Bryan Petry
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I knew I was in for an interesting adventure the first hour after I arrived at Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles. I hopped off the train and walked further into the station. It was under heavy construction to be modernized. It didn’t take me long to realize, despite all my planning and looking at countless maps, I had no idea where I was going. Setting my masculinity aside, I braved the line for the information desk and asked for directions to the university. Now it was time to put my expert French skills to use. “Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?” “No.” This was a common type of occurrence. Luckily, I have taken a little French in school and my courses at SDSU helped me develop great critical thinking and problem solving abilities to deal with just such an occasion. I worked with the woman at the information to get simple directions using left and right to determine direction. This allowed me to get me the main street where I would find the bus stop to take me school and the place I would call my home.
Marseille is the second largest city in France located on the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea. This made adjusting to the weather easy, although it can get rather windy. Historically a port city, Marseille has always been a place open to overseas trading. The city has millenniums of history and equally as much culture.
Traveling provided great opportunities to meet new and interesting people.
My time in Marseille allowed me to see how important it is to understand other cultures. The students at my school all took business classes in languages other than French. I learned so much from them.
My case study group members were from France, Russia, Poland, Canada, and China. Classes like Sustainable Development provided an outlook on the global impact of business and International Human Resources demonstrated how to manage diversity. Sharing conversation with gentlemen from England, Italy, Germany, and Sweden in Spain all working for the European Central Bank confirmed what I have leaned in class: Globalization is upon us and getting global experience is essential. Studying abroad provided the perfect opportunity to supplement my education with first-hand experience and to put in to practice many of the skills I have gained through SDSU’s accounting program.
During my time in France, I gained an appreciation for so much more than Côtes du Rhône wine and fresh baguettes. I met so many amazing individuals, including some who have already come here across the Atlantic to visit. SDSU provides so many opportunities for students to go abroad through the College of Business Study Abroad Program, I can only hope more students will develop themselves through their own adventures abroad.