Blog post written by Visola Shukhrat
Finally, the day has come, and we are here, in the country of one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. I can’t wait to explore every magical corner of it.
The day after we arrived in Lima, we had a group luncheon at the local private museum “Museo de Larco” where we had our first in-person meeting with our clients. As we sat in the garden of the museum trying gourmet Peruvian food, we learned about our clients’ culture and lifestyle, and got some tips on communicating with locals. The next three days we spent meeting with our clients and visiting information sessions at McKinsey & Company, Endeavor Group, and Banco de Credito del Peru. We came prepared for our first formal in-country client meeting with questions to ask. We were lucky to meet with Enrique, who is involved in communication with local communities and the government. His insights helped us to better understand the government structure and political and economic situation in the country, which helped us direct our project in the right direction, and specifically tailor it for a mining company in this country. During our visit to the bank (Banco de Credito), I was astonished to learn about the innovation center there. The office looked like a dream place to work, where employees wore casual clothes, sat on bean bags, and had post-it note stickers all over the walls. The manager of the bank gave us a presentation about their innovative projects in Fintech that they are working on to serve their clients better and become number one bank in Peru.
The highlight of this week was a trip to magnificent Machu Picchu. As the plane landed in Cusco, my heart started beating faster. Our guide warned that it was because of the altitude of 11,150 feet above the sea level. However, I am sure it was due to all the excitement that I was anticipating in this fantastic town that I’ve been dreaming of visiting since childhood. No words or photos can describe all the natural beauty of magnificent Machu Picchu. Located high atop a ridge in the Andes Mountains, Machu Picchu has a long history of ancient Inca civilization. We got a chance to learn about mind-blowing engineering work, religious beliefs of Incas, and their culture and traditions. We spent 5 hours roaming around mysterious architectural treasure that was ruined more than four centuries ago and enjoying the view from the vista point.
During our trip to Cusco, we also visited Sacred Valley where we explored one of the oldest cities where Inca people lived. We listened to songs in a local language, pet cute llamas, tried Alpaca meat and spent an evening stargazing.
Next week is the most important one, because we will be presenting our final project to our clients. I look forward spending next five days collaborating with my amazing teammates and delivering our product to our honorable client.
