Its Not Better or Worse, Its

Just Different
Reflecting on My International Trip
Experience in Latin America

Stephanie Adamec
Lindner Honors-PLUS Program to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil

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As the weeks counted downgetting closer and closer to March 12 thmy preparation
for my LHP International Trip to Latin America culminated in the drive to the airport. Before a
trip such as this, Ive always felt a mixture of emotion. Ive always felt nervous, excited, or
scared. Honestly, during that drive to the airport I really wasnt feeling anything at all. I could
tell this trip was going to be different than anything I had ever done before.
I credit this lack of feeling to three years of build-up. Three years of knowing I would be
leaving the United States for forty days, one year of knowing our class would be the first trip to
Latin America, four months of planning my groups extra ten days, and two weeks of packing
and shopping for everything and anything I might need.
I kept waiting for the excitement to hit me. But it never did. As we walked through the
streets of Santiago, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and even Sao Paulo, it just felt like another day
in the life of Stephanie Adamec. Wouldnt that be incredible if this trip was truly a normal
occurrence in my life? That is undoubtedly a life I would like to live. Throughout the trip, I could
not fathom someone else not feeling the same way about travel. But as I looked around at my
other classmates, I observed that most people did not feel the same way as me. There were
people in our class who did not enjoy the trip to the same extent and in the same way that I did.
After discussing takeaways of the trip with other classmates, I noticed that we all had
similar business insights into Latin America. We all noticed differences between Latin America
and the United States in the relationship between the government and businesses, the rampant
corrupt ionpolitically and individually, and the view of the wealth gap. On the other hand, each
of us had different personal insights about our lives and careers. Many people found themselves
questioning their career paths, while others felt more confident than ever in their choice. How is

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it possible that twenty-four individuals could go on the exact same trip but have completely
different experiences and interpretations?

How My World View Fits Into Reality

I was born travelingquite literally. I always use I was born in Malaysia and my
passport was maxed out before I was four years old as my fun fact in social situations, but I
truly think it is one of the most important aspects about me. Which is interesting, because it is
not anything I have any control over. This fun fact has played a huge role in the way I view the
world, how I handled the international trip, and ultimately what I learned.
I realize that most people were not born abroad so they simply do not have the same
experiences as me. Being born in another country than the United States is not an experience
someone can simply go back and get, such as visiting the Louvre or going to Africa. Having this
unique experience was by far the biggest difference between myself and my classmates; I was
forced to come to terms with this distinction during the trip. At times my differences made me
feel misunderstood and isolated from my classmates. I sometimes even felt superior because my
experience is generally worldlier than others. Throughout the course of the trip, culminating in
the Proctor & Gamble visit, I realized that my experiences dont make me better than my
classmates. I just have a different perspective than them. And no one perspective is inherently
more important or valuable than another because all contribute to the world in which we live.
This lesson represents what I learned during the trip as a whole. Ultimately, our world is
made up of seven billion different interpretations and reactions to the exact same thing. Each and
every one of those seven billion people make our continents and countries unique. While there is
a strong regional identification of the countries in Latin America, not one of them is exactly

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identical to one another. There were definitely distinct differences between Chile, Argentina, and
Brazil. Even within those countries, people of different citiessuch as Sao Paulo and Rio de
Janeirolive completely different lifestyles. Therefore, each of those seven billion perspectives
are inherently important in shaping our world, and none of them should be discounted.
This brings up an important question: how can these seven billion interpretations be so
different from one another?

The Defining Factor: How History Affects Culture

Our history is what shapes these differences in how people of a certain country or region
interpret the world around us. In many ways, America has a fundamentally different history from
Latin America. While both areas were colonized and then gained independence from their
respective European rulers, the history from that point on could not be more different. There are
two main distinctions between the histories of the countries we visited in Latin America and the
United States. The first is the impact of Spanish (and in Brazils case, Portuguese) rule,
specifically through widespread Catholicism. The second is the effect of military dictatorships in
political and economic development of the countries. Both of these distinctions account for the
main cultural differences.
While exploring each of the cities on our trip, I could immediately see the influence of
colonization by the Spanish and Portuguese through Catholicism. Every cities main site was
their national cathedral. It was beautifully maintained and even a tourist attraction. Every few
blocks there would be ornate cathedrals paying tribute to the religions importance in the
countries history. During our lectures, we learned that 40% of the worlds Catholics reside in
Latin America, with most of the countries Catholic population hovering about 70% of the total

