The Reflection:
Hello again friends and Dream Team Fans,
I am the female perspective, Lexie Mastro, of the official blogging Dream Team. I just wanted to help you to understand what the Intrax-NSLC experience meant for me and what I learned and got out of it. Before I get into my heartfelt reflection, I just want to encourage you to take the time to think about studying abroad- if you decide it is for you: APPLY! I loved it and I really want to go back. Okay…so what did it mean for me?
Peers, TA’s and Professor-aka FRIENDS made:
Other than my fellow Dream Teamer, Nick Judson, I made many friends from all over, not just the United States, but the world! I will not single anyone out with names, but let’s just say I have everything covered from coast to coast: Cali to Florida; and from one end of the globe to the other: Taiwan to France to Germany! I still Facebook and text message these friends and plan on staying in touch with them. Traveling overseas provides more than just the memories; it provides opportunity for the future. The people that you spent time with traveling abroad are your special friends; you have an unexplainable bond. There is just something about being in a land where you may not speak the language or know the customs that makes you closer with your fellow English-speaking peers. Haha. Other than my peers, I found something unique about our two TA’s: Betty and Chris! They were a hoot. They really knew how to make business labs fun. Professor Trownsell, aka TAMS, was also more fun than I could of ever imagined. The leaders that were brave enough to take myself and the other 28 students across seas provided not only a safe and secure feeling, but also a fun and educational environment.
The Education and The Culture:
The education of this special program really helped me personally. I was not sure if I wanted to major in International Business in college, so that is why I applied to this program; to see what it was all about. I not only went to study International Business, but also Globalization. The speakers and field trips we took around Switzerland were an awesome way to get a feel for what it would be like to be an international businesswoman. As far as the culture goes, it was not only breathtakingly beautiful, but nothing like I had ever experienced. The scenery was more than appealing to the eye; it was inspiring to the mind. The food may have been different, but it was still good. If you are worried about any kind of language barrier, know that we didn’t experience anything too bad. However, if you are good at charades, you will succeed in hand gestures, such as myself! Haha! There is just so much to see, and it was really too little time to see it all in. This is another great point though that I have to argue- if you are not sure if you want to Study Abroad, you should do this specific program. It happens to be the shortest one Intrax has to offer. It is a good “test run,” if you will, for studying abroad.
Overall, I am very happy that I studied abroad. I got to meet some prestigious and educated international business people. From the United Nations to the International Olympic Committee, from friends far and near mixed with the local norm of French and Swiss culture-trust me, there is more than just cheese and chocolate to this intriguing area.
Thanks for reading my and Nick’s blog posts. I hope they help!
~Lexie Mastro; Dream Team Member
Switzerland ’09
Imagine this: Real Culture, Uncensored
Greetings Again Friends,
When it comes to visiting a foreign country, there is traveling and there is experiencing. Tourists merely travel to an unfamiliar culture and visit the commonplace attractions, usually within their relative realm of comfort. We, the students of the 2009 joint Intrax Study Abroad and National Student Leadership Conference Program in Switzerland, have experienced Swiss and French culture as well as expanded the knowledge of our very own American culture; East Coast met West Coast; North met South; single-nationality met dual-nationality, and much more. Led by experienced traveler Tammy Trownsell and Team Advisors Chris Harris-Hudgins and Betty Franky, approximately 29 students received the opportunity of a lifetime by experiencing Switzerland through unique and intriguing ventures, some of which I will mention now.
Imagine this: Released onto the Rue du Marché.
On day three of the Switzerland experience, the students received some much needed release time from the conference center. In self-chosen groups of two to ten people, the NSLC students fanned out from the tour bus and explored the popular Swiss stores. We learned how to find milk in the store: Où est le lait? and we learned customs. Luckily, we were warned by Professor Trownsell to always say a simple, Bonjour, when entering a store if we ever expect to be helped or even rung up at the cash register. Although seeming minor and meticulous, these customs, as well as rudimentary knowledge of the French language, served students tremendously well.
Imagine this: The Fêtes de Genève Lights up the Sky
Millions of people packed the lakeside streets of Geneva as fireworks illuminated the sky and even set off car alarms. All of the awestruck locals and guests lined up on the city streets to appreciate the traditional musical fireworks display arranged by Jean-Pascal and Nicolas Guinand. Every Intrax Student would agree; the display was absolutely breathtaking. Who knew so many fireworks could be shot up at once from a total of fifteen launching platforms? Standing in Geneva, students forgot where they were. Did this scene represent a city street in Paris? Was this Walt Disney World? In fact, we were standing in a foreign country watching a common celebration using familiar, international means: fireworks. After the show, students had to exercise the skills they had inherently built up over the week in a challenging test: navigating six blocks back to the bus at night among a healthy crowd of foreigners; a challenge that the Intrax students championed.
