Going into this abroad experience, I was a little bit nervous. I was going to be traveling with 24 people I didn’t know all too well to a country I had never been to. Most nerves that I had were gone by the time we boarded our first plane, bound for Heathrow. Before boarding this flight, I had time to socialize with the people on my abroad trip. and I began to feel more comfortable with them.
After a long day of travel, we landed in Lisbon, greeted by our guide, Paula, and our driver, Joaquim. At our first dinner that night, we were reminded that it is not customary to tip waiters in Portugal. Throughout my entire study abroad, this was something that I constantly had to remind myself of because as an American it seems rude to not tip.
Upon our company visits, something that stood out to me was how much each of the companies cared about the environment and sustainability. For example, some of the more agriculture-based companies explained an irrigation system that they use in order to reduce water waste. Additionally, most companies had innovative practices for using the entire product or plant to reduce waste in general. For example, at Olivera do Serra, they use the pits of the olives to create energy and they use the leaves from the plants to create fertilizer. This is different than American companies because oftentimes American companies make it appear that they value sustainable practices without really adopting these practices.
Finally, something that really stood out to me was the use of tile in Portuguese architecture. This is something that we rarely, if at all, see in American architecture. Most buildings in Portugal had some design elements that included beautiful, hand-painted tiles. In more historic buildings, the tiles were used to depict historical events or figures. The classic tiles were done in blue and white paint. This was such a beautiful thing, unique to Portuguese design and history.
Throughout this study abroad, I hope to gain a greater perspective on how things are done in different parts of the world. I also hope to be immersed in different cultural experiences.
