The End

And so we leave this great country of Great Britain. Where has the time gone? It seems only yesterday that we were taking our first field trip to the Bank of England and to meet with Detective Andy Fyfe. Has it really already been a month?
This trip has been such a great experience for me, in so many ways. I not only made new friends while experiencing a whole new country and culture, but I learned a lot about business as well. I learned that companies are really trying to do all they can to help future generations live a better life than generations of today. I learned that it is the law to recycle in your homes. I learned that it is just as competitive for jobs out in England as back home (if not more so). I learned how to master a whole new way of transportation, how to get from point A to point B in the fastest and easiest route possible. I learned how to have fun while still having a work responsibility.
At first, I thought this class was going to be a lot of work, and honestly kind of boring. But I was so wrong. These last few weeks has helped me see just how much one can learn outside of a classroom. Everything I learned these last few months has been through field trips, class activities, and discussions, not through textbooks and PowerPoints.
Although the month is up, I wouldn't change anything for a moment.

Week 4

It's incredible how quickly this last week has flown by, but that's probably just because it was the best week yet! When Brian and myself became separated from the rest of the herd en route to the coca-cola factory I thought we were surely going to miss out on seeing that. We were unphased however and navigated our way there by ourselves. Getting to our next field trip at Pennington's and Lloyd's went a lot smoother for us thankfully. Those were amongst some of my favorite places we visited because it gave me a different perspective on the business world that I had never before seen. To top off the week a few of us went to the Shard tower in London for some fancy, overpriced cocktails with an incredible view of the entire city! Yesterday a group of us hopped onto the BritRail and took a day trip down to the coastal city of Brighton. It was beautiful there and was easily one of my favorite places ive traveled to while here. It was an incredible experience being here, one that has changed the way I think about myself and the world. I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to come here!

Week 3

As with every week in London this one was full of not-stop activity. I started off the week exhausted from my travels to Amsterdam that weekend, but I didn't let that keep me from seeing all that I could. I liked our class trip to the maritime museum in Greenwich. There they had an enormous map of the world painted on the ground, which I thought provided an intriguing new perspective of the world. After the musuem i went up to the royal observatory and planetarium on top of the hill in Greenwich. I especially liked the planatarium where they had a movie about the mysteries of the universe narrorated by astro-physicist Neil Degrasse Tyson. Our mini cooper plant trip was one of my favorites because I liked seeing the advanced robots working together in such a precise way. I was lucky enough to attend the media class's field trip to BBC headquarters and go on a tour of the building, Overall it was another incredible week in the UK.    

Week 4

To begin week 4, I went to ireland with my mother. We stayed in the most beautiful castle and got to do some amazing activities. We did falconry, archery, high tea, rode horses, and had a traditional Irish dinner. Once I got back from ireland, there was one more country I had yet to visit, Wales. So My friend and I headed to Wales Beach and Bay for a day to relax and learn about their culture. To be honest, It wasn't that different. Back in London, I went to the national Portrait Gallery where I got tot see the Audrey Hepburn Exhibit and see a painting of my relative William Cecil (1st Baron Burghley)!!! This week is when things started to fall apart. I am getting tired, I got a sinus infection and my feet hurt, but I am at least trying to do one thing a day! Other things I did this week were the Coca Cola Factory, Penningtons, Lloyds, The london eye, walking the pier, and high tea at Kensington Palace. Overall London has been great, and I feel so lucky for all the places I have gotten to go to and the people that I have met. I am excited to go back home but I feel like when I come back to England one day (because I definitely will be coming back), I will fit in like a pro! This experience has enriched my life in so many ways and my eyes have opened to a culture that I thought was very similar to mine, but in fact, is vastly different, but in a good way! I have learned a lot by just being here for this amount of time and am so grateful for everyone involved who helped me along the way.

