21 May 2018
The reward for the teams with the highest grades on the Doing International Business in Emerging Markets course was a trip to Colombia to meet our clients. This proved to be a powerful incentive, and in April 2018, the top three teams departed for Medellin. This is the adventure that we had!
Day 1
Day one started bright and early with the group meeting at 3am at Edinburgh airport, coffees in hand to keep us awake. Unfortunately, due to technical problems with the plane we came rather close to missing our flight from Amsterdam to Panama City, but luckily we made it with minutes to spare. After a long flight, we were picked up at Medellin’s airport and stepping out of the terminal was our first shock: the humidity and heat was a far cry from the cold misty morning we had left behind in Edinburgh! As we drove into the Medellin valley, we were all mesmerised by the thousands of twinkling lights and the beauty of the valley at night. We stayed at the Hotel du Parc Royal in Medellin and had beautiful city views.
Day 2
We woke up to a beautiful, warm day in Medellin and after trying some delicious artisan roasted Colombian coffee (truly exceptional), we were met by Professor Simon Harris, who was our project lecturer. We walked to the and marvelled at the change in scenery—brightly coloured buildings framed against the hustle and bustle of an emerging economy. We presented our projects to a class of International Business students and had some great questions and answer sessions with them. We also met with one of the clients, Hugger Island, who create “hugger” teddies and positive stories to help the healing process of children exposed to trauma and violence.
We stayed for lunch at the 60-year-old university and were given a tour of the grounds. We marvelled at the open plan layout of the campus buildings and how the cafeteria embraced outdoor living. Furthermore, during the 2-hour lunch break each day, all students and staff are encouraged to pursue an interest, hobby or sport. We watched a group playing football and heard some instruments being played. We were impressed by the work-life balance the university instills in its students.
We then headed across to Papelcard, a client who we had worked with on a consultancy project in the first semester. To get there, we rode the metro and then walked through the suburbs. We were intrigued by the mix of urban and rural: for example, cows in the city.
Papelcard welcomed us with ice cream and cards made in the factory. We then listened to a talk from the founders about the company and the innovative activities they are involved in. We also heard about how they have implemented the strategy suggested by the team of students from the University of Edinburgh.
We went on a tour of the factory with some of the warm and friendly employees of Papelcard.
That evening we headed out for dinner, which involved eating plantain tacos. Plantain is a popular part of most meals in Colombia – be it fried for breakfast or made into a taco for dinner – it is delicious. After dinner we went salsa dancing with the founder of Hugger Island.
Day 3
After a tasty breakfast sampling Colombian fruits and delicious Colombian coffee, we caught the metro to Comuna 13, which used to be the most dangerous comuna (suburb) in Medellin. Comuna 13 is also known as San Javier and at one time had very high homicide rates. It is located in the west of the city and the houses are densely built into the hillside. It used to host a lot of gang, paramilitary and guerilla activity. It was also strategically important because gangs could control access to the San Juan Highway and so held power over the transport of guns, drugs and money.
We went on a tour and heard about the tumultuous history of the comuna. We also witnessed its regeneration and how it has risen to become a tourist area with a more unified community. At one point in the tour we slid down a slide to remind us to enjoy the small things in life, to forgive easily and to have fun like children again! We all enjoyed sliding down the slide!
The graffiti on the tour was impressive in terms of size and use of colour. The graffiti told a story and showed how the comuna has risen up since the end of the violence.
During the tour we stopped for some delicious ice creams with fresh mango and coconut when a large storm hit, and we got drenched! At the end of the tour we were given a short lesson in graffiti and had the opportunity to create some of our own!
We then caught the metro back across the city and went to visit Babalύ, an activewear manufacturer which was also involved in the consulting projects. Before we met Babalύ, we stopped for a traditional Colombian lunch consisting of plantain, beans, chicken and egg.
We were given a tour of the factory and learnt more about the company’s strategic ambitions, and the care they put into ensuring the quality of the products.
That evening we went out for dinner and enjoyed a warm evening sitting out on a balcony listening to the city buzzing!
Day 4
We went on a day trip to the Piedra del Penol and Guatape region of Colombia. After a traditional Colombian breakfast, and some phenomenal coffee with chocolatey undertones, we took a boat ride on the Guatape Lake and cruised past Pablo Escobar’s summer home, which is now abandoned.
We climbed the Piedra del Penol (675 steps to the top) and enjoyed some stunning views of the region before heading down the rock for lunch and ice cream.
To finish off the lovely day exploring the region, we went to Guatape – one of the most colourful towns in the world and enjoyed strolling around taking photos, drinking coffee and eating fresh fruit in the glorious afternoon sun.
It was a good day and we were blessed with good weather, good food and great company!
Day 5
On our final morning in Medellin, we headed to a local coffee café who serve and sell sustainable coffee. It was delicious and the perfect way to end off a wonderful trip to an incredible country! It was an amazing experience and we were grateful for the opportunity to travel to another continent and experience a new culture.
Highlights and Key Takeaways
- Getting to know each other more and learning more about the diverse backgrounds of the members of the MSc IBEM class
- Meeting our clients from the consulting project, seeing the work they do and hearing how our projects have had a positive impact on the company
- Trying Colombian food and coffee
- The graffiti tour and witnessing the positive improvements and urban re-generation project in action
- Riding the metro and enjoying the views of the vast valley that Medellin is in
Natasha Lynne Ashley, MSc International Business and Emerging Markets