Day 34

Saturday....our trip starts today...All of us are happy to get back home but at the same time sad to leave the group and Asia. Luckily we were allowed to check out late this morning. WE did not have to be out of our rooms until 1 am. Then the bus picked us up at 3 pm and took us to Hanoi where we boarded our late flight to Seoul.

-Youssef

Day 33

Today, we had to do our presentations. These presentations are to fulfill the BA 3250 requirement. After very insightful and good presentations it was time to get lunch in teams. We talked and discussed what could be done to improve this program. After lunch, it was free time for everyone to enjoy the last moment we still had in Asia.

-Youssef

Day 32

Today everyone had a free day to prepare the group presentations for the BUS 3250 class. Some groups met early in the morning, because they wanted to have rest or have fun in the evening, and some teams had to meet in the evening because their group members went to kayaking. Everyone enjoyed working with groups because the subject of the presentation was really interesting. In the evening everyone met each other in the swimming pool of the hotel. We were enjoying our last days in Asia.

-Mher

Day 31

Wednesday started out rather unpleasantly with a four-hour bus ride. Luckily, the destination was worth the ride. We were driving from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay where we were going to take a cruise on the Bay. Although the scenery from the bus was beautiful, most of us slept through it all, awaking only when we arrived at the hotel so we could change into our swimsuits and take off again for the cruise. Our boat for the cruise was perfect for the experience. The downstairs had tables where we were able to enjoy a fresh seafood lunch. After lunch, many of us went upstairs to enjoy the view. The beauty was truly indescribable although I will do my best to do so. We were surrounded by mountains that jutted out of nowhere. Everything was green and fresh looking. The water, although dirty, was vast and inviting. It was amazing to sit on the upper level of the boat simply breathing in the fresh air, feeling the sunshine on your face, relaxing and forgetting all the worries of homework and looming presentations. 


We enjoyed the cruise for a bit and then the boat docked on an island where we had the option of either swimming or hiking to the pagoda at the top of the island. We had heard that the water was not very good for swimming, and although it was really salty and dirty looking, many of us chose to swim anyway. We swam from buoy to buoy, played games, and just enjoyed the chance to play around in the water. It was hard to leave the water to get back on the boat but luckily the cruise wasn’t over yet. After swimming we went to another island where we hiked up to a gorgeous cave. 


There were stalactites and stalactites throughout the cave that had developed over hundreds of years. It was amazing to walk through and see what nature had done. After the cave we returned to the boat, went back to the city and were treated to another seafood dinner. Although it was sad to see the boat trip end, it was amazing to at least be able to enjoy it for as long as we did. Ha Long Bay is beautiful, and Wednesday was the perfect day of wonder and exploration before the stress of presentations and homework set in.

-Nikell-

Day 30

Our last Tuesday in Asia… I am surprised at just how fast the time has gone by.

Today we started the day by going to the US Embassy in Hanoi to meet with a few members of the U.S. Commercial Services. In our meeting, it was discussed how it is that businesses from the United States can enter the market and begin to do business with Vietnam. It was an especially good visit because our hosts were more than willing to answer all of our various questions—from the movement of the population from rural to urban areas to the internal corruption and how it is being dealt with. I thought that it was very interesting to hear how involved they have been in helping to write and implement policies that are helping Vietnam to promote trade and establish a more business friendly environment.

After lunch it was time for the final visit of the program. We went to VITAS the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association. VITAS is a nongovernmental association that works primarily in the textile and garment industry in Vietnam. All together there are over 1000 members both direct and informative members across Vietnam making up more than 70% of the industry. The association represents the industry and serves as a bridge between the industry and the outside world. I thought that it was a good visit because we had heard so much about the importance of textiles in the Vietnamese economy and we finally had a chance to experience it all firsthand.

After the visit we had the opportunity to go to a war museum. It was interesting to be able to see how different conflicts are viewed from the different perspectives of the opposing sides. I especially enjoyed seeing a somewhat abstract presentation of the American War, as it is called here in Vietnam. It consisted of pieces of a crashed American plane stood, stacked, and heaped—showing the destruction and devastation of the American forces that fought here. Unfortunately we were not able to make it through the whole museum before it closed for the evening.

In retrospect this study abroad program has been a wonderful experience for learning and fun cultural exposure. I am grateful for the chance that I have had to participate and learn so much. I hope that those that are able to come to Asia in the future will have an equally enjoyable and fulfilling time. Thank you to all of those that have made this experience possible for my peers and me. 

P.S. I would like to wish a Happy Birthday to Claire, one of the program participants.


