During the study abroad tour we have learned a couple interesting things about ourselves. One major thing would be that in Canada we have never really considered the field of foreign affairs. After meeting the trade commissioner at the Canadian embassy in Vienna, we realized that there is a whole world out there filled with opportunities in working in the foreign affairs field. The speakers from the UN were quite passionate about the projects they were working on. This inspired us because the work they do is actually contributing and benefiting the world at large. It made us rethink what we want our impact on the world to be. Before these presentations, we had never considered foreign affairs jobs or jobs with UN. This trip will make us definitely rethink our future paths and where we want to end up working. 

A second thing we learned about ourselves after living in Vienna is that, that would be the city we would want to live in. The culture of the city, the convenience  of the transportation systems and beautiful views are a couple reason why. Learning german is for sure at the top of our lists when we go back to MacEwan in the fall!

What was your biggest takeaway from your travels?

Self reflections

Working with a new partner is rarely easy, especially when you’ve never met.  Over the last two weeks, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and each other when it comes to working in pairs.  Luckily, we both seemed to have the same rare experience of working effortlessly along side each other on the blogging assignments.

Over the last two weeks I have had the pleasure of working alongside Lindsay on our blogging assignments. Since we were on the same flights from Edmonton to Vienna, we were able to communicate about the assignment early. This helped us specifically for the first blogs, as we already had gotten to know each other a little bit. We tackled the blogs together, so we were on the same page the whole time. There are always some worries with going into a group assignment with a stranger. I think everyone on this trip can relate to that. I am glad to say I had nothing to worry about :) -Matt

One of my biggest concerns about this trip was completing an ongoing assignment with a complete stranger…  Deciding to sit down and work together on the blog posts turned out to be a great decision, usually resulting in a very short amount of time needed to reflect, write and finalize our posts.  Thankfully, Matt and I were on the same page nearly every time, and on the rare occasion that we weren’t, it was easily resolved by sharing ideas and coming up with even better ideas for the blog topics.  Being Matt’s blog partner on this trip took away all the stress related to this assignment - something I have never experienced when working with a complete stranger! -Lindsay

Working with a new partner can go one of two ways… Either challenging, frustrating and overwhelming, or easy, stress-free and seamless.  Thankfully for us, it looks like we both shared the same thoughts about this assignment; that being, a successful two weeks of stress-free blogging.  We could not be happier about how the communication, writing and blogging process has gone, and looking back on the time spent working on the assignment, we can honestly say it was a pleasure to work together! Below is a photo of us (Matt and Lindsay), along with our scavenger hunt group mates on the first day of this trip. Luckily for us, the smiles did not fade!

What were some of the highlights you guys experienced while working with your blogging partner?

Final Blog: Self-Reflection

What stands out to me the most about my study abroad experience is how to collaborate with many different personalities and how to harmonize myself with our class, as well as with different cultures. I mentioned in Assignment 1 that I had limited travel experience and that I was very happy to go to several countries that challenged my self-confidence, while still having a collaborative team that could work off of each other to get the most out of each other’s education. Group dynamics gave me the opportunity to “go with the flow” while still actively aligning myself with whichever country’s culture I was living in.

I learned that I personally don’t always have the same energy level as many other people, but that there are ways to still keep involved with the group, without necessarily doing everything that the group does. For example, I got sick during the tour, which never completely went away and lowered my energy level; however, it was my opinion that despite this weakness in energy, that persistence would be needed to keep attending outings as I did not want an excuse for not going outside of my comfort zone through attending all the activities in our itinerary and improving myself as an individual. Many people on this study tour would go out in their free time, and despite my wanting to rest, I would only take this option if I felt I genuinely couldn’t do an activity in any reasonable capacity (Ex: skipping the Vienna pools). I would make an effort to actively listen more to others rather than trying to talk a lot and I focused on being involved even minimally in activities if I couldn’t involve myself fully.

