Embracing the Global Mindset

You would think that after 20+ days of traveling throughout Spain (and even a layover in London), I would have wanted to take a week off to just recover from the early mornings, the multitude of site visits, and long evenings. But in actuality, I’ve comeback from the trip with the energy from one thing I’ve gained: A Global Mindset.

When our trip first began, we were in a classroom talking about cultural differences our class has observed up to that point. One student inputted a fantastic analogy to how many of us were feeling: we, as fish, had been taken out of our own water (the US) and now were swimming in new water (Spain) and recognizing what was before things that we all took for granted. Having traveled to Europe previously, I didn’t really think too hard about this going into the trip. However, once immersing myself in the Spanish culture for three weeks and being back in the US for five days, I feel that I have grasped a better understanding of these differences, and staying true to the nature of the course, how that has influenced design and innovation in Spain.

Now back in the US, that trip has now dissipated into memories shared between my new friends and I, as well as photos stored in my Google Drive. To explain these differences to my friends and family back at home wouldn’t capture in the closest sense the experiences that I had while abroad. However, moving forward now towards the end of the school year and the beginning of my career, the lessons and insights I’ve taken from being in Spain for three weeks has heightened my senses for things I’ve once taken for granted, and for that, I’m grateful for #SmithGoesGlobal.

A Group of Us by the Ports in Barcelona