-Adam

Day 29

We visited the National Economics University (NEU).  We were introduced to the university and learned about its history.  We were given lectures on the business environment in Vietnam.  We were also given advice on how to start business operations in Vietnam.  We discovered that some business practices in Vietnam may be considered unethical in the United States.  For example, it is quite customary in Vietnam to pay government officials “fees” (bribes) to facilitate business. 

 

The University hosted lunch at a nearby restaurant.  We had a buffet of Western and Vietnamese foods, including spring rolls and fried squid.  During the lunch we were able to interact with students from the University.  We learned about the differences in teaching and student life in Vietnam.

We then went to the Hanoi Hilton.  We were able to tour cells that American soldiers were kept in during the Vietnam War (known as the American War in Vietnam).  We saw dishes, clothing, and games from the prison.  We watched short films depicting the war from the perspective of the Vietnamese. 

After the visit we had free time to explore Hanoi.  Some of the students met back up with the students from NEU to get tours of the city.  Other activities included watching a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show, visiting museums, and, of course, shopping.  

-Jill-

Day 28

Sunday—Free day!  I started out the day by heading to church.  The cab driver we had couldn’t find the address we gave him, so a drive that should have taken 30-45 minutes ended up taking about 75.  He stopped and talked to at least a half a dozen people (the best of which was when he woke up another cab driver to ask for directions).  We finally found church when we spotted a white man in a suit driving a minivan.  We told the cab driver to stop, I jumped out of the car, ran to this man’s window and asked if he was LDS.  Turned out he was and so he was able to direct us to church.

After church we ate lunch, and headed back to the hotel for the afternoon.  Most of us had homework we needed to get done.  For many of us, this afternoon was the first afternoon so far this trip they weren’t out sightseeing.  As we get closer to the end of the trip, we’re starting to realize how many things we have to get done before the trip is over.

Following this respite, we went to the water puppet show down by the lake in central Hanoi.  The bright colors and fluid movement of the puppets made the show very enjoyable to watch.  While the show wasn’t exactly what we expected, it was a lot of fun to get out and see a part of the Vietnamese culture we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.  Plus, the band that accompanied the show was fantastic.

We ended the day by wandering around the local markets and getting dinner.  The place we ate seated us on an outside balcony.  It’s absolutely amazing to me how hot and humid the city is…even at night.  Thank heaven for ac!

-Stephanie

Day 27

100 degrees, but it felt like 110 according to the heat index. The city of Hanoi is mostly dead in the afternoon because it is just too hot. The nightlife, however, is insane. People everywhere. More shops than you can imagine. Crossing the roads here is an extremely advanced game of Frogger. Scooters and cars zoom by and they don't even have stop lights or stop signs at 90% of the intersections. That's right, just honk your horn to let everyone know you are coming.

Christian was the hero of the day as he chased down a would-be thief to retrieve Jamie's snatched camera. Other than that, it was a non-eventful day of shopping and dining.

-Craig

Day 26

It was our last day in Hong Kong. In the morning we went to OOCL, an ocean freight company, and learned about shipping and logistics from a global company. It was interesting to talk to a company in an industry that had been hit especially tough in this economic downturn. They had to sell off sections of their company in order to have enough cash to stay afloat. When consumers stop spending as much money, there is less of a demand for the shipment of goods. Andy Tung, the COO, talked about the leadtime in building a ship and how that effects business for such a long time. Prices have gone down a little on ship building, but they are such a large investment that does not come for 3 years or so, that if you pick the wrong time to buy them, you may have to live with it for the rest of the time you work there; even 25-30 years later. How would you like to be the planner and decision maker on that?

We then went and visited the HKTDC, which helps the small to medium sized businesses of Hong Kong succeed in a global economy. The trip was nearly cancelled due to some miscommunications, but the faculty fixed the problem and we enjoyed a quick, yet impressive visit. They have offices set up all over the world to help facilitate their clients and they provide world-class services. It was interesting to see how many of the businesses in Hong Kong fall into the small and medium sized sector: 95%.
 Then it was off to Vietnam. It hit everyone pretty hard going from such a westernized country to Vietnam, but we are keeping good attitudes.

-Craig

Day 25

This Thursday we had a free day. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted to. The group was in need of free day in Hong Kong because it is a beautiful city. Couple of students preferred to go to the market and buy souvenirs and knock off products. The other half preferred to walk around the city and explore the culture of the Hong Kong. Everyone was sad, because we had to leave Hong Kong the next day.