Overall, I felt that I improved as a person and was able to overcome my concern for travelling internationally on my own. I look forward to travelling to many other destinations and I feel that I have MacEwan’s Study Tour opportunity to thank for that. Did anyone else grow or learn something about themselves that they otherwise wouldn’t have found if they’d stayed in Canada?

Hope to hear from you,

David Bell

Importantance of international business

Over this trip we have learned various way in which international business differs from domestic business. The most important difference is the size of the market they are able to reach. Domestic business are only able to reach markets directly around them, there is not much room for growth unless the population grows. However, international businesses can access many more markets from all over the world and the possibilities for expansion are more attainable.

Another key difference we noticed was on the rules and regulations of how these businesses operate. Domestic business only have to follow the domestic rules and do not need to worry about jurisdiction of disputes or unfamiliar standards. International business on the other hand has a much more complex procedure when it comes to creating contracts and penetrating into new markets. International businesses must follow regulations under the United Nations & possibly other agreements such as the Canadian European trade agreement or CETA.

We believe it is important to care about international business because as business students it could help us in our near future if we decide to open up our own businesses. Understanding how international businesses work and the laws that regulate them will help us make educated decisions on how to properly operate our business. Even if we decide not to make our own business after graduation while learning about international business we learned how to communicate with people from different parts of the world. As the world is becoming more integrated, learning how to converse with those from foreign places can help you go far in your personal life & the business world. In our future there is a high possibility that we could be working for a company that is not based out of Canada, after learning how different parts of the world work & operate we will be better prepared to handle this different environment.

Why do you believe international business is important?

Below is a picture from Ottakringer brewery, they export beers to various countries all over the world.

-Erika & Chris

Personally, being questioned about my level of global citizenship before attending the International Business Study Tour the response would have been quite positive. However, during the study tour, we tangibly experienced other cultures, causing a startling realization that my internal definition of global citizenship was figuratively accurate yet substantially different than reality. The definition of global citizenship normally contains many elements including awareness of culture, language, social relationships, and politics. Further definition of global citizenship extends to elements such as different types of food, entertainment, social functions, behaviours, and conventions which are quite unfamiliar. Surprisingly, knowing about language barriers is much different than experiencing them in person especially when being placed within an unfamiliar city. Applying this logic to other circumstances serves to highlight the potential for miscommunication especially with respect to complex political topics.

Considering, the study tour is nearing completion and we have experienced three distinct countries, with three distinct national identities, histories, languages, cultures, foods, and entertainment styles, our level of global citizenship has certainly developed. Originally, in Vienna, the differences seemed substantial and somewhat overwhelming. However, entering each new country we were provided with opportunities to exercise our newly developing skill set. Slovakia was easier to navigate than Vienna, and Budapest was easier to navigate than Slovakia, which directly resulted from skills learned during this study tour. Basically, the skills learned throughout the tour have prepared us for interacting with cultures on an international basis. Knowledge of the laws, institutions, and businesses in each respective country have provided multiple perspectives on important characteristics for consideration. In summary, being a global citizen involves personal willingness to interact with new cultures, learn new languages, try new foods, develop patience and keeping an open mind. 

Thanks for following our blog, all the best!

John and Cassidy

Self Reflection

§  What did you learn about yourself personally across this experience?

I learnt several things about myself during this experience, ranging in both depth and breadth. To start, I took in that first impressions are usually incorrect. For example, impressions and opinions that were generated from the meet and greet session, or even the pre-departure classes have transitioned to a much closer relationship with several people on this trip. A take away from this learning is to be cautious and aware, as well as able to restrain the want to form impressions and biases without the full picture knowledge, understanding that this of course can change over time and additional exposure to people and experiences. Additional things that were learned included the expansion of knowledge through multiple platforms, reaching much further than I had originally anticipated. I came into this experience a few weeks ago, unsure of my future educational path (post undergrad), unclear of my career path, and overall just a bit undecided in where I wanted to go next. As we work to wrap up this course I am looking forward to exploring master’s programs at home and abroad, have decided to come back to Budapest (with better weather), and am looking forward to applying for an internship with the United Nations. This experience helped me gain perspective on the various paths that are available to myself and my peers, while grounding us in understanding how privileged we really are, as Canadian students. Lastly, I am so excited to carry on the relationships that were unexpected with my peers long after this tour comes to a close.

