That’s a wrap!

That’s a wrap! Never did we think that we could learn as much as we did in these last two weeks. We knew that traveling to four different countries and visiting 15 companies would be keeping us busy, but we were able to immerse ourselves into each culture within that time as well; therefore, surpassing our own expectations of this course.

Although we experienced every aspect of this trip with each other, we each had our own personal highlights that we will take with us back to the states.

McKenzie’s Highlight

The was an incredible trip for me because I was able to not only learn about Scandinavia’s culture and business, but I was able to connect with old friends as well. Trying to pick a few highlights seems impossible but I’m going to do my best!

As for business visits, I think my two favorite visits were Ericsson and Sinch. Ericsson was amazing because we were able to learn about a variety of different topics. It was amazing talking to Johanna about her perspective working at such a large company in Sweden and understanding a bit more about Ericsson’s future and goals as they try to scale a “startup mentality” throughout their company. It was also so amazing to experience first hand the new innovations in technology we can be expecting to see over the next few years. However, my favorite part was hearing from the VP of marketing as he shared with us his observations when it comes to the differences between the U.S. and Sweden. It was really interesting to hear about his experiences and his journey since his position is something I would hope to have myself in the future.

As for Sinch, I loved how interactive the meeting was. It was really great being able to grasp a better understanding of what it is they do but I have to say having the opportunity to bounce ideas off of their CMO was a dream come true for me. Branding is one of my biggest passions and have a change to be a part of the process of telling Sinch’s story to the world was incredible!

As for the fun stuff, I would have to say Sweden and Finland are tied for my favorite country. Finland was such an amazing opportunity for me to catch up with old friends and truly experience Finland from a local’s point of view. Our gracious host introduced us to some of his closest friends and gave us the true lowdown of Helsinki. We also got the chance to visit on of Finland’s thousands of islands where we were able to spend the day visiting my friend’s summer how for a relaxing break from the city. I have to say though, our experience at Löyly might take the cake for me. The exhilarating feeling of running from a hot sauna and jumping straight into the freezing cold Baltic Sea is something I’ll never forget.

As for Sweden, it is hands down one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities I’ve been to. I had some of the best food and made some of the best memories on this whole trip there. Getting the chance to see a sunken ship from 1628 in nearly perfect condition at the Vasa museum was something I honestly never thought I would have the chance to do. We also took the opportunity to visit the ABBA museum which was another dream come true for me! We enjoyed the weekend exploring old town, crossing paths with a Swedish military band, stuffing our faces with Swedish meatballs, wandering through the most beautiful gardens and seeing the prettiest metro stations I’ve ever seen.

Overall I couldn’t have dreamed of a better trip. From the old friendships that are stronger than I could’ve ever imagined to the new friendships I would’ve never had otherwise, I could not be more grateful for this opportunity to grow both personally and professionally so I want to say a BIG thank you to my professors Clas and Niklas because without you this trip would’ve never happened. We are truly blessed with the very best in terms of professors!


Liz’s Highlight

As one of the few students who truly hadn’t seen the world before this course, I can happily say that I couldn’t have chosen a better first worldly adventure! Although I have previously taken multiple international business courses learning about how different countries conduct various types of business practices; I now realize that it is hard to truly know how to conduct business in another country without immersing yourself in the country entirely — embracing everything the country has to offer, even beyond the business realm. From learning about how we must avoid taking the easy way out from Conversionista, to needing to find the healthy balance between work and obtaining a social life from Mikkeller, I now realize that there is so much more out there in the world for me to learn. Although there was a lot of bouncing around, being constantly on the go everywhere we went, I absorbed absolutely every second of it. I may have looked the “least interested,” but I can honestly say that my face does not reflect my true feelings (haha). This course helped me realize how much I love exploring and sight seeing, as well as learning from everyone I meet around me as much as I can. There is no specific highlight for me in that my favorite part was simply learning and seeing each country and culture. It is true that we are never done learning, and I plan on continuing my studying through various travels in the future.

As we end this course and our journey, we wanted to take this time to truly express how blessed and thankful we feel to have been on such an incredible adventure. We are happy to say we’ve grown closer to others who were on this excursion with us, while increasing our knowledge of international business practices beyond what we would have been able to learn in a traditional classroom.

Most of all, we wanted to thank the two people who made this all possible: Niklas Myhr and Clas Wihlborg. Our professors were not only intelligent and informational, but kind hearted and free spirited. Even though they had to put up with 20 very different and scattered students, they did it in the most positive way which is a quality we cannot help but respect. We may be ending this course, but the memories will forever live on!

Cheers to an amazing trip!

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