Just a quickie...

... to let you all know that:

1. I'm still alive, and my tan has improved!

2. I still haven't managed buy a Romanian SIM card yet and so I continue to have no phone

3. I'm shocked by last night's World Cup final match - not necessarily the outcome (Italy played incredibly well) but the events that led to it (ie - Zidane's head-butt - very impressive!)

4. The Black Sea really is black, and I think that's mainly because there's lots of stuff floating in it. After you go swimming you could totally take off your swimsuit because you'd have another greenish-black swimsuit underneath it made of seaweed. It's also really beautiful, and I promise pictures will come shortly.

5. The president of the Czech Republic is here and they had a celebratory marching band and soldier thing going on at the Presidential Palace this morning across from my office. I got pictures of that too, rest assured.

Romanian Perils... or Being Blonde

So it's Thursday, which means I've been on my own in Bucharest for four days now, and I've already managed to do something I didn't do in ten years of mobile phone ownership. I left my phone in a taxi. The first taxi I've taken since arriving here. I tried calling the phone later and got no answer, and then tried again just before the world cup match last night and a man answered in English - "Hello?" I said, "Hi you have my phone." And then we continued in a very strange conversation wherein I learned this man's wife, who is Spanish, had found my phone in the taxi and taken it. The wife was not around and I was asked to call back later, and the man was not in Bucharest but in some unpronounceable (to me, anyway) place outside of town and wouldn't be back for two days. When I called at halftime, it went straight to voicemail, which leads me to believe they were on the other line with someone in Beijing just for the hell of it. So this morning I asked Bertrand to rescue me and call the phone company since he's still in Barcelona to have my service cancelled. Who knows how many calls to strange places that couple made in those 20 hours. I shudder to think...

So if you try to call me on my Spanish number in the next two months, you'll get no answer. It will be back in service when I'm back in Barcelona in September and, in the meantime, I will finally get that Romanian phone I'd been putting off getting for the past few days. Lesson learned.

Another interesting thing happened when I walked to the internet cafe on Monday night. A very tall dude pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and flashed them at me before putting them away again. I'm not sure what that meant because he surely couldn't have mistaken me for a prostitute - I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and Converse sneakers. Not the usual woman-of-the-night-wear as far as I'm aware. But then again, maybe things are different here and I was wearing exactly the wrong clothing combination...

Other than that, it has been a pretty run-of-the-mill week so far. I watched both World Cup semifinal matches, one of which was far more exciting than the other. I've been at the office, wandered around town, researched possible weekend getaway destinations (Budapest is looking like the top choice for next weekend), and was invited to play on a mens' soccer team starting next week. Hopefully I won't disappoint them... or myself.

And it's almost the weekend! I have only been working for four days (ok, three and a half) and already doing the weekend warrior countdown. Well, it's only natural. Especially when you know you're going to the beach.

Romanian 4th of July

Last year on this date, I was in Pennsyltucky (er, Pennsylvania) at my grandparents' house, where I had some good ol' American cookin' and then watched fireworks in the park. Right now, I am in Bucharest, sitting in an office on the top floor of a cool old Romanian villa, with the radio playing a special July 4 broadcast (seriously!!) featuring songs like "Born in the USA." Actually, aside from a few things in the office - like a couple of newspapers written in Romanian and coworkers speaking Romanian - I could easily be somewhere in the US right now. It looks like the production department of an ad agency anywhere.

But I'm here, and I'm sure you all want to hear about it, so I'll stop messing around and get down to it. I arrived Saturday afternoon and Vlad's dad met me at the airport and drove me - at breakneck speed - to Cornu, a town about an hour outside of Bucharest where they have a summer home. Upon arrival I was greeted by Vlad's mom and hugs and kisses, but dad said, "MATCH! MATCH!" and we raced into the living room to watch England v. Portugal. I was exhausted and the match was really boring so I dozed off a bit, but after dinner I was wide awake again and prepared to be the only one cheering for France. Vlad's dad and his friend Lica are both ardent Brazil fans, and they were very sad when Zidane showed his true greatness and kicked some serious Brazilian butt.

