The Composition Of The Little Moments: Reflecting On My Time Abroad
Anna Miriani
Honors Accounting Student at The University of Arkansas - Sam M. Walton College of Business
When I first spoke with Lauren Sanders about her time at CIMBA, she emphasized how fast it all goes by. She sure was right! As we wrap up our final week in Paderno, I can’t help but take a moment to reflect on this four-week adventure of a lifetime.
During my time abroad, I have seen so many beautiful places and tried so many new foods. I hiked to the top of a mountain, and I jumped off another. I visited the small town of Cuggiono, where my grandparents are from, and learned more about my ancestry. I learned how to market a brand internationally and how much research on a consumer and their culture is required to do so. I toured multiple manufacturing facilities, wineries, and museums, and I saw first-hand what it takes to run a small business in Italy. I learned about historical and contemporary China and how economic and legal systems vary greatly around the world. I mastered the importance of Italian etiquette and acceptable behavior in the workplace. I grasped key Italian phrases as well as communication through nonverbal skills. I learned how to enter an unfamiliar situation and use my cultural intelligence to conquer it.
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The most important piece that I gained through this experience, however, is not one of these accomplishments alone. Rather, it a composition of all the little moments I have experienced through them. It is the smiles shared with our taxi driver after overcoming our language barrier. It is running through the metro, train station, and airport with my friends to catch our somehow always close-call transportation, and laughing about it, regardless of whether we make it or not. It is about spending every day with new friends from all around, most of whom I wouldn’t have had the pleasure to meet otherwise. And most of all, it is about having a place with people that feel like home.
I am eternally grateful for this journey at CIMBA and the people it brought me along the way. A special thank you to Sarah Grace, PhD , who gave me the building blocks I needed to develop my cultural intelligence, and Molly Rapert , who raised my awareness and sparked my newfound interest and curiosity regarding international relations. Your wealth of knowledge is like no other--thank you for such a special month.?
Supply Chain Manager at Procter & Gamble
9 个月It looks like an amazing experience!
marketing professor, researcher & strategist ? focused on the sustainable future of retail
9 个月Anna thank you for bringing such a positive energy to our classroom and for showing up in both the little + big moments. And how special that you were able to connect with your family heritage while here in Italy!
Honors Marketing and Finance Double Major with a French Minor at the University of Arkansas
9 个月This is amazing. My experience at cimba would not have been the same without you!
Holder, Walmart Lectureship in Retail ..... ReThink Retail's 2024 Top Retail Expert (Academic) ..... Associate Professor at University of Arkansas ..... Director, Walton Center for Teaching Effectiveness
9 个月I am delighted you chose Cimba and chose my Global Consumer course. You were instrumental in making this an outstanding experience for me in the classroom! Thank you for your work, diligence, and insight ... and I love reading this narrative that so clearly articulates the best learnings: the ones that come outside of the classroom. I've been blessed to have this experience here for 24 summers and I love my CIMBA family of students! I'm counting on you to keep in touch with me, share your experience with future students, and know that you always have me as a resource in whatever comes your way. I hope YOUR dominoes fall in a way that brings you more adventures, great health, and a joyful life! Grateful for you and the rest of room 17!