Moorish Adventure #1
September 11-13
Granada, Spain
Part roadtrip, part Spanish cramming session.
Caro came to visit and won a Supreme Visitor Award for redecorating our house while we were working and schooling. I highly suggest hosting friends who are designers during your first weeks in a new home, and particularly one in a new country. First, she rearranged the major furniture. Then, she demanded we buy more bookshelves and all sorts of other things. Next she put it all together and reorganized our closets and kitchen. She said she likes doing this.
She did drag Byron around Barcelona shopping at boutiques for a day to settle the score.
In between, we also took a little road trip to Andalusia. Since I was in the midst of intensive Spanish classes, I sat in the back the whole way and tried to open my mouth very wide while practicing my pronunciation. Caro was once again the ultimate visitor by deciding that she, too, should learn lots of Spanish on the ride down.
What sort of things does one learn on a road trip from Barcelona to Malaga?
¡Qué ruinas!
¿Hay alguna habitación?...
13 September 2009
05 September 2009
Dacian Homecoming
Dacian Homecoming
7 September 2009
Bucureşti, Romania Romania is my new fave Eastern European country! We went to visit Oana and her family this weekend and had the best time. It was my first trip to Eastern Europe, and I am happy to report that they exhibit Southern Hospitality like no other! Oana's fam served us a 4-hour dinner --- 4 hours of eating no doubt --- and not only that: we also drank palinka, which is in essence Romanian moonshine.
We also saw the second biggest building in the world, met Oana's cute puppies, and took a time machine back to when clubbing was cool. Last but not least, Oana and company gave us a tour of their start-up company, Adulmec.
31 August 2009
Mathilde i Gaudí
Mathilde i Gaudí
31 August 2009
Barcelona, Spain
Mathilde and Erik came for a quick visit. We had a yummy dinner at Cerveseria Catalana and a quick stop at a deserted night spot. The shiniest spot of all though: it was with Mathilde and Erik that I visited the Sagrada Familia for the first time. Nice lil' chapel.
Mathilde and Erik also did the rest of a Gaudi walk, including the Casa Batlló and the Padrera. They recommend both heartily.
29 August 2009
a monastery & a wine festa
A Monastery & a Wine Festa
29-30 August 2009
Catalunya, Spain
We visited Poblet monastery. The lady at the cellar told us there was a wine festival that night in town, so we came back after a late afternoon drive to fantastic Siurana. It was a smaller - and Spanish - St. Paul de Vence tucked high on a mountaintop. I decided on the cuff to drive up there, and Byron turned on a dime. What a find!
The wine festival was amazing (and a great deal!) and the next day we headed back to Vilafranca to see castellers for the first time. Nothing like making human towers with young children on the top for a good time!
It was a good weekend to fall in love with Catalonia.
28 August 2009
el primer día
El Primer Día
28 August 2009
Barcelona, Spain
Vivo en Barcelona.
Last night I arrived, and we turned on the tv: I wanted to hear the Spanish. Ley y Orden was on. It seems I may not have been kidding when I said I would learn Spanish from Law and Order! Immediately I learned a sentence through the familiar beginning: "Estas son sus historias."
Today I went to the Boqueria market and got supplies for dinner: 2 dorade, chanterelles, red peppers. When I bought the fish, I think the fishmonger was thinking, "What is this tourist going to do with this fish? Is there a kitchen in her hotel room?"
I got the chanterelles from the mushroom stall that I remember so clearly from my visit to Barcelona this past January.
I spent most of the day cleaning up and unpacking. When Byron came home, he started looking up recipes for dorade online, and we found scaling the fish was necessary, as well as reputedly quite annoying. We also lacked most other items called for in the recipe. (We need a grill!)
Byron offered to go and pick up meat, but I was excited to cook the Mediterranean staple on our first night eating in, so on the way back from my run, I picked up carrots and potatoes to bake under the fish and the ingredients for a beurre blanc sauce. The recipe called for white wine vinegar, but I was moved by the different kinds offered at Corte Ingles and instead chose Jerez vinegar over chardonnay and muscat.
Tonight we are going to our first IESE party at Lars, Kathy, and their flatmate's place on C/ Valencia, which is just one street down from where we ate last night. A short paseo away!
Tomorrow we are picking up a rental car from the airport and heading on our first Catalonian adventure. On Sunday we are going to Vilafranca for the celebration of its patron saint, San Felix. Vilafranca celebrates with castellers competitions. Teams compete at building the tallest human or towers. In the meantime, we haven't decided where we're headed, north towards the Costa Brava or south toward Tarragona.
I'll report back. x
28 August 2009
Barcelona, Spain
Vivo en Barcelona.
Last night I arrived, and we turned on the tv: I wanted to hear the Spanish. Ley y Orden was on. It seems I may not have been kidding when I said I would learn Spanish from Law and Order! Immediately I learned a sentence through the familiar beginning: "Estas son sus historias."
