Over the past week in Portugal, I have made countless memories that will last a lifetime and 25 new friends!
I had done very little research into Portugal prior to departure due to the uncertainty that COVID-19 brought to the trip, so everything has been very interesting and new to me. Portugal is a very special place with very unique customs and culture. The city of Lisbon is unlike any other city in the world, and definitely not like any city in America. In just the 5 short days that I have been here, I feel like I am familiar with the city. I have been introduced to many new types of food and reintroduced to food that I have eaten countless times in a new way. My favorite new food is the Pastel de Nata. It?s a sweet desert pastry and it tastes amazing and we actually learned to make it on Friday as part of the program, so I?m excited to cook that for everyone once I get home. One interesting difference I found out that hard way is that ?coffee? means espresso by default rather than the full cup of black coffee that we expect in America. Another food that I have eaten a few times since I?ve been here is a Bifana, which is like a pork sandwich. It is delicious.
We have visited many of the surrounding cities to visit important cultural areas for Portugal and to go tour businesses in the countryside. On Thursday we visited a Cork Farm and an Olive Oil farm. They were both uniquely amazing experiences that were very informative, but the most interesting thing to me was the way that they did business. They don?t seem to be as concerned about growth and profit as American companies are. Obviously it?s still important to them, but they seemed to value the pride they took in their businesses and even environmental issues and doing what they felt was the right thing. They saw their business?s actions as an extension of their own actions and applied their personal philosophies into their business philosophies. I found that concept really interesting because in America we seem to completely separate business and personal life in all ways.
I am very thankful to have the ability to have this experience as it has already changed my perspective on and introduced me to many ideas that I would have experienced without this opportunity.