Italian Local
Author: Lane Wackerfuss | Major: Supply Chain Management | Semester: Summer 2023
One month wrapped up into one blog post will be quite the challenge, but here we go! A lifetime of lessons, memories, and stories that I will truly never forget and can only wish to get to relive one day. From the moment I boarded the plane to Italy to every 8 AM class to every bus ride left feeling nauseous on the winding roads, my CIMBA days are ones that I will cherish forever.
Rewinding back to the fall semester when I was thinking about studying abroad this summer, I was immediately intrigued to read and learn more about CIMBA, a program designed for business students located in a small town in Italy, Paderno del Grappa. From the moment I got the pamphlet and talked to former students, I knew this was where I wanted to go. They offered classes that aligned with my academic plan and interests, it was located in a small town, and I listened to older students rave about the program! After applying and getting accepted came picking classes. I chose to take Global Economics and Storytelling in Marketing. Storytelling in Marketing would go towards my marketing minor, and I chose Global Economics to see if I would want to add another minor in economics.
I had no expectations of what the classes would be like until my first day of classes at CIMBA. That morning I first had global economics and to my surprise so did many other Arkansas students and many students from schools like University of West Virginia, University of Iowa, and University of Kansas. I was a bit nervous as I hadn’t taken an econ class in a year, but I quickly picked up where I left off and learned so much more than I ever thought I could in 4 weeks. While it was a face-paced learning environment, our professor encouraged classroom participation and was open and even encouraged us to have hard conversations about economics in different parts of the world. He helped us articulate our thoughts and align them with different economic views which I found very interesting. We even got to take field trips throughout the week, my favorite being the largest cheese storage facility in the world that you can see in the picture. Safe to say that when I get back to Arkansas, I will be adding another minor in Economics!!
Later that morning on my first day at CIMBA, I had my Storytelling in Marketing class which I felt I was walking into even more blindly than my econ class. This was the first year that it had been taught at CIMBA and was a newly designed course, so we were like guinea pigs! I think I can say hands down this is my favorite college course that I have taken so far. It was the perfect mix of psychology mixed with marketing mixed with the art of storytelling and combining them all to study how different brands appeal to their customers. Everything that I learned felt so relevant to not only my academic and professional life, but also my personal life. We studied brands local to our college towns, chains in America, and places local to Paderno del Grappa and the surrounding region. We had the opportunity to visit an international brand that was founded near Paderno, Garmont, that produces hiking shoes that are sold around the world. We learned about their different international markets and how they appeal to different customers with different products all around the world.
Outside of the classroom, we got long travel weekends and day and night excursions offered by CIMBA. We got three travel weekends during the program and I chose to go to Venice the first weekend, Cinque Terre the second weekend, and Florence and Rome on the last weekend. My first weekend in Venice was when I truly had the first moment of “OMG I am in Italy!” I know it sounds cheesy, but it is so true! Seeing the beautiful churches, old buildings, and history everywhere gave me my first pinch me moment. It’s crazy to think how old they are and how they did everything so long ago without the technology that we have today. Cinque Terre was truly out of a postcard. We rented a boat for a day and went to actually go see in person all of the colorful buildings and homes that you see so often when you think of Italy. Not to mention the food! Everything from the bread to the seafood to the tiramisu was just what you would expect but better. I think the thing I miss most about Italy is the food! Venice and Rome are the two cities that I knew I had to visit while I was abroad and I was not disappointed. They are both so rich with history and art that we had a full itinerary for that weekend and I truly felt like we never stopped walking.
If I can leave you with one tip of advice it would be to bring the comfiest walking pair of shoes you own because you will be doing A LOT of walking, and leave a few pounds in your suitcase if you love shopping as much as me because the shopping is unreal. If you can’t tell from everything I have already said, I highly recommend CIMBA to everyone, especially business students. I would seriously go back next summer if I could. To anyone hesitant about going, DO IT! You will never regret it!