Travel Destination

I recommend you to spend your next holiday in Tuscany, Italy. You would start from Florence, stay at a winery in Arrezo, and also visit San Gimignano and Assisi. Each place in Italy, even within a region of Tuscany, has different history, different architectural style, and different specialties. Besides, Tuscan people are as friendly as the people in the South. You will appreciate Tuscan hospitality while you enjoy the world’s finest art and cuisine at the heart of Italy.

Florence is known as “the city of lilies” (or “the city of flowers”). Old streets of the beautiful city leave a remnant of medieval days. It is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and it is an art historian’s dream. You can never stay long enough to visit all the museums and art galleries, but should not miss David di Michelangelo at Galleria dell'Accademia museum. Michelangelo’s masterpiece holds a tremendous power. The little historic city of San Gimignano, “the city of beautiful towers”, is only an hour away from Florence by train, if you would like a change of pace. You can’t go wrong with any restaurant in Florence. Tuscan cuisine is simple and dynamic, and is famous for mellow cheeses and grilled meats. If you would like to have a meal a little lighter than a big chunk of beef and pork, Casseruola alla fiorentina (Florentine casserole: pasta covered with a cream sauce of spinach and mushroom grilled in a casserole) will be just right for ladies.

The highlight of your holiday will be a stay at a winery in Arrezo. The winery I recommend is a twenty minutes’ walk from the downtown. You will stay at a cottage with a fully equipped kitchen, and can choose to have dinner at the club house or at your cottage by yourselves. The winery offers a winery tour and wine tasting. There is a pool in the middle of the vineyard, where you can sit relaxed on a deck chair reading or chatting with the other guests. Breakfast is served at the club house. The owner family bakes different home-made pies and cakes every morning, and it is fun to have conversation with the friendly Italian family over a cup of espresso. The city of Arrezo has a long history which goes as far back as the 4th century BC. It is a history city and also a filming location of Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful. Based in Arrezo, you can make a day trip to see the beautiful sunset at Lake Trasimeno.

Assisi is one the most beautiful places I have ever been. It is the birthplace of Italy's patron saint, St. Francis. The old downtown of Assisi is on top of the hill of olive grove. The cathedral constructed in the 13th century, Basilica di San Francesco, is located on the northwest slope of the city. Its upper part is built in Gothic style and the lower part is Romanesque, and the interior walls are covered by precious frescoes. If you would like to see the full view of the city, go to Rocca Maggiore, the grand castle fortress of the 12th century. It overlooks the city of Assisi and surrounding countryside, and reminds us how important it was as a military base. Black truffles strangozzi pasta is the specialty of Assisi and keeps the full flavor and aroma of local Umbrian forest.

Florence, San Gimignano and Assisi are all registered as UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. With Arrezo added to your itinerary, you will be able to explore fine art, historical monuments, Tuscan cuisine and wine altogether in two weeks. I am sure it will be a fulfilling and memorable holiday for you.

Talk the Talk

The English language skills and communication skills required to work in an international field in English are different from the skills required to work in the U.S. as a local member. I was not fully aware of this fact until I came to Charlotte. Even when I talk to my Japanese friends about the difficulties to work in Charlotte as a local employee, most of them do not understand my points. If you are in Japan working for an American company, or if you are in the U.S. working for a Japanese company, being able to speak understandable English is just enough to be evaluated. But if you would like to have a career in the U.S. as a real part of corporate America, you have to have practical communication skills to the extent that your business counterparts feel comfortable and not embarrassed in communicating with you in various different situations. Language is an important part of communication, but I think it is equally important that you have good understanding of American culture, articulate clearly, and talk and behave in an appropriate manner.

My senior colleague told me about the cultural training she took recently. She had a case study. The case was about a new team gathered in the U.S. at an international consulting firm, and there was a Japanese staff member transferred from the branch office in Tokyo. That Japanese person was capable but has accents. She did not get a chance to meet the clients and struggled. The manager in the case had a concern about bringing her to client meetings lest the clients feel bad about being assigned a non- American consultant. My colleague may and may not have used the story as a metaphor to tell me about the problem I should overcome. I was not offended but understood that it is the reality in the U.S. and something which managers have to learn in a training how to deal with.

Another story is about my Japanese friend who has just finished a MBA course in Charlotte and got a new position in a Japanese research firm in New York City. It is a great company and a great job, but he was not perfectly happy because he ended up working for a Japanese company. He has been in the U.S. since he was 18. He went to a university in the U.S. and has been working in the U.S. for more than ten years. He speaks good English and has a Green Card. He has his resume reviewed by American advisors at his MBA school, but he said that it was difficult for him to proceed to an interview process. He also said that even the companies expanding the business overseas still want to hire an American for a client facing position who speaks native American English and shares the same cultural understanding as the clients.