Category: Alejandro

Self-Evalutation

On a traditional grading scale I would assess by performace a B-. During my time as Axis Research I felt as though I did my best to engage myself within the office and become a part of the company instead of a foreigner who will be sitting in for a few months. I did everything I could to learn everyone’s name and have some soft of meaningful contact with everyone in the office. From time to time someone would bring a snack to share with the office like fruit, chocolates or chips. I did my best to take part in this practice and bring watermelon and coffee ever so often to share. As for my work ethic I felt that I did not work my hardest. I feel like there is always room for improvement and growth. In my case, when I came to the major projects Amy and I were assigned, I worked hard and delivered the best product possible. I also was very diligent when I came to showing up to work on time. I do feel like my desire to really make my time in Asia memorable negatively impacted my work output. The weekend trips and late dinners/ after work activities cut into my sleep and recovery time so when it came time to work my energy level and motivation was often low. What I can say is that I developed lasting friendships and I did effectively complete all my assignments on time and to the best of my abilities.

                Future Benefit and Growth

Although my Vietnamese network may not stand the test of time and I do feel like life has a funny way to come back around in circles and at some point my time here in Vietnam will greatly impact some aspect of my life whether it be personal or professional. One great take away benefit I will walk away with is the extensive growth of my Gator network as the 40 of us here in Vietnam now share a bond unlike any other. As for my resume this Abroad internship experience I feel in the first step toward an excellent career path. Being abroad in a foreign country like Vietnam show I am able to thrive in uncomfortable situations. It shows I know the business world I much bigger than the red white and blue, as well as many more things.

                Key Takeaway

• I love HCMC
• Language barriers are an excuse, with enough effort friendships and business deals can thrive
• A smile is a powerful tool in every culture
• The world is filled with kindness
• Travel when your young.
• Making mistakes and getting lost are just a part of the journey

Internship

When this journey began I had many fears. I have a big personality and can often rub people the wrong way. I have often made the mistake of not filtering myself and unapologetically being myself, I tend to always speak my mind. Although some people like this about me because I am direct, genuine and sincere, there are time where is it just best for me to keep quite.

Being self aware I was very stategic about the way I planned on aproaching my internship and integrating myself in the office. Speak with my advisor and taking into account Asian culture I felt it was best for me to take a back seat approach early on and slowly find my footing one day at a time and ease my way in. The whole goal was to not make to much noise and do my best to fit in with the rest of the office.

Like any plan, it failed. I quickly found myself being myself and not taking a back seat. By the second day I was making jokes and voicing my opinion throughout the office. If anyone I was introduced to on the first day did not know who I was by the time the second week came around we are likely to have become good friends. I was myself. I was unapologetically myself with everyone in the office try to make everyone smile and spreading kindness and laughs.

Around the third or fourth week at the office I had my proudest moment. That was when my co-workers were celebrating birthdays and after the lunch we all share we began to take picture and I was right in the middle of all the action. Everyone wanted to share time with me and take pictures. We laughed a lot and I felt like I was part of the office! That moment made me very happy.

As for my greatest professional accomplishment I would like to say it’s the work I completed on the two major projects Amy and I completed but it was not. The most significant accomplishment is the relationship I established with my surpervirors and co-workers which will prove in-valubale far beyond any task I may have completed that could beef up my resume.

As for my take away I guess that would be the reassurance of something I have always felt and practiced throughout my life. Be yourself! If things are meant to work and you are where you belong the best results will stem from you being yourself.

Clients: Can’t work with them can’t work without them

Every business has its obsticles and almost every business in every industry has to deal with dificult clients that make the price of doing business steeper than it needs to be. In the case of my company Clients can really make this dificult and tense at the office. Right now two major clients are currently creating obsitcales and mirco-managing my companies activities to such an extent that its actually undermining the quality of our service. Having taken note of this I have learn that at times it may be best for business to say no to clients, at times one needs to bend to accomidate for dificult clients and in a industry where competition is high and client satifaction is extremely important, you often “have to take it in the chin” and make things work.

SWOT

Strengths

• Company culture
• Government connection
• Quality control
• Flexibiliy
• Enginutiy 

Weaknesses

• Size/Budget
• Long term future
• Team work
• Room for growth

Opportunities

• Technology industry
• Expansion
• Restruturing

Threats

• Change in customer expectation and needs
• Larger firms
• To diversified
• Change of leadership

HCMC Life

WOW !!!! Amazing moments in Saigon. I’ve had a few. Once Kyle and a group of us where out enjoying Ho Chi Minh’s night life. The night was going great and everyone was happy and having a good time. All of a sudden the night errupted (in a good way) when Kyle ran into other Expats. I’m still not sure what the connection was or who they were but together we formed an even larger group than what we were already being that we are 40 UF students. We came together and enjoyed the rest of the night together despite not knowing each other very well. Being abroad brings out the kindness and friendliness in people. This was just a small instance of the kindness Saigon has shares with me and my friends here. Strangers at every corner are ready to help and go above and beyond in order to make one feel at home.

