Study Abroad
During my time abroad, the variety of professional practices, cultural adaptation, and interpersonal relatability has allowed me to become more knowledgeable and well-versed in foreign environments and countries. Although I have studied international business and the French language for multiple years prior, in France I had the opportunity to put these practices into effect for the first time. As I stayed with a host family, as well as attending a university in Montpellier with all my courses being in French, I was totally immersed in the language and culture of the country, even making new global connections during my stay.
Over the course of my abroad experience, I vastly improved and became noticeably more comfortable with speaking the French language, especially when interacting with new people. The degree of comfortability, regarding academics, societally, as well as daily life, improved vastly from the time I first arrived in Montpellier through my departure. As time passes, the world is becoming increasingly interconnected with the rise of new technologies and methods of communication. Knowing this, the experiences that I've had communicating and building connections with new people directly correlates to my area of study in business, where it is important to be able to communicate needs and personality in environments formal and informal. The level of independence I had when abroad also played a significant role in my personal growth, as these were my first times being on a plane and having to navigate the city and meet my daily needs autonomously. Alongside the surmounted difficulties encountered during my abroad experience, an unforgettable facet was this encounter serving as my introduction to living in a densely populated urban area, with Montpellier having roughly 500,000 inhabitants. Accounting for transportation time and the grandiosity of life, I grew to become accustomed to life in a big city, which is a grand necessity regarding the field of business. Having to balance my academic life, my internship, as well as my personal life seemed to be a mountainous task, but it has assisted and prepared me for my life in the professional world post-graduation. I believe that becoming accustomed to life in this context trivializes the unknown due to my new level of adaptability, allowing me to be able to fit into any environment. Abroad, there were many experiences and much savoir faire that I would not have understood unless I experienced it myself, like the differences in the way of life in France compared to the United States. Of these differences, the most shocking to me was the degree of progressivity as a society and care for social and environmental issues. The country of France is known for frequently using their right to protest and challenge authority when various governmental decisions that could be detrimental to society as a whole are made. In Montpellier specifically, there is the first completely free tram line throughout the city for residents in France, which I thought was convenient and very beneficial to society as a whole. The method of paying a higher tax rate in order to provide free healthcare, insurance, and university tuition for all is definietly another aspect that was very jolting to me, especially in comparison to the United States and its culture today. Different values are prioritized over others, such as increased political awareness, socioeconomic adhesivity, and respect for individuality, amongst many others. During my experience, I was fortunate to be able to travel to other countries as well, such as Spain, the Czech Republic, and Poland, which further expanded my knowledge and understanding regarding regional culture and economic differentiation, which are important traits in the domain of international business. The degree of exposure I have had to various European markets (as it is important to note, the EU is one of the leading trade regions with the US) further stressed the importance of adaptability and the consideration of global perspectives in international business.
However, I feel like the most impactful aspect of my time abroad was the newfound lens that I can now view the world from a different perspective. For all my life, I have lived in a mid-sized town in the upstate of South Carolina, where I have rarely been exposed to many different types of people with backgrounds far different than mine. Being able to meet people from all over the world, such as Romania, France, the UK, Sweden, Germany, Australia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nigeria, etc. has explicitly introduced me to the world as a whole and how similar all humans are, regardless of their origin or ethnic backgrounds. To be able to speak with and share experiences with these newly made friends and acquaintances has been an experience that I will never forget and will continue to take with me along my professional career. As I am majoring in international business, I had the chance to witness first-hand varying perspectives of life from people of various backgrounds, which has been a topic that I have always been interested in. Before arriving in France during this opportunity, I had a significant amount of restraint and feeling of awkwardness regarding my transition to living in an unfamiliar place for an extended amount of time. I knew that travelling to potentially work and live abroad were ideas that have always intrigued me, but obviously I have not had any prior experience in this aspect. However, following the trip, it has been increasingly difficult to not try to dream about what the future holds for me at the international scale.
I believe the experience is necessary and beneficial for not only international business majors, but the world as a whole, due to the increasing reliance on internationality within the modern world. I believe that my time abroad has made me become a better, more well-rounded individual whilst also preparing me for my professional career. The memories in which I have created there, as well as the personal impacts and self-sharpening opportunities I have experienced, will be something that will always stick with me.
