Hello McDonough, it has been a busy few weeks since I last updated my blog.
I have started class, traveled, and started getting adjusted to living in Prague.I apologize for not posting so long, so this is going to be a pretty long post.
Classes are going well, but are totally different than in the U.S. For starters, the classes are only once a week and last 3 hours. I don't think this is how most European universities operate, but it is nice only having class through Thursday so I can travel. Another odd thing is that grades are made up of fewer assignments. For a couple of my classes, we really only have a midterm and final paper. I know all classes are set up differently, but it is kind of odd not really having tests or quizzes. The weirdest thing to adjust to has been that the professors are almost always late to class. Most of my professors show up right on time to 15 minutes late every day, which I am definitely not used to at Marietta. One of my professors showed up 15 minutes late to class, talked about the field trip we were going on for 5 minutes and was still worried about people arriving late and missing the class. I thought it was very odd that she was so worried about students that would have been at least 20 minutes late to class because you'd be in real trouble showing up to class 20 minutes late at Marietta. While in Prague, I am in a couple of art classes so I get to go on field trips around the city to look at art and architecture which has been really great.
So far, I have traveled to Brno, Brussels, Vienna, and Budapest
I traveled to Brno the second weekend I was here. Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic and about an hour and a half from Prague. I went there just for a day to explore a bit with a couple of friends.
I walked around the streets a bit and up to the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.
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| Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul |
I also visited Brussels, Belgium on February 16th through the 18th. Just walking around Brussels made me realize how little diversity Prague has. Prague has become more diverse recently, but its still mainly Czechs and almost entirely white. Brussels is still significantly less diverse than a lot of other big cities, but its way more than Prague. Brussels was also having a large celebration for Chinese New Year, so there were a ton of decorations for that up throughout the city. I hear that there was also a lot going on throughout Prague for Chinese New Year, but I didn't see any of it personally.
One of my Czech professors was actually talking about Brussels the week after I came back from my visit. He said that a lot of Europeans, including Czechs, have a negative impression of Brussels because it's seen as full of bureaucrats. He explained that its seen this way because Brussels is the home of the European Commission which is a branch of the European Union. I don't know a ton about the European Union or their bureaucracy, but I've always thought it was something Europeans liked. It was just interesting to hear a Czech's perspective on bureaucracy and the European Union. Bureaucrats or not, they're got some really pretty architecture in Brussels.
I went to a lot of the common sites throughout Brussels. The Grand Square is really beautiful and has the Museum of the City of Brussels, and Town Hall. Grand Square is really pretty because all the buildings on the square have gold embellishments on them.
Not far from the Grand Square is "Manneken Pis" which in English translates to "Little Man Pee." Manneken Pis is one of the best know symbols of Brussels, but its an odd one. Its a two foot statue of a boy peeing and draws massive crowds. It's supposive to symbolize Belgians' sense of humor and its definitely an odd landmark.
After seeing Manneken Pis, I saw the Royal Palace which is the official palace of the King and Queen, although they don't live there.
Not far from the Royal Palace was the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium which I also visited. The fine arts museum was one of my favorite things in Brussels even though I'm not that into art. It was a massive 8 floor building full of art from between the 15th and 21st century. After spending a couple hours at the fine arts museum, I went across the street to the Museum of Musical Instruments which had some interesting exhibits too. After that I headed to the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula and the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon. These were two really pretty churches, and I was able to see some of the architectural characteristics I had been learning about in class.
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| Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula |
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| Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula |
Finally, my roommate and I just walked around Brussels some more to see the city a bit without having any specific destination in mind. The next day we really wanted to see the Atomium and make our plane back to Prague. The Atomium is a giant model of an atom built for the 1958 Worlds Fair in Brussels.
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| Atomium |
It's really nice because from the top you can all of Brussels. Included with admission to the Atomium is admission to the Art and Design Museum, so we also checked that out as well. After seeing that and getting lunch, we caught a bus back to the airport and flew back to Prague.
