Twenty-three students traveled to Georgia and Armenia over spring break for a Global Insight Expedition (GIX). Global Insight Expeditions offer students opportunities to travel to a variety of countries to learn how business is done around the world. They learn about each country's unique business environment, opportunities for social entrepreneurship, and the role of business people in addressing social challenges.
By Parthi Duraisamy T’16
Parthi grew up in Kochi, India and moved to Singapore after high school. He graduated from National University of Singapore in 2009 with a degree in electrical engineering. Before Tuck, he worked for Barclays Investment Bank in London. He will be heading back to London to work at McKinsey & Company for the summer.
Imagine you are in a quaint, serene village on the top of a hill surrounded by a stunning valley. You are sitting by a long, wooden dining table and are listening to ancient Georgian polyphonic singing. You are surrounded by gorgeous brick walls adorned with antique Georgian artifacts. Then you are served some of the best wines in the world, fermented and aged in qvevris (clay vessels lined with beeswax and buried in the earth). To add to the splendor, you are served a delicious, ten-course Georgian meal.
This was just one of the many amazing moments we had during our spring break GIX (Global Insight Expedition) to Georgia and Armenia. Observing and experiencing how food and wine are deeply connected to the Caucasus’ culture helped us understand the region on a personal level. We learned the art of toasting during meals. Toasts that helped us learn so much more about ourselves and our peers, and the profundity of which gently teased out a tear or two.
The Georgian leg of the trip was led by Lizzie Napier T'91, associate director in the Career Development Office. Her father was Georgian and her grandfather was a leader of the 1924 Georgian uprising against the communists. She is extremely well connected in Georgia and this helped her curate an itinerary that finely balanced our cultural, political, and business exposures. Be it having a cigar with a Tuck alum _with_the_Tamada_(toastmaster)_giving_his_first_toast_of_the_evening_500_333.jpg)
who is a majority investor in several of the largest companies in Georgia (Irakli Rukhadze T'92), or having tea with the CEO of the largest tea company in Georgia (Mikheil Chkuaseli), or toasting with the man who founded one of the largest banks in Georgia (Mamuka Khazaradze), we were humbled to meet so many of these highly successful leaders. What surprised me most was how honest, direct, and genuinely interested they were in talking to us.
The Armenian leg of the trip was led by Steve Powell, professor of business administration, and Nick Bazarian T’15. They both have ancestral roots in Armenia and experiencing the country together with them was incredible. One of the highlights was meeting with the chief of staff to the president of Armenia, Vigen Sargsyan, who gave us an overview of the history and politics of Armenia. We also sat together for a case discussion with MBA students of the American University of Armenia (AUA). We were pleasantly surprised with the hospitality of the AUA students who took us out every night and also bid us farewell when we left Armenia. Just when we thought the trip couldn’t get any better, it did—we travelled back to Georgia in a soviet-era Russian train. The snail’s pace of the train didn’t stop us from celebrating the end of our magnificent trip all night long.
I experienced so much singing, so much dancing, and so much camaraderie during my time in Georgia and Armenia. I learned not just about business, but also about life, from the wonderful people of the Caucasus. I have been fortunate to travel to more than 40 countries, but this trip has been one of the best, if not the best!
Hear from other Tuckies on their Global Insight Expeditions: India, Israel, South Africa, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Main photo: Tuckies in Sighnaghi, Georgia.
Middle photo: A gathering at Pheasant's Tears Winery.
Bottom photo: Tuckies pictured with Mikheil Chkuaseli, CEO at Geoplant Ltd, former minister of finance of Georgia, and governor of Guria Region, Georgia; Tamara Kirvalidze, director for external relations media communications at TBC Bank; and Mamuka Khazaradze, chairman at TBC Bank. Photo taken at Chateau Mukhrani by Nick Bazarian T'15.