Estonia
I lived in Tallinn for almost 7 months, thus living in one of the six most digitized countries and experiencing innovations that will change several countries, such as immediate e-Governance services and robot delivery. My thesis written with TalTech’s computer science department allowed me to deepen my knowledge of AI, e-Governance, space management, robotics (Robotex conferences), cybersecurity, and all the most relevant topics concerning innovations. The friends and people I met during this experience taught me the value of inclusiveness, creating new relationships with people from different parts of the world. Thanks to them, it was possible to endure the cold Estonian winter (sometimes -27°C), Estonian wilderness nature, explore the Nordic countries (Latvia, Sweden, Norway, and Finland), and share foods and traditions from different countries.
California
2 weeks in California, discovering the American Dream. From this experience, I realized how much bigger everything is in the US: the cities, the parks, the companies, the stores, the baseball stadiums, and the number of Italians who have made an impact in Silicon Valley. Definitely, a special networking event was the one in the Italian Embassy in San Francisco, involving young Italian startups chosen by Plug&Play’s accelerator program. With the Silicon Valley Study Tour, it was possible to create new and beautiful friendships, with whom it was great to share this experience and create a special Dream Team. The road trip between Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks made me fall in love with the immensity of California nature, being speechless in front of El Capitan, General Sherman, and a family of bears
Mountains
Living in the middle of mountains and alpine lakes has made me increasingly passionate about nature and hiking in the mountains. Reaching the desired top of the mountain is not only a physical workout but also a mental one: proceeding step by step, learning from the path taken, looking at things from another pov, and understanding the value of sacrifices when you reach the goal. This love of mountains and nature has led me to be more sensitive to eco-sustainability issues, trying to do more eco-friendly actions.
Thailand
The opportunity to celebrate my cousin’s wedding in Thailand allowed me to meet a new family and wonderful new people, a new culture, and new traditions. The wedding was held in a traditional ceremony and I was involved in taking fruit plants during the ceremony, a symbol of fertility and prosperity for the future. In my opinion, visiting an Asian country allows you to open your horizons, and learn about new ways of consumption, new foods, and cultural inheritance, which influence the way of life of people from the Asian continent. In an increasingly globalized world, it is very important to respect each person’s culture of origin, thus establishing deeper relationships and finding solutions that everyone can adopt