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| View from the Atomium |
February 22nd through 25th I was in Vienna to Budapest. After missing my train, I took a bus to Vienna on Thursday night. It was less than a 4 hour bus ride, so I got in late Thursday and met up with some other friends that arrived earlier in the day. Nobody had eaten dinner, so we went to the cheapest place we could think of that was still open at midnight, McDonalds. I don't know if it should be comforting or concerning, but the food tasted the exact same in Vienna as it does in the United States.
The first place I went to in Vienna was the Schönbrunn Palace which is the former summer residence of the monarchs of the Austrian empire. The palace was giant and lavish, and it covered a lot of Austrian history focusing on Franz Joseph.
After touring the palace, I walked around a bit until lunch when I tried Wienerschnitzel. Next, I walked around a bit more and went in the St. Stephen's Cathedral.
After walking around the city center for a while, Itook the metro to the Belvedere castle. When I got there it was already closed, so I just walked around the grounds.
I got in to Budapest at about 2pm on Saturday. After checking in to the AirBnb, I headed out to the Szechenyi Thermal Bath. Budapest is well know for it's thermal baths that are all over the city. The Szechenyi bath that I went to dates back to 1913 and is one of the oldest still operating in the city, but the baths have been a tradition in Budapest since the time of the Roman Empire. They're a huge attraction for tourists, but plenty of Hungarians also go to them. Many Hungarian doctors even prescribe visits to the baths, and they offer other spa services inside too. It was right around freezing when we got to the baths, but the water was 27°C of 80°F. It sounds really weird to sit in a pool with hundreds of strangers from all around the world, but it was strangely relaxing.
I spent about 2 hours relaxing at the bath before changing back to my clothes to see some more of the city. We walked towards Heroes' Square which has the statues of the leaders of the 7 Hungarian tribes and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
After seeing that we walked back and saw the City Park Ice Rink and Vajdahunyad Castle.
We walked back to the Chain Bridge which connects Buda and Pest. After taking some pictures of the Bridge and the Buda Castle from across the river we headed to dinner.
We found a Hungarian restaurant and tried Hungarian goulash. Goulash is very common in both Hungary and the Czech Republic, and both versions tasted very similar. We were seated in the basement of the restaurant and the waiter put on 80's American music from YouTube which was very strange and funny.
Then next morning I went back to the Chain Bridge and crossed it to visit the Buda Castle.
We took the funicular up to the Castle and walked around. It was really cool being able to see the whole city from the hill and walk around a bit of the 1.8 square mile castle grounds.
After taking the funicular back down and walking around the city some more, I headed back to the airport to return to Prague.
I've been visiting a lot of places around Europe, but I'm also still learning about Prague and the Czech Republic. I'm taking two art classes, so I've been able to go on trips with those classes and learn about some important Czech sites and their history. Most of my professors are Czech, so it's great being able to hear them explain Czech history.
I've gotten a lot of comments on my other blog about how I descried Czech people on public transportation. While the Czech's are definitely more reserved and quieter on public transportation, it's not like they're cold or rude. From talking to Czech people at the metro stop, to the farmers market, to at the grocery story, they have been nothing but nice and helpful. I've also gotten to ride public transportation in other countries, and they pretty much act the same. Public transportation has also been pretty great in Brussels, Vienna, and Budapest too.
I've also been in 4 European airports so far, and they're very different than American ones. Security is a lot more relaxed, and most airports don't even require you take off your shoes. Also, they don't announce your gate until right before the plane is boarding. In the United States you can wait at your gate for hours before your flight takes off. In all the European airports I've been to you wait in one large terminal waiting area, then around 20 minutes before boarding your gate is announced. Additionally, boarding never actually starts when its supposed to. Boarding really starts right around when the flight is supposed to take off, then the flight leaves about 20 minutes after its supposed to do. Even though all the flights leave late, mine have all still arrived on time or early. It's not a huge difference, but the airports have definitely been an odd adjustment coming from the United States.
