This first week in Scotland has been amazing! I feel so fortunate to be with wonderful professors and such a kind group here. There has been some adjusting though. For instance, the sun rises at 4 am and sets around what would be 10 pm, because they use military time it is correctly 22:00. This made getting sleep when first arriving difficult as the sun was streaming into our rooms far earlier than we wished to wake up. Another big adjustment was the lack of A/C. Being from Texas I had never before fathomed not having A/C. The street signs here are located on buildings instead of on poles which have tested our navigation skills when maneuvering around the city. Sustainability is the leading topic of our classroom discussions, but it?s also prevalent throughout the country here. It is not uncommon for any cups or straws you use here to be made of recycled and biodegradable materials. When wandering around the local area we have also found shops that specialize in sustainable practices like repairing damaged clothes to be resold rather than simply throwing them away. This week we had the privilege of visiting two sustainable companies and getting to discuss their ideas and business plans. This week we are splitting into groups and researching large companies to formulate hypothetical ideas for them to improve their sustainability practices. It will be extremely interesting to get more information and see the difficult balance of being sustainable while still being a profitable company. As a finance major, I find this particularly intriguing as my future job may require some of the knowledge and skills, I?m acquiring from this class. I hope to continue to grow in my understanding of sustainability while here and continue to push myself to meet new people and experience new cultures. We have been able to converse with many nice and interesting people here, it has been such a privilege.
