Interning here in Italy has been such an interesting opportunity that I have enjoyed. Like I mentioned in my previous reflection, I think visiting Italy is one thing but actually working in Italy is a whole different subject. I have been fortunate enough to have learned so much about Italian business, figuring out transportation to my internship and dealing with not only Italians but English and Americans. Since I am halfway through my internship, I cannot wait to see what else I will learn over the next few weeks.
Since I started interning with Orchidea Preziosi I have become accustomed to several things. First, and probably most notably, maneuvering the buses. Prior to interning here in Italy, I really had no knowledge of public transportation back home. I did know that buses run on specific schedules and stop at specified places. When I found out I would be busing to my internship, I was initially a little nervous. Not only would I be taking public transportation alone, I barely knew Italian and came to Italy with minimal phone data in case I got lost. Luckily, I conquered my nerves and show up about ten minutes prior to when my bus leaves. I triple check the departure time, so I can build in enough time for me to walk to my bus stop. Coming back at night, I know to stand super close to the road and attempt to make eye contact with the bus driver, hopefully with the sun being up later they will be able to see me better! Speaking as someone who has been fortunate enough to work in America and now works in Italy, I have definitely noticed differences between the two countries. In America, timeliness is a must. It is often frowned upon to be late and/or not show up to work. Here in Italy, it seems as if the sense of time can be overlooked. People here seem a lot more relaxed about showing up on time. This has been very helpful and greatly appreciated when the bus I take runs late, my boss is very understanding and for that I am thankful. My coworkers are all very nice, one of them even offers to drive me home since one of my returning buses stops running at an earlier time. It is obvious, when I do talk to my coworkers that they care about their jobs and care about each other. I am not sure if this is evident all across companies in Italy, but I have a feeling it is a common theme with businesses in Arezzo. The last thing I have noticed and have gotten used to are the work hours. I remember asking my boss on one of my first days at Orchidea Preziosi, “how long do you all work?’. He replied and said something along the lines of, “oh maybe seven or eight at night”. I remember being kind of shocked since a typical American work day is around eight to five. But I had to use my context clues since it is a manufacturing site that distributes its own products; shipments must be demanding at many times. Building in ten hours a week has proved difficult, especially when it is preferred for me to come in around the afternoon, and when half your clients are six to seven hours behind you. However, I am continually working and coming up with things for me to do and help out at my internship. There is only one major thing that I would find appealing in a competitor’s field, that my internship does not necessarily have, but do. I would really enjoy advertising/marketing tasks, whether it be sending out emails or creating online advertisements. The main task I have is to promote Precious Component, Orchidea Preziosi’s e-commerce company, to clients in America and the United Kingdom. I was initially very excited. Once I found out that I would be Skyping clients, I was nervous at first, but have mastered it down. However, this is the only task I do. Finding various tasks for me to do has been a process. Until about a month ago, my boss could not understand why I wanted to switch things up. Telemarketing can only be done for so long. I think it has partly to do with my personality, but because I prefer to have more hands-on activities and interaction with my boss and coworkers. Unless I have a question or lead in small talk, I do not really communicate that much with the people I work with. This is something that I struggle with and want to continue to improve. It is partly because of the language barrier, but also because we all are busy calling different clients. Throughout the next few weeks I am going to work and continue to try to help out with several different tasks. Since I work in primarily a factory setting, with only about one big room upstairs, and four desks, I have no prior knowledge to how a “proper” factory should work. Upstairs, there are four desks; I work at the one in the corner. My main task is to call United States and United Kingdom jewelry companies and promote Orchidea Preiozi’s e-commerce company: Precious Compenet. I would say that I have a very routine job, my time spent at my internship is not that diverse. Only twice I have done “practical” work as my boss says. By practical I mean sorting little charm letters and the backs of some jewelry pieces. Personally, I enjoy sorting things since I am an organized person. I want to help out and I think one of the biggest challenges is that my boss is often either very busy with orders or wants me to come in and immediately Skype clients. Orchidea Preziosi’s website is very professional and aesthetic, and their Precious Component website mimics that. I have suggested assisting with creating and sending out mass emails to clients who have responded positively to my phone calls. Moving forward I am going to continue to suggest various tasks for me to complete and help out with.
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Kristin GilesMy thoughts and experiences while interning in Arezzo, Italy Archives
April 2018
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