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| Charles Bridge from across the river |
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| Old Town from the top of the Astronomical Clock. This is the Church of Our Lady before Tyn |
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| Old Town Square from across the astronomical clock |
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| Charles Bridge from the Vltava River |
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| The edge of the Charles Bridge and the bridge tower from the Vltava River |
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| Prague from the Vltava River |
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| Prague from the Vltava River |
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| The Metronome in Letná Park just up a hill and across from the Vltava River. It was built in 1991 to replace a statue of Joseph Stalin that was demolished in 1962 |
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| Prague from Letná Park |
Diky,
Ashley
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYou talked about the difference in time parameters that were seen from Marietta and the University you are attending. We talk a lot about cross cultural communication. What do you think would be important to know about in a business setting when communication between the United States and Czech? Do you believe there is differences in power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, task vs. relationship orientation as well as pragmatism and indulgences. These values are from Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory that you will learn about in Lead 203
Shannon, I think the most important thing to remember in a business setting is just to be respectful. You'd stand out as rude if you were loud in public like you can be in the United States. They just seem to value being respectful and reserved a lot more. Also, the language has a formal and informal second person, similar to Spanish, so I think its important that you use that formality a bit whether or not you're speaking in Czech. And, if you're doing any business in the Czech Republic learning just a bit of the language goes a long way. I would say that they fall more on the task side of the task vs. relationship orientation. Then, I think that the influence of the communist regime is still lasting a bit as they're more pragmatic. Just from a financial standpoint, a lot of older people spent most of their lives under communism and didn't have any chances to accumulate wealth. So they got used to living with really low income and just keep living like that.
DeleteHey Ashley,
ReplyDeleteToday in class we talked about the World Economic Forum, which is kind of like a club where the world's global leaders from all sectors are invited to attended a convention in Davos, Switzerland every year. We focus today on the networking that happens within the convention and how those might result in unethical networking that detracts from the main goal of the convention. Each year a different theme is picked, this theme is a current global issue that WEF would like its committees of invited attendees to attack to come up with potential long-term solutions. I saw that you noted a lot of Europeans do not like Brussels because of all the bureaucrats who are a part of the European Union. Do you believe that a less political forum, such as WEF is more accepted by Czechs, especially since they discuss solutions to issues such as global poverty and climate change, or do you believe it is an issue with the politicians themselves?
Thanks,
Ashley Olszewski
Ashley, well I certainly haven't heard anyone talk about the WEF so I'm not sure what the impression of it is here. I don't think Czechs are against talking about politics because I have heard many people talk about it. I also know that the current president denies climate change, so I'm not sure how that specific issue would be taken. But, I guess I would say that the WEF might be more accepted by Czechs.
DeleteHello Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI love looking at all your beautiful pictures and I am so happy you are having a good time. Recently in class, we discussed participative global leadership while viewing a particular case study: Silicon Valley in California. This is a geographical region in Northern California which is home to a great number of high tech firms, all of which display participative leadership. This requires a lot of collaboration and many different perspectives to constantly fuel innovation. After reading your blog and looking up more information on the "Atonium," I have found that it was built in a time where scientific progress was peaking and was used to symbolize the Atomic Age. However, unlike the United States, everywhere in Prague, Brussels, etc, are these amazing buildings with old architecture, symbolizing the past. Are you aware of any certain technological companies in your area that show participative leadership through continued innovation and collaboration? Or, is it different there, are these participative global leadership groups less centered around technology and more centered around other objectives?
Thank you!
Madison Crawford
Madison, I'm not familiar with any Czech technology companies but I'm just don't know a ton about Czech industry. I know there are quite a few large companies in transportation and energy, which is technology but not necessarily like Silicon Valley. Some obvious large Czech companies are ones like Škoda automobiles and ČEZ Group. I don't know much about these companies though so I can't speak to their leadership.
DeleteHi Ashley!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are wonderful, and I love looking at them! The architecture really is amazing. The amount of time and description you put into the accounts of your trips is great too, I love hearing about the history and stories these places have to tell. As for your professors showing up late, I find that really funny! You are right, showing up late (and even sometimes being right on time) is never good at Marietta. Recently, we discussed several forms of leadership, that while we focused on the global aspect, I think can be applied on a smaller scale as well: Autocratic, Transactional, Participative, and Transformational. I think these teachers are showing more participative leadership. They are looking at more long term goals of education as a whole (as opposed to education that day), and they are more concerned with the students getting the most out of the day than their own time being wasted. I'm not sure which one would describe educators here at Marietta, they seem to be a breed all their own! It's really interesting just how different countries are in this way. Have you noticed any other differences like these in the way that leaders...lead?
