Blog post by Calvin Sanders, GMBA '20
Our South African adventure has concluded after two full weeks of culture, food, business and bonding. I believe there was considerably more personal development for each individual on the trip than anybody of us expected. More on this later – first, a host of thank yous and acknowledgements are in order to those who made this CAP trip as successful and special as it was.
The first and biggest shout out goes to Bryan, Sarah, and the rest of the G&EE team that organized every component of the CAP experience. I have never experienced a two-week overseas program that went without a hitch, especially in a developing nation where things can be unpredictable. We had site visits at non-profits, government institutions, historical landmarks, tourist attractions, and everything in between. Every single restaurant we stopped at had already set a table for 20 dinner guests. The effort, energy, and passion of this team were visible throughout our time in-country.
Next is a thank you for Professor Akyuz and his Graduate Administrative Assistant , Tringa. Proessor Akyuz’s shared his intimate knowledge of the country and consulting processes with us during the semester in D.C., and while me made furious project improvements at the last minute in Cape Town. A special shout out to Tringa, who became a close friend of mine and of others over the course of the program.
Finally, I want to thank every one of my CAP South Africa classmates with whom I shared this experience over the last four months. I can say with confidence that we have all formed bonds that will stand the test of time, both personally and professionally.
So, what will I take away from over two weeks spent in South Africa? In some ways, being here has raised as many questions as it has answered. The country clearly stands apart from its other African counterparts in development and potential; the roads are mostly paved, the tap water is potable, and the entrepreneurial energy is apparent. Despite this, millions of South Africans live in informal metal and cinder-block structures. HIV remains widespread and corruption is pervasive. It will be fascinating to watch South Africa as time goes on because, if the country is governed well and the right economic decisions are made, we can expect the Rainbow nation to develop into a fully modern economy within a few decades.
Race is another fascinating subject in South Africa, perhaps because the racial dichotomy takes on an entirely different feeling than in the United States. Generally, race relations in South Africa seemed to lack the resentment that is pervasive in the United States. I believe this is because of lasting reconciliatory emotions from the Mandela years and Afrikaner acceptance that the Black African majority is benign to their presence. It seems like everybody wants the South African experiment to work. I, for one, am optimistic.
Thank you for following my experience with 15 other GMBA students as we completed our client engagements in Cape Town. Until next time!