Sunday was spent lounging and eating. The weather was deathly hot here last week, but it rained the day I arrived so now it's much cooler, though it's still sunny and warm. Sunday evening we returned to Bucharest and I was given the keys to an apartment (the one in which I stayed during spring break with Anosha and Kyoko) and a car. Vlad's parents rock. That night I met some friends for dinner at, of all places, a restaurant called Tapas Y Vino. Well, I guess that'll be the last Spanish food I have for a while. After dinner I ended up in a club somehow with Mihaela, who works at the company where I'm interning, and a number of her coworkers were there because the party was sponsored by one of the company's clients.

Around midnight I decided I ought to get to sleep, but unfortunately the strange noises outside (was that a VAMPIRE??!?!?!) and being in a new place kept me from getting any rest until about 4am. So much for being rested for my first day! The good thing is, I didn't really need to worry because my supervisor kind of forgot I was coming yesterday, so I waited for a long while, had lunch with Mihaela, waited a while longer, and finally decided to call it a day.

Today, on the other hand, was a vast improvement. I didn't get lost on my way to the office (yesterday it took me an hour and a half to get here, today only half an hour), I was shown to the production department and introduced to some colleagues, and I even have a desk and computer to use while one of them is away on vacation. Brilliant! I read through some treatments for some ads that will be shot this summer, checked out some budgets, watched some directors reels, and well now I'm ready to call it a day. A nice way to start. I think I'll be staying here for the week and then I'll move on to the production company next week.

Tonight I'll watch the Germany / Italy match at an outdoor terrace with a huge screen near the apartment, and I figure I'll do the same tomorrow night for France / Portugal. And speaking of soccer, I may even have found some guys that play on Thursday nights, thanks to another friend of Vlad's. Apparently they usually have a strict "no women" rule (they run away from their wives to play soccer) but I'm used to this and I'm looking forward to the challenge. They must be in desperate need of midfielders...

So that sums things up so far. Bucharest is simultaneously beautiful and grungy, and I like that about it. There are still bullet holes in some buildings from the revolution and there are mangy dogs wandering around the streets, but there are also incredible buildings and very friendly people. I'm looking forward to getting to know the city better and learning how to pronounce the name of the park next to my apartment, which I've been trying to do for 4 days now. Maybe by the end of August I'll have it figured out.

Airport Lounging

So I'm in Munich waiting for my flight to Bucharest, and I have a very long layover. But aside from the fact that I'm exhausted and would prefer my bed to this airport chair, I can't really say I mind. I like airports. I like watching all the people and hearing all the languages. I don't like carrying my bag across the longest airport on earth (okay, I guess that's actually Frankfurt, but this place seems awfully big as well) or having my heels clipped by frantic people dragging wheelie bags. And that's exactly why I'm now sitting in an empty area with a nice view of the Lufthansa planes out the window, checking my email and writing on the blog.

It has been a relaxing week in Barcelona and I guess I'm officially ready now to start my two month Romanian adventure. I realize I never said where I'll be working this summer, and maybe that's a good thing, so I'll just say that I will be working in production of tv commercials for a major international advertising agency. I'm looking forward to it. Apparently I'll spend the first two or three days at the agency and then move over to the production company they work with.

As the only Romanian I speak happen to be French words (aside from "how are you"), it's a relief that most of the population speaks English. And they speak it well. Meanwhile, I've lined up a trip to the Black Sea for next weekend to escape the heat (it's 93 degrees in Bucharest) and I have a feeling there will be more seaside visits to come this summer.

Now it's time to get through security - again - and board my flight in about an hour.

Last night in BCN

Well, I had hoped to write more posts than I have this week, but it seems I haven't gotten around to it.

So now it's 4am, I'm just finishing my packing, I'm sweating like a pig and am about to take my fifth shower of the day, my cab comes in 2 hours, and then I'm off to Romania!

Hopefully I'll be able to keep blogging from there....

Wishing everyone a fantastic summer. Hey! It's July! Wow!

