Penn Abroad Ambassador William Li

Program:

• PGS:  Tourism, Sustainability and Local Impact in Indonesia

• GRIP: Entrepreneurship in Uruguay

Ask me about...

I had the exciting opportunity to live in a homestay in Uruguay. While daunting at first, it turned out to be a beautiful experience. This made for the ultimate cultural exchange where I was able to have deep, heartfelt conversations with my host family. We also shared slang in our languages, watched movies, and learned about each other's food. While it was an adjustment, keeping a cheerful attitude, an open mind, and a mountain of respect are essential to make the most out of your homestay while respecting and appreciating a family for so graciously taking you in. 

Another unique aspect of my GRIP experience was being a visible minority during my time in Uruguay, a homogenous country. It was definitely an adjustment, where I had to drastically change my expectations and emotions. Uruguayans seldom see foreigners and many may have preconceptions which may or may not be true. I used my time in Uruguay to educate others instead of being offended. It is important to be as open-minded as possible to allow for discussion. Most people don’t have bad intentions, but you definitely need a mindset shift when visiting a country like Uruguay. However, it is important to have boundaries and acknowledge when someone is being rude or discriminatory.

If your Penn abroad program is going to be a homestay, I would love to answer any questions about the transition and creating relationships. If you are a student of colour, I am also open to any questions or discussion.

My Experience Abroad:

GRIP: Entrepreneurship in Montevideo was perfect for me to delve into my two professional interests, economics and Latin American studies.

At my internship, which was Finance and Administration based, I was able to learn and hone valuable accounting and business skills and platforms. Outside of the office also proved to be very useful. PUENTES, the program that coordinates our internship, brought us to Zonamerica, a business and tech park that provides tax breaks and is an ingenious model to promote trade and international business. There, I was able to discover my interest in commodities trading, something I had never even considered before. We sat down with professionals from Trafigura, one of the largest trading companies, where I was able to learn about how their company operated.

On the humanities side, I was able to expand my fundamental understanding of Latin American studies. As a LALS major, we focus on understanding and addressing issues and opportunities in a Latin American and Latinx context. Having conversation with my coworkers, volunteering in the outskirts, traveling to different parts of South America, and experiencing society myself as a foreigner allowed me to have a deeper understanding on the racialization of Uruguayan, Argentine, and Brazilian society. I was able to better understand deep rooted issues like colourism while also learning more about niche issues I had little knowledge of beforehand, such as the migration/passport privilege that Uruguayans possess and the perpetual foreigner status of Japanese-Brazilians and other ethnic-minorities in Latin America.

 

Other Highlights:

• Taking a helicopter in Brazil: While interning in Uruguay, I had the opportunity to visit one of my dream destinations: Rio de Janeiro. While there, I checked flying in a helicopter over Christ the Redeemer off my bucket list. Not only did I get to face my fear of heights, I also saw Brazil from a new perspective with my friends.
   

• Volunteering to build houses: In the outskirts of Montevideo, TECHOS, a non-profit, builds houses for families in need in just two days. It was an amazing experience to volunteer with them, springing an entire house up in one weekend while getting to meet and bond the community.

• Making foreign friends: Navigating a highly homogenous country as a person of colour turned out to exceed my expectations. By chance, I encountered a woman from China who was in Montevideo teaching Mandarin. We became fast friends over Whatsapp and we shared a meal at the singular Sichuanese restaurant in town, where we brought our friends. It was amazing bonding and sharing our wonderful experiences of Uruguay through multiple cultural lenses.

• Expanding my idea of family: When arriving in Uruguay, I was expecting my host parents. However, I quickly learned there was another member of our family: Mita, our helper. Over the months, I became very close to her, greeting her in the morning, teaching her how to cook Chinese food, and learning more about her upbringing in the frontier with Brazil. To this day, we still chat over Whatsapp.