Blog

Summer internship 2016

17 października 2016

W tym roku na czas wakacji nasz zespół powiększył się o wyjątkową osobę. Na trzy miesiące w ramach wakacyjnych praktyk Erazmus+ dołączyła do nas Grazia Dibenedetto z Włoch.
Na koniec wakacyjnych praktyk zadaliśmy Grazi kilka pytań.

Biuro - Agencja interaktywna Crafton PoznańBiuro - Agencja interaktywna Crafton Poznań
1. How did you like Poland and Poznan? What do you think about Polish people?
Well, I must admit that Italians don’t usually have a good opinion about Poland. Unfortunately, most of them believe this is an impoverished country, plenty of criminals and drinkers. But it doesn’t take much to change those judgments completely. Since my very first day in Poznań, I discovered a vibrant and human-scale city. Instantly, I’ve fallen in love with tree-lined streets and I realized how much I liked going for a relaxing walk in parks and gardens there. Stary Rynek took my breath away the first time I saw it and I always went around looking up at the sky to admire all those fairytale-like buildings. Regarding Polish people, I think that they may seem distant and discreet at the beginning but they are really easy-going and ready to help you if you need.

2. What was the biggest surprise for you in Poland?
People don’t go around on horseback :-D All joking aside, I was very surprised to barely see someone down the street after 20-20.30, at least in Grundwald, my neighborhood in Poznań. It sounds so strange to me because we get used to go out at that hour, especially in South Italy. I was also amazed when I saw children and not only them walking through the water in the fountains, spending their time playing and splashing each other. Finally, it was very funny when I was told that Italian word “cosa” means goat in Polish and “lato” means summer. Now, I understand why people always looked at me in an intriguing way on buses and trams while I was speaking.

3. How did you like working with us?
I’d say that I really appreciated that nice atmosphere that I experienced at the office. Every day I saw my colleagues discussing with each other to exchange different ideas and opinions to do their best at work. In some cases, I had the opportunity to express myself what I was thinking about certain aspects of our project. They really made me feel part of their team and very often we liked to talk about interesting facts about Italy and Poland. And, finally, all members of Crafton are fantastic people to work with and Piotr is a very friendly boss.

4. What did you learn most in Crafton?
I certainly realized how hard you need to work when you’re launching a startup. Day after day, people are totally committed to making everything work, starting from creating an appealing website to engaging with users and partners and much more. Another important lesson that I learned was that teamwork is crucial: when everyone focuses on their tasks and then positively interact with other members of their team, it’s very likely that you get a great outcome to be proud of.

5. Was working here different than in Italy?
Absolutely! Just to give you an example, I noticed that companies in Poland are often open all day from 10 to 18 and people have normally lunch at their desks. Instead, most of shops in Italy usually close for lunch time so that, in general, you can find them open from 9 to 13 in the morning and from 17 to 21 in the afternoon. I also got the impression that Polish job market is much more dynamic than the Italian one, maybe because my country have suffered more from economic crisis and a great number of young people is still struggling to find a job.

6. You've been here 3 months, did you miss siesta or Italian food or anything else?
Apart from my family, as I spent the entire summer in Poland, more than anything I missed the sea. I love the sound and the smell of it and it always brings me peace every time I look at it. Also, I’ve been living in a seaside town since I was a child and, to me, it’s natural to find the sea just a short step from my house. In addition, even though Polish cuisine is definitely not bad as I thought before leaving, I missed Italian food. A big piece of parmigiana was the first thing I ate when I arrived home ;-)

7. Would you like to come back to Poland in the future?
Yes, definitely! I think Poland is an awesome and worth exploring country. In the near future, I’d like to visit other Polish cities such as Warsaw, Wroclaw, Krakow and Gdansk as well as Masurian Lakes and Marbolk Castle. Do zobaczenia Polska :-)