Going into this study abroad, I knew there were going to be cultural differences from the states and the United Kingdom. Coming out of a month-long journey in the UK, I learned that my initial impressions weren?t too far off from my overall experience. Everyone we met was extremely nice and welcoming, communicating with people and engaging with Glaswegians, along with other Scottish and British people, was very similar to the United States. The biggest thing I learned was slang and different words for common things like paper towels, milk, and other everyday items. I feel like seeing an altered version of living has opened my perspective on the importance of learning the culture of a country. It?s important to learn the norms, the easiest and most used way of transportation, learn what people prioritize and their history behind their cities which may influence the cuisine and people?s behavior in their cities. Being able to travel has transformed the way I see the United Kingdom, I have a newfound appreciation for their history. As an Aggie, I love to find deeply rooted traditions. History and tradition found me in the United Kingdom and it made for an amazing experience.
My study abroad specifically focused on sustainable entrepreneurship. We met with several small sustainable businesses along with larger companies that were fully sustainable. This gave me the most insight on how they conduct business differently from companies in the United States. All of the companies visited focused on having a closed loop production cycle. This is very different from most of the large companies we?re familiar with in the United States. This way of operations has modified and opened more options for businesses and I feel as if more companies will have to start moving in this direction as sustainability continues to become a more pressing concern.
