Portugal provided me with many different, beneficial perspectives on life. On our visit to Amorim, Portugal?s largest cork producer, it?s was apparent while we were being given our tour that the company was one big family. Anytime our tour guide greeted a worker, they seemed almost excited to see her. Having a community at the workplace contributes a lot to the success of the company. This theme is seen throughout a lot of places in Portugal. Every wait staff we encountered was super professional and polite, and this really stood out to me as I expected service to be worse since they were not working for tips. It?s great to see the genuine effort made to please customers instead of only being nice for a tip. You could really tell the difference. If came into the trip not knowing how locals would respond to a group of 24 foreign college students infiltrating their home, but I felt very welcomed at almost every shop, restaurant, etc. we visited. My one piece of advice if you are trying to decide if you want to study abroad or not, don?t let the fear of a foreign country or being with a group of people you don?t know effect your decision. I have made lifelong memories and great friendships as a result of going on my study abroad trip.
