my boss came over, looked over my shoulder, told me to send it to her, and then I was free to leave. I am glad to know that no feedback is good feedback because I think I would have been discouraged if I didn’t know this coming in. I was surprised to find that lunch was on my own and that I was merely released on the dot; However, I ended up discovering a little cafe/sandwich shop on my way home! I only had one day of my internship since I had Monday off, so I am curious to see how lunch plays out the rest of the week. 

While we have only been in Milan for a short period of time, I feel that I have picked up on so much of the culture already. The 8:30pm dinners have been a little rough for me as I am someone that likes to be in bed by 9, but I could definitely get used to the 4pm gelato as I have found that this is when I’m craving it most. Within just 24 hours of being here, I went to the grocery store and tried to buy bananas. I quickly learned the hard way that is it not like how you buy them in the US; however, by my second time at the grocery store, I was able to confidently print out the barcode and purchase them with no problem. While these are little things, these are not things I expected to struggle with before coming here, so I am interested to see how I adapt when I go back to the US and what cultural differences I can pick up on. I also really enjoyed our Lake Maggiore trip. The entire time was filled with breathtaking views and better weather than I had expected. Observing the 3 different islands was something I’ll never forget, especially the gardens. Something I noted was that there were no security guards lining the gardens or entrances to the exhibits and there were no little kids picking flowers or ruining the bushes. This was a small yet noticeable observation. It appeared that everyone was respecting the exhibit and everything else with ease. When I go to exhibits or gardens in the US, I feel that I always notice at least one out of line person not acting in a respectful way, but I did not find that on this trip. I also attended an AC Milan soccer game. This experience was awesome and definitely made my friends back home jealous. I had never seen a soccer crowd so enthusiastic and a game so close like this one before. This made me realize how important soccer is to Italians and how committed they are to supporting their favorite teams. 

This was the first week of the Lehigh in Milan program. While we have not yet had Professor Gupta’s class on corporate social responsibility we did our first Wall Street Journal entry. I decided to write about Boeing and their shortcomings regarding a legal case they encountered in 2021. I found it quite difficult to find the correct article that touched on the necessary topics which led me to search for hours until I found the right article. Ultimately, upon reading other articles as well as reading Professor Gupta’s feedback I have a much clearer understanding of what is expected in the future regarding these entries. I also believe that while it is important to pick an article of interest, most topics, if they are unpacked and explored properly, will relate to CSR and there is no correct answer. Despite not having class yet, we were introduced to the new IES center and were given a sufficient orientation regarding Italian culture, logistics of trips, and explanations on how class will occur with the absence of Professor Gupta in person. 

Today marked the inaugural internship seminar class led by Professor Swain. Unfortunately, I was sick and unable to attend the class in person, but I got quite a bit of information from my peers. One thing that I have noticed from my internship which was also mentioned during the Swain internship seminar was the Italian inclination towards punctuating the workday with many breaks, a departure from the American norm of eating at your desk in order to cram in more working hours. Despite that difference, there is a similarity between Italian work culture and American; that is the Italians encourage and reward curiosity, a demonstration of capability before asserting oneself, and a proactive attitude and approach to work. While I did not get as much information from the class as I had hoped, I am eager in the upcoming weeks to learn more about the Italian workplace and enact the tools and strategies I learn within my internship.

Just this past Monday, I was able to meet the team of Tempo Casa which is where I will be interning for the rest of the summer. While a new transit system in a new city is always a challenge, Charlie, Jack, and myself were able to find the location with some ease. Once we arrived we were introduced to the team and almost immediately embarked on a coffee adventure with our coworkers. Once we arrived back from coffee after fun introductions, we were introduced to the contact database for the real estate agency. This is when fun, but tedious work began. We spent about two hours doing contact entries with many breaks and opportunities to ask questions to our team leader, Monica. The half day went by quickly and we said, “Ciao”. On the second day of the internship we unfortunately did not have a seamless adventure to the location of Temp Casa. The tram ride went smoothly, but we were met by a bus that said, “notturno” which sort of means the bus is nocturnal and therefore was not running. We adapted and took a brisk walk to the office. Upon arrival we once again got coffee and were tasked with listing a property on the website. This property had been listed in italian, but we had to change it to english. Since none of us know how to speak italian we enlisted the help of google translate and ChatGPT which helped us transcribe and find words in english most similar to the italian words that don’t exist in America. To conclude the day we did a bit more database entry and said goodbye. 

There were many activities that I am eager to do now that I am in Italy. I arrived a couple of days early to Milan in the hopes that it would help me get over my jet lag faster. Warning, it did not. The first night I arrived in Italy, I decided to look up the restaurants with the best view. I randomly booked a seat at a restaurant called Da Giacamo. I had a delicious pasta and was seated directly beside the Duomo on the 4th floor. Unfortunately, due to being ill I was unable to partake in any weekend activities the first weekend here, but I am optimistic and planning many trips within Italy and all around Europe. 

My first week in Milan has exceeded my expectations from my last post. For the Corporate Social Responsibility academic course, I chose an article since AI has recently become a prominent topic in our daily lives. In the article “Airlines Want to Use AI to Reduce Environmental Impact of Contrails,” written by Lindsey Choo, I learned a lot about how research for companies testing out new ways of functioning works and the importance of finding sustainable practices in airline companies, specifically how to limit the creation of contrails from airplanes. I also enjoyed reading other students’ posts and considering their questions at the end of each entry. Two I thought were interesting were “How Big Data Centers Are Slowing the Shift to Clean Energy” and “You’re Fighting AI with AI: Bots Are Breaking the Hiring Process.” These entries highlighted the impact of using AI and sustainable practices, which helped me understand more about my article.

After day one of the Internship Seminar course, I am excited to learn more about how to leverage the tasks I learn at my internship. I enjoyed talking about everyone’s experiences with their own internships. There were many crossovers with the Italian workplace. Many people felt their workplaces were less structured, more flexible with tasks, and overall very autonomous. It was also very helpful during our seminar when we went over tips from past IES interns and received a few tips from our professors. I feel being productive is definitely a goal I am going to set for myself for these two months. I also plan on asking questions when I am confused with a task or assignment.

My internship at Off Campus Nolo has been great so far. I have met everyone in the office and already gotten to know a little bit about the space. My work takes place in a market, and their goal is to make social change within communities in Milan. I am excited to be working with Sophie on the SOSpesa project, which is part of Off Campus Nolo. This project focuses on bringing food to people in need in the communities by delivering packages to their homes. Sophie and I will be helping Off Campus with raising more funds for this project by researching other companies, analyzing their data, and marketing towards new potential donations. I really enjoy how my workplace feels like a collaborative environment. Everyone is very friendly and makes an effort to talk to me in English, which I appreciate.

So far in Italy, I have shopped around the Duomo, traveled to Lake Maggiore, walked through the canal, and so much more. My favorite foods I have had here so far are the croissants, pesto pasta, and gelato. I have also been drinking a lot of coffee as it is a big part of Italian culture. I found it interesting how you are supposed to only drink certain types of coffee at certain times of the day. The best coffee I had here was actually from my internship at the market, where my coworker got me a cappuccino. The most culturally different things I have experienced are the way people dress, the language barrier, and the lack of water. I have learned basic Italian, but I am excited to learn more and try to talk to people in Italian. I also got to try an Aperol spritz and different wines in Milan. Overall, my experience so far has been going well, and I am very grateful for the people I knew going into this program and the people I have met.