Going deeper into Italian culture

That's going to be a long one since I have lots of news to share after this week! That was one of the most challenging and rewarding weeks in past months.

It was a week of creating and breaking stereotypes, week of bananas (this is how we call urgent problems in MC) and great successes. So what was that? My first Italian conference!!!!!!!!!

Firstly about the conference - executive board conference is quite a typical conference that is happening all around the world for EBs after IC. Apart from EB track we also had track for Project managers, who are leading PBoXes in LCs.

The conference was organized by LC Trieste in a very beautiful and peaceful place on Ardiatic sea Lignano - Sabbiadoro (golden sands) in quite good hotel with very good food (NO PASTA for 5 days!:))

During my transition in June I was constanly told that Italian conferences are challenge both in professional and personal aspects, few weeks ago in Pisa, I was speaking to Cisco and he kind of reminded me once again all the "horrors" that I should be prepared for. So, try to imagine my attitude before going there:)

The conference was a good time to understand better the culture, both Italian in general and AIESEC in Italy in particular. Some of the things seemed to be very good for me, some very absurd, some things were very difficult like language issue for example, some things were easier then I expected - the attitude and warmth that plenary showed to us. In any ways, I was definitely very well prepared for conference, so things like formal dress (guys taking off trousers and staying only in pants), baptizing, songs about putane and zoccole didn't shock me soo much:) Italians don't really have a lot of LC shouts - I only remember "Noi non siamo Napoletane. Vot non siete Napoletabe" (my favourite actually) and "Torino, Torino celano piccolino( not sure about spelling:)) and "Comitato Nazionale, Comitato Nazionale..." But what Italians indeed have are the songs that they have for almost each situation. I loved some, but definitely don't remember the words:)

I mostly have good memories about sessions. That was the first time for Italians to have evening plenaries, which were a success. Everything was quite good apart from timing (sometimes my fault) and reflection that totally didn't work. All the dances, videos, shouts and crazy plenary with underwear worked well:)

My biggest concern about this conference - half day session about PBoXes worked very well, I think even connection with Kill Bill was good!

My greatest satisfaction of conference - Exchange functional track! That was actually the first time I met my VPs and I was pleased and amazed by the day we spent together with them! Exchange rocks:)

And the official dinner was amazing - in a way official dinner at EBC was better then the one at IC this year:) Congratulations to my crazy Napoli Parthenope for winning PwC award:)

During this conference I actually realized that the facts that we were discussing with girls in Ukraine about how a year abroad in particular country may change us were so true.I feel like becoming integrated, moreover, I feel like becoming more open, more flexible a bit more crazy - becoming Italian. I know that my visit to Napoli in 1,5 week will definitely change me even more:) I already wrote some time before that I enjoyed being here, but now I came to a conclusion that this is the right place, the right time, the right position for me. You know, I feel like doing exactly what I'm meant to do at specific point of time! And that's an amazing feeling!

What else.. aaa, a thing that I've noticed - in Ukraine and in general in international conferences we pass trough a process of firstly getting first visual impression of people and then getting to know them better in other aspects. Here in Italy, I passed trough totally opposite process - I firstly got to know people virtually and only after 3,5 months in Italy I get the change to connect what I knew about people with their faces. At one point of time I was thinking about the way how our consciousness works - and that it's much easier to create stereotypes from first visual impression rather then from first impression that you got trough communicating with people virtually.

And the last, but not the least - it was great to meet LCs that I'm coaching - Roma che? Roma TRE! Trieste, Napoli Parthenope and Milano Bocconi! They all are so different, but so great!:) I'm going to visit them in October - November! Yoooohooo:)

So, coming to the end of thing looong post, there are few main conclusions that I'd like to share.

Italians are very much like we (foreigners) imagine them: totally crazy, emotional and extraverted, hospitable and warm. At the same time I must say that we have to many stereotypes about Italian men - they are not soo- soo hot as we imagine them abroad, actually the "hottest" guys that I've seen at conference were mostly not Italians. Hm, well maybe I still need to attend more conferences:)
There are quite a lot of differences between North and South in Italy and what I've noticed is that when a person is introducing himself he'll always say I'm .... (napoletan, sicilian, sardenian etc.) rather then I'm Italian:). There are even some names that are given to people from south and north (terrone and polentone) but they way they use it here never sound offensive like using similar names in Ukraine (москалі, кацапи, бандеровцы) between East and West and this respect to people from other regions is something that Ukrainians are still to learn. why not from Italians:)

That's the end of my report from EBC. stay tuned for another story about Venice...:)

P.S. my pictures from EBC are here