We started off today with a trip down the street to KPMG China, which I was really excited about because I will be working for KPMG in two countries this summer (the United States and South Africa). It was really excited to hear Mark Lavalle talk about his experience as an expat in China with my future employer; he and his team of other senior managers talked about their unique reasons for being in China, most of which had something to do with developing both themselves and the local office. I know from personal experience that KPMG always strives to make its international network of member firms more cohesive, and seeing the Chinese firm operate with such similar values and culture to other offices I have visited in the world was really exciting for me. After the presentation we had the opportunity to eat lunch with Mark, and he was also extremely easy to talk to. He provided a very honest perspective on both challenges and perquisites of being a westerner in a country like China, many of which regarded his family and their opportunities/compromises as a result of living outside of the United States. As someone interested in possibly being an expatriate myself, I took this insight to heart and will hopefully be able to use Mr. Lavalle as a resource should an opportunity like this arise during my career.
After lunch we headed to our final corporate visit of the trip, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). As a result of a unique network connection with Calvin’s father, our group had the opportunity to tour a very high tech facility that quite honestly looked like something out of a movie. Everyone had to wear special suits, shoes, gloves, and hairnets, as well as enter through an air shower to ensure that no dust particles got on the silicon wafers. We saw how the company employed a strategic combination of automation and manual labor to create the lowest possibility for errors in the manufacturing process. Following this was a presentation more on the business aspects of the company including an analysis of its strategic position compared to competitors like Intel and Texas Instruments.
Our final event of the trip was a farewell dinner at Banana Leaf where we had one last great meal and a lot of fun dancing around. We took the opportunity to present our chaperones with gifts from the World Expo and say some final goodbyes. Looking back on my goals before the trip, I can confidently say that believe I accomplished them all throughout our stay in China. After this trip, I hope to use my new knowledge and professional skills to be a better performer this summer as an intern as well as next year as I finish out my senior year in college.
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