Day 24

Wednesday was a day we were all looking forward to – Hong Kong Disneyland! We started the day with a meeting in Disney University inside the main Hong Kong Disneyland Offices. In the meeting we were able to discuss the way that Disney has adapted business to work within Asian culture. It was interesting to hear about Disney’s efforts to maintain Disney culture and incorporate Asian culture at the same time. One great example of this was the Star Employee program. Disney culture encourages positive reinforcement for employees, they value good work and give praise for it. In order to incorporate this into Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney created a program that recognizes positive actions of employees. As our speaker pointed out, at first this was difficult for the employees to be comfortable with but as the program grew, employees got more and more excited about the compliments that they received. The Disney culture of positive reinforcement was able to flow into the Asian cultured employees.

After our meeting, we were given park tickets and then taken on a tour of Disneyland. As our guide pointed out, it was designed to look and feel just like every other Disney park in the world, and it did. After the tour we were given the rest of the day free to wander the park or do whatever we wanted. Although the park was smaller than Disneyland in the States, the majority of us chose to stay and play. We had fun just wandering and riding the rides. Space Mountain was a big hit, most of us rode it at least four times. The crowds were small, the rides were fun and the atmosphere was exciting. All in all, the day at Disneyland was great.
-Nikell-

Day 23

After an early start, we began the hour drive from Guilin, China to the Li River. As we drove we were able to admire the landscape that had been hidden the previous night when we arrived. There were relatively tall and pointed rock formations protruding from the grassy fields all over. Little did we know that it was only a taste of what we were going to soon experience during a river curse down the Li. The landscape and scenery of the Li River is supposed to be some of the most beautiful in the whole of China, and we were going to be lucky enough to see it firsthand.



After boarding a fairly large river boat, we set out. As we floated slowly forward, one of the crew announced to not open the windows on the lower deck and to keep them locked when on the upper decks. It didn’t make  a whole lot of sense till about five minutes later when floating merchants pulled up alongside of the boat on little bamboo rafts. They were excitedly trying to sell various items. That’s when it struck me: you can’t go anywhere in China, not even on the water, without someone trying to sell you something.


As foretold, the landscape did not disappoint and was very picturesque. The green mountainous hills surrounded our view as we snaked down the river and there were many great moments to take pictures.  It also provided a relaxing break from the city environment and mentality that we have become accustomed to during our different visits. It was easy to see why the government has pictured a scene from the Li River on the back of the $20 Yuan.
 

After exiting the cruise, we began to walk up to the main road from the river. We hadn’t gone ten feet before we encountered yet another market. Similar to the other ones that we have visited, this one too had a large variety of goods at negotiable prices. We paused there momentarily before getting back on the bus. Not long after boarding, we were on our way to the airport and Hong Kong.

As we drove through the lovely green countryside with its grassy fields and rolling hills, the whole day seemed almost surreal. It had been a great day filled with wonderful scenery and time to really enjoy the beauties of China. I am glad that we took time to take it all in. After having floated down the Li River, I would have to say that a study abroad like ours would be incomplete without such an experience.


-Adam

Day 22

Today was one of our latest starts thus far (10:30 AM). Many students took advantage and slept in. We stopped at a large grocery store, similar to Wal-Mart. It was interesting to compare Western and Chinese grocery stores. For example, meat was sold without packages. Seafood was sold incredibly fresh. Customers grab nets to catch live fish. The fish are then taken to a counter where they are killed and bagged; some fish were sold still living!

We then traveled to Key Safety Systems, a manufacturer of airbags, seatbelts, and steering wheels. During our introduction our presenter, an expatriate from America, told us about the challenges he faced doing business in a different country. In China, for example, it is very difficult for companies to lay off workers. After the discussion we toured Key Safety’s plant. We saw various product tests, including vibration and humidity. We visited the Dummy Room, where we saw an entire family of dummies, including women, men, and children. We toured the assembly plant. We saw how Key Safety has implemented various lean management principles, including U-shaped layouts and visual management.

After the visit we departed for Guilin. Our tour guide, Cindy, greeted us and told us about the city. We arrived at the Eva Inn around 9:30 PM. Many of us went straight to bed, but others explored the city.  

-Jill

Day 21

As with all of our Sundays, today was another free day.  Different groups of people spent the day doing different things, but most people spent this day hitting up the famous sights of Shanghai.  For me this meant going to see the famous TV Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Shanghai.  While I didn’t go up the tower (as it was a little on the expensive side), I heard the view from the top was great.  The two largest buildings in Shanghai (the taller of which is the second tallest building in the world) were close by and as they were less expensive, most people that went up one of the buildings went to one of these.

In between walking through all of these buildings we found this absolutely beautiful little park.  It wasw so nice to see a great patch of green amongst all the grey of the city (I don’t think we saw blue sky the whole time we were there, and while the skyscrapers do have some color variation, mostly they just look grey). 

