Julia Dzurenko Blog Post #2: May 28, 2024 | 2024 Lehigh-in-Milan with Professor Gupta

1.Professor Gupta’s course on CSR:

Although we haven’t attended the first class for this course yet, I feel as though completing the first WSJ entry, and scrolling through the WSJ gave me a sense of awareness and knowledge that I may have not been aware of prior to this course. We completed our first WSJ entry and as I was finding an article that interested me, but also was a simpler topic for me to understand, I found myself scrolling on WSJ to read other articles. For example, I found myself interested in the opinion section because I believe that opinions are very crucial for independence and individuality in this current world. It is important to have opinions that can be discussed so that maybe certain views may be opened for other people to recognize and learn from. Different perspectives, especially in today’s world with such severe segregation in political parties, can help this country produce better outcomes in the economy, politically, or even socially. I think the WSJ is so crucial for learning and building knowledge, especially for this class because it provides us as students to be able to discuss different opinions developed from articles with various resources. I am ecstatic to become more knowledgeable from hearing 30 other students’ opinions and perspectives so that I can learn, grow, or simply just listen. I am also excited to be able to write these blogs (more specifically this CSR section) with more detail, and I take notes on other people’s specific opinions on specific topics that we speak about during class. It is very interesting how this class is decidedly paired with the internship based in Milano because of the such different cultures between the US and Italy. Recognizing these differences socially, politically, and culturally, can aid in the growing knowledge for this class in specific, but also for future internships and job opportunities in the US. Discussing the diversity of our country can develop a better understanding of Italy’s culture and politics, as well as just other countries in general so that as Americans, we are more aware and respectful of other country’s cultures and lives, and not just America’s.

2. Professor Swain and Professor Gupta’s Internship Seminar:

From this class today, we talked about the meaning and why this class is required when also participating and working at an internship. These reasons was that of self reflection, so when coming to class after your internship, you can sit down and finally self reflect, so that you gather a whole 7 weeks of self reflection at the end of this program, and realize how much you have grown independently and culturally. There were also conceptual “tool boxes” that we talked about, whether it’s cultural or company size, leadership, etc, and how that can differ for everyone. This class is also provided as a support group, since we are studying and working in a different country, it might be hard for some to adapt into the working environment, so talking about your experience at the workplace with other people can maybe open up other people’s experiences to help bond and compare them. We also talked about cultural differences and things we came across on our first two days at the internship. Some examples that the class shared about what they experienced were the language barrier, the usage of coffee, lunch, the hospitality, chatting to get to know you, the pace, the flexibility of time and schedules, the space maximization, and especially the vague communication. The intercultural communication is very important, so that if that is an obstacle for working, I can learn to adapt to the culture so that it is easier to figure out my activities and what I have to complete. Some tips that we discussed from previous interns were to ask questions and more questions, to firstly prove yourself, and to be proactive. These tips are very important especially because they also compare and relate to work in the US as well. These tips are great to use when I go back to the US and start my native work experience because it shows that I can gather these tips and keep them with me so that I can put use to them in America. Also, being in a new country and city, questions are so important, and these companies that have an American intern understand that we will have many questions whether it’s cultural or work related. This class today has been very informing but also comforting because I don’t feel alone in the cultural difference I see at work.

3. Practicum in Milan with Italian Company

The company that I work at, Simplifhy (a startup), offers strategies and systems for the decarbonisation of industry through deployment of Hydrogen-based technologies as an alternative fuel. They are a company that simplifies the technologies and the solutions based on the usage of hydrogen. They offer consultancy services for the design and the development of customized hydrogen plants. During the second day of my internship, I sat in on a meeting where they talked with a sustainable energy company, Fluor, where Simplifhy are ordering products for their product to produce vessels and a container where they put in hydrogen and natural air and create a more sustainable energy for this company. They have many open projects right now, and they need my help for their business plan, financial spreadsheet, and trying to understand their sector since it is very complex. Initially arriving in Milan, I was extremely nervous to start an internship here. This nerve is for a couple of reasons: one being I have never officially worked in an office for a company of interest to me and my major. This was scary for me because I had many doubts in my capabilities working at a real company, no less a company based in Italy. Now being only on day two of my internship, I realize that the work is definitely a learning curve; I continue to ask questions when needed, so I can maximize my understanding of what activity I am assigned. Another worry of mine when I arrived was the language barrier, specifically at the Italian company. Luckily, Italians learn english, from a very early age of around 5 years old, so at their working age, they understand english so that it is possible to communicate. I have realized that in my company personally, they are a startup always looking for funding and consulting for other firms around Europe and even the Western continents. This means that not everyone speaks Italian around Europe/world, so that forces the main employees to be able to speak a good amount of English. So, now being at this internship for two days, I realize that it is not as scary as I anticipated, but rather interesting as I hear my coworkers speak Italian to each other, and I can start to pick up on slang and phrases. This company is made of about 10-20 employees, so it is a very close knit community; when I walked in on the first day, they welcomed me with open arms and were very considerate of my learning curve as an intern. Every one of the employees encourages me to sit in meetings, and listen to every project they’re trying to complete because although it is complex and detailed, they want me to continue to learn so I can be prepared for future job opportunities. Beside these nerves coming to Milan to work, currently working for Simplifhy is preparing me to be able to efficiently work in the United States, especially since there are many more obstacles to conquer by working in Italy. The language barrier is an obstacle because when I am given an activity or assignment to do, sometimes they can’t explain exactly what I am supposed to do, so it is difficult for me to understand. Also, the company is a startup, so they have many more projects and processes so that other investors can trust them, since they haven’t worked with many other companies. I am excited for the learning curve of a work experience, so it can provide me with the knowledge and experience I need for back in the US.

4. Social and Cultural Immersion (travels in Italy and Europe

The first weekend arriving in Italy was culturally shocking but exciting. As I roam around the city of Milan, as well as attending the IES orientation the first few days, I have noticed many cultural differences. For example, no cappuccino after lunch or during any meals, or a relaxed and slow dinner time which is a much later time than in the US. Another example is that Italians, especially those from Milan always dress in a nicer outfit, never sweatpants and a sweatshirt, no matter if they are running errands or going out for a little bit of time. These types of cultural differences were very interesting and I enjoy the differences, rather than try to stick to my American ways. Italy has such an interesting and respectable culture, and I never want to disrespect their culture, so i try my best to adjust, even only a week into my stay here. For trips, when we arrived in Milan, as students of IES, we traveled to Lake Maggiore, which was a beautiful lake with three different islands that we visited. We visited Isola Bella which homed the famous Borromeo family in the mid 1600s. We then hopped around the other islands for the rest of the day and then headed back to Aparto Giovenale for the rest of the night. Then, Sunday was going to have nicer weather, so some of us decided to take a train to Genoa, just southwest of Milan. We unfortunately didn’t realize we arrived at Genoa, so the train kept on moving and stopped at the other beaches going up the coast. Although we were worried, it was a blessing in disguise because we stopped at this beautiful small beach town, Varazze. We got off the train and were immediately greeted with a beautiful sunny day and clear waters at the beach. As we walked down a small boardwalk to find a good place to set our stuff, we were passing an outdoor market of many tents that consisted of jewelry, decor, food, etc. We all were so excited that our day worked out, even if we missed our initial stop. This trip was really great for me because instead of going to a larger, touristy city, we found a smaller Italian city/town that provided the authentic culture without many tourists. It was beautiful to be surrounded by this untouched beach town, which was a small and less popular place to be, although 100% worth it.