Thinking globally, acting locally

I think thinking globally but acting globally means to know the laws of the city and know the different kinds of people around you but try to blend in with the locals. You should know the laws of the city and be open minded to all the different cultures surrounding you. However, study up on the culture in your city so you don’t stand out or offend anyone by doing the wrong thing. For example, it’s rude in Spain to rush at a restaurant. The people of Spain are more about relationships than business. Therefore, when you go to a local restaurant you should converse with the locals instead of just trying to sit down and eat fast. I noticed this even at our business field trips as well. Our tour guide, Roberto, would have to talk with the business owners about soccer or what they did last night before jumping straight into business. Knowing key things like this will help you blend in with the locals. You need to be open minded enough to think globally and understand other cultures in order to act locally. 

Social Responsibility

So I’m not even sure this is what I’m supposed to cover for this topic but I think it’s important. Before I left for Spain, all I heard from friends and family was “Be safe. Have a buddy. Never walk around without a friend.” I was so tired of hearing it. Like I know. I’m not five years old. But it really is important! I went on this trip only slightly knowing a few people so I was a little nervous about my roommate and having a buddy for my “buddy system”. However, I met 5 great friends in Spain that I hope I have for the rest of my life. And I am so grateful for them. We all looked after each other wherever we went. I always felt safe and we never let anyone go anywhere by their self. You need to constantly look out for others overseas in a place you don’t know. There are dangerous people out there just like in any country. Pick pocketing is a serious thing. My friend Arlena had her purse unzipped two times on Metro! And after the first time, all six of us would make sure everyone’s purse was zipped. We went out to a popular club in Spain and we made an agreement before we ever went that we were responsible for all 6 of us. So we didn’t leave that club until all 6 of us were ready. If going abroad, then have a buddy. Look out for pickpocketers. Keep your things safe. Stay safe. 

Expanding Worldview- Dos

For my second expanding worldview, I’m going to go into great detail about how I really wish i knew how to speak Spanish! Throughout the entire trip, I just kept wishing I would've took Spanish in high school instead of Latin, which is a language i can’t even use. I went to school kindergarten through eight grade where I had a Spanish class every year. I wish i would've stuck with it throughout high school instead of complaining about learning another language and how pointless it was. Because it’s not pointless. It can really help you later on in life. For those of you who are taking a language now- stick to it! I promise it’s worth it. You have no idea how hard it is to order food or a drink in another country without knowing their language until you get over there and you are staring at the waitress and she has a very confused look on her face. I just kept asking for water (aqua) in every restaurant because it was the only thing I knew in Spanish! And don’t even let me get starting on trying to order food. I just stared at the menu for 30 minutes wondering what the heck I was going to say(or just point to) and if it was going to come out and actually be tasty enough for me to eat it. For the majority of my trip, my friend and I had to ask if the restaurant had English menus before we could eat there. We also had to ask if they had Wi-Fi in case we needed a translating site. I feel like it really hindered my experience because i wish i could’ve gone into a really authentic restaurant and carried on a conversation with locals. 

Don't let not knowing a language keep you from traveling abroad because I made it so anyone can. However, just prepare yourself more than I did. Write down key phrases or words that will help you throughout the trip.

Expanding Worldview #1

For my first expanding worldviews, I'm going to dig into Spain's lifestyle vs Americans lifestyles. We studied up on Spain's lifestyle before we went to prepare ourselves but it's nothing compared to actually experiencing it firsthand. One of the main differences in our lifestyles is eating out. Normally, Americans only expect to take about an hour at dinner unless its a special event or a large group. But in Spain you are lucky to finish eating in an hour even if the restaurant is dead. Me and two other friends went to eat one night before a bull fight so it was around 5pm or 6pm and the restaurant was dead. There was probably only one other table in there with people. We were super excited because we only had an hour to eat and make it to the bull fight on time. Well, our waiter decided he was hungry too and sat down and ate his dinner after he served us ours. We were finished with our meal and he was still eating. There was no one around paying any attention to us to give us our checks. This is when I start wishing I knew how to speak Spanish! You would never catch a waiter in America doing that without getting fired. Needless to say, we were late to the bullfight and i went back and asked a Spanish speaking student the next day how to ask for the check.

