Day 1

We embarked on our trip on Sunday, March 4th. We all met in the ticket counter of American Airlines between 7:30 and 8:00am at RDU airport. It would be two more hours before we would start boarding the plane. Everyone checked in, sent their luggage through and got their tickets. Then it was off to the terminal, but not before passing through security. As we waited at the gate, we began to talk amongst ourselves. Finally at 9:30 am we boarded the plane destined for Dallas, TX. The flight wasn't too bad. When we arrived in Dallas, the Student Delegates decided to go eat at TGI Fridays for lunch; a taste of US foods before entering the long week of Mexican food. After lunch, we made it on time to our gate, which began boarding a few minutes after our arrival. The flight headed to Mexico City had a little more turbulence, but we made it safely. After getting off the plane we were told to head to Customs, where we waited for about 30 minutes to get through the line as well as through the officers in charged of stamping our passports. We then proceeded to retrieve our luggage and meet up with Ken and Wayne. Finally we made it to the bus, however, Mexico City traffic stalled us at the airport. As we slowly moved from the airport to our hotel, many of us took pictures of the passing landscape.

We arrived at the hotel Sevilla Palace, ready to check in and lay our luggage down, and possibly change our clothes. Later that night we were welcomed by David Stamy with a diner/reception in the restaurant of the hotel. He welcomed everyone participating on the trip with some words of wisdom, our schedule, and our first Mexican diner. The night concluded with a visit to the Palacio de Bellas Artes...in which we watched the Folkloric Ballet perform. After the ballet we arrived at our hotel rooms ready for some very much needed sleep.

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Yesterday we started our journey back towards home. I was really excited to be back in los Estados Unidos (especially because our WOLFPACK is doing so well). We drove out from Puebla to Mexico City. It was a long way, but I had the opportunity to look out the window and think about my week.

Mexico is a very interesting and breathtaking place. I want to improve my Spanish and I am glad that I had a chance to practice. Puebla and Mexico City seem like two different worlds in a lot of ways.

Our corner of Puebla reminded me of a travel brochure. There, I saw an old world meshing beautifully with a new world. A volcano smoking peacefully behind Angelopolis (a mall) would seem strange anywhere else. In Puebla, it was appropriate. Puebla is growing and changing, as is Mexico.

I have learned so much on this trip not only about Mexico, but about humanity and nations in general. Being able to relate to other countries and people is important to creating a better global network. In doing business in Mexico, it is important to reach out to the culture and the people. I think that reaching out to practices in other cultures is important to building relationships.

Travel does something amazing to you. It does more than tire you out and make you go through customs. It opens your eyes to how small you are. That isn't a depressing concept to me, it just shows that as humans, we all need each other in order to make a better world.

With that said, I hope that I can go back, and that I can go other places as well. I want to thank everyone that went on the trip. I don't think that it would have been as enjoyable if we did not have such a diverse group and such great leaders.

It is time for me to go back to reality: my accounting homework

As I pack...

Today, as I bring out my suitcase and start to pack, I can't help but to think that in a couple of hours I will once again be getting on a plane to explore a new country. You would think after traveling to China for three weeks I would be an avid traveler and expert packer. However, the reality it's completely the opposite. I still need to make lists to remember what I need to take and even then I end up packing more than what I will use. It's a little frustrating, especially when you end up buying more than you can pack. :)

I'm currently wondering what to expect from this trip. It's funny, I'm not worried about the hotels, the food, or anything else. I'm actually looking forward to the change in atmosphere and taking in a new perspective in life.

It is officially...T minus 19hrs

Less than two weeks to departure and the excitement builds for our grand adventure. Our Student Delegates have met on several occasions to learn more about the Mexican culture and business climate, develop on-the-ground research projects and receive orientation information. We have been busy developing a NCSU School of Textiles Student Delegation Brochure and searching for small mementos and gifts for our Mexican friends. We leave Sunday, March 3, 2007 and we will hit the ground running.

Blog Launch

Welcome to the Doing Business in Mexico Blog. We are very proud that our students are going on such an amazing trip. We have created this blog for those who are interested to see what our students are experiencing on their trip. You'll see entries by different students as they experience the business atmosphere in Mexico. We hope you find this blog useful and informative!