These past couple of days I have had the privilege of being a part of the Europe Integration & Business Field Trip. I am very fortunate of this opportunity and I have been able to experience food and sites like never before. We started our week by taking one flight to Germany and another to Malta. Upon landing we saw the vast buildings and landscapes that Malta consists of. Immediately I noticed some of the differences that the country has to offer. Not only did the roads seem somewhat crammed and close together, but the buildings were on small lots and built up high. This is due to the lack of space present throughout Europe. As opposed to building outwards they are forced to build up.
Something else I found intriguing was the amount of English spoken throughout the country. It seemed that most individuals either spoke English or were able to understand it. Most menus or signs were also in English, making it very accessible to communicate with locals or find my way around if I got lost. In the middle of the week, we took a ferry to Sicily (which is where I currently am) and strangely enough it is a bit of a change. Almost every menu or road sign is in Italian and most individuals don’t speak English at all. However, it has not been that difficult to communicate. With the help of google translate and some hand motions, most of the interactions I have had lead to the success of me finding where I needed to go or ordering the correct item on the menu.
From this experience, I am hoping to gain a new perspective and potential understanding of life in Europe and the opportunities that International Business has to offer. I have always been intrigued by the possibility of living abroad and this Study Abroad has really pushed me to follow that path. While the culture shock and language barrier took some getting used to, I am looking forward to the rest of my trip in Italy and the chance of maybe one day living overseas.
