Morocco with summer intern, Anna Edding Heijde
Bonjour, مرحبا !
I am Anna, the summer intern in Morocco, Casablanca. I will start by giving you a short introduction of myself and then turn the focus to how it is to be a summer internt at Oriflamme in the, to pick the right word, fascinating country Morocco.
Currently I am doing my master at Stockholm School of Economics where I major in management. I developed an interest for the world early on when I at the age of 17 moved to Spain to do my second year of high school at El Colegio Sueco and stayed with a Spanish family. Since then, I have both lived in and visited many more countries and kept being curious about cultures, other markets and the opportunities of doing business across boarders. Hence, Oriflame has for long time been an attractive company for me as a successful Swedish enterprise, with a presence in many interesting and also challenging markets. Therefore, I decided to apply for the position as a global summer intern, and was thrilled when I got the placement, Morocco!
Morocco is everything that I expected it to be, but at the same time not at all. Just like I thought, Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco, is hectic - everywhere you go there are a lot of people moving and the traffic is unorganized and pretty intense. Alongside this you have the markets full of colors, clothes, mats, moroccan lamps, spices and such. The culture and traditions are strongly precent, and I timed Ramadan, which is an interesting and educating experience where people are fasting during the whole day until sunset. One of my favorite things about Casablanca is that it is situated by the coast and after finishing work I can just grab a cab, which costs me around 20 SEK, to the beach and there are waves, sun and surf.
One of my biggest surprises here has been the people. I thought that Moroccans would be just like anyone else, but it is amazing how warm and inviting they are. They are one of the most hospitable people I have ever met - helping me with everything, inviting me to their homes and wanting me to feel part of them and their families.
At work it is the same. Before arriving I got emails from most of the managers and others wishing me welcome to the Oriflame office and the team. My impression after my first work week is that Moroccans are dedicated and hard workers, and also very helpful and polite. Everyone greets you in the morning and always makes sure that you are included in the different discussions, quickly changing from French or Arabic to English when I am present. Mattias, the managing director of Morocco, has placed me on two very interesting project - one within marketing and one within operations. The first is regarding CSR where I will be part of developing their CSR profile here on the Moroccan market. Within operations I am working with the different branches to increase productivity and efficiency. My projects are planned so I get a great insight into the whole organization, from the grassroots the whole way up to the top. They also include a lot of travels, which gives me an opportunity to see all the major cities in Morocco and meet the consultants from different areas.
After having been here only a week, I have so much more I want to share, but I think these pictures will tell you more than any further words.
I am Anna, the summer intern in Morocco, Casablanca. I will start by giving you a short introduction of myself and then turn the focus to how it is to be a summer internt at Oriflamme in the, to pick the right word, fascinating country Morocco.
Currently I am doing my master at Stockholm School of Economics where I major in management. I developed an interest for the world early on when I at the age of 17 moved to Spain to do my second year of high school at El Colegio Sueco and stayed with a Spanish family. Since then, I have both lived in and visited many more countries and kept being curious about cultures, other markets and the opportunities of doing business across boarders. Hence, Oriflame has for long time been an attractive company for me as a successful Swedish enterprise, with a presence in many interesting and also challenging markets. Therefore, I decided to apply for the position as a global summer intern, and was thrilled when I got the placement, Morocco!
Morocco is everything that I expected it to be, but at the same time not at all. Just like I thought, Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco, is hectic - everywhere you go there are a lot of people moving and the traffic is unorganized and pretty intense. Alongside this you have the markets full of colors, clothes, mats, moroccan lamps, spices and such. The culture and traditions are strongly precent, and I timed Ramadan, which is an interesting and educating experience where people are fasting during the whole day until sunset. One of my favorite things about Casablanca is that it is situated by the coast and after finishing work I can just grab a cab, which costs me around 20 SEK, to the beach and there are waves, sun and surf.
One of my biggest surprises here has been the people. I thought that Moroccans would be just like anyone else, but it is amazing how warm and inviting they are. They are one of the most hospitable people I have ever met - helping me with everything, inviting me to their homes and wanting me to feel part of them and their families.
At work it is the same. Before arriving I got emails from most of the managers and others wishing me welcome to the Oriflame office and the team. My impression after my first work week is that Moroccans are dedicated and hard workers, and also very helpful and polite. Everyone greets you in the morning and always makes sure that you are included in the different discussions, quickly changing from French or Arabic to English when I am present. Mattias, the managing director of Morocco, has placed me on two very interesting project - one within marketing and one within operations. The first is regarding CSR where I will be part of developing their CSR profile here on the Moroccan market. Within operations I am working with the different branches to increase productivity and efficiency. My projects are planned so I get a great insight into the whole organization, from the grassroots the whole way up to the top. They also include a lot of travels, which gives me an opportunity to see all the major cities in Morocco and meet the consultants from different areas.
After having been here only a week, I have so much more I want to share, but I think these pictures will tell you more than any further words.
Casablanca landmark, the third largest mosque in the world - Hassan II Mosque
At the branch in Rabat, together with some of the many inspiring consultants and prospects.
The typical Moroccan tea served twice a day at the office. (not during Ramadan)
At the beach in front of a small surf club I found. After work on a Tuesday.
La Medina. The market.
Sunday, funday. Playing together with one of Mattias's wonderful kids at their home in Casablanca.
