On one of the travel weekends, I visited Rome and toured Vatican City.
Author: Hanna Strombom | Major: Finance
This summer, I studied abroad in Paderno del Grappa, Italy through the CIMBA program. Paderno del Grappa is a small town located an hour outside of Venice which allowed us to fully immerse in the Italian culture and live amongst the locals. The CIMBA campus is shared with an Italian school, and we live in the dorms with them. This experience was nothing short of amazing and even allowed me to travel among the main cities in Italy too.
I have always wanted to study abroad and originally, I planned on studying abroad for an entire semester, but due to COVID-19 I was unable to. Luckily, I had heard about CIMBA from past students who spoke so highly of the program. It would work out in my schedule to study abroad in the summer while taking classes for my degree. I was also able to start on my honors thesis project while abroad. I administered a pre- and post-survey to all students in the program to understand the benefits of studying abroad on their mental health and wellbeing.
On top of my thesis, I took two classes during my four-week program. I took an Italian class and a Global Consumer class. My Italian class was taught by a native Italian. In this class, we learned the basics of the language to help us speak to those around us. My Global Consumer class was taught by University of Arkansas’ own, Dr. Molly Rapert. The structure of the classes was unlike the traditional classroom setting. In the mornings, we attended both classes, then in the afternoon we took field trips for our classes to nearby towns and Italian companies. My Italian class got to practice using the Italian language with the Italian students on our campus. It was interesting to learn about the structure of their education and what the students do in their free time in Italy. My Global Consumer class visited La Ceramica VBC, which is a family-owned ceramic business. Many of their products are sold in stores in the United States. We got to tour the production facility and see the beginnings of the clay being shaped into the pieces and then them being hand painted by the artists. We also visited Hausbrandt and Theresianer, which are coffee and beer production plants. These companies used machinery to complete much of the production line. Dr. Rapert made her class extend beyond learning about Italy and the United States. We learned about China’s rapidly advancing economy and businesses in Africa. It Is hard to learn about the business side of countries without also learning about their cultures and the reasons why things are done the way they are. In class, we read the memoir by Ishmael Beah, “A Long Way Gone”. Hearing his recounts of being a child soldier in the Sierra Leone war made me appreciate my life back at home. This class really opened my eyes to the world and taught me things I never knew was going on during this time. I feel more connected with the world now and will always appreciate and find fascinating the differences between cultures.
The CIMBA program also held a seminar to teach us professionalism and dining etiquettes at a formal dinner. Learning proper etiquette while at a dinner will allow me to be professional during the many other dinners I will attend in my professional career. We attended a four-course dinner to celebrate the end of the program. The night was perfect from everyone dressed up to reminiscing with all your new friends over the past four weeks. This program allowed me to meet other students with similar aspirations from around the United States. It was definitely hard to leave my classmates and professors on the last day.
We did not have class on Friday’s which allowed us to have long weekends to travel wherever we wanted. I was able to visit Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Capri, Pompeii, and Positano. Each of the cities had vast history that we got to explore. It was interesting to hear the different dialects in the different regions. I learned that unlike accents in the United States, Italy has different dialects which makes it hard for people living in the same country to even understand each other! To get between the cities we used public transportation. This was the first time I had ever used a train to get around. In the beginning it was challenging learning to purchase tickets and read signs in a foreign language. Venice was also unique learning to navigate the canals and the boats because they do not have any cars. Nevertheless, we made it to each of our destinations, and I really enjoyed the relaxed environment using the transportation system across the country.
Studying abroad through CIMBA gave me lifelong memories and friends. I went into the program not knowing many people, but after navigating a foreign country with others, you truly feel like you have known these people forever. There were some challenges and frustrations during the travels, but it made me even more of a problem-solver to figure out solutions. One thing I wish I would have known is how relaxed Italians are. I was so used to the rushed American lifestyle where we must be places on time and sometimes grew impatient. The slowness in the country makes you stop a little longer to appreciate the things and people around you. I would recommend studying abroad to anyone. It is a once in a lifetime experience that allows you to view life in a different way.