Benvenuto: DeMario Conquista l'Italia
- DeMario Davidson
- Jun 5, 2022
- 2 min read
Ciao,
Welcome to the first installment of my Italian summer abroad blogging experience. I hope this reaches you in good health and great spirits. I am days away from beginning my Summer Engagement Abroad Module (SEAM) experience with the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. I will be flying from Atlanta, Ga, and will be in Italy from June 7 through July 2. I have been given the opportunity to intern with the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. I will be working with event manager Silvia Loriga who has been gracious enough to create a plan that will be stimulating and helpful to my future professional aspirations. During this internship, I will be given the opportunity to assist with event coordination as well as learn the nuances of how the organization creates and disseminates internal and external communication.
Where I Have Been
This will not be my first trip out of the country. My first international experience was during my military career. In 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to South Korea. As you can imagine, there were many restrictions associated with being a new soldier in Korea during the tense interactions between North and South Korea. This did not necessarily mean that one could not explore and find enjoyment; however, special considerations had to be taken. One major regret that I have is that I did not take advantage of the opportunity to explore and immerse myself in the culture of South Korea. I chose to bury myself in my work, which was not necessarily a negative thing as it led to me being recommended for a position within the U.S. Pentagon. With this trip, my goal is to work hard and play hard. I want to make up for not giving myself to build my cultural competence.
Pre-Departure Prep
To prepare for my trip, I have made it a point to find a balance between my professional aspirations and enjoying being young and in Italy. Upon my arrival, I will be taking a guided tour of the Vatican museums & Sistine Chapel with another member of my cohort. I have also been networking with corporate communication professionals within Wells Fargo, where I am currently a part-time employee. I have been trying to gain insights regarding these professionals' opportunities and tasks during their daily job functions. These insights will allow me a point of reference to compare my Italian experience. As a foodie, I will be taking advantage of being a part of one of the world's most famous food cultures.
Where I Am Going
Learning about other cultures and how they function in different aspects is essential as the world becomes smaller. Building cultural competence is my goal. Much of the research that I have conducted individually during my time in the MAIGC program at Kennesaw State University has been LGBT-focused; therefore, I would like to take the knowledge and skills that I am acquiring to continue making this community of individuals stronger, better, and help others in building their competence of t culture. Organizations like the Trevor Project are creating resources for members of the LGBT community. Working for an organization like this and potentially assisting in expanding its reach with the knowledge I am currently gaining would be the fairytale ending of my MAIGC story.
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