Whoop whoop! We are back in the states! Things already feel much faster here than they ever did in Spain, and that was a noticeable difference in the way they both lived life, and did business. Having visited a local vermouth cellar, shopped at small shops, strolled through the supermarket, and dined at restaurants, I quickly learned that Americans are more short-term oriented and quickly moving compared to the people of Barcelona. With later starts to the day and the occasional siesta in the middle, people in Barcelona feel more present and engaged with one another than we often feel here at home, and that is something that I’ll miss about the country. While I am excited to be back at home, in my own bed, I will always think about how much perspective a somewhat random group of my peers taught me during our 2 weeks across the ocean. While we all learned an incredible number of things about Spain, partook in super long meals, marveled at the concept of tax being included in an item’s price, and somehow made our way around the metro just fine, I would argue that one of the most significant things that I, or anyone, took away from our time abroad was how much differently we can view the world if we just try to look at it through someone else’s eyes. Even as we consulted for Celler Diaz, a relatively small business out of the city of Sitges that produces vermouth and accompanying snacks, we quickly learned that our big ideas for a business transformation were not quite what Celler Diaz had envisioned for themselves, simply because those things weren’t necessarily what they understood to be valuable about business – and that was awesome and eye opening! All in all, we had a great 2 weeks in Barcelona and the surrounding cities, and it will be a delight to try to implement a more present lifestyle into my day-to-day here in dearest College Station.
Center for International Business Studies Blog