Friends, what are you taking away from this course that you did not originally anticipate you would?

The Final Chapter - Erik and Jenna

This trip was an absolute amazing experience for both of us, with not one day that we didn't enjoy. We were both able to learn so much from each of the visits. 

Erik - This trip has made me want to focus my goals. I was able to open my eyes so much about what OPEC and the UN does. With Vienna, it was amazingly eye opening how everything works together, and how many different international organizations operate there. It was a clean and beautiful city. Comparing it to some cities at home, it was much nicer. It almost makes other places back in Canada seem lacking and dumpy. 

Seeing how much rich history has allowed people to really have a solid identity is amazing. People here, compared to home, seem to have so much more of a solidified identity. They want to share this culture with others and are really connected to the world around them. 

Jenna - The tour of the winery really stood out to me. The amount of passion Fritz had for his company was truly inspirational. The expression of 'find something you love, and you'll never work a day in your life' truly resonates with me. I aspire to find something that I love that much. 

The trade commissioner presentation was also eye opening for me. There is so much opportunity around the world. Coming in to this, I wasn't sure what to expect with each activity. After each, I was able to stand back and appreciate the passion and deep history that made each place truly striking. 

The way this group has been able to really get along with each other. With a group this large, there is always risk that things will not go well, especially when we are forced to spend so much time with each other for so long, away from home. We both feel that we were able to have a real conversation with everyone in the group at some point. 

Overall, this experience has been the bees knees! We both feel wonderful that we got to share so many great memories with such fantastic people!

What has been your favorite part of this trip? Was there anything that you did not enjoy? What was your favorite place we have visited and why? 

XOXO 

EJ

Date Night in Budapest <3

Schonbrunn Palace

Day one - Besties

Poppin' a squat in Budapeset

Blog 6: Final Reflection

Coming into this study tour, we did not know what to expect. Touring around Central Europe with 20 strangers over two weeks, a lot could have gone wrong. The thing that stood out the most for us was how well we all got along. Usually with this many people, small groups can form and people get left out. For the most part, everybody has gotten along and we have done our best to include everyone.

Another thing that stood out for us is how multicultural Vienna is. Compared to Budapest, Vienna is more diverse. During the scavenger hunt, our group ate at an Italian restaurant. Eating outside, we noticed that just on this small side street was a Chinese’s restaurant, American bar, Middle Eastern restaurant and a typical Viennese restaurant. All these different restaurants highlight how multicultural it is. With Vienna being somewhat a tourist city, it has a greater demand for outside culture, in particular food. Most of the restaurants in Budapest served traditional Hungarian food. Of the places we visited, which traditional meal did you like the most and why?

We found the blogging assignment easy and straightforward. We agreed as a pair to do the blogs and responses together. This gave us the opportunity to include both of our ideas and opinions. We communicate through Facebook and always made ourselves available to meet up. Our final question for the group is: Would you have done the blogging assignment differently and why?

