‘Like home – but with Spanish subtitles’The summer break provided an opportunity for some much-needed rest, though it flew by quickly. For those of us who remained in Lausanne, it was an opportunity to hit the gym consistently. Those of us who were still pushing on formed a tribe around that.
With the start of the semester came the initial joys of reunion and exchanging holiday stories. However, an underlying sense of unease – perhaps unsurprisingly – loomed overhead as job-hunting season officially began. It would be unusual to go three days without being asked about your progress on that front and comparing notes. The CDC (Career Development Center) has been acting as the go-between, much to our appreciation, and engaging us and firms (local and foreign), but as December draws closer the final push is essentially up to us.
The next big items on the calendar were the discovery trip to Argentina (another group went to Dubai), and the International Consultancy Projects (ICP). We have only just got back from Argentina. I for one greatly appreciated the abundance on the local menu; on several occasions, we ordered meals only to find out their portions were essentially for two! Just another challenge one must face in life as an aspiring leader.
The theme of the trip dealt with managing volatility and uncertainty. You could easily have a prejudiced, exaggerated mindset entering the country, but over the course of the trip, I realized it was much like back home, but with Spanish subtitles (thankfully I had roughly 20 words of Spanish in my arsenal). Volatility, though not as high, is also a part of Ghanaian day-to-day life. Everyone seems to know what to do when the dollar rises, and how to adjust in our unstable economy. We quickly learned that, to an Argentinian, volatility is what it is, and they roll with the punches. Economists and tactical geniuses abound throughout the citizenry. Amid adversity, there are opportunities to profit, innovate, and forge alliances to survive.
On a more sentimental note, you will find that the little things are held dear. Football and ‘asado’ are a constant, even in low-income areas, and spending time with family is the cherry on top. With that being said, we were able to catch the Boca-Tigres match that Sunday, seated among hundreds of passionate fans.
Looking forward, I am eagerly anticipating the ICP project we will be working on since it perfectly aligns with a future pet social project I want to work on. I will take great pleasure in being part of an effort to implement a first-of-its-kind financial instrument to fund the tertiary education of sub-Saharan African students.
