Silmon in China

Visiting China was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Having never travelled to Asia, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Upon our arrival in China we immediately proceeded to Xiamen, a city similar in size to New Orleans. We were constantly on the move, always exploring new places and eating.  Together with my classmates and professors, we visited Xiamen University and participated in a case competition. This competition was a really fun way to get exposure to the culture. It was eye-opening and allowed us to tackle real world problems with Xiamen MBA students.

One of things that I really enjoyed about this trip was consulting for a Chinese company.  This experience provided me with an opportunity to apply my leadership and analytical skills in a place with a different approach to problem solving. Working with a Chinese company helped my classmates and I develop a new set of tools to solve problems while also embracing new ways of thinking. The thing that I learned was the ability to effectively communicate with those of different backgrounds. I believe that this experience has prepared my classmates and I to become strong business leaders able to call upon on past experiences of successfully working with those from different cultures.

The second part of the trip, we spent in Shanghai. This was of the most unique aspects of the trip. The sheer size of Shanghai was amazing and the plethora of things to do was great. I was extremely impressed with how modern the city was. One of the things that was interesting was how common English was. It was very easy to communicate and it made exploring the city really easy. Another aspect of the trip that I enjoyed was the variety of food. I particularly enjoyed getting to experience authentic Chinese food and trying new things.  Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this trip to China. Having endured 24 hours of flight time was definitely worth it and I hope to go back soon.

Silmon Ghebreyesus

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