By: Snita Menon
I am in my final semester in the Evening MBA program and wanted to always take a class on Emerging Economies with Prof. Lyles, which I always thought would be a great experience to have and learn more about management consulting in developing countries.
The journey so far has been great. We started off with a mesmerizing cultural introduction to Monrovia through an extremely invigorating dance performance and touring the major historical sites in the city. I have noticed that people love to have a great social circle and are extremely welcoming. While I knew I was visiting a city which is slowly rising from civil conflict, I saw that people are happy and patriotic about the place. This was displayed in the church visit on Sunday. They were very warm and inviting. People’s passion and happiness was clearly displayed in the way they conducted the songs at the church. I truly had a great time. The Liberian food is hearty combination of meat and seafood and due to my dietary habits, I probably could not take advantage of the delicious combination of spices. The city has a potential to become a tourist attraction due to the West Atlantic coast.
Amidst the deep consulting meetings and interviews, we tend to end our day winding down and having a group meal along the beach side and that’s one of the most amazing part of the trip. The gushing waves and the pinkish haze on the clouds together provide a nice calming down effect. The experience so far has been really meaningful and makes me appreciate of what we are fortunate to have back home but also reminds me about the fact that people still survive without certain things like internet and electricity for some parts which according to us are very basic. It is an eye opener and brings its own unique challenges while trying to put together problem solutions for such situations.
It was inspiring to see a delegation of doctors and assistants coming from the US to help out the hospital and learn from them their experiences. Given that they have the ability to serve people, I am very glad to see that people are motivated to serve the less fortunate and help them in the best possible way.
We have been very fortunate to get a taste of so many cuisines and wide variety of food options which was one of the main concerns I had traveling to the country.
Oh well!! The travel experience is incomplete without experiencing the food and culture from the locals and I am glad we have been able to do that.
I am looking forward to creating an impact to the hospital through the learnings from myself and the group and spending some time exploring the city before heading back to the US.