Andrew Gippert

The 12 weeks of our semester abroad are sadly up and us students have said “arrivederci” to Paderno Del Grappa and “ciao” to our family and friends at home in America. After having some time to relax and reflect on the experience of this past semester, I wanted to use my last blog to offer some advice on how students can make the most of their CIMBA experience as well as provide my final reflection and thanks to the program.

When people ask me what major culture shocks I’ve experienced since coming to Europe, I struggle to come up with answers. However, one major difference between the United States and many European countries (especially Italy), is the genuine appreciation and care dedicated toward food.

On the surface, one the primary benefits of studying abroad is having the opportunity to travel the world and explore new places with similarly minded friends. However, I’ve personally received just as much, if not more, satisfaction from being able to learn international topics in a foreign setting.

This past weekend, us CIMBA students had an extended travel weekend to explore Europe and while some students headed south for exotic weather and natural beauty, I chose to spend my time in London (which is known for none of that). However, what London lacks in sunny, 80 degree days and ocean side views, it makes up for in things like international food culture, royal history, and most importantly (to me at least), a uniquely diverse sporting culture.

Ciao! It’s been just over one week since our student cohort arrived here in Paderno del Grappa and I still can’t get over how gorgeous this campus is…we’ve all stayed extremely busy, as our time’s been filled with fun teambuilding activities, interactive problem solving/decision making classes, and late-night trip planning sessions where the craziest ideas get thrown out there.

March 12th, 2020 – My Introduction to Marketing Strategy discussion section was wrapping up in the early afternoon and I gathered my things to head down the hall to my academic advisor’s office. I was approaching the dreaded midterms season of my fourth semester at the University of Iowa but always looked forward to planning out potential schedules for upcoming semesters, and this meeting was different.