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Tag: CAP

Published on
Blog Post written by Visola Shukhrat

 

It is the last day of our CAP Peru… With a big smile and some tears of happiness on my face, I gave farewell kisses and hugs to my classmates and headed to the airport. As I was waiting to board the plane, I could not stop thinking about what a powerful experience it was. The pictures of 20 young professionals altogether climbing the Machu Picchu, watching the sunset while having a city bike tour, supporting and cheering on each others’ teams during final project delivery would appear in my mind as flashcards of a colourful movie. We arrived in Peru as just classmates and were leaving it as a family with strong bonds.

We spent an unforgettable two weeks in the country that has a history of three dominant and advanced civilizations. We learned a lot about Peru as a country, its culture, food, and language. While the primary goal of the program was to learn about industries of projects and culture of a nation, we gained much more than that. The time spent in Peru will flourish beautiful memories in the hearts of each and everyone for a long time in the future.

 

I would like to devote this post to a person who transformed our CAP Peru 2018 into an eye-opening event with bonds created for a lifetime. The academic knowledge, soft skills development and cultural experience would not be the same without this superhero, our father-teacher-professor Shyam Giridharadas. This superhuman went above and beyond to not only teach us how to be great consultants but also how to become better leaders and to be mindful of those around us.  He used to start every class with a couple minutes of centering, when we all closed our eyes, took a deep breath and thought of something positive. This exercise helped us during our presentations. During our time in Lima, Prof. Giridharadas gave special attention to every single student, was accommodating to our needs and wants. One of the most fun and memorable things that united such a diverse student body was the time when he arranged a night of gathering. We all watched a soccer game first and then danced Salsa, Turkish, Kosovian and Uzbeki dances. The night ended with playing mafia.

 

Prof. Giridharadas has the power to comfort people and make them believe in themselves. I remember the day before our final presentation to the client; my teammates and I were worried that we would be unable to meet clients’ expectations. Professor spent 3 hours with our team and gave us detailed feedback on our delivery. When we finished our last rehearsal, he asked us to stand up and take each others’ hands. We were expecting another moment of centering… However, what he said next left us speechless. He said he was impressed by all the improvements we’ve reached so far. This gave us confidence in ourselves and motivation to work more. As a result, we delivered a project that satisfied our clients to the fullest.

 

As we all gathered for the last time, we sat in a circle and reflected on our trip. Some classmates cried while expressing their feelings about the trip. I felt so happy to be around such a fantastic bunch of talented young professionals. If I could repeat this trip, it would be with Prof. Giridharadas and these people.

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.

Published on
Blog post written by Sean Soni

 

Upon arrival to our destination CAP Country, we were greeted with a warm and hearty welcome dinner at Pepenero, one of the local gems in Cape Town. On the way over to the Pepenero, our tour guide showed us the District 6 area, an area which was plagued by apartheid and a highly controversial event which preceded the vacant land. It was a sobering experience to hear the pains of many of the “colored” individuals who were wrongfully stripped of their homes and belongings due to a discriminatory governmental policy.

 

The dinner was incredibly delicious, however the waiters and waitresses who happily served plate after plate were far more intriguing to learn about. The waiters and waitresses were not South African, but in fact from Zimbabwe, one of the many citizens of neighboring African countries who desperately wanted to be a part of the emerging South African economy.

 

One of the most intriguing company visits in Cape Town thus far was with Sealand Gear, a sustainable bag designer who aggressively focused on emphasizing down cycle sourcing in their production cycle. This company prides itself in using industrial materials such as old boat sails and other industrial fabrics which are no longer in use to create some of the most unique, colorful and functional bags on the market today. Creating flashy and fashionable bags is not the only thing this company was useful for – they promoted the cultivation of local talent pools and hired and trained members of the underserved communities to empower the communities of Cape Town while making a profit. The CEO’s tour was so convincing that many of our classmates ended up purchasing items after the tour of the Sealand Gear headquarter facilities.

 

After four days of residing in the beautiful city of Cape Town, our CAP crew is on our way to the airport where we will fly to Johannesburg (described by many as the “New York City” of South Africa). In Johannesburg, we will meet several of the local movers and shakers of the energy industry, aviation industry, and entrepreneurship.

 

Thus far, I can confidently comment on the food, local customs, and some of the exposure to the less advantaged areas of the country of South Africa. The food scene in Cape Town is extremely diverse and incredibly delicious. You can find local treasures on Long Street such as Mama Africa and even undiscovered twists on the American burger at cozy venues like IYO Burger.  In South Africa, it is customary to acknowledge the various ethnic groups as “whites”, “blacks” and “colored” people. Prior to arrival, we read that South Africa is plagued by poverty and a disturbing income gap, leading to the various racial tensions that we read about in global reports. The reality was actually much worse than I expected. One block away from our hotel was one of the many slums which was scattered across the city. Impoverished residents would frequently approach us for money and donations and the huge unemployment rate had a lot to do with this feature of the city. I must, however, end with a positive note – with a country with so many problems, one can only imagine the possibilities of development and human advancement. The wheels in the minds of a majority of our classmates are starting to spin as we see the “real” Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Published on
Blog post written by Alyssa Passarelli

 

After multiple connecting flights, some lost (but thankfully recovered) luggage, and adjusting to a 12-hour time difference, all sixteen of us safely made it to Beijing! For many of us, CAP is the first time we have ever traveled to China. Professor Yu, Fang Fang (our city guide), and Tom (our TA) wasted no time in welcoming us to the country’s rich history and culture with various local activities and traditional Chinese meals.

 

The day after we arrived, we kicked off our experience by visiting one of China’s most iconic attractions, the Great Wall. According to Professor Yu, sunglasses and sunscreen are normally staples that accompany visits to the Great Wall. However, out trip to the Great Wall required that we bring supplies that included rain jackets and umbrellas. We were encased in clouds of fog as we hiked along the famed attraction and needed to be extra careful that we could see what was in front of us so as not to trip!

CAP China 2018 engulfed in a scene of fog on one of Beijing’s most famed attractions
Image source: Katherine Kalec, GMBA and CAP China participant (2018)

As one of the most popular attractions in China, the Great Wall is generally very crowded with both locals and tourists. As our first outing in China, our visit to the Great Wall quickly exposed us to a key cultural difference in China that we have learned is attributed to the country’s high population: locals are used to being within close proximity of each other, even with people that they do not necessarily know. Many of us even experienced this in the elevators at our visit to the headquarters of JD.com. When we thought that the elevators were at their capacity, we were surprised to see people still hop on and not seem to mind the lack of personal space. We also experienced this on the Beijing metro when we ventured out to get hot pot (a local Chinese soup dish).

Group dinner enjoying a traditional Beijing treat, roasted Peking duck.
Image source: Mia Ou, GMBA and CAP China participant (2018)

We have also been fortunate to have the majority of our meals together as a group while in country. Unlike in the US, in which going out to eat means each person orders their own meal, most meals at restaurants in China are shared among the whole group. The shared dishes are served on a “lazy Susan” (pronounced in Mandarin as Tsan Draw Juang Pan) and spun round the table so no one needs to get up from their seat to be able to reach the food. Being that many of us are in China for the first time, this way of sharing a meal has been a nice way for us to also share our experiences of this new culture.

We will be wrapping up our time in China in just one week, in which we will have given our final presentations to our clients and already be on our way home. This time is going by quickly, but we are excited to make the most of our time here, work hard, and continue to experience the cultural nuances of China.

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