Reflections on cultural Competence

Cultural intelligence does not simply mean visiting a country and taste testing their famous cuisine or merely mastering how to get around a town or even viewing the beautiful scenery. Cultural intelligence is mastering “their” way of life, making oneself flexible and functional in any environment. A person should embrace any culture with open arms and be prepared to live how “they” live. I personally did not realize the extent to which I should immerse myself in the Italian culture. Being merely a “vistor” lost in someone else’s culture is not my goal or what I intend to accomplish during my summer abroad. My teacher, Ellen, pointed out a helpful hint when visiting to not just take a quick photograph of several buildings that will forgotten as soon as you return home. You should stop and absorb what you are seeing and really take in what this place means to you so you can remember the significance of that place whenever you look through your pictures of the trip. What I also came to realize after this course is how being open and flexible to a different culture and gaining cultural intelligence is helpful in the business world too. Becoming culturally intelligent does not only apply to travelers who go abroad, but what people forget are foreign cultures can also come to us. As an employee in a very diverse business world, it is crucial to be able to respect, understand, and communicate effectively with people from foreign cultures. This summer abroad will not only enable me to make life long friends and bring back great pictures to share with my family, it will help to me to become culturally intelligent as a person as well as in the business world.

Italy's mass/size, population size and density (compared to the U.S.)

As many people learn in elementary school, Italy is shaped like a long boot and stretches from Switzerland to North Africa giving the country a wide range of climates, terrain, and people. Although Italy is one of the most recognizable countries to identify on a map (located on a peninsula in southern Europe), it ironically is only the size of Georgia and Florida combined when compared it to the United States. Looking at that comparison, it is not surprising that the United States’ population is ranked 3rd in the world at a little over 300 million. Italy’s population on the other hand, takes it place at the 23rd largest countries in the world with a population of around 59 million. Although Italy’s population is not nearly as large as the United States, Italy is extremely densely populated with the title of the 54th most densely populated countries while the United States is a mere 180th on the list. The Vatican City alone, located within Italy, is ranked as the third most densely populated countries in the world. Although Italy and the United States are vastly different in many ways, both of the countries offer diverse terrain including infinite coastlines, plentiful mountain ranges, and large plains and lowlands. They also present several different climates made to suit your vacation needs whether it is a weekend at the beach or a trip to a ski resort.

Hyperlinks:
http://geography.about.com/library/maps/blvatican.htm - 22k - "Vatican City"


Sources:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy
2. http://flagcounter.com/factbook/it
3. www.mapsofworld.com/italy/italy-population.html

The town of Nemi, Italy

Buongiorno! Are you looking for a true Italian experience filled with picturesque scenery, a chance to be a part of authentic Italian traditions, and exciting festivals that last weeks on end? Located just eighteen miles from Italy’s capital Rome, lies the luscious lands of Nemi which has often been refered to as “a home to muses and nymphs”. Nemi, which lies on the Alban Hills offers a spectacular view which overlooks the volcanic Lake just a few miles north called Lake Nemi. Even though the town of Nemi is the largest in the region of Lazio, its population only consists of 1,719 people (846 male, 873 female, and only 653 families). Since Nemi is surrounded by flourishing meadows and miles of sacred forests, it is only natural that it is most famous for beautiful, exotic flowers and luscious strawberries. A perfect time to visit the quaint town would be in the summer months of May where the strawberry harvest begins. Soon after, ‘Sagra delle Fragola’ and related festivities follow and last until the end of June. Also just a few miles away at Lake Nemi, visitors can experience some of the history by going to Nemi’s ancient temple ruins and admiring the relics of a lake Nemi ship wreck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/alban_hills

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nemi_ships