Submitted by Isabella Bruno on the 2019 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Finance and the Department of English…
While ending my time at the campus stay in Volterra and preparing to head to Florence, I reflect upon the various culture differences in relation to occupations. This past week, my group was able to visit many different types of companies. My favorite company that we visited was a pecorino cheese farm known as Fattoria Lischeto. During our visit at the farm, we had a tour and explanation of how the cheese was made and then we were able to enjoy a delicious traditional Tuscan lunch. Throughout each of the company visits, something really caught my eye. It was the passion and excitement that I saw in each and every employee when they were explaining their work and while they were performing their work. This struck me as interesting because of the fact that in the United States, not every single person you meet is enthusiastic about their occupation. Many citizens in the United States do not absolutely love their job; however, they continue to complete the work regardless. Thus far, the citizens of Italy have all taken a great amount of pride in the work that they do and have been more than happy to share and explain that work to us students. At all of the companies that we have visited, the employees have been welcoming and smiling while doing their work. Some of the work we have seen has included bankers, crystal makers, chefs and farmers. During class, we learned about how Italians are known to “work to live”, whereas Americans are known to “live to work”. I think that this is a very interesting and true concept in regards to Americans. Italians spend a great amount of time picking out a profession that they know they will enjoy for the rest of their lives.
