And really, it's just a moment, because these last few weeks of the third term are proving to be killer and there's little time for anything other than studying! We hit the ground running after the Olympics (I'm still gutted - it's such a bummer to win all your events and still not have it be enough to help the whole team win) and have barely had a moment to catch our breath. Or catch up on sleep, which is exactly what I plan to do tonight.
The weather in Barcelona has been strange this week, and today it literally rained one minute and was sunny the next, only to pour again a moment later. It feels a little like the windward side of Oahu, but without the eight-foot breakers. And no hula girls. Fortunately (?) we were inside attending classes and studying too much to really notice.
And THAT is because over the next two weeks, the supposedly enjoyable, relaxed third term will feel worse than the first term ever did. Just as we're thinking we're cruising toward the finish line, they plop a few hurdles in front of us and tell us we have to take a few more laps around the track for good measure. So in addition to our three finals in two weeks (Corporate Finance, Global Economics, and Quantitative Methods), we have about a dozen other projects, as well as our nightly load of three cases, which for some reason are now in the 30-page-range. Each!
We also have a massive team merger negotiation project for Corporate Finance, which includes a 10 page paper and a presentation in front of the class of "shareholders." (I'm the presenter in the group - talking and writing nonsense seem to be my forte.) We also have a presentation for Comptetitive Strategy, and Jan-Kees and Matteo and I have chosen to try to pull Blockbuster out of the dregs for that one. A paper due on Friday morning about Carly Fiorina's short tenure at HP, a submission for Quantitative Methods Saturday night, another one Tuesday, a submission for Corporate Finance Sunday night, and a 10 page paper for Operations Strategy due at the end of the week. Add to that the DIEN (the Spanish exam) which I take next Friday, and it looks like I have my work cut out for me!
But back to that fleeting moment of reflection... Two things struck me on Sunday at HEC. First came immediately after we heard we'd come in second. All weekend, we had sung a number of songs, chanted plenty of IESE chants, and danced IESE dances. One of the more popular songs goes "Te quieroooo IESE, la la la la la la, te quiero IESE, la la la la la la" sung to the tune of "Can't take my eyes off of you" by Frankie Valli. And another goes "Who's gonna win this year? IESE BUSINESS SCHOOL la la la la....." (We like "la la la" a lot lot lot.) Well, immediately after the second place announcement was made, there was a moment of stunned silence before we started cheering maniacally as usual. And then, almost without skipping a beat, we launched into "Who's gonna win next year? IESE BUSINESS SCHOOL lalalala...." After all that pressure to win for the fourth straight year, we were perfectly happy just enjoying cheering no matter what.
After that, we relaxed on the lawn playing frisbee, tossing around a rugby ball, hitting golf balls (because we hadn't done enough exercise all weekend - we must be masochists) and I realized that this would be the last time I'd see a lot of the second year students. And then I realized that in just a year, I'd be one of the ones hugging everyone and not wanting to say goodbye. I've been a little down ever since.
Good thing IESE keeps us too busy to notice our feelings! See? There IS an upside to all this work!
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2 comments:
I think many of us had the same feeling that evening. It was like the beginning of the end. However, that only means the great time we are having here, so lets keep enjoying it until the last minute. Which, by the way, will be when we win the Olympics next year.
So true, Marcos. It was definitely a good reminder to enjoy every moment we have here with each other!
And to start our victory planning early! :)
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