Another attraction of the city was the Yuen Garden….for those that could find it.  The garden is surrounded by a market with a horde of small shops.  While a few groups were able to find the actual garden, my group became hopelessly lost in the maze of stores.  Not to despair, all turned out well—one member of the group was able to find a suitcase (for all of the goods purchased while here in Asia) and another got a winter coat as a result of our wanderings.  That’s one thing I think everyone has loved about China—a lot of great inexpensive shopping.

And for the exciting part of the day—today we had a birthday!  That’s right, Angie celebrated her 19^th birthday in Shanghai.  For her, there couldn’t have been a more wonderful birthday present.  So, to celebrate, we treated her to an Asian dish called hot pot.  Everyone has a bowl of broth full of spices and herbs boiling on a burner in front of them.  The pot is then used to cook the meal—meat, vegetables, noodles…all kinds of things can be cooked in the hot pot and then eaten.  Happy Birthday Angie!

-Stephanie

Day 20

Today we were on our way to a new city, Wuxi. The trip from Shanghai to Wuxi was about two hours. The Wuxi project is a joint project between USU and Wuxi city. One of the biggest lakes of the city has become so polluted that people of the region were without fresh water. The project is trying to clean up the lake., in cooperation with USU.

We also visited a university and had great presentations about the city's culture and history.

After a very hot day we were on our way back to Shanghai.

-Youssef

Day 19

The day started with a visit at Zhongdu Seeds, which is a company that creates new seeds and sell it to farmers. The seeds are usually made for certain markets depending on taste, population preference, agricultural conditions etc. It was really interesting to see the integration of biology in business again.

After the visit, we went to a Chinese Wal-mart. It was really interesting to see the differences and similarities in between a Chinese and American Walmart. While in there, it definitely felt like we were in a Walmart. The famous Walmart smiley face was present in every corner of the store, but Walmart did also adapt to the local market. People can buy fresh fish, it is so fresh that it is still alive before the customers buys it. Also a lot of the products were not packaged, so people can buy as much as they want depending on the amount they need.

After visiting Walmart and having lunch there, we were off to Fortune Venture. Fortune Venture is a company that makes parts for other manufacturing companies. This presentation was probably one of the best we had so far. Catherine Lee the CEO of the company give us maybe one of the best leadership lectures ever. She made sure to answer our expectations out of the presentation and not just waste our time.

After such a great presentation, we were on our way to the hotel. 

-Youssef-

Day 18

This Thursday we we left Xi'an for Shanghai. Everyone was excited to see Shanghai, but at the same time everyone loved Xi'an. After arriving to Shanghai, we settled in our hotel, which was one of the best Hotels so far. After the check-in we had a small lunch time because we had a visit at ICON. We met with ICON's sales manager in Asia and Austraila. He was a graduate of Utah State University. After a great discussion, we had an opportunity to explore the malls of Shanghai and compared those with mall's in United States. The Sales Manager of ICON showed us the main differences between States and China. After the excursion in the mall, we had a chance to ask him questions about doing business in China. Everyone got answers for their questions and we were ready to go back to Hotel, because everyone wanted to see the largest city in China. 

-Mher-

Announcement

To our beloved readers,

Due to less than desirable internet connection speed we were not able to post pictures along our post. We are now in Shanghai and the internet connection is a lot faster. I have posted some pictures and more will be coming soon.

We all really hope you are enjoying following us throughout our trip.

Best,

Youssef Filali

Day 17

Wednesday was our chance to give back, to show our appreciation for the opportunities we have enjoyed in China. We went out to the Children’s Village, toured the village, and taught a lesson in the school. The Children’s Village is a community of children who’s parents are in prison. These kids live at the Village until their parents are released. It was so sad to see these poor children but it was nice to be able to give back, to try to help at least for an afternoon. We were divided into our groups and each group was assigned to come up with a “lesson plan” that would take approximately 20 minutes. We had all sorts of games going on. Some groups played hangman, some played duck-duck-goose, and some played Four-Corners. Although everything didn’t go exactly as planned, seeing as the kids were about 10 years older than we had expected so our plans had to be altered slightly. With a bit of creativity however, the kids loved it. It was amazing to us how much a simple game, a game that would have bored teenagers in the US, was so interesting to these kids. They had never played games like these so it was all a new experience to them. Through the games we were able to see them open up, to really get to know them and understand them better. Our group had one little boy that came back three times. He would wait until we had started introductions and sneak in and sit in the back. It was fun to have him there so much because each time he got more brave, each time he started talking more and interacting with us more. These kids truly appreciated us being there. Even though we just played games and talked with them, they soaked up the experience and loved it…and we did too. On the bus after we all compared what we had done, told stories of our favorite kids and passed around our favorite pictures. It was an awesome experience for us to be able to give back to the children of this country that we have all come to appreciate so much.

