Howdy. My name is Savannah Coy, and I am taking the European Integration and Business abroad trip which includes travel to Spain, Italy, and France. Within the first week, we have gotten to experience the sights in Spain and are starting our adventure in France. Concerning first impressions of the global business program, it seems they thoroughly planned out our trip to give us the best experience. However, it would be nice to have longer lunch breaks to truly get to eat a full meal and see the city. It often feels like it is a choice of one or the other.
Pertaining to Spain, we got to hear about the current Spanish economy and political situation. We also got to visit the famous church La Sagrada Familia, attend a Flamenco show which is a widely popular form of dance entertainment in Spain, sail around the port of Barcelona, learn about the importance of the port and city of Barcelona, and visit the city of Girona. Barcelona was very tight-knit and busy as one of Spain?s largest cities, but it was also very accommodating, despite the comments of citizens not being fond of tourists. It seemed better structured, especially in reference to transportation than say Austin. The public transport of traveling by the metro train was simple but efficient. The large quantity of taxis also proved useful in getting around the city. Much like the United States, sports play a major role in solidifying the community, which we got to see first-hand through a parade celebrating Barcelona winning the World Cup for Soccer. Some other differences include the Spanish schedule of activities. They tend to eat much later in the day than Americans do, they take their time with their meals, shops are open later into the night, and the ?nightlife? starts much later since everything is pushed back in the day. They also dress more formally than the average American. Another insight from our time in Spain was the drastic difference between Barcelona and Girona. Girona was calm, peaceful, and charming while Barcelona was more chaotic, boisterous, and bright, similar to the differences between the countryside and city life in Texas.
Alternatively, from the little we have already experienced in France, France has already proved to be quite different from Spain. France has a more similar time schedule to America than Spain, which makes it quite jarring as we had started to become accustomed to everything being open later in the evening. The French are also quite proud of their culture, particularly their language. Thus, communication is more difficult, and it can sometimes feel like they judge the tourists.
Overall, Europe appears to be more refined than America, but there are good and bad aspects to both sides. I look forward to further exploring French and Italian culture. It is also interesting to be able to compare the cultures, especially since there are many ways they overlap. I am also super excited about the visit to Monaco where we will get to tour the famous casino of Monte-Carlo, but altogether the entire trip is a new, thrilling experience.
