Chile: Eavan Bobbe
Program: BusinessHub Market Analyst Internship, Summer
To explore international internship options available to UW-Madison undergraduate students, visit the Intern Abroad webpage or meet with an Intern Abroad advisor.
Eavan’s Majors: Economics, International Studies, Spanish
Describe your internship, research, or fieldwork and how the experience helped advance your career or studies.
I have been interning at a company called BusinessHub Consultants as a market analyst. My company works with businesses outside of Latin America who are looking to expand into the Latin American market. While we mainly work with companies from the U.S. we also assist companies in the UK and Hong Kong. During my short time here (2 months has absolutely flown by) I have worked on business partner identification reports doing research to identify international partners for our clients, sat in on meetings, and conducted calls with clients and potential partners. I have also created multiple market assessment reports for clients by utilizing customs data and completing research and analysis to advise our clients on entering the market in whichever sector and country in South America that is applicable. This experience has been amazing professionally because of the hands-on learning approach that has allowed me to work on my own projects as a valued team member. I have also become comfortable in utilizing online platforms common in the field like Jira and Apollo, as well as different customs databases. This is all very valuable experience for excelling in future positions.
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
The travel I have been able to do while in South America has been incredible and invaluable. I have been so blessed to be able to take full advantage of my proximity to beautiful landscapes and diverse environments within my limited time. I took a weekend trip to San Pedro de Atacama, a 2 hour flight north of Santiago to Calama and a short bus ride there after, and spent time in the most arid desert in the world. I went with my colleague after only knowing her for a short time and we became very close and experienced seeing llamas, flamingos, and doing a very challenging but absolutely brilliant bike ride and hike through the national park on a trail called Devil’s Throat. I have gone to 3 different coastal cities as well and enjoyed seeing the ocean and beach despite it being winter here. I am also going to travel to Buenos Aires before returning to the US. Overall, my trip to San Pedro de Atacama is one of the best and most beautiful experiences I have ever had.
This experience has been amazing professionally because of the hands-on learning approach that has allowed me to work on my own projects as a valued team member.
How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?
Santiago is not a very diverse city. There has been a recent influx of immigrants from Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru in recent years so there is cultural diversity, but ethnically it is dominantly Hispanic. This does mean that white and black people stick out here. It is not often that I think about the color of my skin in the US, a country built for people who look like me, so developing an awareness for it, feeling and looking out of place, has been a new and interesting experience for me. That being said, it has not made me feel discriminated against or unsafe. The factors that add to the danger here would be acting like an annoying and loud American, as a foreigner you are a more obvious target for theft or being mugged, but that can be applicable anywhere in the world. Be aware of your surroundings, mind your volume (Americans are notoriously loud), and just use common sense about traveling alone at night and staying in more populated areas.
What is your advice for someone considering your program?
Don’t be scared of not having all the answers or all the information. You will not know how to do everything right away. Whether that be knowing how to use public transport, local slang and language, currency, work-related tasks, everything and anything! Embrace not knowing and the vulnerability that accompanies that. Learn from everything and everyone around you.
What is a custom, food or tradition from your host country that you are taking forward?
Taking time for meals is something that I have learned to embrace and appreciate here. This may not be a universal experience for everyone in Chile, but in general with my Chilean friends and hosts and coworkers I have been encouraged to take more time at breakfast and lunch to slow down and eat and communicate. One part of it is definitely learning to slow down and not always be moving and going and rushing. This is a very time-centric cultural experience in work-centric countries, especially prevalent in the US, Japan, and Germany. This has helped me start my day in a more peaceful headspace and enjoy the little moments. The other part of taking time for meals is that food is about community. I sit down with my roommate for breakfast or coworkers at lunch and we gather around food, but share ourselves with each other. I am being reminded of how important community and slowing down from the fast-paced world is and taking those sentiments home with me.