Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Fun quotes from my semester at HEC
Over the course of the semester, there have been some fun things said by my professors (and fellow students. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
Business Strategies and Institutions in Europe
"There is a certain kind of champagne that is used especially in gay discos"
"That's ok, soon in Japan, robots will take over anyway"
Energy & Finance
"It's like comparing apples and rabbits"
"So there's a shoebox and a sponge..."
Country Risk Management
"Gabon" "Oh, that's where Survivor was last season"
"What's that in English?"
"Is demography even a word"
"What is a country that has a lot of inequality" "U.S." "Can you really lump the U.S. with countries such as Angola, Equador, or Brazil?"
Business Strategies and Institutions in Europe
"There is a certain kind of champagne that is used especially in gay discos"
"That's ok, soon in Japan, robots will take over anyway"
Energy & Finance
"It's like comparing apples and rabbits"
"So there's a shoebox and a sponge..."
Country Risk Management
"Gabon" "Oh, that's where Survivor was last season"
"What's that in English?"
"Is demography even a word"
"What is a country that has a lot of inequality" "U.S." "Can you really lump the U.S. with countries such as Angola, Equador, or Brazil?"
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Norway, day 3
GOING OUT
Beer is about $15 here in Voss. The Norwegians claim it's not usually that expensive, usually it's only about $12. Right
FOOD
Lunch today - onion soup, just onion soup. Needless to say, I ate some bread.
Dinner - yumminess.
TEAMBUILDING
We went to the Voss Rafting Center for some team building activities which were actually super fun. And of course, my team kicked ass ;) And there was this super adorable black kitten that kept running around by us and he reminded me of Tini :( Pictures to come soon.
PEOPLE
Observation: being back at school is returning some interesting memories of types of people, some of whom I have already encountered. Examples:
*The Show Off: regardless of the relevance, this person will always have to contribute to the conversation or the professor's remarks just to show that she knows something
*The Talk Backer: feels like the professor is there just for them and will feel the need to occassionally respond to the professor's comments outloud (without raising there hands); i.e. Professor - "there is a shift in the world economy"; Talk Backer - "you're right, there is".
*The Pretender: pretends that s/he doesn't care about class or doing well but is copiously taking notes and always studying.
*The Laid Back, Really Doesn't Care Person: really doesn't care about anything and is just along for the ride.
*The Not Sure I'm In The Right School Guy: forgets that s/he is a business major and starts talking about helping people without making money; i.e. "if a company comes up with a great innovation to reduce emissions, they should give it to more people cheaply so they will all use it and it will reduce the negative effects of global warming." Um, hi... you're in a seminar about creating innovations so that businesses can PROFIT off the climate crisis (while helping the world, of course)
*The Not Clear Guy: is he or isn't he? Sometimes you think he is and other times you're convinced he's not. Makes it difficult, le sigh.
Beer is about $15 here in Voss. The Norwegians claim it's not usually that expensive, usually it's only about $12. Right
FOOD
Lunch today - onion soup, just onion soup. Needless to say, I ate some bread.
Dinner - yumminess.
TEAMBUILDING
We went to the Voss Rafting Center for some team building activities which were actually super fun. And of course, my team kicked ass ;) And there was this super adorable black kitten that kept running around by us and he reminded me of Tini :( Pictures to come soon.
PEOPLE
Observation: being back at school is returning some interesting memories of types of people, some of whom I have already encountered. Examples:
*The Show Off: regardless of the relevance, this person will always have to contribute to the conversation or the professor's remarks just to show that she knows something
*The Talk Backer: feels like the professor is there just for them and will feel the need to occassionally respond to the professor's comments outloud (without raising there hands); i.e. Professor - "there is a shift in the world economy"; Talk Backer - "you're right, there is".
*The Pretender: pretends that s/he doesn't care about class or doing well but is copiously taking notes and always studying.
*The Laid Back, Really Doesn't Care Person: really doesn't care about anything and is just along for the ride.