Today I went to the Boqueria market and got supplies for dinner: 2 dorade, chanterelles, red peppers. When I bought the fish, I think the fishmonger was thinking, "What is this tourist going to do with this fish? Is there a kitchen in her hotel room?"
I got the chanterelles from the mushroom stall that I remember so clearly from my visit to Barcelona this past January.
I spent most of the day cleaning up and unpacking. When Byron came home, he started looking up recipes for dorade online, and we found scaling the fish was necessary, as well as reputedly quite annoying. We also lacked most other items called for in the recipe. (We need a grill!)
Byron offered to go and pick up meat, but I was excited to cook the Mediterranean staple on our first night eating in, so on the way back from my run, I picked up carrots and potatoes to bake under the fish and the ingredients for a beurre blanc sauce. The recipe called for white wine vinegar, but I was moved by the different kinds offered at Corte Ingles and instead chose Jerez vinegar over chardonnay and muscat.
Tonight we are going to our first IESE party at Lars, Kathy, and their flatmate's place on C/ Valencia, which is just one street down from where we ate last night. A short paseo away!
Tomorrow we are picking up a rental car from the airport and heading on our first Catalonian adventure. On Sunday we are going to Vilafranca for the celebration of its patron saint, San Felix. Vilafranca celebrates with castellers competitions. Teams compete at building the tallest human or towers. In the meantime, we haven't decided where we're headed, north towards the Costa Brava or south toward Tarragona.
I'll report back. x
17 July 2009
The Background
The Background
16 July 2009
Boston, USA
This started quite a while ago. First, I heard about a business school in Barcelona. Classes in English. 300 days of sunshine a year.
Globalization? People from all over the world? Another language? Or two?
I applied and got in.
"...yes I said yes I will Yes."
So that was the beginning, and anyone who has any inquiries about about that decision or applying to b school is welcome to email me (laws@alum.mit.edu), but the short of it is this. For me, along with the actual coursework, the greatest gain from business school will be international exposure and learning another language. Among top schools, coursework disparities are dwarves compared to becoming bilingual and expanding my international friendships and understanding. I wanted a two-year program because to allow for another professional experience (internship during the intervening summer) and because I feel that, as far as both forming lasting relationships and learning Spanish, two years is much preferable to two.
How did I decide what schools to apply to? Do the math:
+ Top 20 International B School
- English-speaking locales
+ 2-year program
_______________
= IESE + ESADE + CEIBS*
That is the correct math, but at the time of my decision, I had assumed China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) was a 1-year program, so I thought the answer was IESE + ESADE. (Currently I'm hoping to do a term abroad (fall 2010) at CEIBS, which is in Shanghai. I want to see what 1.3B people are talking about.)
So, I applied to IESE and ESADE. I was caught off guard - and a bit amused - during my IESE interview when asked, "IESE and ESADE? Why would you be applying to two schools that are so different?"
The main reason I chose IESE in the end was the case study method - I'm all in. Textbook smextbook. I want to learn more about communicating and working in teams, not note-taking and rote mastery. I prefer myriad industries by example. I'm keen management consulting and think case study curricula are good training. Mostly, though, I want to hear my classmates give their opinion from their background --- from having worked in a different industry --- marketing, IT, consulting, pr, manufacturing, banking, anything --- in a different part of the world --- Europe, other parts of America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and sure, Oceania. You get the point. At our open day visit, Cham chimed in with exception to a comment minimalizing Southeast Asia with his Cambodian perspective. I was hooked. (This reminded me of revisiting Groton, my high school, when I was in seventh grade. Hoyt Taylor's science class blew my mind. My parents got the play-by-play all the way back to Memphis.)
This was followed up by dinner with an Italian, two Germans, an Israeli, and this very Cambodian. Just plain fun. Laughing and American-loud fun. New. Not in Kansas anymore. We did show a weakness in our ability to quickly acclimatize to Barna hours, however, as our clubbing experience was very lonely from 1 am to 3 am, when we left right as Barcelona started showing up.
ESADE
In case some day someone considering ESADE finds this blog, here are some further thoughts. Before visiting these two schools, I thought IESE did not have an equal in ESADE. After visiting and learning more, I changed my mind. As of interview week, I had no preference (though I had misunderstood ESADE's percentage of case study, which is 30%, and for me that was important.)
The other hand?
1. Nosce Te Ipsum. Know Yourself.
ESADE is all about professional development coaching. They make it a priority --- it is included in your program. HUGE. Until I experienced it, professional development coaching sounded as appealing as a trip to the dentist. I had taken Myers-Briggs but didn't know how to use my results until Linda Bailey led a workshop with the real estate investment company I worked for in Memphis. The two-day workshop was just the beginning, but it was enough to sell me on its importance.
2. Job Placement.
Camila de Wit convinced me that ESADE's job placement is on par.
