The night before the trip began I found myself tossing and turning unable to sleep. Weather this was excitement or fear the nerves that kept me awake will never have an explanation.

Upon arrival in Auckland I found that all of us New Zealand student immediately got along as if we already knew each other. I had no idea what to expect as I had never left my home country, but what I discovered as we arrived in Argentina is how amazing the world can be outside of New Zealand. The plane ride to Buenos Aries was a sleepless ride of anticipation, which I would later regret as I found how useful the rest would have been. As we drove to our hotel, I found myself captivated looking out the window, taking in my new environment. On the first day we met the four Argentine students who would accompany us during the week, of whom we also hit it off with. A visit to the New Zealand embassy gave me a taste of how the rest of the week would play out. For a majority of the rest of the week we attended business meetings of which we learnt about business in Argentina, this information we would use for our business challenge at the end of the week.

Although I may have been quite in some meetings, I found myself taking something away from every meeting, observing and learning more by the meeting. Overall I left our final meeting with an in depth understanding of business in Argentina and the Argentinian market, ready and excited to begin our business challenge. Every morning during the week we would attend language and culture classes that we all found enjoyable and fun, with no class being dull and every class allowing us to interact with the language better and better throughout the week. The week was an intense experience that never had a dull moment, whether we were learning about the culture of Argentina, attending meetings or focusing on our business challenge. Some of my highlights from the trip included a few things, one being the people I met. From the moment all the New Zealand students met we got along, and over the week we developed a close relationship, creating a friendship that will last beyond this trip. This is the same with the Argentine students, who were so warm and welcoming to us during our stay. Another highlight was really improving my understanding of business.

At the beginning of the week I realized how many gaps I had in my knowledge of business overall, particularly in terms of economics. At times I found myself sitting back and observing, obsoring so much information that I know will be useful in my future as an entrepreneur. Every meeting I learnt something new and really broaden my views and knowledge on international business and business as a whole. Over all the trip to me had so much sentimental value. It was the first time I’ve ever left New Zealand and I can’t think of a better way to begin my traveling experience. Not only was I immersed in such an amazing culture but I was also able to focus on something I love which is business. This was an experience I’ll never forget and something that will stick with me for all my life. I could never thank the YES programme enough for this opportunity.