We never ran into another server who did that. However, we did run into problems eating out the entire time we were in Spain. There was times I was ready to order within 10 minutes of sitting down and our waiter wouldn't come back to take our order for 45 minutes after we sat down. There were other times when we were expected to mingle with the locals instead of just trying to order, eat, and then leave. Overall, eating out in Spain is very different than eating out in America. It was frustrating at first but then we realized we're experiencing a different lifestyle and we learned to just embrace it.

BQ

On Friday May 27th, we met up with a man named Rodrigo at BQ in Madrid. BQ is an engineering and technology business. It started when six engineers came together with ideas for technology innovations. They have USBs, tablets, 3D printers, and even a smartphone. Rodrigo showed us their smartphone and explained to us how it came about. He took the time to show us almost all the tests the smartphone most go through before it’s put on the market. They have tests to cover durability, flexibility, lighting, and waterproof. He informed us they are the 3^rd major brand in units in Spain. This is such a crazy thought because they are only right behind Apple and Sony which are major brands in the US. So maybe one day BQ will reach the US as well.

               We were very curious to know how they continue to grow and develop new ideas. He explained that they work with the local schools to integrate this field of study. Rodrigo explained the three key components of their strategy: hardware, software, and design. He said they are teaching this to the students so they can help expand the company.  I think this is incredible because it’s a growing industry throughout the entire world and new innovations are coming out every second. 

Cattle Breeding Ranch

On Sunday May 29^th, we visited a cattle breeding ranch outside of Seville. I had just gone to my first ever bull fight the Friday before so this was really unique to hear how the bull gets to the actual ring. Raphael helped us understand the meaning of bull fights, the history behind them, and how the process plays out. He explained to us that the male bull that will fight in the arena cannot come in contact with a human in an arena until the day he is to be killed. Therefore, the cattle breeding ranch owners pick the bulls based on a series of tests the mother of the bulls go through. These tests determine the bravery, aggressiveness, and instinct of the mother. Raphael explained that this is a tradition because it’s a “respectful” way for the bull to die. He really opened my eyes because I think we’re (me and other Americans) are disconnected to how we get our food.  We just eat it when it’s served and we never think that the animal probably came from massive processing plants or slaughter houses where it wasn’t treated with respect at all. At least in Spain they watch the animal go down with a fight and in dignity and they can say they will use every bit of the animal they killed. I had a totally different perspective that Friday night as I was watching all these bulls get killed. It felt inhumane and sad. Now, thanks to Raphael I can see both sides of the argument. I’m glad I made myself go and was able to experience the tradition and now know the meaning behind it.

               To conclude this field trip, we drove through the ranch fields and saw several bulls eating. Then we had a nice lunch set up for us in the middle of the cattle field. It was an experience like no other. This was by far my favorite field trip. 

Capital Business Radio

On Wednesday May 25^th, we went to the Capital Business Radio in Madrid. This is a radio company that broadcasts radio shows about finance, stock markets, and businesses. I was unaware this was even a type of radio show field before this trip. Being finance and accounting major, I was in awe the entire time. The gentleman that spoke with us told how the company works and what their future goals are. One of the future goals is to expand all the way to the United States and be the most listened to finance radio show. He even told us they already have employees over in New York that watch the stock market every day and report back to them so they can tell Spain what is going on. This was unique and interesting because I just didn’t hear much about the US at any other field trip.

               My favorite part of this field trip was meeting one of the radio journalists/broadcasters. He explained what each show was about and when the shows were live or recorded. Then to conclude the trip, he took us to the actual radio booth and we were able to watch a broadcast live.