I have learned many large-scale concepts and even small facts about the world as a whole, and Barcelona specifically. I would say the ACTIVA BCN visit was my favorite outside of class. The speaker was very informative and shared all kinds of facts, both about Barcelona and compared to other parts of the world. It was really interesting learning about what unicorn cities in Europe are and how Barcelona compares to cities like Madrid, the capital of Spain in regards to GDP, visitors, etc.
Additionally, I personally really enjoy learning about sustainable practices that companies and cities take to improve the environment. This includes learning about how Barcelona is working to add solar panels around the port, and converting the energy to fuel the cruise ships that come to visit. I also learned about how the area that we are staying in used to be more industrial factories, and the city was just covered in black smog that would affect the appearance of the buildings. They decided to completely reconstruct the area to draw in people from all over the world to work, live, and study along the coast. I think this is such a genius plan from the city. I love that Barcelona is committed to bringing talented, young, diverse, and open-minded students and workers to contribute to their economy through their research, studies, innovations, and creations, for example, the scientists and video game developers he was talking about. I really believe Barcelona is taking the right steps and considerations that will make the city grow culturally, economically, and socially.
After taking this course for the past two weeks, I am really considering taking more international business courses in the future. As a Marketing Analytics and Consulting major student I would love to learn how I could potentially go into a career that involves global marketing strategies, helping businesses expand into new markets, or even promoting sustainable practices and business I align with and find impactful worldwide.
