Throughout the time that I have spent in Florence thus far, I have been able to pick up on plenty of new skills to better round me out as a person and a professional. Living in a completely new environment invites a person to develop and adapt various soft skills that are particular to where you are operating from. In Italy, I have been lucky enough to pick up or be taught quite a few soft skills that are not as explicitly outlined within our classrooms. There is a variety of soft skills that can be clearly visualized specifically when just communicating with people. Italians use their facial and hand expressions in various colorful ways to either emphasize or specify the emotions or information they are attempting to relay whilst communicating. I have learned that being fully engaged with those you are communicating with is extremely important to be able to understand the message. Not only is verbal communication key, but unspoken things are also extremely important. There exists a variety of nonverbal cues and hand signals that are used to communicate things directly, or support the message of previously stated information.

When discussing hard skills that I have been able to pick up on while studying in the Italian classroom, there are a few that comer to mind. I have given various presentations during the semester thus far, repeatedly being educated on the contents and expectations of an informational presentation in a cross-cultural setting. When the demographic you are presenting to is not entirely or majority comprised of people form the same culture as yourself, there are certain steps that must be made. We have been taught to still make presentations entertaining and attention grabbing, but also very straight forward and clear to an understandable degree. It has become clear that students from the United States are no strangers to adding additional content and features to a presentation that could be seen as unnecessary or unreasonable to those from other cultures. Keeping this in mind, it has been beneficial to learn what factors of a presentation could be attention grabbing or eye catching to those who have a perpendicular cultural mindset or alignment. Additionally, our professors have taught us the important of working outside of the classroom. Plenty of our assignments and homework involves self-regulated engagement outside of the classroom. While this is nothing different from college in the United States, the culture of life outside of the classroom has its differences that pose a challenge. Italy is a much more leisure-oriented culture than our own, so life outside of work, school, and professional life is much more laid back. Our professors have been helpful in offering ways to balance our student life and personal life by offering tips and methods to complete what is expected of you while also enjoying oneself.