Have fun!
Gwyneth
Gwyneth, I think your categorization of participative is pretty spot on. They expect you to learn a lot on your own along they way a lot more and seem to be focusing on helping guide you through the class.
DeleteHello Ashley!
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are amazing! I'm not much of a city person but this is a place I would sure like to visit. I know Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory has been mentioned in previous posts, but I had a specific question regarding the long term orientation dimension. The United States scores low in this category (26), while the Czech Republic scores relatively high (70). This is the biggest and most notable difference between the two cultures. Essentially, this means that the U.S. can be characterized as looking for a "quick buck" and not heavily investing in future interests. The Czech Republic, on the other hand, is more focused on the future and, sticking with the financial metaphor, they would prefer to invest their money long term and get more in the end. Have you been able to notice this difference during your time there, and if so where have you seen it? Obviously, a long term orientation should be better all around because it more fully prepares us for the future, but have you seen any cases where this interest in the future has backfired? Again, thanks for the updates and awesome pictures, hope you have a great finish to your semester abroad!
Johnathan
Johnathan, yes I would say I have seen this orientation a bit. I think one thing that stand out is that there feels like there is always a ton of construction going on. There is construction going on in the states too, but it feels like its more reparative and we wait until something is broken to fix it. On the other hand, here they are always fixing and working on things so they don't have to wait for it to break. I don't think that I have seen any examples of this backfiring but I haven't seen a ton of examples of it anyway
DeleteAshley,
DeleteThanks for the response! That is a very interesting way to look at it, regarding the fact that our construction is reactive whereas it is proactive over there, which seems much more efficient, beneficial, and forward thinking. I am glad you were able to answer my question with real examples and I hope you enjoy the rest of April!
Johnathan
Hello Ashley!
ReplyDeleteYou took very beautiful photos and I really like it. I hope you are enjoying your life in the Czech Republic. My name is Peter and I am a current leadership 203 student. I have a similar question as Johnathan, the Czech Republic has a very high score on the long-term orientation dimension, what is the major reason of they focus more on the future? I came from China, but I have been to the U.S. for almost 7 years. Because of my personal experience, I think I understand both cultures well. China has a similar score as the Czech Republic on the long-term orientation dimension, but the U.S. has a much lower score. China isn’t an immigrant country and the major ethnic group is Han Chinese (93%) and the Czech Republic also has a high major ethnic group percentage (64% Czechs and 26% unspecified) From my perspective, same ethnic group means to they have similar culture and customs. As an American, do you think the U.S has a different social structure than the Czach Republic? And do you think the different structure is the major reason for the long-term orientation dimension?
Thank you and I hope you will have a good semester!
Peter Ding
Peter, that is very interesting. I would never have thought to consider the effect major ethnic groups have on long-term orientation dimension. I also live in Prague which has a lot more diversity than the country average which probably shapes my perspectives as well. I think there is definitely differences in the social structures, but I don't necessarily think they are massively different.
DeleteHello Ashley,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kate and I am a 203 student with McManus. I love looking at your photos and reading of your European adventures! It looks like you are having a blast. I wish I had time to study abroad in my time at Marietta (I graduate in May). You've gotten to experience Czech culture/leadership for the majority of a semester now, what has been the biggest challenge culturally you've had to overcome so far? Also, have you found yourself adapting your leadership style because of the area you are in, if so how? Lastly, if you have made adaptations, is this something you think you would continue when you are home?
Thank you for your time and I hope enjoy your last few weeks.
Best,
Kate
Kate, I would say the biggest cultural adaption has been getting used to how reserved everyone is. It's not a real issue but it's just strange that people are much quieter and don't smile much. I think if my leadership style has changed it has been a shift on the task vs relationship spectrum more towards relationship. Before this, I would say I was definitely more on the task side and thought that leaders should focus on achievement and efficiency. Being in a culture that doesn't seem to focus on the "relationship" side as much has shown more the value of it. Things like smiling cashiers and people making small talk doesn't seem important, but its very obvious when its gone. So, I think I now see how this is more important and actually makes a difference.
