My academic experience in Florence thus far has been one I thoroughly enjoy for a number of reasons. Starting with my Global Supply Chains course, my professor has created the kind of environment that makes us students want to engage and participate during class lecture. It was intimidating at first just being called on to answer questions, but as the weeks went on and everyone grew closer with one another, It became evident that our professor no longer had to call on us because someone was always raising their hand ready with an answer. What’s different about this course, however, is that it’s taught by an actual entrepreneur who founded an extremely successful company here in Italy called “Kostelia”. Professor Benini is one of the smartest teachers I’ve ever had, but what truly separates him from the rest is his actual experience in the field of supply chain. He gives us real life examples and scenarios, often discussing problems that he’s encountered head on with his company over the past 18 years. His knowledge is invaluable and I’m extremely happy to have him as a professor. I am also taking Italian 1, Cross Cultural Psychology and composition drawing. Italian 1 is extremely helpful to my adaptation in this new culture because I’m beginning to be able to speak to the local Italians. My professor, Martina, is an Italian who has more energy than most of the students. My favorite part of class is at the end of each lesson, she teaches us a new Italian song that all of us students sing along to. Moving forward, Cross Cultural Psychology is a very fascinating course that distinguishes the main differences between the American and Italian cultures. It’s interesting to see the similarities and differences in values, motives, and just overall culture. The last course I’m taking is composition drawing, which has quickly become one of my favorites. I say this because I have not taken an art class since middle school, and I truly forgot how important it is to use the creative part of our brain. Composition drawing has opened my mind up to see things in a new perspective and I’m forever grateful for that. 

            After 5 weeks of taking classes here in Italy I believe discipline is the most important strength to have in this academic environment. As I discussed in my previous blog post, having two and a half hour classes can be extremely draining at times. Having the discipline to stay engaged, proactive, and involved with the lecture throughout the entirety of the class period is extremely important to one’s success here in the CAPA program.            

 Finally, when talking about the dynamics of the professional and academic culture here in Italy, the biggest difference I have noticed is the focus on “we” instead of “me”. We took a tour of Professor Benini’s company earlier this afternoon and the coolest part of the entire trip was seeing the relationship he had with his employees. He knew every single employee’s first and last name, their family, and engaged them with a hug. Each one of them had a smile on their face when he walked by or approached them and I’m not sure how many companies you can truly say that about back in the United States. “We” instead of “me” also correlates to in the classroom with us students. The culture here is not to try and outshine one another, but instead, to help each other grow and succeed as one.