Week 6 Thoughts and Tips
Written by Hayley March 5, 2019
Ciao! Week 6 at CIMBA has commenced! I am approaching the half way mark of the program. As I reminisce over the past 5 weeks, I am grateful for many reasons but here are a couple reasons:
- With any college semester, knowing half of the course work is completed is a rewarding feeling. There is an end in sight for finishing another semester of classes.
- Beyond academic accomplishments, the first half of this program has been full of new friendships, connections, activities, and travels. I have visited a total of 3 countries and 8 cities in the past 5 weeks. Furthermore, here at the CIMBA campus, I completed the LIFE personal development training, I am in the process of earning the Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving and Decision-Making certification, I toured an Italian shoe-making company (Gaerne), and I attended an authentic Italian gourmet dinner.
This program has been an exciting and fast-paced adventure as well as a hands-on learning experience, and I expect nothing less in the next half of the program. Additionally, during my 5 completed weeks here, I have learned several things to make daily CIMBA life and travel life easier and affordable. Here are my favorite two tips:
- CIMBA serves coffee only at breakfast. My friends and family will be the first to tell you that I love coffee. Back home in America, I drink 2-3 large cups of coffee per day. When I realized CIMBA only serves coffee at breakfast, I experienced some caffeine withdrawals in supplement with the jet lag. I was really missing my coffee, until one day, about 2 weeks into the program, I smelled coffee in the stairwell coming from the second floor. That’s when I found a wonderful vending machine that makes STRONG coffee drinks. I always get the cappuccino, and it’s only 0.50 euro! I have 1-2 cups each day now. The hot chocolate is also delicious according to my roommate Sarah! This vending machine is great for when you need a quick energy boost before class or when you’re studying!
- The Tabacchi makes great sandwiches. The bus and taxis for the train station typically leave around 5 or 6pm on Fridays for weekend travel, meaning you will miss dinner at the cafeteria. Have no fear, the Tabacchi allows you to preorder sandwiches to pick up on Friday afternoon to eat at the train station or airport. The sandwiches cost anywhere from 4-6 euro. My favorite is the prosciutto and asiago! The Tabacchi also sells other food items, like crackers, chocolate, candy, chips, and fruit! It’s closed every Wednesday and it closes for a couple hours each week day for lunchtime, so plan accordingly!
Blogger: Hayley, University of Iowa
