Done and Gone

The first year of the MBA is over! I can't believe it. So trying, so demanding and so rewarding. Our last final was on Friday and a paper was due today. As of this morning the paper was sent from where I am staying in Istanbul which means I am free from the studies of the MBA until September. WoooooooooHooooooooooooo. Looking back, the time flew by amazingly fast. But to paraphrase one of my favorite bands, the weeks went fast but the days went so sloooooow.

Last week was a good week for a number of reasons. 1. Tessa and I were communicating very well and celebrated our 4 year anniversary. 2. Jeff, Tim and Jeff's sister were in town visiting. 3. Finished 1st year of MBA. 4. Tickets were booked to Kenya for my 3 1/2 week trip there for research/safari/trekking. 5. Left for Istanbul.

Which now puts me in Istanbul. I traveled here with a fellow survivor of the first year named Ewa from Poland. We're enjoying the hospitality of a really nice new first year named Ece. She has been showing us everything worth seeing in this city and has taken great care of us. Ewa and I have many questions about the Muslim religion/life and Ece has been extremely patient with us. At the same time, I have had a lot of explaining to do for American foreign policy.

Istanbul is a fantastic city. Straddling the Bosphorous River, it is partly in Europe and partly in Asia. Of course it is within Turkey which has a few neighbors known to get a little wild from time to time, namely, Syria, Iran and Iraq. Bulgaria and Greece are somewhat more tame.

Today we visited a church called Hagia Sofia which was a christian church from the 6th-14th century then converted to a mosque. The structure is immense and the dome is huge. The Statue of Liberty would fit inside with space to spare. This mosque is so interesting because its one of the only religious structures in the world to have so many christian and muslim symbols in the same place. Although very interesting, now it is more a museum rather than a place of worship which is what made our next destination so cool. We went to The Blue Mosque which is one of the finest designed and decorated mosques in the world. People still pray there but luckily tourists were allowed in. Everyone has to remove their shoes and then we just marvel at the structure, the design, the play of light, and the architectural elements.

Anyway, gotta cut this short. We're getting up early tomorrow to head to the Toptaki Palace and The Grand Bazaar. Its time to do some shopping.

Ups and downs

So much can happen in such a short amount of time. In the last few weeks I enjoyed the chaos of Marrakech, the history of Portugal, and the warmth of north east Spain on the Costa Brava. My friends Jeff, Tim and Jeff´s sister Aimee are visiting right now for a week and my friend Kristin just left after spending two weeks in Spain. My summer plans have become more solid as I locked up an internship where I will research and write about social entrepreneurship. And with only two weeks left of school, I´m looking forward to take a break from this full-time job that is the MBA to spend more time enjoying life and working.

Despite professional, academic and world travel progress, my relationship with Tessa has rapidly diminished. Our ability to talk is hindered by a 9 hour time difference which means I can only speak with her at 8am, 9pm or 2am. And during these times, one of us is either heading to bed or on a lunch/dinner break which means many days we do not talk. The lack of communication is causing an expanding rift and I´m not sure what where things will go. I feel very sad about what is happening and the way it is happening but I am hopeful that everything will work out.

Although my thoughts are clouded with relationship concerns, I am looking forward to my 5 day trip to Istanbul in June, the three week stint in Kenya for the internship and the exchange to London Business School in September. I´ll try to post some pictures of recent adventures as they are starting to mount up.

Where to next?

Whereas the vast majority of IESE students are on their way to France right now for the MBA Olympics I am about to leave for Marrakech in Morocco with 12 others who have decided for a cultural experience rather than competing against a bunch of other MBA programs to see which school has the best soccer, rugby, table tennis, chess players, etc.

We will spend four days down there and as its my first trip to Africa, I am very excited to see how the Muslim world compares. It should prove to be very different from Spain and a huge contrast to Amsterdam where I was for the 3 day weekend that just passed.

Amsterdam was a gorgeous city. I went with my classmate Charles who is/was an architect and his wife Laura who is also an architect. Did we look at architecture you may wonder? Why yes we did and it was great to hear about buildings from experts. Maybe you know this already but the modern architecture in the Netherlands is some of the most advanced in the world. Its amazing what they have been building there.

Just noticed I have to head for my plane. To be continued...after Morocco.

Last weekend was a

Internship Crushed

Today I almost crushed a pedestrian on the way to my 2nd interview for an internship at a start-up company. I screeeeeeched to a halt about 12 inches (what's that in cm?) from stupid's back leg. He didn't even notice he had just walked in front of oncoming traffic until my horn notified him of the fact. Ah well, better me on a moto than a bus driver with one of those crazy accordion double buses which would have never exhibited anything close to my cat like reflexes. Although stupid was lucky, I did have to breath a sign of relief as the idea of wiping dead stupid skin off my beautiful blue moto just doesn't appeal to me.

On to the 2nd interview. This was basically a follow up to a position that was mine for the taking. But this was the negotiation interview. You may know that most start-ups don't have two euros to rub together, well this one is no different. The negotiation went something like this:

Me: Is it possible you can pay me more than I earned when I was 18?
Them: Nope.
Me: Would you like fries with that?