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population. The stronghold remains in place from the colonization of Latin American countries
by Spain and Portugal beginning in the early 16th century. While Catholicism has a presence in
the US, it was not nearly as important in the development of the culture in the US as
Protestantism was which didnt become present in the country until the late 20th century.
While Catholicisms grip on Latin America is slowly weakening over time, the strong
morality that comes with the religion is very much present. While we were in Chile, the lower
Congress had just voted to allow abortion in cases of rape, disability, and where the mothers life
was threatened. Both Argentina and Brazil have similar laws in place, with no indication that
abortion will be completely legalized because of the strong Catholic influence. Religion and
government are very much entangled in social issues, but also in individual interactions.
Family is one of the most important aspects of Latin American culture which stems from
the Catholic focus on family. This clearly has led to a very collectivist culture. On weekends,
individuals solely spend time with familyin parks, museums, and shopping. Many young
adults dont move out of their parents homes until they get married. They attend college close to
home and take care of their extended families. While family is also important in the United
States, there is a must stronger emphasis on the individual versus society as a whole.
Since the Spanish and Portuguese began colonizing Latin America in the early 1500s,
Catholicism has played an important role in the culture and daily lives of the people living there.
Its effects add to the extremely strong collectivist mentality that characterizes the culture. This is
a huge departure from the culture of the United States. With Protestantism came a greater sense
of individualism and self-determination as well as a higher religious tolerance to those who
settled in the area, something Latin Americans were not given. They were forced to convert or

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face death. While the colonization of the Americas appeared to be the same, the cultures that
stemmed off in Latin America and the US is markedly different because of religion.
Aside from the Catholic influence in Latin America, the military dictatorships of the 20 th
century played a crucial role in the development of culture in Latin America. As Americans, it is
extremely hard to fathom having a dictatorship overtake a democracy. It is even more difficult to
understand the effects that these dictatorships have on daily life. Ironically, we learned that the
US played a role in the overthrow of some of the democratically elected leaders in Latin America
because of fears of the spread of communism in the world.
We learned a lot in Argentina about the military dictatorship, or junta, which resulted in
thirty thousand Argentines disappearing. However, similar human rights violations such as these
were being committed during the dictatorships in all of the countries we visited. Because of these
government sponsored kidnappings and murders, citizens fundamentally and systematically
distrust their government. This mistrust seeps throughout the culture, leading to a reliance and
dependence on society as a whole to solve problems. People of Latin America still desire the
government to address these issues, which is an interesting paradox of Latin American peoples.
However, it explains the massive and far reaching government bureaucracy, even though
inhabitants of these countries do not necessarily believe the government does an effective job at
solving these problems.
Remembering these injustices is a very important part of daily life. In Argentina, nearly
every lecturer referenced The Disappeared, those who were taken and killed by the military
junta. It is obvious that these struggles are engrained into the fabric of who Argentines are. This
creates a strong bond, uniting them with a common experience and struggle. The terrorist attack

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of 9/11 is the closest comparable event that Americans have experiences, but it wasnt nearly as
widespread and impactful as the military dictatorship.
This is yet another reason Latin American culture is on the complete opposite spectrum of
collectivism from the United States. In the US, there is also general skepticism of the
governments effectiveness but not to nearly the same extent. While the US government has
committed a few gross injustices, these arent as important to the fabric of who Americans are
nor are they common knowledge. Ultimately, Americans believe it is their duty as individuals to
solve societal problems and not the government.
History defines us. It makes us who we are and influences our actions, behaviors, and
preferences. Latin America, specifically Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, is very much defined by its
colonization and the influence of Catholicism as well as the military dictatorships that took place
within the government. It is clear that these factors, among many others, play an important role
in the formation of contemporary Latin American culture.

Whats Shaping Culture in the 21st Century: Government Corruption and the Impact on
Business
To put it simply, Latin America is not in a very good economic position. While it has
been recovering recently and there are a few countries which are defying this trendnamely,
Chile and Mexicotwo of the largest countries and economies that make up Latin America,
Brazil and Argentina, have been facing horrendous economic situations. There is one common
characteristic that all the countries we visited sharegovernment corruption.

