Hello! My name is Megan Still. I am a Graduate Student in Walton College of Business working on my Master’s in Information Systems. This summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to study in Ireland through the U of A faculty-led program. While abroad we visited businesses in Ireland to investigate E-commerce and the Innovative Technology they were working on. We were able to work with IBM, American Chamber of Commerce, Jet.com, SAP and Deloitte.
Before the trip I did research on weather, currency, power adapters and our scheduled business appointments in Ireland, so that I could best prepare for the trip. I found that weather at that time was mild and did have the tendency to drizzle, so light raincoat was perfect! I also saw that there was a place on campus and at the airport to exchange our currency and Visa and Mastercard Credit Cards would be just fine at most locations. I also was able to purchase the right power adapter and converter to use.
And then the day for travel came!
One thing we learned early into our trip is that the people you are traveling with make such a HUGE impact on the experience. Our first day and a half could have truly ruined the rest of the trip. We had a cancelled flight in Chicago, then struggled to get a flight with all of us on it, missed the first day, plane with no AC…. And almost lost my luggage. BUT… the other students and professors were AMAZING! Instead of getting upset and testy we chose to crack jokes and keep the situation fun and light. No doubt we were tired when we arrived on Monday in Ireland and had our first business meetings just about 2.5 hours later. We stuck with it and kept positive throughout the day. One thing I learned is that in life you must go in with the understanding that you are not in control and when humans are involved things can get off track. But you can control your response to those situations. Reacting negatively doesn’t improve the situation it just ruins opportunities and creates tension.
Like I said, so Blessed with those who I traveled with.
In country we learned so much about the different businesses and how certain technology we are learning about is currently being used. Learning about how the culture in Ireland has impacted the growth of these companies and how they do business was fascinating! Everyone we met in Ireland was so accommodating and excited to share about the country and their business.
Our group also had the opportunity to go on a couple cultural adventures as well. We went to Teeling Distillery, Malahide Castle and Gardens, Howth, Galway, and Cliffs of Moher.
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Megan spent the Summer 2019 term abroad in Ireland with our program for graduate students enrolled in the Professional MIS program with the with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