- Ashton and James

Blog 6 Trevor and Katelyn

Across this entire study tour, I have learned that my desire to travel is even stronger than what I originally thought. I have always been interested in travelling and learning about different cultures, but I never had the opportunity to or chose to put my money towards something else. After going to places such as the Canadian Embassy and the United Nations, my eyes were opened to the opportunities that exist for myself and everyone on this trip. I think it is safe to say that everyone on this trip is at least somewhat interested in travelling and some others are interested in working in an international context. Personally, I took a lot of information away from the meeting with the trade commissioner. Working at a Canadian embassy abroad has never been something that I would’ve considered before that visit. The way that Simon-Pierre described his job and the passion that he talked with really struck me. This is now something that I am going to do some more research on once I get back home to Canada. Another thing that I learned about myself on this trip is that I wasn’t as culturally aware as I previously thought I was. I believe that due to the fact that we live in Canada, where there are people from multiple cultures, that we think we have a decent understanding about how those other cultures function. Although, I think that the downfall to this is that, while all of these different cultures exist in Canada, for the most part, they are a Canadian version of the culture. This means that the culture here is much stronger because that is the norm. Whereas in Canada, we have so many cultures that there isn’t really one that is the dominating norm. What has everyone else learned about themselves on this study tour?

Below is a photo that was taken at the opera house in Vienna. It was a wonderful cultural experience for all of us. This is unlike anything that I personally have ever been 

Closing Thoughts

Welcome back to our blog! Before we get into today’s blog, Michael and I just want to thank you for following us on our journey through Europe! It has been a pleasure, and we hope you have enjoyed our stories and adventures.

As the program is wrapping up this week, we thought this might be the perfect opportunity to talk about our highlights.

When we first arrived in Vienna, we went on a scavenger hunt to find answers to some questions our professors had given us. We found these questions to be thought provoking and fantastic conversation openers. This was more than a game, as it was the beginning of our learning how to entrench ourselves into a new culture. It required us to have confidence to talk to all kinds of people, to quickly adjust to a new metro system, and finally to learn to respect the unspoken manners of this society. We learned that we were going to make many etiquette mistakes, but we should not use excuses for making them. We needed to respect the local people through observation and learning the social norms.

Throughout this course we have also learned how to work effectively together. In every avenue of life, teamwork is a must and we think this partnership has been a success. We originally divided up the assignments, but soon realized this would hinder our collaborative efforts. We began to work on each assignment together, allowing us to bounce ideas off each other, help formulate sentences, and create a partnership bond. At first, it was apparent that we had very different writing styles, but after working together almost every day we have found a rhythm. From this experience, Michael and I have both learned valuable tools to make a partnership work. We found that working with your partner, and not for your partner, is the best strategy to have a successful partnership.

What did you guys find as the most rewarding aspect of the trip?

Here is Michael at the United Nations in Vienna, and Stephanie at Schonbrunn Palace.

Above is Vienna's user friendly map.

Our lunch during the scavenger hunt.

-Stephanie and Michael

How do you define privacy?

After having met and conversed with various people of various European nationalities, I have been surprised by the level of openness they hold regarding religion, culture and politics. While often taboo, the bar setting has allowed a better access to the ideas held by locals. In my personal experience, people are very receptive to those who take a legitimate interest in their culture and experiences. While this must be balanced with a level of cultural sensitivity, I have found that people in Europe are far more open to discussing their views with outsiders. From discussing the past issues of Yugoslavia to addressing the current issues of political corruption within Hungary, people have been shockingly open to discussing deeply controversial and divisive topics. While I may be crossing some lines of decorum by asking about these topics, I have been consistently reassured that I am welcomed and encouraged in pursuing the line of questioning. On the other hand, it has been made abundantly clear to me that financial matters are not to be discussed publicly. While I have been fortunate enough to not learn this firsthand, people on the scavenger hunt made it abundantly clear that such matters are not meant  to be dealt with publicly. This has been of great interest to me, as I have always found matters of politics and religion to be far more personal than my financial information. Do you think North American societies should be more like Europe on their openness to discussion, or does reservation help to promote cohesion and coexistence among people and states?
-Chris and Erika

Blog 4 Erik and Jenna

  The current world climate is greatly focused on global autonomy and cooperation. On a large scale, world politics and events are at the forefront. We can contrast this with our hometown experiences.

Both of us come from small towns. Most of what we hear is surrounding local gossip and politics, instead of what is going on in the world around us. 

