My first week of travel was spent in London, England and Paris, France. As I had never been to either of these countries before, I felt so excited to have the opportunity to be here! In London, we started off by going to tour Oxford University. It was really cool to see and interact with the students there. Our first company visit was at Design Bridge and Partners, and this visit actually made me want to move to London and work for them. They really put an emphasis on the “people first” mindset, but still had a competitive spirit and will to win. We also got to see the British Parliament! It was really cool to see how their government works. It was pretty similar to ours in terms of each House “checking” the other, although we of course don’t have a Monarchy. Another interesting company that we got to visit in London was Lloyd’s. They house insurance companies, and actually do not make any profit. It was definitely a weird concept that we do not have in the US, because typically insurance agencies do their own bidding. It was cool to be able to see all of the 63 companies in the same building working together though.
Next, we headed to Paris. We got to see the Eiffel Tower, which was SO much cooler than any picture that I have seen. We also got to visit the Palace of Versaille. It was so beautiful and we got to spend the whole day there learning about the history of it all. I can’t wait for our coming days in France!
Overall, I am so grateful to be here on this trip. I hope to gain more insights on how other parts of the world conduct business, and if they view finances the same as us. It was clear that London did not, because of Lloyd’s situation. Europe seems to really prioritize and protect its people, which I really appreciate.
