FROM NIGERIA, BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ALUMNUS - CLASS OF 2016
In summer 2013 I decided to study as an undergraduate business student in the heart of Paris; a country where people speak a different language, eat different food, and as I got to find out later, live a different culture.
Adapting to the Parisian life wasn’t difficult for me and I pride myself in never being afraid to take on an adventure, so I am fortunate to have met a lot of diverse people with different mindsets and ideologies about life. Living in Paris has also enabled me to open my mind to learning about French culture and art.
Another cultural challenge that I faced when moving to Europe is the food. Upon arriving, I made the decision to try not just French cuisine but also cuisines from other countries. Paris is a multicultural city so finding a diverse selection of foreign food has been easy and it has always come at a price that a student can afford.
Spirit and wine tasting are regular activities around the Parisian region; it’s a good way to meet people while learning more about French heritage and culture.
For example, PSB Paris School of Business organised a teambuilding cooking experience for students at L’Atelier des Chefs which gave me a completely new appreciation for the art of cooking and foreign food. We were organised in five teams of different nationalities, provided with same quantity and quality of ingredients, and asked to come up with eight recipes of our choice.
The French way of dining and great conversation was the greatest part of the evening, and from an academic perspective it was a great teambuilding exercise to learn how to work within a cross-cultural team.
The teambuilding and leadership experience at L’Atelier des Chefs will always be in my memory as a great Parisian experience, and will also feed my confidence and adaptability when working in an international team in my future business career.