DeleteHello Ashley,
ReplyDeleteFrom your pictures it looks like you are having an amazing time exploring Europe. I remember from an earlier post that you felt like you were in the honeymoon phase, and now that you have been in Prague for a few months I was wondering if you have now entered the culture shock phase, and if so, how has the experience been and what are some ways that you have been dealing with it?
I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!
Thank you,
Hanna Hughes
Hanna, I can say that I haven't really experienced as much of a culture shock as I thought I would. The most difficult part was adapting to living in a place where I don't speak the language, but I have learned some Czech and can do most things without needing to speak. I haven't had any big issues where I felt a major culture shock, everything is just a bit more difficult and you have to think through everything more. I think its just been important for me not to beat myself up too much about messing things up and try to move on.
DeleteHi Ashley!
ReplyDeleteThe photos you have posted are absolutely amazing! I'm jealous of your opportunity to visit Budapest as my grandpa is from there and I have always wanted to visit. On another note, I noticed you said when visiting Brussels you realized how little diversity Prague truly had. Recently in class we have discussed diversity and inclusion and its importance on global leadership. Do you feel like studying in an area with little diversity has restricted an influx of different perspectives? Or if you do think a wide variety of ideas are available to you, do you think those different perspectives are accepted and embraced? We discussed how just because diversity is present, it does not mean the environment is inclusive as well. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time there!
Thank you,
Lauren Rockocy
Lauren, there really isn't much racial diversity here but at least in Prague there are a lot people from many different countries. My classes have people from all over so its really interesting to hear their different perspectives. For example, the other day in my marketing class we were talking about consumer expectations and it was interesting to hear how the perspectives of my classmates from places like Russia or Georgia differed from our American ones. I can't speak to how different perspectives are accepted around the country but at least in my classes I think everyone's perspectives are accepted and embraced.
DeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteBased on the photographs you have been posting, it looks like you are having a wonderful time in Prague. I am sure only having classes once a week for 3 hours has allowed you to explore Prague and meet new people.
I noticed that you mentioned that your professors sometimes arrive 15 minutes late or just on time, but when students arrive 20 minutes late the instructors become concerned. In the Global Leadership class this semester, I studied the Hofstede’s country comparison model. This is actually a website in which you can type in the countries you would like to study based on power distance, individualistic vs. collective, indulgence, etc. These categories can be used to simply gain insight about a country itself or it can be used to compare countries. Specifically, when you mentioned that even though the teacher may have been late, they were still concerned about a student who arrived just 5 minutes later. I think this may have something to do with the difference in power distance between the Czech Republic and the United States. Power distance refers to the hierarchical order within society and the way people, within these countries, accept the hierarchy. The United States has a lower power distance than the Czech Republic; do you think that power distance has had an impact on the way you communicate with your professors, or other individuals who may be senior to you?
Thank you,
Lauren DeLong
Lauren, yes I would say that I try to be a bit more formal with at least strangers. The Czech language has a formal and informal second person, similar to Spanish, which I think has a big influence on power distance. For example, you always say "dobrý den" when greeting some like cashiers because its formal. It would be rude not to greet them, but it would be even ruder to greet them with "ahoj" which is informal. This isn't even a difference between the formal "ty" versus "vy" but just two different phrases. So, I would say that the language and power distance influence each other.
DeleteHello Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI hope you are enjoying your time in Czech Republic! The architecture is absolutely beautiful. Everyone seems to enjoy the photos you are posting, as well as myself.
As of this post, I noticed you have been there for two and a half months now. In our previous readings, it mentions the honeymoon stage is experienced the first two months, then a person will experience culture shock in months 3 through 9. Culture shock can be described as when a person feels anxiety and stress caused by the exposure to a new culture. Depending on how a person responds to this culture shock, it will allow them to identify the type of mindset they have. The three types of mindsets are parochial, international, and global. If your response to culture change is resistance, then you have a parochial mindset and like to stick to your own cultural norms. If you accepted the change in culture and view it as another example of “normal”, you are considered to have an international mindset. If you adapt to the culture and integrate it into your own cultural norms, you have a global mindset. Based on these descriptions, which mindset do you think best fits your reaction to the culture change, Ashley? If so, could you give an example or two? Also, do you still consider yourself to be in the honeymoon stage at two and a half months in?
