Now that my Global Business Brigades program in Athens has come to an end, I have had the chance to look back at how the experience has impacted me. At the beginning of the trip, I felt very uncomfortable and out of place, but now weeks after that, I have felt like I was able to contribute and enjoy the city. Now that it has ended, I was able to see that the culture of Athens did not just affect the physical aspects of the city, but also the way business is done.
Working with the local business owners and seeing how they operated their small businesses in Athens gave me a lot of insight into how the culture has influenced their business. In the U.S., business is looked at as fast-paced, and success is measured in productivity and results. In Athens, especially at the small business level, I learned that relationships and being genuine mattered just as much. It was very important to get to know each other before business was discussed. It was important to be conversational and patient whenever communicating with customers and the business owner.
One of the biggest takeaways I had from this trip was understanding the different perspectives of other people and where they are from. Working with a small business owner from Ethiopia was an entirely new experience for me, and nothing that I had background knowledge of. For me to overcome this, it was important to listen much more than I acted, and then act only once I understood situations I was new to. Looking back at my initial impressions, I was out of my comfort zone and new to an unfamiliar place. Now that I have gone through the experience, I have learned the importance of allowing my perspective to broaden and being open-minded to others.
