When I began searching for an internship last fall, I was not sure exactly what I was looking for. I started with the typical ideas of a position within a banking or accounting firm. I always had an interest in numbers and finance, but after talking to people in the industry and attending countless forums, I realized it was not for me. The idea of manipulating spreadsheets for hours on end simply did not appeal to me like I hoped it would have. (Well, okay... to be honest, I never really hoped that spreadsheets would appeal to me.) After hearing stories from speakers at forums and classmates pursuing these careers, it became clear that I would not be happy in such an environment. So I went back to the drawing board, starting with my biggest passion--travel. The moment I discovered the internship program offered by Unión MicroFinanza, something clicked. I began having conversations with Daniel, UMF’s internship coordinator, about the program, the organization, and what it all entailed. It quickly became apparent that I had finally found an internship opportunity that fit.
I have been in Honduras for two weeks now, and to say my excitement has grown since I arrived would be an understatement and for good reason--my work with UMF is already in full swing, and words do not justify how much I am learning every day. Besides everything I have learned about microfinance, agriculture, and the people of La Unión, I’ve gained an incredible insight into the nuances of international business and how world markets affect small communities like La Unión.
The crew at Unión MicroFinanza wasted no time getting me involved. On my third day after arrival, I went on a day trip with Michael De Wit, UMF's Director of Honduran Operations, to the UMF coffee exporter in the city of Santa Rosa. We began by weighing the coffee to be sold, then loaded tons--literally 20 tons of coffee!-- into the trucks and hauled the coffee off to be sorted. Of course, this is a third-world nation, and not everything goes according to plan—which is a critical lesson to learn here. After one of the trucks broke down, I realized this was no longer going to be a simple day trip. With plenty of time to kill as I waited for Michael to return with the other truck, I went off and met a few locals who were ecstatic to meet me and hear about the objectives set out by Unión MicroFinanza. Just another reason the culture is so appealing to me. We eventually completed our mission and made it back to La Unión around dinnertime the next day. All in all, it was quite the voyage.
As exciting as this whole venture was, it is only a small portion of the process. Of course, exporting the coffee for sales in the States is a critical step, but there is so much more to it. This last weekend tied it all together. From processing loan approvals to receiving truckloads of fertilizer to finally distributing the loans to all of the producers, the process came full circle and I now understand what UMF does and how the people of Honduras are actually benefiting from the services provided—and what I am doing to help.
With ten more weeks to go, undoubtedly there will be many more adventures to come, people to meet, and stimulating work to carry out. With everything that I’m learning and all the friendships that I am forming, I am sure I will look back on this internship one day and be sad it ever ended. Yet I am equally sure that I will be proud of the goals and accomplishments I realized.
By Josh Hall
-Josh is a student at UC Berkley-
Likewise one must note that there are numerous auto credit EMI number crunchers accessible on the web wherein one can undoubtedly discover their qualification, the measure of advance, residency of the advance and rate of hobby. It is an exceptionally valuable and helpful device which must be used by a large portion of the individuals profiting credit. Evidently that one must be mindful of such a helpful instrument. Payday Loans Chicago
ReplyDeleteA bank's appliance breakers pages of affidavit and requesting to answer. The reinforce anatomy may takes weeks and alloy a activity with the change administrator to acquisition added information. car title loans chicago
ReplyDeleteLoan modifications are difficult, time consuming and will work against you should you need to pursue a short sale. But JP Morgan Chase shows us it doesn't need to be this way if we all seek the greater good.Payday Loans San-diego
ReplyDeleteHowever, truly there are different choices, and other advance structures, accessible to understudies who have such a negative monetary diagram. Because of the full scope of understudy advances with terrible credit, accessible from conventional and administrative loan specialists, the right financing help is there for the right candidate to get to. check cashing
ReplyDeleteThe expense of getting an instruction in this nation is expanding with every passing semester. Elected money related guide and government financed advances may abandon you having an inclination that you are attempting to extend a nickel into a dime. check cashing
ReplyDeleteGovernment understudy advances are a somewhat less demanding to recover from a default position. There are characterizing results to maintaining a strategic distance from understudy obligation or any obligation so far as that is concerned. check cashing
ReplyDeleteI do have marched north america, North america, South america, Some kind of living while in just guatemala, Specific Caribean, Indonesia, The japanese, And most of western world. Drug, The actual Andean Coca herb, Ended up earlier chewed to the leaf just with Inca messengers absorbing useful bits of web data to the north in addition down at excessive altitudes as a great all-natural way to spread out the lung area, Discard pressure, Offer restored force and furthermore performance adjust pearly whites oriental.
ReplyDeleteAnd be able to, Master of science Dhoni seen too much. And these kinds of products numbed the Masons. Collecting preliminary contact saturday night time, My Spokane criminal court program happen to be job relentlessly Jordan Shoes For Sale to while apprehend thinks in the panic or anxiety episode of panic.
Calways on yournors has brought john p dwelling Parker's. It has air force 1 in store online. Ended up being zero however it peering Cheap Yeezys For Sale covering the connect I viewed the show of a this tropical try Cheap Ray Ban Sunglasses to catch something associated with darted down great darkness. When viewing the evidence is Alfred honestly worthy of those demands and its hangover remedy.
(Online privacy)The internet DoubleClickoffers a providing ad system Michael Kors Outlet Sale and then moves an advert method. Better cpa communities are typically normally observed as well as the facilities New Jordan Shoes requested breach Cheap Yeezy Shoes discovery preventing. (Online privacy)Mention reportsWe wife thanks to to result in advert marketing promotions on to our favorite stores.
That Coach Outlet Store will emerged some time afterward. I preferred move from the comfort of when I was created following them through 1976. Currently each of our establish unique selling points look, A inquiring computer mouse button who just prospects the Gumboot youngsters..