Week 3

This week we went to the offices of Nielsen & Unilever on a class field trip. This one one of my favorite days. We learned about what each company does, their history, clients, different aspects of the different jobs within all levels, and sustainability. We sat in conference room for most of it and three different, extremely intelligent people presented to us. Usually, I would hate this kind of thing, just being lectured, but the way they presented, explained things, and told stories relating to their business was interesting and intriguing. It helped solidify my choosing of “business” as a major and all the opportunities it holds. After the presentations, we had a workshop where we were to go into their mini store, and pick a brand that could be more sustainable by way of the environment, social responsibility, packaging, etc…. We picked out two products from the “Bed Head” brand. Our environmental one had an outrageously large lid that had no use and could be cut down to better the earth. The second product was hair gel with the message in bold, bright colors and letters…“Smart Stuff for Dumb Blondes”. We used this one for our social responsibility example. After Nielsen and Unilever, we had an hour to get food and look around so we went to a crepe café, and did a little shopping! After lunch and window shopping, we met with a branding agency called LPK. This presentation was interesting as well. Basically, companies come to them for help with new ideas on products, their looks, and their message. LPK then has a system where they look at trends, create a world board (inspiration board), they personalize the product, ask questions about who the target market is, then design something appealing that will help companies have better sells. Being a creative person, I really enjoyed hearing about all the case studies. The herbal essence one, their baby, was interesting because they came to them with the old boring bottles and said change anything you want, except the stuff that’s in it and the name. Which to them, meant excitement because most companies only ask for a 10% change whereas herbal asked for 95% (if looking at change with percents.) 

Other things I did this week were: Scotland Excursion, Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh Dungeon, Scotland Whiskey Tour, and Alnwick Castle 

Week 2

This week, I started out by going to Salisbury and Stonehenge on the CCSA planned excursion. It was just a day trip but it was a lot of fun. We got to learn all about the stones and the theories and history involved with them. We also got to see the Magna Carta! The next day my friends and I traveled to Brighton to relax on the beach. Something I was not expecting was that the beach was composed of rocks...it was not comfortable. The weather was really nice though and the little area where we were was super cute. One of my favorite things I did this whole trip though, was going to the Zoo! As an avid animal lover, this was one place I couldn't miss. It was incredible. They had many different animals than the zoos in the US and some of their exhibits were way better. My favorite was the lemur exhibit. They were so friendly and they just let them roam within a fenced area that you were allowed to walk in. Unfortunately you weren't allowed to touch them, but they would walk right up to you and smell you! Some other things I did this week were The British Library, Regents Park, St. Mary's Gardens, British Museum, Tate Modern, Hyde Park, Changing of the guards, National History Museum, Ikea and Wimbledon. Once again, a very busy week. However, I was able to accomplish more and more each day because I'm getting more accustomed and comfortable with working the tube! I have to say one of my favorite things here in london is their transport system. The tube itself is not so nice because it is hot and sometime too crowded, but the fact that it has taken me all over london is amazing and has made the ability to do everything I have wanted to do here in London possible, so i appreciate it.

Week 1

Since the day of arrival, I found myself to be super busy. Seeing the city for the time was overwhelming but exciting at the same time. I had so many things on my to do list that I crammed in quite a lot during the first week. I stopped and took the classic red telephone booth picture. I ate at Carlos’ Kitchen where I had some very fancy water and some baked beans, fries, spinach, egg, and a piece of toast (A Traditional English breakfast, it’s a very odd combo) but it was absolutely delicious! I decided to take the tube out to Farringdon to practice using the tube and walk around central London. I went to the Charles Dickens museum where we got to see where the novelist lived. I signed the book stating the fact that I actually stepped foot in his home. This week we also had our first class! class was exciting and we went over all the different field trips and projects that we would have to do and I was super excited about them! After class, I went to see Big Ben, London Eye,Westminster Abbey, and the Churchill war rooms. All were extremely beautiful, fun and informational. Other things I did this week were China Town, Bank of England Museum, and Camden Town. One of my favorite places here in London is Camden Town. It was very eccentric and had a good london vibe to it. Overall, my first week was filled with excitement but I still haven't even crossed off half the stuff on my bucket list! 

Week 4

Last week in London! I can still remember the day we landed moved into moonraker and went to orientation. London has been an awesome experience with many great people on this trip. I have mixed feelings on staying and going home but I would defiantly want to come back to London or Eurpore in the near future. Thank you to everyone and have a safe trip home.

