A deep dive into developing economies #LifeasaNyenrodian

Rick Stigter, Full-time MSc in Management student, shares his experience attending the elective courses of Latin American Outlook at Nyenrode's partner university: IEEM Business School, Universidad de Montevide.

'This autumn, I was offered the opportunity to attend a series of elective courses at IEEM Escuela de Negocios, in Montevideo, Uruguay. This three-week adventure offered opportunities to go abroad and meet people from all over the world while learning about the ins and outs of the Latin American (Latam) business environment.


 

The Latam Outlook program consisted of a number of elective courses of the MBA program at IEEM which were open for international students. In fact, many professors were associates of foreign universities from the United States, Mexico and Spain. We were challenged by cases that were written by them or on their fields of expertise. Given that we were a group of around 25 students with various educational and working backgrounds, we engaged in active and interesting discussions. Most of all, the social environment of young professionals set the courses in a professional spotlight.

Apart from the education, traveling to South America alone was a unique experience. With no knowledge of the Spanish language whatsoever, asking for cheese in the supermarket turned out to be a challenging undertaking. Friends I met in Montevideo showed me some local bars and explained me their culture, drinks, and food. If you happen to be in Uruguay, try a chivito and asado!

Montevideo is a capital with an interesting history and diverse culture. Its harbor still serves as a major logistics center, like it did during the colonial era. Even though the sea is rather cold in spring, the people of Montevideo enjoy the beaches and the boulevard (rambla) for sports, social gatherings and drinking mate. An interesting, and shocking, fact is that there are no native inhabitants of Uruguay anymore, because they were all murdered during the period of colonization. This explains the very diverse population of the country, originating from Italy, Spain and other (mostly European) countries.

Argentina is also around the corner, and even though there was not enough time to see everything, I took the opportunity to take a peek in Buenos Aires in one weekend!

All in all, the journey to Uruguay has been a unique experience, from a business, educational and cultural perspective. Nyenrode’s partnerships with universities all over the world have once again proven very valuable for me! Anyone getting a similar opportunity during their studies should absolutely take it!'

Doing a Master or starting your career in the global labor market? Discover the Nyenrode MSc in Management program here.