Howdy from Mauritius!
My name is Julia Martin, and I?m doing an international internship this summer with CIBS. My program is organized through AIESEC, a non-profit with branches in universities around the world, which matches students with internships abroad. Through the A&M branch I got matched with a microfinance project in the country of Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean! Mauritius was both a French and British colony in the past, and so French and English are spoken here. The majority of the population speaks Creole. I would call Mauritius a second world country- developed, but not excessively so, and with visible signs of poverty. I?ve been here about a week and a half already, and I love getting to see the natural beauty of the island as well as learn about local business practices.
There are about 100 interns here from around the world, and it has been a really cool opportunity to learn about living and working with people from different cultures. I?ve lived in Texas my whole life, and so I?ve always been in environments where people at least know about Texas A&M. I got a shock the first time I said something about Johnny Manziel, and nobody knew who he was. They told me, ?you keep talking about this Heisman thing like it?s a big deal; I don?t even know what it is?!
A few days ago I got to meet the local entrepreneur I?ll be working with throughout my time here. Her name is Marylene, and she makes fried noodles from her home to sell at fairs and events. She wants to expand her business, but doesn?t know how. So our team sat down with her and asked her all kinds of questions about her costs, revenues, operations, investment in the business, and future goals. We?ll use that information to write an analysis of her current situation, as well as recommendations for how to expand most effectively. If she needs capital for equipment or marketing purposes, we?ll give her a small loan interest-free. We?ll work with her to set up a repayment plan and then monitor her situation for the rest of our time on the island. I?m excited to get to know Marylene even better and hopefully do some good for her family, as well as keep learning about this incredible island!
Julia