Experience story of Joep Obdam.
On the 26th of February I went to the country of tequila, sombrero’s and mustaches; Mexico! At least, those were my first thoughts which came up when I heard about Mexico. Soon I realized Mexico was far more than only these thoughts. Mexico has a lot to offer, it is a beautiful country. Not only because of its beautiful beaches, natural resorts and pyramids, but most of all, because of the different kinds of people and traditions you can find there. The Mexican culture is in all ways different from the cultures in Europe which is great to experience!
When I arrived in Mexico two Mexicans from the local AIESEC committee picked me up at the airport and started to explain all the basic things I needed to know about Mexico. The first week I spent with Jorge from the AIESEC committee. He introduced me to all of his friends, the other trainees and people from work. In the first week I met lots of new friends from all around the world who were all inviting me immediately for all kinds of activities. I ate with their families, I spent nights in bars with them, I travelled together around in Mexico etc.. In the four months I was in Mexico I wasn’t bored for even one minute! AIESEC made me feel comfortable from the moment I arrived. AIESEC was not only helping me to integrate with the social communities in Mexico, but they also helped me with arranging my VISA, my salaries and, for example, my vaccinations. They told me to call them as soon as possible even when I had a tiny little problem! Of course they didn’t help me always immediately, I think that was part of the Mexican culture, but the intention was there.
AIESEC helped me in finding an internship at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Mexico-City. I liked this internship because it was a prestigious job in accounting at a big multinational. During my internship I was helping people from, for example, Canada who were working in Mexico and who had to pay Mexican taxes. We worked in teams, which was great. There was a competitive atmosphere, people were very ambitious, but at the same time my colleagues helped me with every question I had and were very flexible. I always had lunch with the other trainees from all over the world from different departments in PwC. We created a very cozy and nice environment for everybody. I was saying “yes” to all invitations I received from my friends in Mexico. By doing this I was able to discover easily the way of living in Mexico. For example, in Holland everybody is always in a hurry and has a tight schedule. In Mexico this is not the case. The traditional Mexicans (but also my friends from Latin America) don’t respect time. In Mexico the idea of being too late is not like 5 minutes, but they start feeling uncomfortable when they are 45 minutes or more too late. I had to get used to this concept, but when you are waiting one time like 30 minutes, you will make sure it will not happen again. Mexicans are very friendly and will always find some time free to start a conversation. They are very hospitable and they are open to meet new people. Every weekend I tried to travel to another city, just to see as much as possible from Mexico. When I finished my internship I made longer trips to the beaches and natural resorts which were amazing. You can see things in Mexico which you cannot see anywhere else. You can see the people changing when you are travelling through different parts of the country which makes it very interesting to try to start a conversation with them. During my stay in Mexico I discussed a lot the differences between the poor and rich (which is huge), nationalism, ambition, politics, economics and, for example, the differences in opportunities for Dutch and Mexican people or another part of the world.
Some remarkable things of Mexico-City: Mexico-City is one of the biggest cities in the world, you can find the biggest and most prestigious buildings, but at the same time you can find people living on the streets begging for money or food; in Mexico-City you can buy food on every corner, because the typical Mexican likes to eat a lot and during all day; walking on your own on the streets after 10 pm is too dangerous, the criminal rates are enormous. All these little things made a huge personal impact. I discovered a part of the world I haven’t seen before. It is really different from Europe and even sometimes it makes you feel guilty, for example, because in Holland everything is arranged very well, you can choose your own future path and there are lots of opportunities for everybody, but in Mexico the poor people don’t even go to school, or some students cannot go to study abroad, because they don’t have the money for it or will never get a VISA. During my experience I learned a lot about different cultures and every moment helped me understanding more the different views of life in the world. I would recommend this experience to everybody. Going abroad with AIESEC opens your mind and is a great experience!
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