What an informative month! I started the program knowing very little about the inner workings of the European Union and left having learned a great deal about how it works–from the economic alliance, the political union, as well as the history leading up to the current agreement. I also learned a lot from our class taught by Dr. Panina, which covered more general principles of international business. It really helped open my eyes to how different international business is compared to domestic business. We covered topics like tariffs, trade agreements, and different legal systems that govern business. The classes were very informative and helped to broaden my view of how business is conducted. The trip overall made me think of other things differently as well. It really helped to widen my worldview by seeing the European way of life and how it differs from the standard of living we have in America. It really made me think about the areas that America could improve on, such as public transportation and maternity leave. Additionally, seeing so many sites with historical and cultural significance has made me more curious to learn about Spain and how the country evolved into its current form. Since I?ve gotten back to America, I?ve done more research into the places I visited to further expand the knowledge I learned from my time there. The trip also made me revise my future career goals. I hope my work brings me in contact with international contacts and even involves trips abroad. This trip has made me want to further explore the world we live in and meet new people in new places, both for business and for fun. I hope this trip gives me the competitive edge in my career to have more opportunities to go abroad to further develop the knowledge gained from this trip.
