Pre-trip expectations

I'm pretty excited about going on the trip, it will be great to get out of the country again and live on the road. There's something really spectacular about it. I am a little concerned about being able to pay attention during all of the lectures and being able to ask effective questions. I am really excited to meet with a few companies, namely Disney, Microsoft, IMD, and NATO. I'm also excited to get to know the scholars better too, it will be fun to see us all after the trip. I am really expecting to learn a lot about how business is in Europe and how the Europeans perceive the United States. I am also expecting to get a better understanding of the European governments.

Reflections

This has really been a great trip for me, especially being so recently returned from the mission. It has really helped me get the confidence to be in the business program and has helped me gear my mind towards business again. Aside from that, I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and think about where I want to be in my future and what I want to do with my life. Leysin was a great location to digest the lectures. I really received a lot of clarity that I don't think I would have received in Logan while trying to juggle a busy course schedule. Listening to different perspectives on doing business internationally and being exposed to so many people, ideas, philosophies, business models, etc. really gets your brain working and forces you to think about where you stand. To me, that was invaluable.

The EU

From what I gathered, the people are really supportive of the European Union and the things it is doing to unite the member states. I think they have noticed the good changes it has brought about, especially the peace, and they respect what is represents. Everyone I talked to said they felt the EU would only grow stronger and are excited for it's movements towards a superpower. They like the Euro, although some say it was a little different to adjust to. One person commented on the ease of travelling between countries and not having to worry about border customs or currency changes. Most people felt impartial or very negative towards the Turkish accession. The younger people didn't care too much, but the adults were pretty vocal about it not happening. It seemed like the people in Switzerland were also supportive of the EU and what it represented. I didn't notice a difference between demographics, but that doesn't mean there isn't one.

CSR

In Europe it is completely anticipated that companies are corporately responsible. It really doesn't seem to be a question to them. The companies there really pride themselves in these efforts and they broadcast it everywhere. It really was impressive to listen to the things they come up with to be responsible, from planting trees to donating large amounts of money to AIDS efforts in Africa.

a local perspective

Europeans have a different perspective on the roles of the government than we Americans... some of these views may not be all too bad. They seem to be quite content with their socialized healthcare and to them it is expected that the government provide them with great healthcare. The people I talked to liked the security provided to them for unemployment (although this has undoubtedly increased European unemployment duration), but some said they felt the government may provide a little too cushy unemployment benefits. Although they enjoy long holidays, they also like to work-men and women-which makes them need health care. Women are payed to have children and they consequently feel it the government's role to provide child care so they can continue working. They feel strongly about the responsibility the government has to control carbon emissions but are also willing to comply with the government's mandates.

religion

My infatuation with churches was fed throughout the trip; I was fortunate to travel with fellow church-lovers. Whenever we rolled into a city, we usually headed strait to the local cathedral. There's something about them that help you really feel a part of the culture. We went to two very different Gregorian masses, the first was in Lucerne and the other was at Notre Dame. In Lucerne, the mass was in German, it was very quiet and peaceful, there weren't many people there and they all sang along. Notre Dame was in French, it was a Sunday morning and it was packed! There was a really long line to get in, people tried to maintain the silence, but there was a lot of bustle. It seems that in Europe religion is more of a tradition than anything. It is part of their culture but not part of their daily routine. I think people have a respect for religion, but it doesn't influence them as much as in other cultures.

My top 5 favorite churches on the trip:

1. Notre Dame (Paris, France)
2. Sacred Heart (Paris, France)
3. Cathedral of St. Leodegar (Lucerne, Switzerland)
4. Our Lady Church (Bruges, Belgium)
5. The Salzburger Dom (Salzburg, Austria)

French

In most of the countries we visited, French was the dominant language. Swiss French is different from France French. And Swiss German is a completely different language than normal German. I picked up a little French on the trip like, bonjour, parle vu ingles? I thought I would understand German a little more than French, but it was backwards, I think in large respects to me hearing Swiss German. Luckily, most people spoke at least a little English. At first it really bothered me that I couldn't speak their language; I was really self-conscious about it. Eventually it wore off and I was just another oblivious American tourist stumbling through their countries. There were a few occasions when I could tell people were really bothered that I didn't speak their language. Surprisingly a lot of people spoke Spanish, so I was able to speak to them. It was easier in French for me to read than listen, I could understand a lot by reading.