As my flight departs to the United States I look back on all that I have witnessed and discovered through my trip to Portugal. This trip was my first time flying overseas and I took every once I could take. I definitely experienced culture shock on multiple occasions. Surprisingly, though the highlight of my trip were actually visiting the companies in our itinerary of being a part of the class. On our two-week adventure to Portugal, we visited a total of seven companies. They are all very different in what they do, but all shared the same core values. When researching the culture of Portugal before arriving I found an interesting trait in that America is described as masculine and Portugal is described as feminine. Where a masculine country is driven by success and competition and a feminine country is described as a country that cares for others and focuses on the quality of life. I understood quite well the values of competition and success in America but didn?t really understand the meaning of focusing on the quality of life until I lived in Portugal and saw it for myself.
Throughout the course visiting each of the companies as students we were tasked to listen about how the companies are run and give solutions to some challenges as a company they have faced. Right off the back with visiting a local bakery outside of Lisbon, Portugal I discovered very quickly the differences in how businesses are run. Mainly in Portugal companies focus on the quality of their products and services while in the United States, we prioritize efficiency. One of the owners led our bakery tour and wanted us to understand the value of making pastries by hand. We were able to take a cooking class and everything was made from scratch and the only machines present were a freezer and oven. The owner discussed that family is everything and that their business is a family and no sweet treat looks alike but all tastes the same with love and quality. Very similar to the bakery companies such as the cork farm, the winery, and textile companies had very strong views of changing their marketing to make more money. In fact, most companies making a profit didn?t matter as much as the quality they provide. A lot of the companies we visited were family run or the workers lived on the property. When our group suggested ideas about franchising their business a lot of the companies frown at the idea because they care more about the relationships between their customers and employees. The most interesting company visit was the textile company because a lot of things they did would seem wrong to an American worker, but was a part of their company culture. There was a sewing room that looked liked a sweatshop with lines of sewing machines and women working nonstop. The company even had a board displaying all employees? names and progress in percentages. When asked if the board sent the wrong message by comparing the employees with other employees the tour guide got defensive and uncomfortable. She explained that the board is there to encourage each other and they all make up one big team striving for the same goal.
There were a lot of eye-opening experiences through this trip and it can really put your mind in perspective. If anything this trip showed me how different countries are from each other and not to make predetermined assumptions going in. I would recommend in a heartbeat to travel abroad and the see the world through another one?s lens.
