It has officially been a week since I returned from my two-week study abroad, where I was fortunate enough to visit about 9 countries, a huge accomplishment at just the age of 20. During my time abroad, we were lucky to learn about different businesses, both local and national, in Europe. Our host country was Italy, and that was where three out of the five business visits were conducted. Here we learned how passionate locals were about their craft, whether it was violin making or creating gondolas, they had a passion for the creation of their products that was used to share their interests and culture around the world. But the major thing I learned on this trip, despite gaining much knowledge from the businesses there, was my perspective. In my earlier blog post, I mentioned that each country had its own culture, and despite having similar origins, each city had its own differentiating characteristics. Many of the cities we visited in Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy were not used to seeing so many tourists, and it was clear. When we separated into small groups, I had the chance to talk to many locals and see how they viewed us. The initial impression is always that we are loud and obnoxious, but after a normal conversation, we were able to sway their opinion. This was a major factor in my impression of life in Europe, just like life in the United States. We live by stereotypes, but it was very humbling and all in all sweet to see how just having a down-to-earth conversation with people can unite and change opinions for the better. My whole experience in Europe was completely worth the money and the memories, and I would suggest it to every student, not only to learn about people and the cultures but to grow within themselves and to gain a perspective that is unrestricted by life within the United States.
