the summer in italy

this summer i decided that in order to gain a more worldly perspective into my future career of advertising that i should go to another country to do an internship.

i sent out more emails to more parts of the world then my outbox can count. i got multiple replies back, and many promising offers. i ended up interviewing with an agency based out of new york, which also had multiple locations across the world. i went into the interview knowing that i didn't want to stay in nyc that summer, and told them of my real intentions.

one thing led to another, and here i am writing this blog from parma, italy. this place is known as the 'food valley' of italy, and from everything i have tasted i can see why. i have had pork, the main staple of the area, prepared in 15 different ways within the 3 weeks i have been here.

food is one of my obsessions. i think the key to happiness definitely includes a couple amazing meals a day. italy has further reinforced this. everyone here is happy (or at least appears to be when compared to the average american). everyone is SKINNY, not to an unhealthy point, but more in shape, or just not fat. the people here portion better, use fresher ingredients, and cook their own food. it has lead many of them to flat out look better then the average american.

life is lived at a slower pace. coming from nyc, this change can get quite annoying (the hours of the small food shop near my house are whenever to whenever- with a very extended lunch, last time from 2pm to 4:30pm). there is a lot to learn from this (convenience isn't everything??).

i guess when it comes down to it, i now have plenty of time to work on my 'world communication skills' because i hardly speak any italian (up to about 5 phrases, and 15 words), and no one here is willing to speak english (out of embarrassment, although it would be awfully helpful).


to check out my artistic stylings and advertising/ graphic design/ web design/ photography portfolios you can go to:
http://www.mattkoulermos.com