And that's about the gist of the meeting. The company has a good plan and nice management and certainly has the ability to turn a revenue in the near future. On the flip side, its a start-up that pays way below the average internship and doesn't offer any equity. I wish money wasn't an issue but with 19 months between real jobs and a currency that's dropped over 20% since I've been here, the internship is the only opportunity to make anything while doing the MBA and not a good time to work for peanuts. Besides, new opportunities are coming through every day and there are some very interesting internships that don't include slaving away for a soulless Investment Bank or living out of a hotel at one of the Consulting companies.

The search continues....

In the meantime, tomorrow is the 2nd day of mid-terms. I should be studying Operations but instead I've been working on my LinkedIn profile and reading through the Vault Guide to Venture Capital. I also downloaded the digital book reader from Adobe along with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn just to see how the program worked. The software is getting pretty good, I think the digital book is going to be huge in the next few years.

This weekend, I'm off to Amsterdam with Charles and his wife Laura for a 4 day trip. That makes the 5th country visited since coming to IESE. However, now that I'm heading the Adventure and Travel club along with one other student, its time to kick the trips up a notch, in the next 6 weeks, I will head to Morocco, Portugal and possibly Istanbul. Photos will follow.

Which do you prefer...Buda or Pest?

I prefer Pest. A few weeks after our trip there I'm finally adding a bit of info about our great trip to Budapest, Hungary. Tessa and I went with two second year students; Nani and Eric. Eric is (was) at IESE on exchange from MIT and Nani is a good friend of Tessa's and a hellofa fanatic about Turkish Baths. Budapest is the capital of Hungary and was my first trip into Eastern Europe. Its different from Western Europe, not as commercial or touristy. Although we did go a little outside of the normal tourist season.Historically this was made up of two cities; Buda and Pest. They were split by a river that runs between them. There are several bridges that span the river including the Chain Bridge.Statue on the Pest side with his back to the castle on Buda hill.Chain Bridge

We stayed right in the center of the Pest side and could easily walk everywhere. These building s were across the street from where we stayed and give a good idea of how cool the architecture is when its taken care of. Quite a few buildings are simply allowed to fade and instead of the vibrant colors you see here, they are gray or dark. The main market in Budapest offered many of the most well known Hungarian food at a discount to the prices offered elsewhere. Here you see Nani enjoying a regular sausage whereas I couldn't help but like spicy horse sausage. I didn't want to like it and I never thought I would say this but holy cow, that was some good horse.The public thermal bath we went to was a bit too public for our tastes. Nani could hardly stand the place although she did enjoy the scenery (you'll see what I mean in a second). I think we'll remember those thermal baths long after the taste of sausage has washed away from our memories.
I admit that from afar, this looks like a beautiful way to spend your afternoon. But take a look at the person you're sharing your bath with and then tell me how long you're going to stick around? Although the majority of Hungarian's were fit, I think the baths were a stomping ground for the big and bigger. Easily the most fat people I've seen since leaving the states , however, still less fat than in the states.Bringing Sexy Back?
Here you see Eric blurring the distinction between big and HUGE.

The architecture was fantastic! So many refurbished extraordinary building set among old and crumbling buildings. Its not unusual to see the two buildings below on the same street. Although the green building is one of the coolest we saw in the city.Budapest also has the 2nd largest Synagogue in the world after the one in New York. The design was very similar to a church but of course all the religious symbols are different. The plight of Hungarian Jews during WWII is still very much remembered today. Out of every 10 Jews killed during the holocaust, 1 was Hungarian. One out of every 3 Jews killed in Auschwitz was Hungarian. Eric has family in Budapest and they took great care of us. One of the members of his family is an Auschwitz survivor. It was very interesting to hear about her trip back to Auschwitz with her entire family and how her parents didn't make it but she was able to survive and travel back to the place with all her offspring. This synagogue is also interesting because it is the only one in the world that has a cemetery on the premises. This was because the ghetto was right next to this Synagogue and the Jews didn't have much of a choice.Budapest was a great deal in comparison to anywhere in Western Europe. The hotels are a much better bargain and the food was half the price or less. The people were extremely nice but the overall temperament was a bit depressed. Kind of like when its raining so some external factor isn't allowing you to enjoy your day as much as you otherwise would. But as tourists we enjoyed every day and found the city to be enchanting and exciting.

Preparing to eat the best goulash ever! For 4 people, 3 appetizers, 4 main courses, 3 desserts and two bottles of wine we paid $60.Thanks to Eric for introducing us to his great Hungarian family and also for making sure that Nani washed everything that needed to be washed and thanks to Nani for making sure that Eric only ordered beers he could actually drink. hehehe. Great trip!

Home Stretch

A lot is happening this week. Tessa is heading back to Arizona on Monday :(. We returned from a fantastic cultural experience in Budapest, Hungary last Monday. The second years are finishing school and will all be gone next week. Also, I received the results from the MBA exchange bidding and luckily I snagged a spot to LBS. I will be in London from mid/late Sept through beginning of December. Also, this is the week I take over the Adventure Club at IESE. I am already starting to get trips on the schedule.