Hope you have a great rest of your time studying abroad :)
Thank you,
Loren Coontz
Loren, that's a pretty tough question, it's hard to narrow it down to one specifically. There are certainly things that I just get frustrated with, but other things I really like. An odd example of a bit of "parochial" thinking is all the different bathrooms I've seen traveling around Europe. I've stayed in nice AirBnb's that just don't have shower curtains or don't seem functional and I can get pretty frustrated by it. I know it's kind of dumb and doesn't really have much of an effect on me but I'm just kind of stuck based on what I'm used to in the states. Other things like food and the public transportation that I know I'm gonna miss a ton when I got back to the US. If I had to pick one, I'm probably at the international point. I would love to say that I'm "global" and adapt a lot of Czech things into my mind, but I also know how much easier its going to be to go back to a country and culture where I don't really have to think through everything I do. I would not consider myself to be in the honeymoon stage anymore. I think I've adjusted and I'm kind of getting close to my return.
DeleteHey Ashley,
ReplyDeleteIn LEAD class recently, we've talked a lot about cross-cultural communication, as well as the importance of diversity and leveraging it. You mentioned that Prague is not a very diverse city, in comparison to Brussels. How do you feel about this? Do you think this affects the city or the perception people have of it as compared to other cities? Also, how is the refugee crisis affecting Prague and the Czech Republic as a whole? I know that the Czech Republic is a member of the EU, so they are sanctioned by rules and regulations passed in Brussels (maybe that's why they think they are bureaucrats). This means they may have a quota for accepting a certain amount of refugees. I know some countries like Hungary have rejected this. What is the Czech Republic's stance on this? Have you talked to anyone about this issue there?
Biru, Prague isn’t a very ethnically diverse city but there are a ton of people from other countries. So, I think that there is a different type of diversity even if you can’t tell just by looking. The refugee crisis is a pretty hot topic in the Czech Republic and the president is against it. Last year, the Czech Republic accepted a total of 12 refugees, so they definitely didn’t comply with all the sanctions. I haven’t talked about the refugee crisis with anyone besides hearing my professor talk about it, so I can’t explain much about it.
DeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteIn class we discussed different leadership styles based off of religion or where a country falls geographically and how those styles differ from culture to culture. The United States is a great example of a western style of leadership, countries in the Middle East follow an Islamic style, and then Latin America, Africa, and East Asia also have their own styles of leadership. Since the Czech Republic is neither a western, African, Latin American, or East Asian country, in your opinion which style do they most closely resemble. I do not know much about the history of the Czech people, so I am not sure which styles were most likely to have the biggest influences on their culture and society.
Thanks!
Ben, I haven't experienced any leadership styles besides western, but I would consider the Czech Republic a western leadership style. I think most things in the Czech Republic seem to be similar to the west and fairly consistent with what I've seen in the US. I believe the main leadership I have seen has been in my classes, and they're pretty similar to in the US.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI hope you've enjoyed studying abroad in Prague, and your photos are so lovely! Your experiences of Czech culture are intriguing as well, and I have a question regarding Hofstede's six dimensions of culture. I used an online tool to compare the Czech Republic and the United States, and I noticed that the Czech have significantly low Indulgence (26), while the U.S. have a higher level of Indulgence (68). From your experience in both countries, have you noticed a difference in the "strictness" of social norms, or in the free gratification of human drives related to enjoying life?
