Ground Control to Major Tom

I was sitting in a Cuban diner in South Beach, Miami when it hit me: we are now just a few weeks away from start of business school - this life changing experience that has been 29 years in the making. Why 29 years? Well, I think my dad had planned out this path for me before I was born: what are the odds that my father, brother and I share the same path from an undergrad in engineering to an MBA at INSEAD?!

It's hard not to be overwhelmed at the thought of starting school and being caught up in a whirlwind - trips already planned all the way to October, pre-term readings, aptitude tests, career orientation webinars, and 100+ WhatsApp messages everyday from schoolmates about Game of Thrones.

I tried to take care of as many administrative tasks as possible before arriving (housing and rent @ Arbre Sec, car rental @ MBA cars, cell phone @ Free, bank account opening still pending with terrible client support, student visa with no client support at all) which took much more time than I had anticipated. Next on the list is clothing and luggage, which comes with its own dilemmas: what watch(es) should I take with me? As a horological enthusiast, this decision is very delicate! How pretentious is too pretentious? As we move closer to the start of class, I feel the intensity and excitement rising, like an explorer descending on a new discovery.

And starting school again brings about old insecurities of fitting in (or being an outsider), relating and bonding with schoolmates, spending (too) long hours building complex simulations... Will I have the time to go to the gym and read Bukowski, or will these be relegated to the dungeon of the Château? So many open ended questions, but the main element to take away from this first blog (journal) entry is that I am really excited to start and dive into this experience wholeheartedly.

So here we are, impatiently waiting for liftoff.