Scribbles

Can it be true that I am done!?!  This morning, I finished my last academic obligation with our final presentation for REP.  What an incredible experience.  Do I feel smarter, wiser, more MBAy?  I certainly have the lingo down, acronyms, accounting ratios and all.  But the most growth has been from the exposure to my classmates, who have shown me their level of excellence in so many diverse areas.  They prove to me what amazing things can be accomplished and that gives me the utmost confidence.

So what’s next?  In my immediate future (aka Wednesday), I will be visiting Tunisia with almost 200 of my classmates for our graduation trip.  We’ve managed to secure an entire private resort for some good relaxation.  Afterwards, we come back for the graduation ceremony at Versailles, and final party in Paris.  Before heading back to the US, I’ll be in France for just a few more days, packing and handling whatever needs to be done.  And then my own journey to Prague that concludes with meeting my buddies in Ukraine.

I’ll be posting random thoughts over the next few weeks about the INSEAD program, my friends, our last Montmelian party, and our lives.  Sadness of leaving hasn’t sunk in yet, but as one of my best friends put it, we’re tired of hearing about it being the ending; it’s a beginning.  Going forward our network of friends all over the world will always be there to share a drink and catch up on the fond memories.  So frown not my fellow INSEADers, let the spirit survive.

I'm sitting in the INSEAD lounge here in Fontainebleau, watching the Brazil Australia game with a bunch of my very, um, passionate classmates.  P5 luckily coincides with the most popular sporting event in the world, and with our large contingent of non-North American friends, the campus has become quite the festive location, with 2 separate televisions covering the games from Germany.  The most recent display of football prowess by Argentina has driven our Brazilian friends into a frenzy, raising the already sky-high expectations to near-unattainability, not to mention a level of anxiety and unrest rarely seen in their usual carefree spirits.

So how did I ever get into this sport?  I find it only befitting that my first introduction to football, was being a spectator of the World Cup as grandparents and I were glued to the French television coverage when we lived in Montpelier.  That was 16 years ago.  Since then, every four years I find myself sharing the energy and passion of most of the world.  And in some small way, it helps alleviate my withdrawal effects of not watching the NBA playoffs.

Haven't posted about the national weeks for a while now, thought I'd drop a note about this past week, where our Latin American friends put together a festive week, in the buoyant, easy-going spirit that they always carry themselves with.  Last night I had the pleasure of helping out a little bit in the making of the Caipirinhas for the party.  The party was cozy, in the sense that many people are either traveling, studying, or national week partied out.  But for those who did show up, they brought their party hats for the Carnival theme party.  I was doing well, sipping on the Caipirinhas all night until the Tequila girls found me, and introduced me to some memory-effacing straight-from-the-bottle pours.  Funny how I thought I was well behaved until my buddy help me reconstruct those lost memories.  I managed to stick around afterwards for the cleanup, and really enjoyed the camaradery of the gang, sharing in their joy that they put together a wonderful week for the INSEAD community.  Gracias, obrigado!

One of INSEAD's most popular courses, Your First Hundred Days, just kicked off last Friday.  (Why 'C' instead of 'H' you ask?  Because our superstar smart alec professor, Patrick Turner, uses the roman numeral to denote it)  So far, it's been amazing.  The four of us are teamed up as the new executive management team taking the reigns of a company we just bought.  Now, we face the chaos of running it during the first 3+ months.  In order to not having to constantly recreate the scenarios, the course management team has made us sign to secrecy not to give away the details, so that future promotions can enjoy the course.  Withouth breaching the NDA, I can reveal that it's crazy, hectic, unpredictable, and really fun – to the point where I am really tempted to go out and buy and run my own company.  REP – Realizing Entrepreneurial Potential - is the pre-requisite for taking the course.  If you can take these two with Patrick, you won't regret it, just the stuff that MBA programs should be made of.