*The Not Sure I'm In The Right School Guy: forgets that s/he is a business major and starts talking about helping people without making money; i.e. "if a company comes up with a great innovation to reduce emissions, they should give it to more people cheaply so they will all use it and it will reduce the negative effects of global warming." Um, hi... you're in a seminar about creating innovations so that businesses can PROFIT off the climate crisis (while helping the world, of course)
*The Not Clear Guy: is he or isn't he? Sometimes you think he is and other times you're convinced he's not. Makes it difficult, le sigh.
Norway, day 2
OBSERVATIONS
-Yep, the only American in a room of 40 Europeans.
-Norwegian is a weird language.
-Cute boys abound.
FOOD
Dinner was actually super yummy. Grilled pork chops, roasted baby potatoes, and salad featuring all my favorite things (mixed greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, vinagrette).
-Yep, the only American in a room of 40 Europeans.
-Norwegian is a weird language.
-Cute boys abound.
FOOD
Dinner was actually super yummy. Grilled pork chops, roasted baby potatoes, and salad featuring all my favorite things (mixed greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, vinagrette).
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Norway, day 1
Norway was a complete opposite of my first impression of Iceland. Seeing Bergen (Norway) through the clouds as we were landing was simply breath-taking. Miles and miles (or should I say kilometers?) of water and land. You couldn't tell if the land was surrounding the water or the water was surrounding the land. The fjords are amazing surronded by mountains with little islands cropping up here and there.
After landing, my first impression of Bergen was that it was like many old European cities. However, central Bergen is quite lovely with views of the wharf everywhere you turn.
It is sooooo expensive though. I stopped by a 7-11 (yep, there are 2 here, both sitting in the middle of quaint streets surrounded by quaint shops, quite the juxtaposition) to see how much prices were for things, wow. A small coke is about $4. Fish and chips selling on the wharf, $27. I decided to stop by a cafe and bought a hot dog and soda for about $9. It was funny, everyone speaks English but when I went to the cafe and asked for a hot dog which they had a picture of, the guy looked at me as if I was from another planet. Apparently they don't call it that here. Oh well.
After landing, my first impression of Bergen was that it was like many old European cities. However, central Bergen is quite lovely with views of the wharf everywhere you turn.
It is sooooo expensive though. I stopped by a 7-11 (yep, there are 2 here, both sitting in the middle of quaint streets surrounded by quaint shops, quite the juxtaposition) to see how much prices were for things, wow. A small coke is about $4. Fish and chips selling on the wharf, $27. I decided to stop by a cafe and bought a hot dog and soda for about $9. It was funny, everyone speaks English but when I went to the cafe and asked for a hot dog which they had a picture of, the guy looked at me as if I was from another planet. Apparently they don't call it that here. Oh well.
Iceland
ICELANDAIR
What can I say except don't. Friendly: yes. Cheap: yes. Comfortable: NO.
The seats are the same size as domestic coach seats. They do not recline. The lights were never dimmed even though it was an overnight flight. And oh yeah, you had to pay if you wanted ANY food.
ICELAND
First impression: very drab, wet, depressing. Second impression: fracking cold, as in really really cold. I was apparently the only person not to get the memo that it will be cold even IN THE AIRPORT, like really cold. As in just wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops is a really bad idea and everyone else was wearing thick sweaters or coats. Yeah.
ICELAND REJKIAVIK AIRPORT COSTS
Not bad. Bottle of water and an orange juice was about $4.50.
What can I say except don't. Friendly: yes. Cheap: yes. Comfortable: NO.
The seats are the same size as domestic coach seats. They do not recline. The lights were never dimmed even though it was an overnight flight. And oh yeah, you had to pay if you wanted ANY food.
ICELAND
First impression: very drab, wet, depressing. Second impression: fracking cold, as in really really cold. I was apparently the only person not to get the memo that it will be cold even IN THE AIRPORT, like really cold. As in just wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops is a really bad idea and everyone else was wearing thick sweaters or coats. Yeah.