Les Bleus et Moi - Superheroes

Today started off very uneventfully. I got up, watered the plants on the terrace, responded to emails and booked flights for all my summer travels. Around 1:30 I finally ventured out for some shopping and then met Jill for a coffee near Placa Catalunya, which is currently overrun with tourists.

The table next to us was occupied by two older German couples who were decked out in the requisite tourist uniforms, complete with cameras dangling around necks. I was chatting away with Jill, absent-mindedly looking over her shoulder, when I saw another touristy looking guy hovering around. I thought nothing of it until I saw him reaching under the chair of one of the German ladies. He hooked his finger over the edge of her purse (never EVER leave your purse, wallet, phone, anything out of your sight for one second in Barcelona) and started to pull it slowly toward him, and my next thought was, That's weird - I don't think he knows them.

Then, before I really realized what I was doing, I was yelling "HEY HEY HEY HEY!" Jill turned and looked behind her and said, "What are you doing?!" He froze, stood up, and stepped back, leaving the purse where it was. A moment later he had the nerve to look at me and say, "Que?" and I answered in Spanish, "I saw everything, what do you mean?" Then he and the kid he was with sauntered off in search of their next victim. I then realized I had made quite a scene and looked around to find everyone on the terrace staring and pulling their belongings a little closer. Having been saved in the same way two years ago myself from a near robbery by a good samaritan, I was glad to finally be able to pass on the karma.

After that, the rest of the afternoon was pretty low-key. I said goodbye to Jill, who heads off for her internship tomorrow, went home, and watched the Brazil/Ghana match. Then Paul cooked a paella (having excellent cooks as roommates is a key to good living) and it was time to watch France v. Spain. Hoping for a good night's sleep tonight, I opted to cheer for France. I always cheer for the underdog, and tonight was no exception. Spain has cruised through the World Cup so far, and France has barely squeaked by. More importantly though, I just wanted to see a good match. I've been pretty disappointed by the last few... verrrrry BOOOORING. Well, France shockingly delivered, and now Barcelona is silent (no honking horns, no firecrackers, no screaming hooligans) and I can get my beauty rest.

The agenda for tomorrow? More shopping, a bit of climbing in Montjuic, saving a few damsels in distress, and oh, I don't know, some dinner.

Itis-Itis

I went to the doctor today to find out why I've been sick for two and a half weeks. She basically told me I have every possible above-the-neck -itis besides gingivitis and conjunctivitis. When she was rattling off the list, I felt like Forrest Gump when Bubba is talking about all the ways you can prepare shrimp. Sinusitis, laryngitis, bronchitis... Geez.

So now I have 12 days' worth of antibiotics to choke down (no, only 11 more left! woo hoo!) and not much else to show for all my fancy sicknesses.

These days in Spain are long, but they seem to pass faster than ever. It seems like one minute I'm deciding what to have for breakfast and the next thing I know, I've missed it because it's lunchtime. Then somehow it's 5pm and there's a soccer match on, and then only a couple hours later there's another one. Before I know it, I'll be sitting in Vlad's apartment in Bucharest wondering where the heck the beach went and why there are so many three-legged dogs hobbling around. So I guess I'd better really make the most of these last four (FOUR! oh no!) days in Barcelona before work (WORK! oh no!) starts.

One week later...

... and I think I'm still recovering from the first year.

I spent the last night of the third term almost exactly the same way as the last night of the first term - dancing all night, getting home late to finish packing, taking a shower, and heading to the airport to fly to New York. What better way to celebrate the end of exams?

I can't say New York was a breath of fresh air. At least not in the literal sense. It was hot and humid, more so than usual for mid-June, but it was still great to be back and see old friends and get away from all that is IESE for a little while. It would have been nice to relax in Barcelona as well, but that's what this week is for. Anyway, I checked out my sister's new house in Philadelphia (very cool), saw many old friends, wasn't able to see many others (sorry! I'll be there again in September!), ate at my favorite restaurants, and deeply inhaled that special New York summer subway smell. Mmmmmmmm!

Unfortunately I got sick a week before finals and continued to be sick until, I think, this afternoon, when I rode to the other side of Tibidabo just because I can. The air is different over there, seriously, and I think my two-and-a-half-week-cold is finally dissipating. We'll see if that's still true in the morning.

