SMALL COUNTRY, BIG IMPRESSION
Nicholas Kiczales explores Liechtenstein
PeeDee listens to the presentation. (Contributed photos)
Today we woke up early to travel to the sixth smallest country in the world, Liechtenstein.
At first, I was not sure what to expect from this small country. When we arrived, I was taken aback at how small a country really could be. It also sparked some interest in me about what countries are smaller than this.
When we first arrived at the Financial Market Authority (FMA) of Liechtenstein, we were greeted by one of our presenters.
We then went upstairs to a room where we were given a presentation about the country and the FMA’s role. One thing I found truly remarkable about the presentation was that Liechtenstein’s population is only about 38,000 people, especially in light of the fact that ECU is aiming to break 30,000 in enrollment next year.
Another thing I found interesting was how passionate our presenter, Johannes, was about his work. He truly had a passion for what he was doing and it was obvious that he knew a substantial amount about his field of financial law.
Nicholas Kiczales and PeeDee at lunch
After leaving the FMA, we went for a short walking tour of Liechtenstein, during which I learned about the prince and his family. They are working royalty, yet they still live in the castle. I thought this was very interesting.
After our tour, we went via a town train up to Universität Liechtenstein. For me, this was the most interesting part of the day. We got to interact with students our own age and get a glimpse into how they go about college life in Liechtenstein.
I thought it was remarkable how the students at the University there only have to pay around $2,500 swiss francs for a whole year of school. This shows the differences throughout the world because ECU is certainly more expensive than that.
After taking a tour of their school, we then had some lunch and took pictures with the students before saying goodbye. Overall, today was one of the more interesting days, and I can now say that I have been to the sixth smallest country in the world.
-by Nicholas Kiczales, accounting major
June 8, 2018