The Overseas Experience: A Reflection

 I've always wanted to see amazing sights and explore the world, and I'm very grateful that the University of Michigan – Flint's “East Asian Cultures and International Business” study abroad trip has given me my first chance to do so. This has been the biggest adventure of my life! Taiwan and Japan are incredible, beautiful islands that I'm very happy I got to visit.

 Being a foreigner for 3 weeks and a guest at various businesses has taught me many valuable lessons. Often, I learned from my own mistakes, such as forgetting my umbrella multiple times and getting lost at Yamaha or at the zoo. But I also had lots of fun and laughed more than I thought was possible with my new friends. Whether these friends are fellow U of M – Flint students, united by this experience, or students we met in Taiwan and Japan, we're now friends for life.

Our group became very close, very quickly. Maybe it's all of the group pictures we took, cheerfully yelling “waffle” as we huddled together with the U of M flag. We never had to force a smile – our diverse mix of personalities created a vault of inside jokes that kept us laughing until the moment we left Japan. Literally. From the Confucius Temple in Taipei to the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo, we had fun every single day.

The people we've met in Japan and Taiwan are awesome, too. Some of the funnest nights on the trip were when we'd meet up with the students at the National Taiwan Normal University. We'd walk around the night markets in Taipei as they got us to try strange food like stinky tofu and pig's blood cake. We went to the zoo, the movie theater, and the ferris wheel together, both groups sharing these fun experiences and learning a lot about the other culture. I never expected to meet so many awesome people. 

I was surprised at how many people spoke English! Seeing the ability of these students to switch between languages is inspiring. It's fueled my desire to be fluent in another language. I also appreciate the kindness and respect that is embedded in these cultures. Although I am not a Buddhist or Shinto, I now believe everyone can learn valuable lessons from these religions, as well as the teachings of Confucius. They promote peace and a long term orientation that includes treating other people and nature with respect.

Northern coast of Taiwan

On that note, I loved the many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines we visited in Japan and Taiwan. They are elaborate, beautifully constructed buildings with deep meaning in the carvings and architecture. The age of some of these structures amazes me – many are several centuries old! The giant Buddha we visited in Kamakura was built 750 years ago! All that time ago, these people built something great that would outlive them. That spirit and vision is awe inspiring.

Confucius Temple in Taiwan

Shinto Shrine in Kamakura, Japan

This trip has also allowed me to broaden my business perspective in a number of ways. The many companies we've visited, small and large, have given me a better idea of how to do business internationally. I've seen many factories and assembly lines, from cars being made before my eyes at Mazda to the bicycle production at Giant to the instrument manufacturing at Yamaha. It's helped me to realize everything that goes into a great product, and that a great product can be marketed anywhere – people may have core cultural differences, such as language, but we're not so different after all.

I was also inspired by the ways I've seen art and business intertwined. Creativity is key at Franz, where they produce high quality artistic vases. At the sweet shop in Gifu, we made candy into edible works of art. At HTC, the lobby features local artwork and sculptures. As an artist, it's been cool to see the ways that art and creativity are important to business and how this relationship can be applied to products as well as marketing. After being a consumer in a different market, I can better appreciate good marketing - a key word or picture can make a huge difference, especially if you don't know the language! 

HTC's lobby

Good chips with good marketing

In Asia, we've seen the amount of pride and passion that people have for their work. This is part of the reason that the sweet shop and the Buddhist altar maker (in Gifu, Japan) are still open after 150 years. We were all positively impacted by how well we were treated - every single business was hospitable and made you feel honorable. This is the type of corporate culture I hope to replicate as a business owner someday. 

Sweet Shop in Gifu

This trip was incredibly fun and insightful. Dr. Peng and Dr. Laurence did an excellent job of planning and executing a very fulfilling study abroad program. At times it was exotic, when we would travel out of the city into the beautiful mountains or the small towns surrounding them. At times it was exciting, on the days when I forgot to check the itinerary and didn't know what to expect next. And it was always fun, because we were always going to interesting new places and seeing new, amazing sights with new friends.

Dr. Peng and Dr. Laurence at the ROC Presidential building 

After knowing nearly nothing about Taiwan before the trip, I can now really appreciate this small island's history and culture. I even can speak a little Mandarin! And while Japan is indeed crazy (in a good way), I learned that it isn't so different from the United States after all. I don't know which country I enjoyed more - like I said, they're both beautiful islands with amazing people. This trip has truly reaffirmed my love for traveling and reignited my desire to see the world. Where to next? I think I'm gonna explore more of my sweet home country: the United States. 

Thanks for reading!