I hear the sound of my alarm and open my eyes. I pick up my phone and tap snooze two more times. When the clock hits 6.30 a.m., I roll out of bed and start preparing for the day. The company is a 40-minute drive away from where I am staying, so I usually leave around 7.20 a.m. I find the drive very calming, usually listen to a podcast or one of my Spotify playlists. I live by the sea, but the company is situated more inland, among hills and farmlands. As I drive, I watch the scenery change from the city, to suburbs, to meadows and forest.
I arrive at the office around 8 a.m. It’s not busy yet, because most employees come into the office around 8.30-9.00 a.m. I greet everyone I pass by with a “Buongiorno”. I find a way to my desk, turn my work computer on, make my first espresso of the day and sit down to work.
Typically, I work independently on my projects before the lunch break, which means until 1 pm. The specifics of my job depend usually on the project I am currently working on. Right now, I am developing new catalogues for all the company products. That includes, for instance, updating the information with the current price list, designing new layouts in Adobe based on the old catalogues, and researching new ideas that could further improve the catalogues. While I am working on this project, I usually right down all my questions and concerns that I can discuss later with my superiors.
The lunch break is between 1 and 2 p.m. When the clock hits 1 p.m. almost everyone evacuates the company, and heads out for lunch. My coworkers and I usually walk to a nearby bar to grab something to eat, like pasta or piadina, which is a typical food in Romania, and have a little chat during our break. When I just started working at PKG, I didn’t understand Italian, which made it difficult to participate in conversations. 2 months in, I understand a lot more and am able to follow conversations in Italian, but will mostly reply in English. I have been taking Italian lessons twice a week, which has definitely helped me progress.
We head back to the office, where we take a minute to have an espresso numero due, and continue with work. After lunch, I usually sit down with my manager and review the tasks I have completed by myself, as well as discuss some ideas for our shared projects. In the context of the catalogues project, we double check if the information is correct, and plan out the following steps we need to take to complete the project.
I end up having another espresso. Some days I end up drinking 5 espressos, but when in Italy, do as the Italians. At this point it is probably around 4.30 p.m., when I sit down with my planner, and plan out the task for the next day. This simple routine helps we feel organized, and ready to work with a clear mind the following day.
I head out around 5-5.30 p.m. find my car and drive back home. In September I used to drive to the beach to watch the sunset, but now that we are in November, it is already dark outside as I am driving back. When I get home, I am ready to unwind after a long but satisfying day.
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