Sitting here I realized that 20 years ago was my first trip to Europe and Africa. I left on March 17th but didn’t actually arrive in Europe until March 18th. It was the trip that was the real reason for going into international business.
At the time I was a high school freshman, not too sure what I wanted to do with my life after high school, it seemed like centuries away at the time. My Dad and several other Dad’s on their sons with whom he worked with, planned a trip to Africa, a Father son trip. Minus this horrible cold I got while there, it was eye opening. I had been overseas before around the Americas but this was really totally different, an eye opening experience. We spent a week taking pictures of wild animals and tribes men in Kenya and Tanzania. To actually see these animals in their natural habitat is well worth it.
Then my Dad and I went to Europe, Paris, which was great because it was the 100th year of the Eifel tour and then Geneva, where he grew up. We travelled around Lake Geneva and I got to see a lot of great places. It was a lot to take in on such a short trip, but I wanted more. From that point on, I started to seek out learning about new cultures, country history and learning all I could. It’s this reason why I think any parent should ensure their child gets some exposure to other cultures while young. You never know.
The experience I had brought me to Europe again and Asia, I ended up getting a bachelors and Masters in international business. Although that was not the point of the trip, that is what the trip created, a drive to learn and understand and that has allowed me to do a lot more than I might have without it.