Going abroad expanded my vision not only in the business world but also in how to live life. The experiences from the seven different countries are something I will always remember. Visiting Lloyd’s, L’Occitane, and Fragonard has expanded my business knowledge internationally. At Llyod’s of London, we learned about the insurance market. This was something I had never really understood until this presentation. It was so cool to learn more about this market and how far they have come as a company. L’Occitane, we learned about the production and making process of their products. I also learned the rich history behind the company and how it is still valued today in terms of how it operates. At Fragonard, I learned about certain natural flowers in each area of the country. Walking through the factory allowed us to see the production of soaps and lotions. Lastly, we had the opportunity to make our perfume. These experiences allowed me to see the ins and outs of businesses we usually do not hear about.
Throughout the trip, I encountered a lot of interaction with the locals of each country we visited. Mostly at markets, with tour guides, servers, or paragliding instructors; interacting with them was one of my favorite parts of being aboard. Learning about their culture and heritage while seeing life from a new perspective was fascinating. At markets, I learned where they get their produce from or if they made or bought the products they were selling. We had many tour guides throughout the trip; my favorite was our bike tour guide in Versailles. He does the bike tours as his full-time job, but he is a trainer. We had many waiters throughout the trip who would tell us interesting things to do in the town and tell us a little about themselves. They always found it interesting to hear that we were from Texas. Lastly, the most fantastic encounter was with my paragliding instructor. He paraglided for a living and had done eight runs the morning I went. The sport is so popular that he does not have to get another job. My favorite thing about the trip was getting to see a little into these people’s lives.
Overall, experiencing international business, learning new cultures, speaking to others of different origins, and diving into Europe’s deep history gave me a new perspective.
