This program has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The way that the academic part of the program fuses with the sight-seeing is truly mind-blowing. I know that this is an academic trip, but the program is blended so well that it is easy to forget that this isn’t a regular trip to Portugal. That’s not to say that I haven’t been learning though. I have learned a variety of things on this trip, such as the fact that Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe (gaining its independence in 1143) and that cork is so heat resistant that NASA uses it in its rockets.
I can say without a doubt that this trip has definitely exceeded my expectations. I find myself looking forward to visiting a new company each day and getting to hear its story. Prior to the trip, I expected to only look forward to having time to myself, but after experiencing Lisbon and Porto and the unique stories that their citizens have, I quickly found that was not at all the case. I have also found that based on my own experience, the vast majority of the locals don’t speak English. This is based on the other places I have been to in Europe: Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and France. This isn’t a bad thing though, as it essentially forces you to learn parts of the languages for day-to-day life. I appreciate this since I haven’t practiced learning a new language since I was a junior in high school.
Lisbon was truly an incredible city; you could be walking for 5 minutes and come to a place that has a completely different architecture from the place that you had come from. You definitely can’t get that in College Station. The food was also a surprise to me as well. I began to learn that seafood is big in Lisbon, however, I was shocked to find that they even made American dishes, such as hamburgers, and made them very well. When I travel abroad, food is always a big deal for me, and Portugal so far has not disappointed. Especially because if I get tired of eating one type of food, another type is ready to be consumed, the options are truly limitless.
Porto has been my personal favorite out of the two main cities that we have been to. The walking tour that we did here on the first day of the trip was a highlight of the trip for me, walking along the riverside and being immersed in local music, shops, and locals all while having an incredible view to get lost in is truly hard to beat. Another plus of Porto is that they have a lot of cool stores here as well. I was walking around with Charlie and found a cool shoe store that had a variety of different shoes, so much so that I think it exceeded shoe stores in the US. The food here has been great too, my favorite place that I have been to here in Porto was a place called Elee’s, I’ve been twice, and both their burger and their spaghetti have been delicious.
This trip has done wonders for my worldview and has truly opened my eyes to how different countries conduct business in varying ways. Everything, the food, people, music, shops, landmarks, none of it would have been possible for me to experience if I hadn’t been given the opportunity to go on this trip by CIBS. I cannot express enough how grateful I am for this opportunity and how much I have learned, in terms of business and so much more. I have gone abroad before with my high school, Jesuit, and with my family, however, the experience that CIBS and A&M have provided greatly surpasses any trip I have been on. There is truly nothing better than getting to explore a great country with even greater people, and I can surely say I will treasure this experience for the rest of my life. I have been encouraged to travel abroad in college since I was a junior in high school by my relatives, and I can say that in every way, this trip has not only exceeded but skyrocketed past my expectations. If possible, I would love to experience this again in the near future, it has truly been an unforgettable adventure.