-Nikell-

Experiencing South America!

A group of 34 of us students have been learning and playing in South America for the past two weeks, and have three weeks left to go! :) I think it'd be a fair statement representing all of us to say we've been having the time of our lives!

Chile was amazing. We stayed in Santiago, Vina del Mar, and Valpraiso. During our time in Chile, we had some amazing visits including our visit to Banco Santander. Here's our group in the bridge walkway of Banco Santander.



We also visited the U.S. Embassy in Chile, Weir Minerals, the Catholic Universidad de Valpraiso, and shipping ports at Valpraiso.

We've been learning and studying hard, but we've had time to play as well! It has been great to enjoy and embrace the culture. While in Chile, we saw some amazing architecture and enjoyed using some of our Spanish skills, and... the food. :) Chile is absolutely beautiful. Our first weekend, we went tidepooling in Ventenna, just up the Chilean coast.

Brasil has been great so far! We've been able to visit Natura, Azul, OGLOBO, and Petrobras, learning the operations and processes for different companies and meeting with business professionals. Here we are at Azul!

Our hotel in Rio de Janiero is a few blocks from Copacabana Beach, and it is incredible. We were able to go on a jeep tour through an Atlantic forest and see some exotic plants and wildlife... such as monkeys!!

It is amazing how much we've been able to pack in to these past two weeks!! Chile and Brasil are incredible, and we're all excited to work with the people and start our projects in Peru!

-Will

Day 16

Today we started our business visits by going to SearchSino—a research and consulting company owned by our gracious host Manor and his partner Ed Britton. Here we were exposed to just how business is conducted in China. It was a very formal and very different from what you would expect coming from a business visit in the United States. We had a tour of the building which included an explanation of the various signs that marked the different rooms. Instead of just labeling the rooms they all had different phrases that were symbolic of the goals and direction of the business. Here they also did a demonstration of a focus group that they would normally use to get opinions and a fresh perspective for their clients.




Next we had the privilege of seeing another of Manor’s business ventures called TelePark. The idea revolves around a smart parking lot that electronically detects cars and allows drivers to pay for their parking with their cell phone. I thought that it was very interesting and has the potential of further streamlining city parking problems.

Afterwards a small group of students were selected to go with Manor and Ed to lunch followed by a very cool visit to one of Xi’an’s government buildings. We were privileged to a small tour that briefly covered the history and culture of the city and province. It was extremely interesting and ended with the exquisite gift of hand-made Chinese fans painted personally for us by some of Xi’an’s most distinguished and revered artists. I felt honored just to watch the masters work, but then to get one of the fans was exceptionally special.

Next we took a ride through the beautiful countryside to the base of one of the closest mountains. There we visited the Buddhist temple that is traditionally viewed as the location of where a specific sect of Buddhism started. I thought that it was different from all of the other temples that we had previously visited. It was more secluded and peaceful. Instead of being a tourist attraction this temple was secluded and only had a few people there, but those few people had a great reverence and respect that was felt by us foreigners. Though a major part of the buildings were under renovation and hardly presentable, it has become my favorite holy sites visited up to this point in the trip. After thanking Manor and Ed for being such gracious hosts we departed and left for the hotel.


-Adam-

A couple of interesting videos

Chile, Vinha del Mar

This was crazy

Day 15

We visited the Xi’an Chamber of Commerce.  Our arrival was greatly anticipated; as we departed our bus, there were photographers all around us.  The Dean met with the Vice Governor of the Shaanxi Province and exchanged gifts.  The Dean received a large vase. He, in turn, gave the governor a Jon M. Huntsman School of Business Padfolio, a Utah tour book, and a Utah State University pen.  The Dean gave a speech on strategy to us and around 200 members of the Xi’an Chamber of Commerce.  After his speech, the Dean answered questions about the United States and the financial crisis.

We also visited an agricultural base.  Our visit was also greatly anticipated, as we were greeted by a large poster and numerous employees.  Our tour guide, Helen, showed us some of the base’s highlights.  We saw a stone that brings good luck to those who touch it.  We toured the largest stone museum in the province.  We saw a tea ceremony, and some of us were able to try dragon tea.  We played badminton and ping pong (two of China’s most popular sports) at a recreational facility built for students studying at the base.  We tried peaches, apricots, cherries, bananas, and a variety of nuts all grown at the facility.  We walked by pig and fish farms.  Our visit was very interesting and fun.

-Jill