Since returning to Barcelona Thursday morning, I've had a strange mix of emotions. It's wonderful to be here, but it's really strange to not have anything to do. I mean, I don't have to be anywhere at any time, I have no homework to do, no classes to attend, no exams to worry about. I know I should appreciate this, but sometimes it's just plain weird. Not to worry, I'm getting used to my life of luxury. I have been on the terrace every morning, working on my sunburn, and out to dinner every night. And don't forget the World Cup matches! Today, for instance, I cheered with the Germans and tonight I cried for the Californians. I mean, Mexicans. Though I had to do it secretly because I was surrounded by Argentinians.

And what does tomorrow bring? Hmmm, I guess that would be more terrace lounging, more beach going, more bicycle riding, and more football watching. Sounds like an awful existence!

That's all, folks!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!

This is truly the last day of the first year. While Sections B and C were sleeping off their hangovers this morning, the tried and true members of Section A (minus those who already had to start their banking internships - SUCKERS!) were forecasting like mad. We had one hour for three questions, and I answered exactly half. Much better than I would have done just 24 hours ago, so I'm happy.

Section A (or half of us, anyway) after the exam:


Now I'm sitting in my room at my computer by force of habit. But tomorrow I'm off to New York for a few days, so I should probably pack something. We're having one last A6 gathering today for lunch in a few minutes, and tonight a big party at Otto Zutz. I have a feeling tonight will be similar to the night of the Christmas Ball in December, when I just stayed up all night and slept on the plane. I'll still get 8 hours!

Guys guys guys: It has been a wild year, and I'm glad I was along for the ride with all of you. I'm really going to miss the people who are going on exchange, but we will welcome you back in December with - what else?! - a big fat party! Anyone who wants to visit Romania this summer you have an open invitation, and for those of you in the States who haven't yet visited me in Barcelona... WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!?!

Last night of the 1st Year

Tonight is the last night that I have to worry about exams, cases, studying, failing, getting up early.... Because tomorrow we in section A take our last final exam of the first year. Franz has promised us that it will be quick, though not painless, and suggested that we prepare by watching the Germany match tonight. Which is exactly what I did, though it was far from relaxing, particularly since I was rooting for Poland.

But before that heaven-sent two hour period, I went through a rather hellish day, as most final exam days tend to be. I started early, at 6am, thinking I was late for class. Then realized, haha no class today! And THEN realized, no class?! That means exams!!! I slept a little longer and then finally dragged myself out of bed. I stared at our global econ one-page answer sheet (which should cover everything) while drying my hair and brushing my teeth. It was no use. I think I effectively failed the exam, which was about Iceland. I've never had so much trouble writing in my entire life. I couldn't put thoughts together and even worse, what random thoughts I did have, didn't flow nicely out of my pen as they usually do. It was a rather terrible three hours and I'm happy I don't ever have to relive them.

But, lucky me, after lunch we had our corporate finance exam! This is the one I was fully prepared to fail (unlike econ) because, try as I might, I just couldn't ever get this stuff right. I got through two out of five questions because we only had an hour and a half so at best I'll get 18 points. You never know... it could be a decent grade. Oh well, next!

And next up was something good. We watched the 2nd half of Spain's shutout of the Ukraine. It's a match I didn't need to watch because it wasn't very exciting, but it was better than the alternative - studying. Which I got around to soon afterward. Chris came by and helped me study for tomorrow's Quantitative Methods exam for three hours. I think I get it now... kind of. We'll see tomorrow morning!

The nice thing about this particular study session was that I was immediately rewarded with the Germany - Poland match, which was the best one of the World Cup so far. So now here I am, back at home, blood pressure still through the roof, ready to catch some Z's and hopefully pass tomorrow's test. Forecasting luck needed here at 9:30am, please!!!