Challenges and Growth

As an intern you expect to be given routine work, in between long periods of time. When registering and coming on board with Axis I knew this would likely be the case. Fortunately, within the first week, I was assigned important relevant assignments. These assignments were exciting and made me feel important, but this sort of work doesn’t often come up for an intern. After I completed these assignments was when the most difficult part of my internship came about. Dealing with a lack of work and finding motivation to complete routine assignments has been my most significant challenge. As an intern it is not your role to demand more important work nor is it your role to shake up the office for personal benefit. As an intern my role is to learn and provide aid in the office when asked to do so. If I were to flip my situation I find that this “downside” to interning is an opportunity to remain prepared for the unexpected as you never know when you will be needed.

The upside – What’s my favorite part about my internship so far?

I love my co-workers, just minutes ago as I was typing up this post I was greeted by one of my co-workers who I have not spoken with often and have a hard time communicating with as English is not forte. Out of the kindness of her heart she brought be a Vietnamese snack that I had tried a few weeks ago but have failed to track down in order to repurchase. This gift was unexpected and greatly appreciated. My other co-workers have also been very inviting, I feel like a part of a giant family and despite only being able to connect with my co-workers at a menial level I am still very grateful for the hospitality they have offered me.

Compared to past experiences I guess I can say it varies. Some places I have felt welcome right away whereas others I felt annexed. So I have a hard time comparing this experience with past ones but what I can say is the love I have felt is unique.

The Food

Oh, Saigon! How good your food has been to me! I cannot choose a single Vietnamese dish and say it has been my absolute favorite. What I can say is that food is one of my passions I love to try cuisine around the world and taste different cultures. Among every style of cooking I have experienced; Vietnamese food is high on that list. As to how high, I am not sure. What I can say is Vietnamese food is delicious, but it does make me miss the taste of home. I try and have Vietnamese food every meal that I can but in order to have a variety I try have different cuisines from time to time. So far my favorite restaurant in Vietnam was an Italian restaurant in District One, Ciao Bella. Because Saigon is a giant city with people from all over the world finding excellent Italian food did not come to a huge surprise. Never the less, the food from this meal I has was absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for the variety of cuisine offered in HCMC.

Current Status/Future Outlook

The last week was less active than what I have become accustomed to here at work. Axis is currently in between projects so things area at a little bit of a stand still. Most of the office is away as we are in negotiations and doing field work for Japanese and Indian clients, respectively. I am still quite pleased with my placement and this down time has given Amy (my fellow intern) and I the opportunity to catch up on our data entry.

As for what I hope to achieve in the coming weeks, I hope to possibly be assigned  one or two more significant projects. My supervisor mentioned to be how I will be working on financial plans and such type of work so I except that to land on my desk sometime soon. I feel as though the company will be trying to tap into my prior entrepreneurial experience and by helping them budget and asses cost for a future project the company has planned. I feel as though I am very good and pointing out the minor problem or hurdles that may come about that without being properly taken care of, could lead to a heavy financial burden. I feel that by sitting down and planning the next project, I will be able to leave my mark here at Axis, as I will be saving them both time and money if I can discover that problem.

Relationships

When it come to the working relationships I have developed with my co-workers/superiors I feel like things couldn’t have gone better. Amy, my fellow intern, and I have an amazing working relationship.  We work well as a team and are constantly trying to get things done and leave a good impression together. Without actually expressing it verbally she and I have decided to impress and succeed at Axis like a team instead of competing and trying to outdo each other. As for my supervisor and I, we both have great people skills and are very active people. Because of this she and I have developed an excellent relationship, we work well together we communicate well and are usually on the same level when it comes to anything and everything. Our communication is very clear and direct in order to ensure no misunderstandings and we are both adamant on constructive criticism.

What I’ve learned?

Although cheesy I have learned that I love HCMC. This city its people and everything about it is amazing I am so happy here and really hope to come back. Other things I’ve learned is that in the future I want a job that requires more people skills and plays to my strengths. I am not opposed to having an office job but what I know I can’t do is sit at a computer all day doing mindless work. If my future career requires me to sit at a computer and have little communication with other people, I know that, that job will have to require a lot of thinking and problem solving. Something that may require research and financial analysis.

