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Ciao from Milan! As I wrote in last week's installment, I’m one of the interns fortunate enough to participate in KPMG’s Global Internship Program. After accepting my internship offer with the firm, I applied to this specific program and went through another interview process similar to the one for the regular internship. I also had to write essays and interview with both my U.S. home office and the member firm in Milan as part of the application process.
I studied in Milan for four months last fall, so I was especially excited when I learned I'd been accepted for the global internship program and would return here for a whole month.
I’ve been in Milan a week and a half, and the experience so far has been incredible. Even though I had lived here before, the experience right now is a lot different. I’m interacting with Italians most of the time, so I’m getting a lot more exposure to the language and the culture. In just a week and a half, I’ve gained more understanding about the Italian culture and work environment than I ever did when I studied abroad.
An Immersion Experience
The team I’m working with is great, and everyone on it is as interested in learning about my background and culture as I am in learning about theirs. They treat me like they treat all the first-year associates and they always keep me busy with work. It has been awesome to see firsthand the similarities and differences between Italy and the United States. This is one reason I chose KPMG over similar firms, because KPMG offers employees (and even prospective employees) opportunities to gain international experience and learn about other cultures and foreign business environments.
Besides having fun with my team in the office, it has been awesome to enjoy the city on my free time. My roommate, also an intern in KPMG U.S., and I take advantage of all the afternoons and weekends. We try to do as much sightseeing as possible. We have jogged in beautiful Parco Sempione a few times, as well as gone to the open-air street markets to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. We are currently planning a trip for one of the weekends, and we are still deciding if we want to stay in Italy or visit another country. Seriously, it doesn’t get better than this!
Not everything about this program has been simple, though. It was definitely stressful to prepare before coming here. Dealing with foreign consulates, for example, is a lot harder and complicated than you might think. There’s a lot of information coming to you at once, and it is definitely challenging to keep track of everything.
Even though there are some challenges and it has been stressful at times, being able to have this experience is completely worth it. Nothing can beat living in a new country and interacting daily with the people. I have had several experiences where I have had to get used to a new culture and immerse myself in it, and I can tell you that there is no better way to do it than to work in a different country. This is an experience I definitely recommend to everyone. Until next time, ciao!
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