Last day of Section A

It's a day I never thought I'd see... the last official day of classes, the last day of the first year, the last day with Section A. We started off this morning in the Wonderful World of Operations, where Prof. Sachon gave a nice review of the course and some advice to take through life. Next we had a wrap-up of Corporate Finance, which I'm surely going to fail. During class I actually felt like I might know what is going on - until I reviewed a bit with Chris and Marco tonight. I'm doomed.

After lunch came our final Quantitative Methods class. After a tutorial with Chris for five hours Saturday morning, I was feeling pretty confident about this one. Until this afternoon's review session. Complete confusion and utter chaos, but at least I have an extra day to prepare for this one, since the exam isn't until Thursday morning. Sections B and C were spared the exam and turned in a submission on Sunday about Formula 1 instead, the lucky dogs.

After that, Huy presented the COW (comment of the week) and the Comment of the Year, which was won handily by Jan-Erik. Then came a slideshow and some videos that made everyone sad and nostalgic... until we realized that we still had studying to do. Reality blows.

As does the scary IESE policy of ... The Final Exam. It states that if you get four Cs over the course of the year or 3 in any one term, you are reviewed by the academic commmittee and will probably have to take the big bad final exam a week after classes end. After most people have started internships, and definitely after you've forgotten everything you learned in the first term about T-accounts!

Anyway, I'm riding the road of 3 Cs this term because, try as I might (and I have really tried!), I just can't seem to get my head around corporate finance or quant. And every time I think I understand economics, I get confused and realize I have everything backward... or do I? Who knows...

So tomorrow we have our first two exams, and I'm dreading them both. Though I'm dreading the results much more! As usual, eyes on the prize: Thursday morning, 11am.

Two complaints

1. The US played like a high school soccer team yesterday against the Czech Republic. This is embarrassing, and no way to improve American interest in soccer. Sorry, futbol. Next up, Italy. Caramba.

2. Final exams are being held during the World Cup. So not only do we miss the Spain match because of the Corporate Finance exam, we are supposed to be studying somehow during all the other matches that have led up to this week! This means trying to keep one eye on a book and the other on a match, which is physically impossible. So I have found it's a better use of my time to just go watch in a bar with friends. Then at least I can focus on one thing at a time! Then I can study 100% afterward... oh but there are three matches per day.... hmmmm.

Last weekend and World Cup Fever

This final weekend together has passed in a blur. I spent the majority of it studying (or pretending to) and glorious hours here and there watching football. Yesterday Chris came over in the morning like my knight in shining armor to rescue me from quantitative methods. He spent several hours explaining to me all the things that I'm sure he understood perfectly when he was four. We worked from ten till three, when he moved on to a project with Marco and I stared at my economics notes for a while.

Last night George had booked a table for twelve of us at Thai Garden. We were all looking forward to it and even arrived early because there's an English pub next door where we were able to catch the first half of Argentina v. Cote d'Ivoire before our reservation. Unfortunately, we soon found out that George had managed to make a reservation at Thai Garden Madrid, not Barcelona. So Enrico went off with his wife Federica in search of an alternative while the rest of us stayed happily glued to the bigscreen.



We ended up having entrecot in a restaurant with Venice in the name... how surprising from Italians! Dinner was delish and half of us headed off to the end-of-year party at Ribelinos, though the idea of more studying today kept me from staying out too late. That and a head cold. I love those in the summer!

Today I managed to read an operations case on the roof, procrastinate a lot, watch bits and pieces of the French Open final and the Holland match, and finally read a bit of economics before heading to la Rosa Negra with the Mexicans to watch Mexico beat Iran 3-1. Venga! Granted, on Friday I was ambushed and forced to wear a German jersey and face paint, but today I wore the Mexican flag with pride. As a San Diegan, I consider myself Mexican, after all.




Unfortunately the IESE machine doesn't stop for the World Cup (though it should, and so should everything else, except the bars and tv stations!) so we still have final exams on Wednesday and Thursday. And next weekend, most of us will be gone!

What a day. What a week! WHAT A YEAR!

Whew... this was one of the busiest weeks of the year, and one of the toughest. We all really felt like we were back in the 1st term again, completely overwhelmed with work and concerned about failing classes. Well I'm concerned about failing classes... other people aren't concerned at all.

