Milanese way of living

The thoroughly enjoyed the program and the opportunity it gave to me to engage with a new culture, city and environment. It was wonderful to work with international, interdisciplinary teams, and be challenged to face the culture shocks and opportunities of the Italian lifestyle and living.

The subject itself was structured well, giving us the time to explore Milan, engage with the other students and build lasting friendships. The program had great foundations in bringing students together and steadily introducing us to the Milanese way of living. I loved engaging with the culture, and learning from a range of different international students, as well as socially exploring the region. We spent the weekend exploring Lake Como, skiing in the Italian Alps, the afternoons at museums, witnessing the Last Supper by Da Vinci, discovering cultural sites, engaging in aperitivo, and exploring Milanese businesses.

The program ran for 2 weeks, exploring the way green management and sustainability is performed in countries across the world. It was a compelling subject, enabling the students with the tools and knowledge to make informed, sustainable decisions in their everyday lives. We completed two day field trips to a Milanese shopping market, vintage store, sustainable fashion start-up and class dinner. It was an enlightening subject, transforming our view into sustainability as a business opportunity and moral obligation to be embraced into the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Milanese way of life and living in such a vibrant city. Each afternoon, the class organised an activity or cultural experience. We went to visit the Last Supper by Da Vinci, watched the sunset from the Duomo, shopped till we dropped, went to a range of cultural sites on a walking tour, had my team over for dinner to finish an assignment, enjoyed a few happy hour aperols, and bonded with my international classmates.

We spent the weekend exploring outside of Milan. On the Saturday, we left at 4am for a day trip to the Italian Alps where we went skiing for the day. Then on the Sunday, we took a ferry to Bellagio, Lake Como and treated ourselves to a beautiful lunch by the lake. We attempted to embrace the Italian language and appertivo, a traditional Milanese pre-dinner drink and buffet setting.

This subject and experience gave me a new found confidence and drive to explore out of my comfort zones. I loved navigating the city, language and culture, as well as embracing this experience with a new bunch of diverse friends. I found appreciation for cultural diversity and collaboration, increasing my social awareness and ability to work with different people and teams.

Carroll, Eloise

Global Short Program Student