My time in Peru was extraordinary. Learning about the Peruvian culture and economy was very interesting, as it is very different from here in the United States. Traveling from a first world country to a third world country will really open your eyes to some things. I learned so much about myself over there as well as the business world. Here in the United States, the majority of businesses’ main goal is to build profits and make more money. In Peru, it seemed to be a little different. When we talked to a panel of Peruvian entrepreneurs, their main view was to build the success of their communities with them. They would buy the things they needed from local companies and vendors for a more expensive price rather than from a bigger company for cheaper. It was really important to them to keep the respect from their local communities rather than leave them behind to make a little more money. I really respected this from them, and think that more companies here in the U.S. should be like that. On a more negative side of the economy, learning that 70% of Peru’s economy is done through the black market blew my mind. There is so much corruption in their government, education, and business markets. Despite this, they are working very hard to change this and to motivate their citizens to do business legally and fairly. I will definitely bring the things I learned from that panel into my future business career.
Cusco was so full of culture it was my favorite over it and Lima. The roads were cobble stone and there were so many decorations and artifacts from the Incan Empires. I did not expect the houses to look so poor and run-down. They were just stacked on top of each other and had tarps covering them. Everything was just so different there, it was so amazing to get to experience. My favorite day of the whole trip was going to Machu Picchu. You cannot really even describe that wonder of the world to anyone; you have to just see it for yourself. Learning about the history of it and how much it means to the people of Cusco made it a very meaningful trip. It was so interesting to be on the other side of the majority lines. I was definitely a minority over there, and it was hard to understand what some things meant and especially the language. But I loved experiencing all and now I can better understand having a diverse world and a diverse company. I will use the experiences from this trip and the lessons learned for the rest of my life, business and personal.
Madison is working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. She participated in a College of Business faculty led trip to Peru in December, 2018. Madison had the following to say about her time abroad, “It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I will never forget the things I learned, the sights I saw, and the friends I made.”
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