Coming into this program, I was mainly excited to practice my Spanish speaking skills and meet a new group of friends. I am now seeing how much more this global program has to offer, how much knowledge I will be able to gain, and how many opportunities I will be presented with.
Within my first week of being here, I have already had so many unexpected experiences. By day two of the trip, I felt like I had known my trip mates for years before. I felt like they were already some of my closest friends, since we were doing everything together and spending time with each other all day every day, even though I had only known them for a few days. I have never before felt this close to a group of 34 people within such a short amount of time, and being able to now say that I have is a really special feeling.
I was also hit with the realization that the classes I am taking this month are much harder than I was expecting. Coming into this trip, I think I had the false ideology that because it was a study abroad, my classes would be easy. I am now seeing this is not true, and I will have to learn how to balance studying and having fun. I will have to intentionally block off time for studying so I don’t get carried away exploring Barcelona and filling my days with different activities. Besides class being interesting and informative, the business visit we have done was also extremely beneficial. Being able to see how a company across the world operates and how it is different from America was something I have never been able to see first hand.
From this experience, I hope to broaden my perspective on the world around me. I have wanted to work in international business for some time now, getting my Bachelors in Supply Chain and continuing on to get my Masters in International Business, and I am now getting to see what a career in this field would potentially look like.
