Wednesday, August 10, 2011

travels and reflection time


The Emzingo program finished off two weeks ago in Johannesburg. We did formal presentations to our clients and handed in our deliverables. Today is the deadline for our virtual case studies, another part of the Emzingo program. For the virtual case study, we were assigned another client from the Johannesburg area, a client in a different “category” than our principle partner. For example, someone working with a more corporate client for his/her principle project would get a virtual case study partner that is a community-based NGO. The objective was to expose us to as many local actors and experiences as possible. This client and case were “virtual” because the work was intended to be done virtually, via email, with each of the four virtual case study group members working several hours a week to complete the deliverable. I and three other Emzingo-ers worked for the Student ScholarshipProgramme (SSP). Two previous groups of IE Emzingo fellows had already worked for SSP as their principle client. This non-profit organization that provides high school scholarships to high-achieving, lower-income students asked us to improve its communication strategy with its current scholars. We evaluated a mobile communications strategy. Although our time was limited, and thus the depth of our research therefore also restricted, it was an extremely interesting topic because of the current proliferation of mobile phones and social media in emerging markets. 
For my partner and I’s first client, Cheesekids (see previous post “skipping term 3 with Emzingo! as volunteers to have the complete “client experience” of this organization’s biggest annual event. We had a lot of fun, and were again inspired by what momentum Cheesekids has built up.
[cheesekids mandela day video]
For our second client the HUB (see previous post “doing lots of exploring in South Africa, we presented an improvement plan and a marketing strategy for its corporate services offerings. I had a lot of fun working on the marketing materials and communications plan. It was challenging mentally yet enjoyable because I was able to mix creativity with the models I’ve learned at IE in the past 8 months.
Since leaving Joburg, I’ve been traveling with my ex-boyfriend… now fiancée! We toured a diamond mind outside of Pretoria. It was very interesting to see up close, and 800 meters underground, how the backbone of South Africa’s international economy started and continues today. While it would have been a fun story if he had proposed there, he did something even better (I’ll get to that in a minute). We continued on from there to Swaziland, where we had four very relaxing and enjoyable days and got cheap visas for Mozambique. Then we went back to South Africa to visit Kruger Park. The attraction there is the “Big 5”: lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalo. We saw everything but a leopard. Here is definitely the cutest picture of the experience:
After Kruger, we took a bus to Maputo, Mozambique. We only stayed one full day, but had a great tour of the city. It was fun improvising Portuguese from the Spanish and Italian I speak. We then had an authentic Mozambique experience… riding in a group taxi, for 10 hours, from Maputo to Tofo Beach. We were in a van that was crammed with 4 times too many people, plus all our suitcases. To get out at the one and only stop I had to wrestle my legs out from between the bags they were squished between and then climb out the window.
Since arriving in the paradise that is Tofo, however, everything’s been pretty good. I reunited with 9 of the other Emzingo fellows. We had dinner all together the first night here, and after Luis and I returned back to our hostel, we asked me to come sit outside with him for a few minutes. We were talking and looking at the stars when he asked me what was that box on the table… and then he proposed! Since then I’ve been on cloud nine.
From here, we’ll be moving on to Vilanculo, another 300 km more or less up the Mozambique coast, and then we’ll get back to work in Europe.
I’ve been using all the positive energy I’m getting from the sun and the beautiful, crystal clear Indian Ocean water to get a good amount of work done. I’m trying to keep this MBA experience productive! Everyone who does an internship during their IE program has to write a report that includes a strategic analysis section and a section reflecting on personal development. I’m also trying to get my professional personal “marketing materials” ready to send out to companies once I have stable internet after my travels. After the Emzingo program, and this free travel time, I definitely feel like I’ve had an added experience and additional needed time to plan out what I’m good at and what I want to do professionally. More updates on that when I’m back in the northern hemisphere!