Anyway this week we had our big negotiation project for corporate finance, a massive group paper due tonight for operations strategy, our team projects for competitive strategy (Jan-Kees, Matteo and I were spared having to present in class), two submissions for quantitative methods, and the usual fun caseload. Oh and I took the DIEN today... the final Spanish exam. Nothing like a Spanish test to round out a week.

Fortunately we did get a bit of a respite today because quantitative methods was cancelled (it would have been at 9:30) because Franz went to Munich for the World Cup opener, the lucky dog. Thank goodness, because those of us who went to a Romania trip reunion dinner (at a Vietnamese restaurant - go figure) and then onto the BOW to see Alberto play the guitar were certainly appreciating the extra sleep this morning. We had econ at 11, and the case was about the increasing twin deficit in the US. At lunch Matteo and I took the spoken part of the Spanish test, and then did our final prep on our Blockbuster presentation in case we were chosen to go in front of the class. Immediately after strategy class he and I raced to another classroom to take the two-hour written portion of the DIEN.

We were under the gun because we had reserved seats with the German Business Club to watch the Germany/Costa Rica match at a beer garden on Diagonal. So we finished the test as quickly as possible and raced down the hill, arriving just in time to score seats and beers and watch the game. Germany won 4-2 and I somehow ended up in a Germany jersey and with little German flags painted on my face. This was all entirely forced upon me, since I can't truly support Germany... they kicked us out of the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup!






Then it was time to make some last-minute changes to our operations paper - Madhur! - and now we have emailed it in and I can finally go to bed. Tomorrow brings a fun-filled day of studying for my final exams. Oy.

It's hard to believe we are about to enter the last week of the first year. Some people are taking finals this weekend because they start their banking internships on Monday. George and Marco leave next weekend and I probably won't see them until I visit them in New York in early September. It's a strange and sad week. None of us can really get excited about finals being over because we know most people have to split soon afterward. Definitely a roller coaster of a week.

06 06 06

What a crazy day. Only on 06-06-06 could I possibly find that my prior work experience producing voiceovers for video games could be useful during the MBA. Tomorrow we have to turn in our final projects for Competitive Strategy and Jan-Kees, Matteo and I have been working on Blockbuster. We did our research, prepared our Power Point slides (I always have and always will hate Power Point), and then the fun began... We had to narrate the presentation so the professor has additional material to go with the slides. And since I happen to speak the best English in our small team - what a relief! - I became the narrator.

And you know what? It was a snap. I mean, once I wrote the script, which took hours...
My three years in front of a microphone really paid off. So here's to Rockstar. Thanks guys. I know you'd throw me out the window if you saw me narrating a Power Point presentation (and I'd do the same to myself if I were in your position) but at least you have prepared me well!

New babies and film festivals

Certainly a big weekend.

Introducing.... NICOLAS JORDI BERKHEMER! The newest team A6 baby, he joins big bro Jonas (who will certainly be shocked by this new arrival tomorrow when he and Maggie come home from the hospital) and our other A6 rugrat Maria, daughter of Enrico. Congratulations to Jan-Kees and Maggie!!!



In other news, last night we held the first annual Calatrava Film Festival. Julian brought over his projector and a big screen, which we rigged to the wall on the roof. I collected the best IESE videos of the year and, after a prerequisite barbecue, we screened our favorites. It was a beautiful, relaxed evening... I think it will have to be the MONTHLY Calatrava Film Fest from here on out!


Julian and David with our rooftop screen


George, Lamberto, and Freddy


Andreas, Christina, Lena, and Diego


Bertrand, Julian, Vera, and George


The screening....


David trying to keep it under control

First weekend in Barcelona

It seems like I haven't spent the weekend in Barcelona too often recently, so I'm looking forward to a relaxed three-day weekend right here in the comfort of my own home. I'll do a little cycling, a little running, a little tanning on the terrace, some studying of course, and hopefully fit in a little beach time. I was also thinking of taking a nice siesta right now, but unfortunately the neighbor's kid decided to start playing his stupid plastic flutifone on the terrace across the way. It sounds like he's sitting next to me playing into my ear, the little brat. At least he has temporarily scared away the oversexed pigeons that inhabit their terrace. Hmmm... now getting out of town and away from recorder-playing rugrats is sounding like a great idea...

