April 13, 2008

So I've managed to make it safely through to my third quarter at Kellogg, a.k.a. the last quarter of my first year as a Kellogg MBA candidate. It's freaky - I swear I was still a happy camper back in Melbourne just yesterday.

So far, Kellogg has been a rigorous exercise in sleep deprivation. A lot of people did warn me about it, but it is not until this weekend that it struck me how much I was craving for a good 72-hour stretch with absolutely nothing to do but whatever I feel like doing.

Case in point: I'm writing this from the Denver airport, because after an exhausting 2-week trip in Turkey and Dubai over spring break which involved a lot of meetings and socialising / having fun crammed together, I decided it was a brilliant idea to go on a weekend trip to Breckenridge which involved a lot of snowboarding and socialising / having fun crammed together. I hadn't even gotten my jet lag yet! The trip also meant I had to somehow be snowboarding, socialising / having fun, AND doing work over the weekend, which, of course, equated to little sleep.

Having said that, the trip has been a blast. Company was good - I stayed with 3 Koreans who did not stop speaking Korean despite the amusement (and sometimes annoyance) of one other roommate and myself. Even though it is the last week of the ski season, the snow was incredible - I don't think I'd boarded in better conditions before.

The trip also brought up a lot of thoughts and questions to the surface - those of the reflective sort. As we were really exhausted most of the time due to the ridiculous amounts of snowboarding or skiing we were doing, I did have a lot of time to ponder about my current state of life. I'd say I've definitely gotten into the American (and Kellogg) life. I've found great company whom I could count upon when I feel lost - this was not the case some 4-5 months back. I still do miss the companionship and personalities of those back home, but I think I've reached a stage where my two lives, past and present, could coexist peacefully now. I've landed a terrific summer internship that I'm very excited about (details to follow), and I will in the Bay Area for the summer! Life is in a happy state.

That's all from me now. I should write more often, and I should update this website! I'll get around to it at some point - Kellogg can't be ALL work and fun and snowboarding, right?

08:46 PM