Day 6, Friday March 17th: Last Day of the Trip

Friday, March 17th marked the conclusion of our week long stay in Paris. Our week was filled with exciting visits to French businesses as well as important cultural sights; Friday was no different. To start the day, the group enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at our hotel, where Professor Yang talked about how to increase our intercultural competency and then surveyed the group on our overall experience of the course. The survey was successful in highlighting the positive aspects of the course and refining our feedback.

After a restful morning, members of the group enjoyed lunch at Canard et Champagne, a restaurant specializing primarily in duck. The restaurant exuded a unique Parisian vibe with art from French films displayed on the walls. In addition, the restaurant was quite innovative in creating duck-oriented meals. For example, duck was served as a burger or platter, among various other forms. With an extensive repertoire of meals, the restaurant also served meals such as fish and vegetarian options. The lunch was a nice way to end our group's shared journey in tasting French cuisine.

Following our lunch, the group took a tour of Fragonard Perfumery, a well revered perfume house located in Paris. The tour encompassed the century old history of the perfumery and the intricate manufacturing process involved in perfume making. The scope of detail inherent in perfume creation was astounding to the entire group. At the conclusion of our tour, we were able to partake in "smell test." The purpose of this test was to analyze the various different scents in some of their perfume samples. Common scents were reminiscent of citrus and flowers.

I speak for the whole the group when I say that studying business in France was an incredible learning experience. Nevertheless one aspect of France stands out particularly in my mind. I noticed a stark contrast between France's labor oriented mindset and the United States of America's consumer-orientedmindset. In other words, I felt that France was more focused on the worker than the customer, as opposed to the United States which I feel is the opposite. For example, my phone died one night around midnight, so I left the hotel to find a convenience store. To my surprise, none were open. In the USA, one would surely be open. I found this difference to be particularly intriguing. This study abroad trip enabled myself and the rest of the group to make such informative observations about both French culture and international business