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by Adelaide Hoyt, 4th year Bachelor of Management student

I had just come back from my exchange in Lille, France, during the third year of a Bachelor of Management degree, when I had this itch to broaden my horizons again. Lille was an experience that completely opened my eyes to the excitement of exploring the world through business. I loved learning about how French culture shaped the way people communicated and made business decisions, and I loved breaking down business cases connected to the Champagne region of France. So, it was a good thing that upon my return I started my 8-month work term in the Global Experience office and immediately discovered the ‘emerging markets’ course.

First to Ottawa – the Polish Ambassador and Export Development Canada

The emerging markets course provides hands-on learning about how Canadian companies can explore business opportunities in countries with growing economies. Each year, the class studies and then travels to a different country like Vietnam, Brazil, and India. This year, our focus was Poland.

I’m now a fourth-year Bachelor of Management student at Dalhousie, and this course ended up being one of the most meaningful experiences of my degree. Our class was divided into groups, and each group was assigned a Canadian business looking at opportunities in Poland. My group worked with CancerPEP, a cancer patient empowerment program started by two Dalhousie professors and researchers. Other students worked with companies in areas like marine defense and seafood.

Throughout the semester, we researched Poland, listened to guest speakers, and learned about Polish business culture, healthcare, and economics. We learned a lot about relationship-building. Almost every week, we had someone new come in to help us understand the companies we were working with or the country we were preparing to visit. Then, in groups, we wrote a report and recommended a strategy for how our assigned company could approach the Polish market.

Before I knew it, I was packing my bags. We first flew to Ottawa to meet the Polish Ambassador to Canada, Witold Dzielski, and do workshops at Export Development Canada. Then, we were off to Poland.

World tensions look and feel different when you’re nearby

Since we arrived during a Polish holiday, we had some time to explore before our business meetings began. We did a walking tour of Krakow, saw the beautiful Szydłowiec Castle, and had a guided tour of Auschwitz, which was a devastating but meaningful experience. Learning about that history in person was reflective, and it is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. We also explored the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which was my personal favourite because it was so unique. It was incredible seeing the veins of salt stretch out into vast underground chambers while walking through four kilometers of tunnels reaching 135 meters below the surface, which is equivalent to the Eiffel Tower underground.

After Krakow, we travelled to Warsaw, what the locals call the business hub of Poland. It was time to apply a semester of research, in real time. My group met with the CEO of InterHealth Poland and learned more about the intricate healthcare system in Poland. We also visited the Canadian Embassy, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, the Canadian Polish Chamber of Commerce, the National Institute of Oncology, and Defence24Days, which was especially eye-opening given the current tensions in Europe. Defence24Days stood out because it showed how close Poland is to the war in Ukraine, not just geographically, but politically and emotionally. Being there made the situation feel much more real than it does from Canada. It reminded me that international business is not separate from what is happening in the world. It is shaped by conflict, security, uncertainty, and the people living through it every day.

“A life changing experience”

After four months of research, I thought I was prepared. I was wrong. Learning about another country in a classroom is one thing. Experiencing how people build trust, communicate, and do business in real life is completely different.

This course taught me patience, resilience, and the importance of adapting to different cultures. It also showed me how valuable it is to understand the barriers and opportunities between Canada and another country. More than anything, it reminded me that business is about people.

‘Emerging markets’ was absolutely a life-changing experience, not just because of the skills I gained, but because of the relationships I built with my classmates, professors, and the companies we worked with. I made friends for life, supported a meaningful organization, and came home with a much bigger view of what international business can be.