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Even Chile, one of the most economically stable countries in Latin America has been dealing
with corruption through the latest scandal of President Bachelets son and daughter-in-law. While
there is no evidence of her involvement and she has gone so far as to replace her entire cabinet,
Chileans do not trust her. In the months since she was elected for her second term, her approval
ratings have plummeted nearly thirty points. This kind of drop is astonishing, and reveals an
important trend, not just in Chile but in the rest of Latin America too.
At Nidera, Debora Telles, the head of Corporate Social Responsibility, informed us that
Argentina ranked in the bottom fifty of countries for public corruption. They arent alone.
President Rousseff was recently impeached by the lower congress of Brazil for involvement in
the Petrobras scandal. At Agora, we were told about the realities of living in a country like
Brazil. Many people have become so tired of the corruption that they would rather not elect a
politician to public office. So they elected a comedian to Congress. So many issues plague these
countries because of the fraudeducation, healthcare, and the effect on business. But ultimately,
it only continued to damage the diminishing trust the people have in their government.
While spending time with my host family in Concepcion, we discussed the systematic
distrust of Latin American people. This was a common theme on the trip, mentioned in every
single country, typically on multiple different visits. It is very much a cultural phenomenon,
beginning with colonization, becoming worse because of the military juntas, and finally
culminating in the government corruption scandals of modern times. This corruption is so large
and far reaching that it is making it extremely difficult for business to function correctly within
society.
With the growing global trend of corporate social responsibility, businesses are beginning
to take matters into their own hands. Debora of Nidera put it best, there are no successful

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companies in failed societies because of the importance of the people that companies serve and
impact on a daily basis. Natura is one of the companies leading that charge in Latin America by
developing an entirely new way of doing business based on sustainability. Renata Puchala, the
Director of Sustainability for the company, noted the companys philosophy: We have to
reinvent the system because the system is no longer working.
While modern culture is marked by Latin Americans distrust in their governments, I am
hopeful that good companies such as these can help move the region in the right direction.
Corporate social responsibility is gaining traction globally, meaning that more and more
businesses will get on the bandwagon and start affecting net positive change rather than simply
not negatively affecting society. Even though it seems unlikely or would be very slow, perhaps
this could mark a change in attitudes towards the government, so long as businesses and other
factors are able to push governments to edge out corruption.

Its Not Better or Worse, Its Just Different

By far, the most impactful company we visited during our forty day adventure was
Proctor & Gamble in Brazil. It is fitting that the company which allowed me to have such rich
cultural experiences because my parents worked there was also the most informative and
thought-provoking visit. We had the opportunity to speak with Isabella Zakzuk and Wesley
Murkin during our time there about managing culture in a global company.
The pair discussed the importance of cultural diversity in the workplace and how to
manage those differences. Several of the points they made struck a chord with me, especially
when Isabella said, its not that one [culture] is better than another, its just different. This was
when I was able to fully come to terms with the differences between myself and my LHP

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classmates. My culture, my background, my beliefs, and my experiences arent better or worse,
they are just different. And it is crucial to have a fundamental understanding of what makes us
different, because that is what makes us special. That is what makes each of us unique
contributors to the world.
Ive come to the conclusion throughout this experience that our differences as a group of
students, as a country, and ultimately as a world are what make us stronger. And it is going to be
hard work to adapt to the differences and close the gap on communication and understanding.
P&G has created something truly exceptional in their company culture. Theyve created an
ideology built on the mutual understanding that everyone needs to constantly be adapting to each
other.
Thats what I strive for my life and career to be like. One where I embrace people of
different cultures than myself. One where I dont assume and interpret actions or words before
understanding why someone is the way they are. This trip has reminded me that I love traveling.
I love learning. I love having a greater understanding of the world around me. While I have a lot
of strengths, I also have a lot of areas that I can improve upon as well. Im not perfect, and
neither are my classmates or the world around me. No one is inherently better or worse, were
just different. And once we understand that and can fully implement it in our lives, the world will
slowly become a better place to live in. One with greater tolerance, equality, and justice. Thats a
world I want to live in. And thats a world I can get excited about no matter what the
circumstances are.