From the Other Side of the World

A few pictures from my trip to China. The trip was really fantastic, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go. I don't think I ever expected to actually see some of the things I saw on the trip, including some of what you see below: At the Great Wall--the weather was absolutely perfect that day, around 70 degrees with bright sunshine. Wonderful for hiking!

In a park outside the Forbidden City, overlooking the city of Beijing

In the Forbidden City

At the Temple of Heaven

In the Olympic Stadium, pretending to be a spectator

In Shanghai--this is the historic part of the city

And Life Rolls On

Well, dear friends, if any of you even take the time to look at this blog anymore, I'm back. I am writing from yet another big city, this time on the other side of the world: Shanghai, China. I'm here with a school class that is looking at investing in China. We have been here all week and have met with business people and others who work with financial institutions in the country. It has been a fascinating experience, though I have to say, we haven't been able to really see as much of the city as I would have hoped, since we have had a lot of program activities each day. From what I have seen, though, the city is a very interesting mix of old and new--tradition, and future hopes. I am going to be visiting Beijing for a few days as well, and look forward to seeing some of the places that I watched over the air waves for the Olympics!

So that is where I am. Now for where I have been.

Life has been quite busy since our Christmas and New Year's in Paris. When we left France, we got on separate planes for VA and NY to return to academics and job searching. The day I got home, I started prepping again for interviews and continued submitting job applications for a summer internship. Having been through the summer job search for both a law student and an MBA student, I can say without a doubt that if I never have to do it again, it will be too soon! I submitted 35 job applications, and of those, I got interview invitations from 7. It was quite frustrating to see the same thanks, but no thanks email again and again from all the other submissions--discouraging, actually. You want to think that working as hard as you can will always get you results, but that is not reality. Sometimes, it just means you tried and failed. I learned a lot about myself and my personal expectations, strengths, and weaknesses through the process. The weeks leading up to and during my interviews were an emotional roller coaster unlike anything I remember experiencing before. But at the end of the day, I was blessed with the best of the positions I could have asked for, and I am so excited to have this process come to a conclusion. Now, I am really looking forward to the work the summer will hold.

It seemed that just as everything came to a conclusion with interviews, we were heading into finals for our first half semester classes. I definitely feel like the time has sped by so far this semester, and I'm determined to enjoy the next half.

Just in case there wasn't enough going on in our lives, we decided at the end of February, about a week before our lease expired, that we were going to move. So came the last-minute apartment hunting and logistical game-playing. We are very blessed, though, to have found an amazing deal on a fantastic apartment. Although I hate the actual moving process with a passion, it went really quite quickly, and we are now settled in. The new place is larger (couldn't get any smaller!) and in a much nicer neighborhood.

After I return to the country, we will have only about 6 weeks remaining in the end of our respective seemsters. With that, law school will be finished. Three years of very hard work! I am so proud of my man, and look forward to celebrating graduation with him. Before then, though, we're hoping to make some fun memories this spring--our first full spring in NYC. I think we'll be able to manage something!

So there you go--life does roll on, and I would say, has rolled along quite satisfactorily. I'll try to post some pics of our new place and of Shanghai soon. You can find more photos from our Christmas trip on my Facebook.

Adventures in Other Big Cities

Or where I have disappeared to since the last post.

To start off, finals wrapped up very nicely, though not without just a little stress and worry. They were well timed, overall: three one week, two on Monday and Tuesday of the next week.

But then, at some point in the semester, I got this crazy idea that it would be good to leave for a consulting project in Africa the minute I walked out of my last final. Yes, that's right, our final ended at 1:30, and we were in a car for the airport at 1:35. What can I say, I enjoy life on the wild side. This meant that all my belongings for a three-week trip out of the country had to go with me from my apartment to school on the morning that it decided to provide the season's first real snow. It was beautiful. But not ideal.

After the final, we collected our group and drove through the still-falling snow to the airport for an altogether 12-hour flight that would take us from the snow to summer-worthy temperatures in Ghana, Africa. The trip went smoothly, though provided no sleep--I think that finals had kind of messed up my brain. The Amsterdam airport is great for layovers.