Last Observation

I can't believe our four weeks are already over, it has flown by so quickly. I have learned so many things hear from all of our visits to just being in a new culture. My favorite visit was probably the trip to the Mini Cooper plant. Watching the large machines working on the cars was amazing. Although I also really enjoyed out visit to Unilever/Nielsen because the presentation was much more interactive than some of our other visits.
One of my favorite things I did outside of class was go to Cardiff Castle. A part of the castle was used as a bomb shelter in WWI, and it still looked the same, and they put up propaganda posters that were used in WWI, so it felt like you were really going back in time. They had a photo of a group of young school kids all wearing gas masks, which was pretty creepy.
This trip has been so amazing, and I have learned so much. I definitely want to come back to the U.K. especially Scotland at some point.

final observations

  The past four weeks in London have flown by.  I realized that I saw more in four weeks than some people will see in a lifetime.  I definitely recommend going on this trip if anyone else has the chance to go.  Even though it is expensive you see just about everything you want to see.  They also treat you like adults, so you will have lots of time to do what you want. Instead of what other people want to do. 
   My favorite part about this trip was either seeing Lloyd's or the Edinburgh castle.  Both of these places are absolutely incredible and easily worth your time and money.  I also went to Paris for one weekend and saw the Louvre and Eiffel Tower.  These places were also incredible. I only got to stay for one day but you can spend about four days seeing just those two things.
   This was an amazing trip.  I cannot even count the places I have been and people I have seen.  Each place was a great experience.  One that I will never forget.  I hope that one day I will get to back to London. I know that if I ever do it won't be for a long time. So if you ever get this opportunity go, you wont regret it.

Week 3 Observations

A little late with this post because I forgot about it but, here it is. This past week I went to Paris for a couple days. I really enjoyed Paris, it's a beautiful city. This being my first time to Paris and Europe even, I was surprised by the amount of people that spoke English in Paris. I guess it's not that surprising given Paris is so close to Englsnd. What I most enjoyed about Paris besides seeing the famous landmarks, was walking along the bank of the Seine. There they had stands selling various items such as paintings, drawings, old advertising signs and much more. I liked this because walking by looking around I actually found a couple books from my favorite author. I ended up buying them but, will not be able to read them until I learn French.

I enjoyed Paris a lot but, I like London better, I just feel more comfortable here. I think it's pretty crazy that only being here less than a month, whenever I come back to London from a trip it feels like I'm coming home.

Week 4 Observations

It's our last week in London and I can't believe it's coming to an end. While I'm ready to see my family, friends, dog, car, work, etc. again I am also not ready for this crazy adventure to end! This week I realized a couple of things, not so much about London specifically but about myself in general. One is I definitely want to not only return to England but also travel Europe and Asian in the near future. I am already looking for my next opportunity to come back!

Secondly studying abroad definitely reinforces the idea that I want to work internationally, at least for some part of my future career. I may not know what I want to do specifically but with my business major and spanish minor I’d hope to work for a company either in Spain or Mexico. Although at this point any company at any location would be considerable.

This London study abroad trip has been more than I could have ever expected! I’ve experience so many things and learned not only about global business but so much about myself as well. I can’t wait for my next opportunity to continue, not only with my education but life experiences as well!

Week 4

     This week we went to Coca Cola, Pennington's, and Lloyd's.  I was amazed at how few people were working in the factory at Coca Cola.  It was even fewer than there were at Mini Cooper.  I really enjoyed Pennington's and Lloyd's.  The law firm's employees were very interesting to listen to and they had a lot of international connections in their work.  The Lloyd's tour was great because it gave our class a glance into what the life of an underwriter is like.  I know I would never want to do that!
     Culturally, I feel like I have learned so much here.  It is like I have actually adapted to British culture and embraced it.  It seems natural to me to be stuffed onto a crowded tube or to call elevators lifts.  I am surprised at how shocking the cultural differences were when I first arrived, but now they no longer phase me.  I am so sad to be leaving in just three more days, but I know I will definitely be back to this wonderful city soon!