ICELAND REJKIAVIK AIRPORT COSTS
Not bad. Bottle of water and an orange juice was about $4.50.
Friday, August 14, 2009
End of an era (really)
I cannot belive I'm leaving DC, I think it finally hit me Wednesday evening as I was saying goodbye to Gina. DC has been my home for the last 6 years; it has been the only city in the U.S. that I would actually consider living in permanently.
While this is absolutely the best thing for my life right now, I am still incredibly sad about some of the things I'm going to miss out on in DC. No more:
-driving across Key Bridge and seeing Georgetown rise above the river
-playing with my kitties, Tapa and Tini
-living with Gina (how am I ever going to deal with all my paranoid moments?!)
-helping plan Darya's wedding (except via phone and internet)
-chilling out with Mike and having interesting conversations (some of which make zero sense)
-having fun parties with all the ballroom (and non-ballroom) people
-etc...
While this is absolutely the best thing for my life right now, I am still incredibly sad about some of the things I'm going to miss out on in DC. No more:
-driving across Key Bridge and seeing Georgetown rise above the river
-playing with my kitties, Tapa and Tini
-living with Gina (how am I ever going to deal with all my paranoid moments?!)
-helping plan Darya's wedding (except via phone and internet)
-chilling out with Mike and having interesting conversations (some of which make zero sense)
-having fun parties with all the ballroom (and non-ballroom) people
-etc...
Monday, August 10, 2009
11 days and counting...
So, less than 2 weeks until I'm off to Norway. I don't think it's actually hit me yet. It still feels like I'm going about my day-to-day life instead of getting ready to change my life forever.
I am living out of a suitcase (literally) and sleeping on a futon at a friend's place. Leaving DC in 4 days. Home to Atlanta to see the family and pack (and by pack I mean trying to fit my entire life into 2.5 suitcases - people tell me it can be done so we'll see).
Things still left to do: confirm everything, exchange money, register for classes, write cover letters, pack. As you can see, my mind is an ADD jumble.
Ultimately, I feel like there's not enough time for everything but yet too much time. While I'm ready for the next phase of my life to start, I'm definitely not ready for my DC life to end. I can't imagine how weird it will be to not have some of these people in my life everyday. And I'm going to miss my kitties :(
So everyone, come visit!!!
I am living out of a suitcase (literally) and sleeping on a futon at a friend's place. Leaving DC in 4 days. Home to Atlanta to see the family and pack (and by pack I mean trying to fit my entire life into 2.5 suitcases - people tell me it can be done so we'll see).
Things still left to do: confirm everything, exchange money, register for classes, write cover letters, pack. As you can see, my mind is an ADD jumble.
Ultimately, I feel like there's not enough time for everything but yet too much time. While I'm ready for the next phase of my life to start, I'm definitely not ready for my DC life to end. I can't imagine how weird it will be to not have some of these people in my life everyday. And I'm going to miss my kitties :(
So everyone, come visit!!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Travel for the next year
Scheduled:
Aug 24-Sep 2: Bergen, Norway
Sep 2-Sep 9: Rome, Italy
Sep 10-Dec 18: Paris, France
Nov 13-Nov 15: Budapest, Hungary
Dec 4-Dec 6: Cologne, Germany
Jan 18-Jun 18: Brussles, Belgium
Planned:
Dec 18-Jan 18: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
Jun 18-Aug 31: Switzerland, Dubai, or Hong Kong
Aug 24-Sep 2: Bergen, Norway
Sep 2-Sep 9: Rome, Italy
Sep 10-Dec 18: Paris, France
Nov 13-Nov 15: Budapest, Hungary
Dec 4-Dec 6: Cologne, Germany
Jan 18-Jun 18: Brussles, Belgium
Planned:
Dec 18-Jan 18: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
Jun 18-Aug 31: Switzerland, Dubai, or Hong Kong
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