Last night I was a double dinner extravaganza. It started with an American BBQ at an American time (6pm) on the rooftop terrace of an American IESE student, Bill. Knowing a Japanese dinner was waiting for me at Juanra's house at 9:30, I avoided eating all but the smallest hunk of meat, which was deeee-licious. They sure learn how to BBQ in Montana!

So at 9:30 I headed back to my 'hood from El Born and went over to Juanra's place around the corner. I hadn't been there since he and his collection of Juans and Ramons that inhabit the house kindly took us in after the exploding moto incident of a few months ago. Satoshi and Junko came over and prepared a fabulous feast of sushi, tempura, and terriyai beef, and George and I finally rolled home around midnight. The BOW at Sutton beckoned, but sleep beckoned louder, and good thing, too because this afternoon I'm exhausted.

Hey! The recorder stopped! I guess my aim must've been pretty good with that rock I threw... Oops, I mean... I guess that lovely child has finished practicing. Nap time!

Juan, Ramon, and Juan Ramon. (Seriously!)


Sushi prepared by Junko


Junko and Juan watch as Sato prepares a feast


George learns some tempura techniques

A moment to reflect

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!

2nd Place

Just wanted to provide a quick update for those of you who have been biting your nails over the weekend, wondering how the Olympics went. We came in 2nd place behind our arch-rivals LBS, in a hotly-contested Olympic showdown. We lost by a mere 27 points (when the totals are in the range of 1200, you realize what a narrow margin this is) and now our fighting spirit is that much stronger. What we lost in those 27 points, we by far made up for in spirit and singing skills, and I hope to have videos up to prove it shortly.

Unfortunately, time for photo and video editing has been limited. We arrived home in Barcelona at 1:30 in the morning Sunday night/Monday morning, and had class as usual at 9:30. I got home at 5:30 yesterday and had to get straight to work on a scary corporate finance case which we had this morning wherein one poor soul would be picked at random to do the valuation of a corporate merger. Who was chosen but Pablo Royo, purple-suited skier extraordinaire, and game-saving Olympic goalkeeper (the men's final came down to penalties and Pablo made an amazing stop.) Of course Pablo, as always, was unruffled, even when his WACC turned out to be a little bit whack. The only thing that would have made it more impressive would have been the purple suit.

This weekend we have time to relax and prepare for finals because Monday is a holiday, so I promise to get photos up by then if not sooner! For now...

Olympic Count-Down

Well this is it, the last day before we head off to Paris and HEC for the MBA Olympics. This will be the last hurrah for IESE's 2nd year students, who officially graduated three weeks ago, and the chance for the 1st years to prove our worth in defending IESE's championship title. We have been victorious in the Olympics for the last three years and hopefully this year will be no exception. No pressure though!

Tomorrow we are all on two flights to Paris, and then on shuttle buses to HEC, where we will check in and then get settled at our hotels before - what else? - the big welcome party. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Of course, I haven't packed anything (though I guess I don't need much) and it's good that everything is organized for us because I haven't done much planning! And I can't imagine doing much tonight either.

Tonight Diego is celebrating his 30th birthday (which was actually last week) and we're all going to see a flamenco show. I've heard very interesting things about this particular flamenco troupe, so I'm sure it will be entertaining. Interestingly enough, last night I went to a flamenco show as well. This one featured Sara Baras Sara Baras, who is absolutely incredible. If I were male, I think I'd be in love with her. Actually I might be in love with her anyway... I mean, well, the show was really good. If you ever have a chance to see her perform live, by all means GO! She and her ensemble were mesmerizing and at the very end her little daughter came out and did an encore. She couldn't have been more than 6 and she ripped it up. The place went wild.

Today, of course, I'm exhausted as usual, so a nap will be required before any flamenco shows or packing or running or cases are attempted. I need to fill up the sleep tank before fully emptying it again this weekend!