 Just days after ending Mod 3 in the Car Barn, we landed in Shanghai for the Global Integrative - disoriented after a 14 hour flight into a whole new world.
From the airport, we piled into minivan taxis, bypassing the more exciting routes into the city (such as the high-speed train favored by the intrepid Professors Rivoli and Romanelli). Yet, it was still a spectacular entry, as miles of flat and dreary country (flecked with gray expanses of concrete) gave way to a futuristic cityscape - bright lights, busy streets, and skyscrapers.
Although we had spent the previous six weeks learning about modern China, we spent the taxi ride with our
mouths open and eyes round.
"The culture we encountered in China was amazing," said Neal Mathuran (MBA '08), who worked on a project for TriggerLA.com, a digital advertising firm. "This was one of the best experiences of my life... even the pop music in the nightclubs was surprisingly good."
After some slight confusion (involving our complete ignorance of Chinese and the driver's unshakable belief that we were staying at the Meridien), we finally arrived at our hotel and leaped right into the first event organized by the MSB faculty. This was a welcome dinner, attended by Chinese business students and Georgetown alumni, as well as the tour group and translators who we got to know well throughout the week.
Our week in Shanghai filled up very quickly. At the outset, we were whisked off to Shanghai's well-known
skyline - the Bund. Here on the river's edge, we took our Georgetown group photo, much to the interest of a small crowd that gathered to watch us. Unfortunately, it was raining and much of the skyline behind us was lost in clouds.
Other events during the week included visits to a garment factory, a steel factory, and an urban planning center. We also had talks by Georgetown alumni and Chinese entrepreneurs. Among the most memorable of this latter group was a businessman who spoke through a translator about his humble beginnings in rural China, the secrets of his subsequent success, and his passionate feelings about the payment (or lack) of any form of tax.
There were also many great meals, particularly at a memorable dumpling restaurant in the old part of Shanghai. Here many of us discovered how to haggle in Chinese. This involves much pointing, punching numbers into calculators, and pretending to walk out of shops in a huff.
All in all, the week in China constituted what will be one of our most lasting memories of the Georgetown MBA experience. It was an unforgettable time, particularly because we were part of such a cosmopolitan group of students, all of whom were clearly open to and delighted by new experiences - even the vaguely disconcerting ones like being offered a scorpion or a dog kebab at the markets!
By Samyukta Bhowmick, MBA '08
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