February 27, 2000

Dear Mitsui Foundation,

I would like very much to take this opportunity to thank you for the excellent experience that you made possible for me. Your generosity allowed me to briefly remove the glasses of the American perspective. It is these glasses of American perspective that hinder Americans in doing business with other cultures. Because of our typical nationalism we too often think that the rest of the world is in a hurry to conform to American business practices. This trip to Mexico helped me to see, more than ever before, that this point of view is mistaken. After visiting with both Mexican owned businesses and Maquiladoras it is evident that each culture has its own distinct perspective on the best way to run a business and the best way to deal with other businesses. Perhaps, even more important to supporting this idea were the college students we had the opportunity to spend so much time with in Zacatecas. During the time I spent with my host family I learned to accept an idea I knew to be true, but had always had a difficult time accepting in the past. That idea is that not everyone wants to come to United States in search of the “American Dream.” In fact many people are quite happy where they are. That was certainly the most impacting experience I had on this trip. I also would like to thank you for the opportunity to see what a diverse country Mexico truly is. Before this trip my travels to Mexico were limited to Sonora, but now I know and can share with others what a beautiful and culturally diverse nation Mexico is.

Thank you,

Chris Martin