3. International Experience
This is obviously true at both schools, but there were a string of little things that gave me the impression that ESADE would stretch me a little farther out of my comfort zone. In a good way. It does not feel like a Harvard missionary's creation. In a good way.
Anyway, I think the schools have a lot in common, and I also was surprised by their ignoring aspect towards one another. I can't help but think these two schools will rise together or not. In real estate, competitors often benefit from proximal locations. It's more likely to catch the eye of someone visiting schools that adding a jaunt to Barcelona will give them two great schools to see. Also, it seems cooperation could be an opportunity to mitigate one downside of both of them: the small size and thus alumni body along with the relative lack of alumni structure. This, I think, is up to us. Jan and Avi made an ESADE/IESE facebook group; hopefully this will take root in a meaningful way.
Saddle up, boys. This is gonna be fun.
16 July 2009
Boston, USA
This started quite a while ago. First, I heard about a business school in Barcelona. Classes in English. 300 days of sunshine a year.
Globalization? People from all over the world? Another language? Or two?
I applied and got in.
"...yes I said yes I will Yes."
So that was the beginning, and anyone who has any inquiries about about that decision or applying to b school is welcome to email me (laws@alum.mit.edu), but the short of it is this. For me, along with the actual coursework, the greatest gain from business school will be international exposure and learning another language. Among top schools, coursework disparities are dwarves compared to becoming bilingual and expanding my international friendships and understanding. I wanted a two-year program because to allow for another professional experience (internship during the intervening summer) and because I feel that, as far as both forming lasting relationships and learning Spanish, two years is much preferable to two.
How did I decide what schools to apply to? Do the math:
+ Top 20 International B School
- English-speaking locales
+ 2-year program
_______________
= IESE + ESADE + CEIBS*
That is the correct math, but at the time of my decision, I had assumed China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) was a 1-year program, so I thought the answer was IESE + ESADE. (Currently I'm hoping to do a term abroad (fall 2010) at CEIBS, which is in Shanghai. I want to see what 1.3B people are talking about.)
So, I applied to IESE and ESADE. I was caught off guard - and a bit amused - during my IESE interview when asked, "IESE and ESADE? Why would you be applying to two schools that are so different?"
The main reason I chose IESE in the end was the case study method - I'm all in. Textbook smextbook. I want to learn more about communicating and working in teams, not note-taking and rote mastery. I prefer myriad industries by example. I'm keen management consulting and think case study curricula are good training. Mostly, though, I want to hear my classmates give their opinion from their background --- from having worked in a different industry --- marketing, IT, consulting, pr, manufacturing, banking, anything --- in a different part of the world --- Europe, other parts of America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and sure, Oceania. You get the point. At our open day visit, Cham chimed in with exception to a comment minimalizing Southeast Asia with his Cambodian perspective. I was hooked. (This reminded me of revisiting Groton, my high school, when I was in seventh grade. Hoyt Taylor's science class blew my mind. My parents got the play-by-play all the way back to Memphis.)
This was followed up by dinner with an Italian, two Germans, an Israeli, and this very Cambodian. Just plain fun. Laughing and American-loud fun. New. Not in Kansas anymore. We did show a weakness in our ability to quickly acclimatize to Barna hours, however, as our clubbing experience was very lonely from 1 am to 3 am, when we left right as Barcelona started showing up.
ESADE
In case some day someone considering ESADE finds this blog, here are some further thoughts. Before visiting these two schools, I thought IESE did not have an equal in ESADE. After visiting and learning more, I changed my mind. As of interview week, I had no preference (though I had misunderstood ESADE's percentage of case study, which is 30%, and for me that was important.)
The other hand?
1. Nosce Te Ipsum. Know Yourself.
ESADE is all about professional development coaching. They make it a priority --- it is included in your program. HUGE. Until I experienced it, professional development coaching sounded as appealing as a trip to the dentist. I had taken Myers-Briggs but didn't know how to use my results until Linda Bailey led a workshop with the real estate investment company I worked for in Memphis. The two-day workshop was just the beginning, but it was enough to sell me on its importance.
2. Job Placement.
Camila de Wit convinced me that ESADE's job placement is on par.
3. International Experience
This is obviously true at both schools, but there were a string of little things that gave me the impression that ESADE would stretch me a little farther out of my comfort zone. In a good way. It does not feel like a Harvard missionary's creation. In a good way.
Anyway, I think the schools have a lot in common, and I also was surprised by their ignoring aspect towards one another. I can't help but think these two schools will rise together or not. In real estate, competitors often benefit from proximal locations. It's more likely to catch the eye of someone visiting schools that adding a jaunt to Barcelona will give them two great schools to see. Also, it seems cooperation could be an opportunity to mitigate one downside of both of them: the small size and thus alumni body along with the relative lack of alumni structure. This, I think, is up to us. Jan and Avi made an ESADE/IESE facebook group; hopefully this will take root in a meaningful way.
Saddle up, boys. This is gonna be fun.
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