Thanks,
Lily Riffle, LEAD 203
Lily, I would definitely say the Czech Republic is more strict about social norms. I've mentioned it before, but I think the escalators are a good example of this. Everybody stand on the right of the escalators and walks on the left. It's pretty rude if you stand on the left and people will get irritated if you just stand there. In the US, I feel its just a mess and you couldn't really pressure someone to get out of the way. I don't think the Czechs would confront you for breaking social norms like American's might, but it would be judged more. For the indulgence, I believe that's likely just the lasting effects of the Communist party and the frugal living that become necessary and carried forward especially with the older generations.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAshley, thank you for your insight. That's a really good example and definitely sounds strange to me, considering how accustomed I am to the messy American escalators. Totally agree with you on the influences of Communism-- I like how you included that historical aspect, because even though we're preparing to lead in the modern world, we can't forget what shaped the cultures we have today.
DeleteLily Riffle
Hey Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI hope you're enjoying yourself on your trip. I have a question for you. Have you experienced culture shock? If so was it worst when you first arrived and how did it affect you? Also, have you found ways to overcome it?
Thanks,
Zachary Conrad
Zach, I have experienced culture shock but it really hasn't been too bad. There was a lot of initial culture shock when I first arrived, but I was so excited to be there that it wasn't that bad. After a couple of weeks the initial excitement wears off and it can get to you more, so I think that was harder. I think the best way to overcome the culture shock is to just not let it get to you. Everyone obviously makes some mistakes or is uncomfortable sometimes, so I just have to remind myself that its not that bad and life goes on. The most important thing is to make sure culture shock and a fear of making mistakes doesn't stop you from going out and making mistakes.
DeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYou have done a good bit of traveling, you talked about the difference in Airport security and how it is far more relaxed than in the US. Do you think a greater global mindset is responsible for this relaxed atmosphere. From reading your blog posts, it seems that travel is very easy throughout these European countries because of their close proximity to each other. Do you think this makes social norms more common across borders that are so loosely held? How do these norms effect visiting outsiders such as yourself who may not understand the social norms but still want to enhance their global competencies.
Sorry for all of the questions, your stay in the Czech Republic looks amazing and the photos of architecture are absolutely amazing.
Ethan
Ethan, I'm not sure how much of the airport security differences can be attributed to a global mindset versus the differences in threats. I do agree with you that the loose borders likely have lead to the more common social norms. A lot more people in Europe can travel around different countries more than Americans can, so I'm sure that allows them to have more of a global mindset and bring parts of different cultures back with them. I think the similarities between countries make it nicer when traveling because even though things are different than I'm used to in the US, I'm at least used to it from visiting other countries.
DeleteAhoj Ashley!
ReplyDeleteIn class we have analyzed many different cultural contexts in regards to how leadership styles vary from culture to culture. The United States, of course, is an example of the Western cultural context, but there is also the Latin American context, the Buddhist context, The African context, the Islamic context, and the East Asian context. Having spent an entire semester in the Czech Republic, have you noticed a significant resemblence/influence of any one of these cultures there, or do you think the Czech Republic would need a context of its own? I look forward to hearing what you think, and I hope that you enjoy the time you have left abroad! p.s. Your Instagram captions are quality, keep it up
Josh, I'm very glad to hear you like my Instagram captions haha. I would say the Czech Republic is closest to a western culture. There are a ton of similarities between western countries like the US, but I don't think if fits in 100%. Things like years under the communist regime and location a little further east of most western European countries have caused some significant differences. I don't think this is one of the categories because its a little too specific, but the Czech Republic best fits in with other central European countries, like Austria, Hungary, and Poland. From my experience traveling, these countries have a lot more in common with each other than they do with the US or Scandanavia. Also, a couple of my Czech professors have identified the country as central European which I think is important.
DeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you have had a great time traveling around Europe. I was wondering if your experiences in the Czech Republic have affected your perspective on leadership as a whole. There are some differences between the United States and the Czech Republic, such as the United States being much more individualistic and focused on the short-term. From observing and experiencing a different leadership style, has that made an impact on your own leadership, or has it remained relatively unchanged?
Thank you,
Matthew Chih
Matt Chih, I think one way my leadership perspective has changed is that I see more value in the relationship portion of leadership. My view of leadership has always been a lot more on the task side of leadership than the relationship side. The Czech Republic is a very reserved country and very little emphasis is placed on things like customer service in stores. So, I think that being in a country where the relationship side of interactions isn't valued much has made me realize the value of it.
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