Mae Catibog

My supervisor and favorite colleague’s name is Mae Catibog. She is a young independent woman filled with passion for her work and a lot of kindness and desire to give back. Her official title is Research Manager, but it did not take long for me to notice her responsibilities far exceed her official job description. Despite only having lived in Vietnam for three years as she is a Filipino expat, she has quickly become the leader here at Axis Group behind the owners Mr. Minh and Mrs. Hoa. As for her schedule and day to day activities, ever day is different. As of late she has been working out the logistics of dealing with a very difficult client. She is constantly on the phone finding solution to the ridiculous request made by the new client.

My Team

It saddens me to say that my previous team of four including Mae, Amy, Ha and myself is no longer. The other intern, Ha has decided to leave Axis Group for another opportunity. She was Vietnamese but studied in New York. Ha was so kind and it saddens me to say the our team is now down to three.

My Role

I am so pleased with the work I have been assigned. A lot of the information regarding my projects is confidential but what I can confirm is that my work is meaningful, thought provoking and multidimensional. Now not all of my days are full of jam packed action as somedays I am still assigned tasked label as “work for an intern.” Regardless I am not complaining as I have said in previous Journal’s I am very happy with my placement.

Personal Experience

As for my most interesting personal experience in HCMC, I can not pin point one event or one aspect. Our first week we had a random pick up soccer match with Vietnamese locals. That was a lot of fun. The food in the city is better than advertised. It is incredible the kinds of meals you can have for such a low price. The hospitality of the people here in Vietnam is amazing. Everywhere I go I feel safe and Welcome. At every moment when I am struggling due to the language and cultural barriers as well as my general ignorance there is always someone willing to go above and beyond and offer a helping hand.  I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE AND I WILL SAY IT AGAIN. IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND A SEMESTER ABROAD IN VIETNAM. DO IT !!!!

I am so thankful for my placement. After various interviews and less than ideal circumstances somehow everything seems to work out in the end. I have been placed with a company known as Axis Research, Axis Group or even Axis Research Group. If I wasn’t in Vietnam, I could simply tell you I work for a market research firm as an intern but that is not the case. What I have noticed is companies in the east or better said companies in Asia are not stagnant. Axis Research is a perfect example of this, despite being a market research company, my boss Mr. Minh, the owner of the company, has begun to expand the company into a tech-company. Businesses in Vietnam aren’t stubborn in the sense that if they are known or specialize in one industry but see an opportunity in another despite being unrelated they will jump at the opportunity without hesitation. So to tie this all back into my internship, my official tittle is unknown. But I was given a soft guide/ work plan by my supervisor which marks my top two responsibilities as Market Research and Technology Development.

The first task I was assigned was data entry. During my interview my supervisor and I identified the problems the company website had and agreed to tackle this problem together. So my first day I was given endless amounts of data to structure, organize and input into the new/up and coming company website. I was satisfied with the task and despite is being repetitive and exhausting I embraced it and pushed through. I have yet to complete this task now, on day five as day two was a whirlwind. Day two I was approached by my boss and supervisor and prompted with the task of developing the concept for an app. A lot of the information is confidential and I am not allowed to go into detail. Let’s just say this task was very exciting very important and this one project alone has made the trip to Vietnam for an internship worthwhile. When speaking with my colleagues we came to the conclusion that coming to Vietnam and interning here is a breath of fresh air compared to interning in the U.S. Back home most internships result in busy work, unimportant work or running around getting someone coffee. Here in Vietnam I feel like I am important from day one I was given a voice, I was given the opportunity to make an impact on this company and really showcase what I am capable of.

Being that I’ve only been here for a week I have yet to grasp all the aspects of the companies culture. What I can say is you can directly correlate this companies success to the way Mr. Minh and Mrs. Hoa operate their business. From the few conversations I’ve had with my co-workers they all seem to be very happy with their situation and hold Mr. Minh and Mrs. Hua in high regard.

Another interesting point I’d like to make is how humble the company operates and communicates despite being extremely successful in my eyes. When asked, the company is refers itself as medium size. When in reality they employee over 50 full time employees, 1000 part time employees and have multiple offices across Vietnam. More over they are an extremely well respected in Vietnam and have excellent working relationship with very large clients as well as the Vietnamese government. Just to name a few, their client list includes but is not limited to: Toyota, Sony, Nestle, UNIQLO, Levi’s and more.

Mr. Long

Our tour guide Mr. Long was the most culturally informative component of our entire first week. He often went into detail on many aspects of Vietnamese Culture that a Westerner would have a very difficult time discovering on his/her own. When we would arrive at the various destinations, he had planned for us, he would provide stimulating facts on various subjects. Some of the most memorable moments include our visit to the Vietcong tunnel system, the world-famous Vietnamese water puppet show and our snake wine tasting.

