Written by Allie Perkins, Global MBA class of 2018
I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel to many parts of the world in previous professional and personal capacities, and once wanderlust sets in, I’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to shake. Thanks to GW, I have had more than one opportunity to visit a foreign country and engage closely with and be a part of its culture while bolstering some of the global business and consulting skills I’ve attained during my MBA program. When I heard about the Short Term Abroad Trip to Vietnam, I knew that it would be a chance to learn about an entirely new culture in a corner of the world I haven’t been able to visit.
Traveling to Asia has been on the top of my travel bucket list for a number of years. I’ve looked on enviously as friends and former colleagues traipse through its numerous ancient cities, swim in its beautiful oceans, and explore the other natural beauty that flows throughout all of its many countries. However, what I am most excited about, is the chance to interact with a new culture in a new environment and (hopefully) help solve a challenge for a real business that lives and breathes in Vietnam. When I traveled to Cape Town South Africa for my Consulting Abroad Project last May, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed learning about the cultural complexities and nuances that affected business in the region; it changed my entire view on the country. I hope to have the same experience in Vietnam.
I am consulting with a nascent business that organizes a highly successful food festival in both Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. This year, Ho Chi Minh had over 60,000 visitors eager to experience and be a part of the soul of Vietnam. So often, food is the bridge between people, languages, and cultures. Its representative of what people value, their social norms, and how they engage and interact with each other and the world they live in. I am thrilled to be working with such a great team on a unique and fulfilling project
I chose to study at GW because of its emphasis on global business and bridging the misunderstandings that oceans and languages and borders cause. Because of the projects I’ve been a part of with global organizations, I have a much deeper understanding of the complexities of doing business abroad and/or with businesses and clients of different cultures. It is so important to be conscious of these nuances in order to be successful. I look forward to my time in Vietnam as I hope to grow my understanding of doing business in another part of the world and further my goal of becoming a global citizen.
Photo credit: BBC Travel, http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170317-living-in-h-ch-minh-city