Imagine This: On Top of the World’s Eleventh Highest Mountain
Not many people can say that they have been on the eleventh highest mountain peak of the world, or at least the highest mountain peak of the Alps. With a lucky change in the weather pattern, an intricate system of stairs and gondolas, and some guts for those afraid of heights, the Intrax-NSLC students ascended to the peak and viewed spectacular sights. The students thoroughly enjoyed the trip, taking many pictures and breaking into sporadic snowball fights. Above the clouds on one of Europe’s most prized attractions, these Intrax students earned the right to say to many locals: I’ve been to Mont Blanc.
Sincerely,
~Dream Team~
AKA: Nick and Lexie
Hello Fellow/Future Intrax-NSLC Participants and Family,
This is the 2009 Switzerland Intrax-NSLC blog created by the “Dream Team.” We are a male and female perspective on the events of this trip. This blog post is about some of our first visits to some international companies and organizations. This will be from a professional standpoint on our busy field trips. We have also experienced a jam-packed schedule of classes, activities and simulations. Hope you enjoy!
Part I Rado: Watches, Innovation, Icons, and Vision!
From the Swiss watch family founding back in 1957 until present day, Rado has been one of the leading watch designers on the global watch market. Voted the number one “hardest watch” in the world, Rado introduced ceramics to the watch industry in 1962. Since then, Rado has focused on creating a great employee system to keep the production line moving. While here in Switzerland with Intrax-NSLC, we and 27 other students from all across the country got to actually witness the employees at work. In their comfortable, yet fashionable, white lab coats and Birkenstocks, they produced a whopping 1,200 watches PER DAY! Rado feels that it is necessary to have a very high quality product, therefore, they have each watch go through a rigorous line of specialized watch makers (average income 45-60 k F/year) to perfect the watches by hand. In addition to their great employee relationship and treatment is their outstanding customer service system. This Swiss watch company is all about pleasing the consumer with not only a great product of pristine quality, but also a cutting-edge design. One of Rado’s slogan elements is “iconic.” During our presentation with the Rado Regional Sales Manager, Hans-Ruedi Marti , he stressed how important the watch truly is. In Switzerland when you look at a person’s hand and see a Rado watch you know that is was not only hand crafted, but designed to be scratch-resistant and fit your personality. A watch is more than just a piece of jewelry to Rado, it is a way to express yourself and portray tradition.
Part II International Olympic Committee (IOC): Marketing and Digital Media of our Olympic Games
Fun Fact: More than 95% of the world is ABLE to identify the Olympic rings! How can this possibly be true? Well, according to Alexis Gros-Piron, a representative of Partnership Marketing for the IOC, it is all about the marketing. During our presentation with two of the IOC’s biggest members, we and the other Intrax-NSLC students got to hear all about the marketing mayhem behind one of the biggest media events in the world. During the presentation these are some crazy, eye-opening things that we learned: the Olympics are privately funded, the sponsors for the Olympics can be the only providers of their kind at the games themselves (ex: Coca Cola is the only soft drink at the Olympics), and 92% of all the revenue of the games goes back to athletes, the games themselves, and paying the members of the IOC. So basically, the IOC manages (1) domestic sponsorship, (2) licensing program with the sponsors, and (3) ticketing. These past Olympics, Beijing, were the most viewed Olympics and television viewed EVER. To put it into American perspective: 214,000,000 Americans viewed the games. That number just so happens to be double the average of the viewing rate of the beloved NFL Super Bowl! The IOC is more about viewer ratings and the money brought in by contracts and the games however. The IOC is all about what the values of the five rings stand for and getting the community involved with those values. The Olympics has one of the highest volunteer rates out of any event, ever. To say you were involved in the Olympics is more than just the global competition; it is to be a part of a community of athletes, spectators, and fans.
As you can see, the reoccurring themes of innovation, community, and an iconic view of design, traditions, and values is what successful international businesses and organizations today strive towards. We can personally note that both of these field trips to Rado and the Olympic Museum for the IOC presentation are well under way to achieving and exceeding the goal of a better tomorrow and a brighter future.
~Dream Team~
AKA: Lexie and Nick
