Here I am, two weeks away from departing on my first study abroad adventure ever.  I expect this trip to be very memorable and filled with a lot of first, including my first blogging experience.   I am very excited to be able to travel with the Manning School of Business to the beautiful country of Costa Rica and take park of the “Pura Vida.”  Just today I began packing, well began making a list of what to pack and what I may need to purchase to be able to pack; speaking of which, I need to invest in a good rain jacket.  I begun reading the “Managing Across Borders and Cultures” text that has been assigned as part of the Comparative Management class and I am eager to take part in these lessons first hand during our trip which has a packed itinerary of onsite company visits along with many cultural visits.  In my work career it has been important to build on my experience in how others do task, and then improved on them, to do them better.  To date, I do not have much experience in my career toolbox outside of how things are done in the United States.  I am most excited to be able to get any insight on how business is done elsewhere and see if there are any best practices I can bring back home with me and apply to my company.  As globalization continues it is important for all cultures to understand each other more.  By taking the time to learn about each other it will prevent unnecessary business interruptions due to cultural translation errors.  Stay tune as more will come from my blog  as the departure date approaches.

Buenas Nochas!