During my cross-cultural internship experience, I have:

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1) Experienced new cultures. One strategy that was really helpful in learning how to interact with people from another culture was learning a basic foundation of a common language that can allow for easier communication. While I have been able to learn and communicate basic Italian, I have learned that using a similar base language such as Spanish, has been very useful in interacting with others from another culture and closing the gap between us. Also being more open to their culture and learning their language has been useful in connecting with locals in my internship.

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2) Clarified what is important to me – who I am, who I want to be, and what I want to accomplish. For instance, I am more confident that I wish to pursue a career in Marine Sciences. Additionally, I have learned that I really enjoyed field work and would like to work in science communication and education of Marine Protected Areas. This internship has also helped me to focus my interest in marine sciences, wanting to look at human and environmental impacts on marine ecosystems for management.

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3) Learned how to adapt. One change that was really hard for me to adapt to in my host culture was understanding the difference between Italian work culture versus American work culture. For example, in Italy, timing is not as focused on, and sometimes scheduled meetings may happen after the scheduled time. This has led me to adopt a different attitude in the workspace, understanding that scheduling may not always be on time and allowing for more flexibility than I am accustomed to.