Our trip was an absolute success. The project went well, and the experience was unforgettable. Especially the lizard in my bathroom the first morning. Memorable. Our team worked hard--meetings all day for several days and then two 3 a.m. nights pulling the presentation together. The consultant's life! We got to go to the market where many of our client's customers sell their products and really understand how business works in Africa. It's very different. Informal is the key word--unlike anything I've ever seen in the U.S. It's much easier to understand the barriers to developing a successful financial system at every level of society. The biggest downer was the lack of consistent access to Internet or telephone communication, especially after getting so accustomed to having email constantly at school.

We took a red-eye flight from Ghana back to Amsterdam and then off to Paris. Somehow, the airline managed to lose my baggage, which made for an interesting first 24 hours of the trip. I don't have the best French skills, and had no reliable telephone number where I could be reached in the city. Thankfully, we got something figured out, and it was delivered at 10:45 on Christmas Eve--in time for us to go to a beautiful Christmas Eve service at a nearby cathedral. We also caught part of a service at Notre Dame on Christmas Day, with the highlight being singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" at the end, accompanied by the Cathedral's amazing organ. Since then, we have been wandering up and down the city, scouting out Christmas cheer and just the beauty of it all. It has been a trifle chilly, but we came prepared, and there are always cafes nearby to dart in for a cup of hot chocolate or some coffee to warm up. We are just enjoying some time together, in the same place, without school on our minds for a little while.

There are a few pictures below, but I've posted more on Facebook. Enjoy them!

Happy New Year, and a belated Merry Christmas!

Les Invilades

A Christmas Carousel


Christmas Market on Blvd. St. Germain


L'Ecole Militaire

Us :-)

Lifetime Value, WACC, and Other Sundries

Yes, it's exam time again, which would explain why I'm posting. It's a good break to get my mind off marketing strategies for a moment. Just a moment. We have exams this week and next, and then it's off to Ghana and Paris. I can hardly believe I'll be out of the country for three weeks! I'm quite excited, though.

The last several weeks have been quite busy, as evidenced by my silence. Zach and I both turned 25 within 2 weeks of one another and then we enjoyed some time in PA for Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe that we're already one semester through B-school (minus finals of course). I have learned so much in 12 weeks time--things which, although they have funny sounding names (thus the title), are very valuable tools.

So, all of that being said, enjoy a few pictures!

Toy soldier by Rockefeller Plaza, with the large Christmas tree

Christmas decorations at Radio City Music Hall

Raygen and "Aunt Beth"

Lovely ladies--Bambi and Lashonda

Me and Grammy

Saw the First Snow Flakes

Mixed into rain and sleet this morning. Made it a perfect day for Christmas music and... studying. Just one week of classes left and not even a month before we're in Paris :-)

New York, NY

In French class on Friday, my professeur asked me (in French of course) what I liked about New York City. We are trying to work basic conversations into class, so it was a good discussion topic. I replied that I really like les jardins publique (public parks), like Central Park and Riverside Park. I fell in love with the jardins again this morning when I went running in Riverside Park. The crisp morning air was so invigorating, and since all the leaves are turning, there was a satisfying crunch crunch under my feet as I ran. There's a beautiful tree with red leaves along the path, and the park was bustling with activity--other runners, people walking their dogs, and parents taking their kids to soccer games. I know I live in a concrete jungle, but it's pretty idylic at times!

Christmas

Here it is, November 1, and I'm posting about Christmas already... Setting aside all the things that I need to accomplish between now and December 25, which is quite a lot, I am excitedly anticipating Christmas. Why? Because we are going to spend Christmas here:

Yes, you are correct, that is Paris. And yes, we are spending Christmas in Paris. It's a long story, actually. I am traveling to Ghana for a school project immediately after finals, and as it turns out, the flights coming home had a very convenient stop in Paris. So Zach is going to meet me there. We are renting a little apartment and will spend some welcome time together, enjoying my favorite city (so far) in the world. I can't wait!