Leaving What You Know to Discover What You Know.

As my CIMBA journey wraps up this weekend and I return home to the United States, I have been deep in thought reflecting on my trip. I think about how my year wrapped up in the states and how my Italian odyssey shattered any expectations I might've had when daydreaming about my then upcoming trip in the middle of my virtual classes. I think about the sights, the eats, the history, and the people. Mostly, I think about how little I truly know.

On my nine and a half hour flight from Atlanta to Rome, I listened to the stellar audiobook Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. One of the themes that stuck out to me most after listening was the idea of leaving what we know to find out what we know. It's not necessarily a new idea--leaving one's comfort zone to cultivate personal growth--but on my transatlantic flight to a country I'd never been before, I felt like I was supposed to hear that.

Sure enough, my time in the CIMBA program has been a whirlwind of new realizations that has expanded my worldview, sense of self, and appreciation for the existence of shared human experience.

These realizations occurred not only in my daily adventures, but also within the classroom of Dr. Molly Rapert's Global Consumer course. The discussions of the rise of China, the painful past of Sierra Leone and Rwanda, and how that all ties in to understanding our global economy today offered some of the greatest learning moments in the entirety of my college career thus far.

Furthermore, Dr. Tara Welch's Classical Mythology course allowed me the freedom to rediscover mythological stories that awed me when I was younger and approach them with a newer adult perspective. The discussions of the sociopolitical foundations of western society today that classical mythology explores often intersected with what I was learning about global business in Dr. Rapert's course.

However, some of the greatest takeaways occurred in interactions with the locals of Paderno del Grappa. Though a slight language barrier existed, the shouts and laughter that echoed from our conversations were universal. Whether it be the story of local bartender Maria who aspires to be an actor someday, fellow college student Giacomo who studies all day to become an electrical engineer, or the law student Elena who I talked to while watching Italy beat Turkey 3-0 in the UEFA Euro qualifier in Milan, I feel so much more connected to the massive world we inhabit than before.

As a college student, it is frighteningly easy to become caught up in your own world and rely on previous judgements and knowledge that may have become antiquated for the situations you encounter. It takes a departure from your normal rhythm of life to form new perspectives. This is what I mean when I reflecting on my CIMBA journey is synonymous with my recognition of how little I know. This experience has taught me above all else to jump in and start learning more, one experience to the next.

Zach Clonch is an honors junior Finance and Accounting major at the Sam M. Walton College of Business of the University of Arkansas, minoring in Spanish and Political Science. Zach is currently studying abroad with @Cimbaitaly in Paderno del Grappa, Italy.