Being a global citizen means being able to take part and recognize both the struggle and triumph of other cultures. This includes being aware of world events and politics. When traveling abroad, it means understanding, appreciating and taking part in other cultures. 

This is extremely evident in language barriers. Almost everyone we have interacted with on this trip has been, at bare minimum, bilingual. These people are able to communicate and understand people from all over the world. It seems that they understand how critical it is to interact with those outside of your own country and culture. Upon observing locals in the cities we've visited so far, we have come to the consensus that these people tend to be more of a global citizen. Most of the time, they seem incredibly knowledgeable about us and where we come from. The language factor is also massive. Almost everyone speaks at least two languages, if not more. They are able to communicate in our language, despite us being in their home.

Being a global citizen means being able to come into a foreign country and understanding that things are not the same as home. It is critical to be able to interact in another culture, leaving self-reference criterion behind, and not being ethnocentric. 

Standing back and observing the group, it is interesting to compare to what extent each person is a global citizen. It is evident that some people have an easier time immersing themselves in a new culture. On the other hand, some others struggle to really get these differences. This is not a negative thing. Everyone's experience is  different. It is a matter of how we have been brought up, the life experiences we've encountered, and the extent to which every individual understands cultural differences. . 

We both feel that we are a global citizens on some level. However, we recognize that we have a long way to go to be true global citizens. Things like being multilingual, being more aware of history, and deeper understanding of culture. 

Do you feel that you you've had a hard time adjusting to other cultures? What has been the most difficult part for you? What do you think you can do to be more of a global citizen? 

xoxo

EJ

Even a poor man can dress well and influence the locals ~ Bratislava

Budapest on a rainy day

Blog 5 Trevor and Katelyn

During my study abroad experience I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy many different opportunities which has allowed me to grow my learning and understanding of the world. One experience in particular that has stood out above all other experiences is my afternoon at the House of Terror. This tour took me through various rooms portraying the history and story of the holocaust era in Hungary. This tour offered amazing insight through numerous sources including pictures, videos, artifacts and documents. It also offered the opportunity to see where some of the most gruesome portrayals of human cruelty took place as The House of Terror was set inside the exact building where thousands of people were held captive, tortured and executed. Although the three above-ground floors in the tour provided widespread information, by far the most profound experience during the tour took place in the underground cellar. In the basement, it was kept almost completely in its original form as when it was used for the grotesque treatment of the victims. The rooms were extremely desolate and ranged from holding cells to padded rooms to execution chambers. This profound experience stuck with me the most due to the magnitude of brutality and inhumanness that occurred in the very rooms where I was standing to the point where I could touch the exact surfaces that the confined and tortured had touched before me. Never will I ever forget this experience, and I will have a lot to tell family and friends back home of what I saw and learned. 

Below is a picture of one of the rooms in the cellar of The House of Terror which had padded lining throughout the entire interior. 

Global Passport?

Hey everyone! Stephanie and I have been talking to each other about what it means to be a global citizen and if we consider ourselves to be one. We do not necessarily have a definite answer for you, but we hope that our experiences on this tour and in the future will continue to help us shape how we view ourselves in the world.

We define global citizen as a person who recognizes that they do not belong to a specific nation but is rather apart of the global community; they love cultures, language, and how similar humans are despite all of our differences. Our experiences on this trip has definitely helped shape how we view the world and is pushing us on the path towards “citizenship.” The ways in which we have experienced growth in becoming a global citizen is speaking with locals and observing how the society behaves. For example, speaking and listening to locals, such as Fritz from the winery or our tour guide at the Hofburg, we saw the passion and humour that these people have. At that point they were not stereotypes to us anymore, but rather they resonated with us as being more alike than they are different.

While we do not necessarily label ourselves as a global citizen, we definitely enjoy exploring and being part of the global community. Has this trip changed how you feel about bringing a global citizen? If so, was there a specific moment when you realized this?

-Stephanie & Michael