The CSR course starts officially tomorrow, and I am enthusiastic to get the discussions started because we have learned so much about Italian culture these past 2 weeks. Many Italian people take responsibility for their actions and have a group mentality. For example, I have noticed how devoted they are to recycling properly and the lack of litter on the streets. These insights are possibly a bottom up practice, inspiring Italian corporations to be more ethical about their environmental impact. The course work encourages us to look at Corporate America, and the impact that these industries have on the world. Personally, I found my second Wall Street Journal post to be much easier because I knew what to look for when choosing my article and summarizing its content. 

The first class of the internship seminar seemed to be an introduction and lesson on cultural differences in the Italian workplace compared to the US. The cultural analysis toolkit looked into the various personal cultural profiles: status, authority, involvement, collaboration, time, directness, emotion, and organization. These vary depending on the person, but inferences can be drawn across different cultural groups. For example, in the United States people are individualistic and like to complete tasks on their own. In Italy, there is a more collective mindset. Most interestingly, these individuals really care about the office environment and make time throughout the day to bond with their coworkers, getting to know them on a personal level. This lesson was beneficial in the early stages of the course because we are getting acclimated to our work environment. I have noticed that our supervisor seems to constantly be in contact with IES staff and is encouraging us to make bonds with college students at the Politecnico di Milano. 

This past was eye opening in terms of the types of expectations and data involved in my internship. My supervisor gave me a google folder with a ton of information on the CHIARA project (background information, survey questions, and previous findings) that I read through and studied. Having a deeper understanding of the information makes me more confident in my abilities to carry out data analysis, and I have already started brainstorming what correlations and collection points to analyze and through what models. Additionally, working with the Politecnico di Milano has been an eye opening experience in Italian culture and schooling. The class we are attending is a health data science course and is collaborative in nature. I look forward to seeing the class in action again because I will be able to draw conclusions about the similarities and differences to American universities. For example, the class dynamic, student-to-teacher ratio, and professional vs. relaxed dynamic. 

Week 2 in Milan has been a blast and I am starting to feel more comfortable in the environment. My favorite thing so far about Milan is the walkability of the city, and I have been walking around 15,000 steps a day just exploring the city and moving from place to place. For example, I walked to the IES center on Thursday while listening to a podcast and got to see some residential areas I would have never passed had I taken the subway. I love this attribute of a European lifestyle and want to implement these practices into my everyday life at home. Another shift in perspective I encountered was with the native Italians here. The first week I felt intimidated by their stares and overall demeanor. However, I got somewhat used to it and realized that they are helpful, caring, and enthusiastic if you make an effort to fit in. 

This weekend, we explored the Swiss Alps! It felt so nice to be back in nature, surrounded by trees and fresh air. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had it back. The day started early, at 5:40am when I walked to the train station, and it was so nice to walk through the quiet streets at dawn. We did a ropes course that made me feel like a child again and went on a hike. As someone who has done some intense hikes throughout my life, the part with the snow cliff gave me a bad feeling in my gut, so I am happy that we decided to turn around. The 6 hours spent on the bus (all together) was a perfect time to read my book (a hobby I’m trying to get into more). Overall, the trip was great but I am excited to start doing some unplanned travel.