This post is part of a series following the “Pre-MBA World Tour,” a program of international trips organized by incoming students in the class of 2011.
We started out in Sao Paulo, Brazil to begin the first leg of the World Tour on June 1. Little did we realize our first day would end with bang — Bill Clinton, who was in town to speak at the Ethanol Summit, appeared at the restaurant where we were dining. After some negotiation with the secret service, we managed to steal him and former Brazilian president Fernando Cardoso for some handshakes and pictures. Sao Paulo was an incredible first stop, given the fantastic food, music, diversity, and inviting culture. A fellow 2011 Columbia Business School classmate and Paulista even guided us to his favorite samba locale.
Next, after a few days on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, we took our time crossing the Brazil-Argentina border at Iguazu Falls. We spent one week in Buenos Aires, splurging on great steak and Malbec wine.
Santiago was our next destination. This Chilean city awed us upon arrival with its beautiful backdrop of the snow-covered Andes. Local Columbia Business School alumni took us out for a fantastic dinner and through them we were able to meet the chairman of Banco de Chile, the largest national bank of the country, and a Department of Commerce representative at the U.S. Embassy.
We’re now in La Paz, Bolivia and already the city has been an eye-opener, both in terms of both the breathtaking landscape and the abundance of poverty. We’re headed to Peru next for the final stop of our journey.
Photo courtesy of Genisha Saverimuthu ’11
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