Rotman International

I have just been skimming through some of the presentations that we saw in India. The companies were extremely candid about their business strategies & challenges operating in India, but all were optimistic about the future.

A sample of the companies that we visited and what they shared:
Ogilvy & Mather: insights into Indian consumers.
EMRI: A not-for-profit emergency ambulance system. Great work bringing quality emergency care to the country.
J Sagar Associates: a look at the complexities of Indian law
McKinsey: India's Economic Forecast
MakeMyTrip.com: An entrepreneurial venture

Seriously, this is just a sample, but I'm pleased to have been part of the tour. There are some pictures posted on the Rotman International Facebook Page if you are interested :)

Just your average Friday...

Writing my last exam of year 1. Then flying to India.
You know, the usual. Just your average Friday.

The Operations exam is wee bit terrifying. Yesterday I kept feeling like I was going to throw up while trying to work my way through practice problems. No actual vomit though, so I guess I got my nerves under control. (ish).

What my day consisted of
[x] Clean house (vaccuum, bathrooms, laundry, wash floors, dishes
[x] Pick up ANTI-malaria pills & emergency stomach infection pills
[x] Take Daisy for a long (ok, medium) length walk
[x] Buy batteries for camera & memory card
[x] Pack for 10 days of business formal events, plus a bunch of fun things too
[x] Study for Operations
[x] Have mini-nervous breakdown
[x] Study some more
[x] Watch documentary on India on CBC.ca (quite good)
[x] Pack some more
[x] Panic some more
[x] Come to terms with the possibility that I am not a natural at Operations
[x] Sleep

It was quite a productive day.

PS - I also ate lots of salad & fresh veggies since I'll be avoiding them for the next 2 weeks. Also drank water from the tap, another thing to avoid.

Random Note:

Giardia is a miniature parasite that can infect the water. It's one of the reasons that I plan to brush my teeth with bottled water just in case. What you might not know is that this isn't the first time I've come face to face with this little critter.

When I was a canoe guide, we used to purify the lake water to avoid contracting Giardia. Or, as it's known in Canada, 'the Beaver Fever.'

And now you know.

India - the journey officially begins

The journey begins long before stepping foot into the airport. Today we began our preparation for our trip to India. While there are only fifteen students in the class, it is evident that we each have unique experience and interests which guarantees a access to a broad base of knowledge.

There are a number of class deliverables, all of which I'm looking forward to. The basic idea is to become an expert in an industry which operates in India so that when we visit, we are able to gain a deeper understanding of the nuances to conducting business overseas.

We began by looking at Indian culture - or as our professor pointed out, generalizations as our learning experience is based on research, thus is subject to many exceptions. Prior to class, we watched a film called 'Outsourced' in which an American moves to India after his entire department is, you guessed it, outsourced. He encounters many challenges in adapting to his surroundings which led to much class discussion.

I am beyond excited about this trip and learning experience!

Let's Get International

I'm making curry tonight to celebrate Friday's good news. I've been accepted to the Spring Study Tour to India and I'm thrilled about it!

I've always wanted to be a global citizen but haven't travelled as much as I would have liked. I try to go on a trip every couple of years, but I've never been very far East.

One of the interviewers asked me whether I'd ever been in a situation where I encountered culture shock. I can honestly say that I haven't. I've been to Europe and Cuba, but that's not all that different from here. Plus, Toronto is such an international city. I can't wait to go someplace that is really different from home. This isn't going to be a pleasure trip though. We're going to be touring a bunch of different companies in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of how business is done in India and what opportunities might exist once we graduate.

I truly can't wait to be more of a world citizen and I'm thrilled to have been selected for this trip!