Before this trip, my knowledge about Brazil was limited to tourist sites like “Christ the Redeemer” and “Copacabana beach,” football, and the Olympics. It was my first time outside Asia. It was exciting and at the same time nerve-wracking. It was good that I had Rowena (my classmate) with me during the trip.

Upon arriving at the airport, the first challenge I faced was the language barrier. Thank God there was Uber and a patient, cheerful driver. The main language in Brazil is Portuguese and there is only a small percentage of the people who can speak English. Despite having difficulty communicating with us, the people tried their best to help us with any questions we had.

FGV-EAESP faculty was also very accommodating and helpful in answering our questions not only about our academics but also they also showed us the best places to visit in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (a must-see place).

“Doing Business in Brazil” was the main theme of Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV-EAESP) during the Global Network Advanced Management (GNAM) Week. I was exposed to the big Brazilian Case where our class went through Brazil’s historical, cultural, political, financial, and economical position. We also toured the city and saw the beautiful sites in Sao Paulo. We then toured the Natura company and saw first-hand how the concept of triple bottom line was practiced–from manufacturing to operations.

My trip to Brazil was an eye-opener and one of a kind. It leveled up my thinking and opened up the possibility of collaborating with other cultures.

Karen Rose “Krid” Dacanay is a student from Master in Business Administration 2017.

Country – Brazil

College name – Escola de Administração da Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP)

Number of students in the GNAM batch – 23

Visa: No visa for Filipinos

Airfare: PHP 77000

Lodging: PHP 11000

Food: PHP 5000 (we had free lunch and snacks from the school)