First Impressions – HCMC

            I love Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). The city, culture, people, food and more have far exceeded my expectations. I am so happy with the selections. This megacity has something new to offer at every corner. During the first few days we visited the French district, here in Ho Chi Minh city, and explored the area thoroughly spending almost an entire day at attraction like the French Cathedral and French Post Office. Around this same area we explored a shopping leisure area I which I found emulated Las Ramblas of Barcelona. Later in the week we return to this very same district near the very same areas we ventured only to discover even more great sights to see. During our second walking tour of this district we spent time at a local park learn foot badminton from locals, walked the streets of a famous book market and took an elevator 36 storied to a roof top bar with an excellent view of the entire city as well as a glass bridge that scared even the bravest of us.

Questions

 Although we have gone over this many times, I am still uneasy about the tipping culture. Although in most instances tip is not required and often rejected there have been instances where tipping is appropriate, or I feel the service is worthy of it. What is the customary tipping amount? Is this an ignorant question? I feel like this may also be one of my American habits that I have that I am just having a very hard time breaking.

How does the Vietnamese work place compare to the American work place? What sort of relationships are developed in the Vietnamese work place? Is it appropriate to ask my colleagues or bosses out to happy hour after work?

Often when we travel, we find ourselves researching some superficial information of what to expect when landing, only to find that the information was wrong, stereotypical or only half true. UF in Ho Chi Minh City’s predeparture week long course is extremely through. We dive deep into the influences and inner workings on Vietnamese culture and learn useful and practical information that is not only educational but also quite interesting. While looking at Vietnams culture we not only learn about what people are like across the globe, but we also learn a lot about a complex culture found in the “west.” American Culture. I find we as Americans often finding ourselves repeating the phrase ‘America doesn’t have culture.’ We couldn’t be more wrong. Despite not being able to attest for rich history and traditions, American Culture is alive and well. We as Americans are very friendly, by some cultural standards too friendly. Americans wear their emotions on their face, we smile, we frown, and god forbid we express our frustrations.

Surprises and Difference

I will fact check at a later moment but not only in Vietnamese Culture but in Asian Culture there is a practice that translates directly to “showing face.” It is culturally inappropriate to ever show face, in other words, always hold your poker face (keep face). Your emotions are to be kept to yourself. Know I am by no means an expert on Vietnamese/Asian culture but from my understanding what makes breaking character so wrong is this underlying cultural norm of always presenting you best self. Why? You are not an individual everything you do can either bring honor or shame to your family and linage. Family comes first in Vietnamese culture, you come second. Now this is a practice that for anyone who has met or encounter an Asian American family will not find surprising. I agree, this information wasn’t new to me despite not having research or studied it before. What is new to be is understating how we are different.

I don’t want it sound like I’m speaking bad about my own culture but compared to the rest of the world, Americans smile a lot. We smile to every person we make eye contact with, we smile when we don’t understand something and want to appear attentive, we smile when someone offends us in an attempt to not be rude, we even smile when we are in pain, you know, laugh it off. There is nothing wrong with smiling but the more you begin to travel East the more you’ll find your smile is not reciprocated. People will find you weird, stupid or maybe even crazy. I imagine there are instances where some cultures when exposed to smiling a American are reminded of DC Comic’s infamous villain The Joker.

Similarities  

From my research, despite our origins being very different I feel as though I can almost guarantee that Americans and Southern Vietnamese share a passion for consumerism and capitalism. We like brands and global products we enjoy taking in what the world has to offer and enjoy indulging. We like to shop and wear nice clothes.  The United States is the largest market in the world and that is why it is rare for one to find products that cannot be purchased in the United States. We may think we are special when I come to our specialty stores and luxurious shopping malls, but we aren’t. Vietnam despite just recently experience significant economic growth benefits from many if not all the luxuries we have in the United States. This included famous brands like Gucci, Nike and Louis Viton. The reason you’ll find these brands very present in Vietnam is that there is money in Vietnam. There is a market for these products. The people who live in this rapidly growing nation have expensive taste.

Expectations

As for my expectations I feel like to begin I will have a hard time making connections and developing relationship with native Vietnamese. This will likely be a great learning experience as when I am able to make a connection with someone it is almost immediate. Where as in Vietnam I expect to experience an awkward period before my co-workers being to warm up to me and look at me like a friend.

As for the idea concept of keeping face, this will also prove to be a challenge. I know I am able to behave seriously and try and suppress my emotions, but I like to smile. I conduct myself by normal standards in the. United States where you try and smile as often as possible and when making eye contact a smile is a great way to begin a relationship.

Lastly for the consumerist culture we’ll find in Vietnam, I expect to really embrace and make the most out of it. I fully expect to eat out every meal and do some extensive bargaining at the markets where I can find discounted products both for my relatives and myself.