4 Days Left

Why must it already be coming to an end? Does our time here in London really have to be over? I know I'm not alone when I say I'm not ready to go home and back to the real world of work and school. However, I have learned and seen so much and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Today we went to the Coca-Cola factory in Edmonton. It was actually a lot more interesting than I originally thought. The company is a franchisee, buying 40 brands to bottle, including Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Life, and Oasis.
What I found most interesting is that the average storage time for raw materials is 4 days, because they operate on a "just-in-time" manufacturing model. I would have thought they stored Coke products for a few weeks to months before getting shipped out to different buyers. It's a very nice tactic to make customers order the product and then make it, rather than the other way around. It's good for business and finances.
I also learned that Monster Energy drinks and Fanta soft drinks are Coca-Cola products. I honestly never knew that before, and I love both of them, so it was really cool to get to see where they are made.
Our guide took us into the factory to watch the assembly line in action. Unfortunately, most of the lines were inactive, but we did get to see the glass bottle line working. I really like that glass bottles are still around. As a kid it was always a treat to get to have a glass bottled Coke, and it's something I hope my children will get to enjoy one day.
Today was very interesting, and I'm so glad we went. Tomorrow awaits another adventure, and I can't wait to see how it turns out.

week 3 observations

This week we went to BMW, The Royal Courts, and I went to Paris for the weekend. My favorite part would be going to Paris.  While I was in Paris I saw Notre-Dame, the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, and took a boat ride around Paris.
 My favorite part of the weekend was seeing the Louvre. I was expecting to be as large as it really was.  The Louvre had 4 floors and each floor probably took around 3-5 hours to see.  Unfortunately, I did not get to see everything because we were only there for a couple of hours. The parts that I did see were incredible. From paints that took up entire 20 foot walls to the Greek architecture it was all incredible.  I would definitely recommend that you spend an entire an entire day to make sure see everything. 
  The Eiffel tower was great to see as well. I recommend the you go in the morning and at night. Both were great but had really different views. Overall this was a great weekend, we have one more left and I cant wait!

Week 3 Observations

Wow, can't believe only 1 week left to go! London has been an awesome experience. The Mini cooper plant was an exciting experience; it was my first tour of a car manufacturing plant. The robots were highly productive in the way they move one car part to another. Hard to believe they only cost 20,000 dollars a piece with a bulk order and probably saved BMW a lot of money on labor. I would love to design my own Mini soon, I think that would be pretty cool. Ive seen more Mini's in US than the UK. 

I learned a lot from going to the Royal courts. There are some differences and similarities between the US and UK. In the US we elected our judges and in the UK they appoint them, the buddy-buddy system. I was surprised they still had the double jeopardy system. 

I went to Paris over the weekend and it is my favorite place I've been too. So many beautiful  buildings and the best bread ever! The Eiffel tower was my favorite, going at night was the best time to see it when it lights up. Notre dame is a must see if anyone gets a chance to see it. I thought Paris was very easy to navigate through. Overall a very exciting experience and would love to go back sometime in the near future. 

Week 3 Observations

Week 3 Observations

This past week there were a few things I observed. First being that I find it interesting that London hands out papers and magazines for free. I find this interesting because my Mum worked for the paper at home and several years back I remember they had to discontinue the Post because there wasn’t enough revenue generated to support it. Being this it makes me wonder how the paper makes money here when they hand them out for free???

Secondly I went to Amsterdam again this past weekend and noticed just how really different it is from London. I suppose this makes sense because they are completely different places. People in Amsterdam and more laid back and easy going. In London its more of a lets get to business kind of style. Also London is so much bigger than Amsterdam!

Regardless of where you are, I have realized the importance of being flexible and open. Some of the best experiences you have are the ones that aren’t planned and some of the best people you meet and the ones you don’t expect to! It crazy we have only a week left but I’m going to try and make it the best one yet!!!

Week Three Observations

On our third week in London, we toured the Mini Cooper plant in Oxford and the Royal Courts of Justice.  I enjoyed watching the Mini go through the assembly process and was amazed by how precise and accurate the robots are.  At the Royal Courts of Justice I was surprised by the fact that the double jeopardy laws had been done away with in 2007.  I also enjoyed learning about the court structure in London.  It is much more complex than the structure of courts in the United States.

This week I was also able to visit the Kensington Gardens.  It is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon outdoors and I would highly recommend stopping by here while we are in London.  I have realized that people in the U.K. value parks and outdoor activity much more than Americans do.  When I visited, there were thousands of people out riding bikes, swimming, and doing yoga in the park.