Everyone asks if Tessa is leaving because of relationship problems but that is not the case at all. Several factors went into her decision: She has a great business opportunity at home and will start a catering company with her friend, the costs of living here have increased by 20% since we've arrived (because of the falling dollar) which means that the budget we had was really effected, the opportunities for an American to work here are limited to babysitting, teaching English, and giving tours. Not exactly the best options. This has been a very difficult and emotional decision and we hope that it will offer Tessa the opportunity to gain experience in her field and make her life less dependent what is going on with me and school. We are having a going away party tonight.

The third term of school is going pretty well. Classes are much less intense this term which is good because 40-50% of us still need to lock down summer internships and need to spend time applying. The weather is finally turning into what we expected when we moved here; sunny and clear. I thought it was always like that in Barcelona but it turns out that th winter is quite chilly and Spring and Fall offer many rainy/cold days. The nice weather means we can finally begin doing outdoor trips and head to the climbing area in town at Montjuic. I've only climbed three times since moving here which is way below expectations.

I expect to have some time next week to upload some of the pictures from our last couple trips and elaborate a bit more about Budapest and the fantastic time we had there.

Ooh La La

This is the last night of our 7 night Paris trip. My sister and her friend Deni left yesterday morning and took all of Paris' consumer goods with them. What they do isn't even called shopping, its called buying. "Hey, what are you guys doing today?" I ask. "Well, we're looking high and low to see what's left and then we're going to buy it." "Really, how do you know you want it if you haven't seen it yet?" "Don't be stupid Jared, we don't want it, we need it and we're going to have it." In related news, the Eiffel Tower is being moved piece by piece to the marshy outlying area of Tampa, Florida. Get yourself a nice steak while you watch it twinkle.

While not shopping the girls were on one of my self-imposed itineraries from hell. I believe we walked over 200 miles in just under 20 minutes. We went to the soon to be relocated Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Musee D'Orsay, Napolean's Tomb (closed), The Catacombs (closed), The deportation memorial (closed), The Arc de Triomphe, Touleries Garden, The Rue Cler area, Versailles, the Latin Quarter and all along the Seine River in only four days. After they left, Tessa and I went to the Rodin Museum, back to the deportation memorial (closed again), through the Jewish quarter, up and down the Rue Cler, over to Montmartre and down through the sex district, stopping off to take pictures of the Moulin Rouge, the Erotic Art Museum, the last vineyard in Paris and all the old haunts of Renoir and Picasso.

Today is the first time we basically just walked around with 'no particular place to go'. Unlike the rest of the trip which switched between luke warm and cold, today was fareeezzzzing cold and windy. Even so, there were still a zillion people enjoying a nice walk around town. With so much to see, you can't blame them.

We are staying in a great flat in a fantastic area of town. Less than 10 minutes walking to Notre Dame. I found the flat on Parisattitude.com and although they force you to wire your payment for the flat to the owner's bank account, its totally worth it. We can walk to absolutely everywhere from our flat #2191. The place is two stories, two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, a living and dining room, washer/dryer, and great big windows. Its a bit kooky as the upstairs is really meant for those 5'6" or less, so I duck as I walk through. But no pasa nada as the downstairs offers soaring ceilings and room to roam.

A somewhat funny observation is that after living in Barcelona for 8 months, I actually consider the French here to be very friendly. Maybe its just relative but every store we walk into, they say, "bonjour" (good day) and they always say thank you and good bye also. The city is remarkably clean and even though the guide book warns us repeatedly about pickpockets, the seedy element is not very strong at all.

The food has been very yum. These French know how to eat. Although if you ask the American stomachs, they would probably disagree. The bread is just fantastic and the cheese can't be beat. Seriously, with over two hundred choices of cheese at the neighborhood market, can you really go wrong? I think not. We did have a few so-so meals but that's what happens when you're trying to please everyone.

Ever since my first international trip to Paris way back in 2000, I've been dying to have a comparable quality French Onion soup. The first attempt was a terrible $15 failure washed down with a $9 cappuchino which was also a failure. But redemption came in the form of a $12 bowl filled with cheese, onions, bread and love. Its worth making the trip just for the soup.

Other observations; Tessa hates museums of every sort so if you take her to one, even if she says she wants to go, she really doesn't and will remind you of her desire to be absolutely anywhere else in the world in every room. Tessa's comment about the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, "I'm not impressed, can we go outside?". Rachel is always cold and upholds the Friedman female family tradition of talking like there's no tomorrow. Deni can't find a decent bite to eat in all of France and I follow THE BOOK (Rick Steve's Paris 2008-absolutely awesome) like its the holy grail. I also drag everyone to see everything that may be even minutely interesting then read to whoever will listen. But even with all that being said, I think all would agree, this was a fantastic trip!!!

Next up, Budapest in two weeks. Tessa and I are traveling with some IESE classmates, Eric (on exchange from MIT) and Nani (a second year at IESE who is graduating in May). Eric has family in Budapest and has promised us some home cooked Goulash. As long as its not just like mom used to make, I can't wait.