The Unofficial Fonty Guide
This blog was produced by Lydia Lisanti (MIM'27) and Marina Casorran Michaut (MIM'27)
As the weeks at INSEAD unfold, it becomes ever clearer that our little corner of Fontainebleau is anything but quiet. Between rushing to record attendance at the start of class, wrestling for an umbrella to brave the autumn rain, and securing those elusive tickets to the MIM Student Council’s Oktoberfest, we’ve found countless ways for our true characters to shine.
In every moment, big or small, our cohort finds ways to contribute: sometimes through DJ’ing at our favourite (and only) club in town, sometimes with an unexpected breakfast between lectures, sometimes with a juggling performance mid-class. For this reason, it is only fitting that we embrace the motto Give, Give, Get and offer a series of guides to inspire and navigate our journeys (and if anyone gets lost, we’re lucky enough to have friends to bring us along with them).
What better place to begin than with a few simple truths we have all discovered since arriving in the land of châteaux and croissants?
1. The art of the spontaneous dinner
The finest meals, we have discovered, are rarely scheduled. After a long day of lectures, with our full fridges but our empty batteries, cooking does not sound particularly appealing. Somehow, on our walk home, we take a wrong turn and - oh dear! - land once more at Casa Azul. Their cheesy-crust quesadillas and spicy margaritas have a way of making a great day even better. In times of doubt, one can always find a last-minute table for 20 at Antica Trattoria.
2. Mastering the one-orink illusion
Never trust a classmate who swears they’re “only coming for one.” Ambition runs too high here. One becomes three, then four - sometimes in the company of our Accounting professor. Before long, we’re at the bar playing pool, and inevitably on to the Victoire residence, where we dance to the beats of an ironing board DJ in Fonty’s coolest underground rave cave (aka the laundry room). The key is to dress with both Amphi Rubeli and after-hours adventure in mind. Layers are your friend.
3. The Freddie’s effect
Morning classes, deadlines, post-lunch food coma - we all need an antidote. That’s where Freddy’s Bar comes in. More than a café, it’s our communal charging station. A quick cappuccino between classes, an espresso after lunch, or just the excuse to linger a little longer with our classmates. No matter how many company events you attend, true networking happens in the queue for coffee.
4. Recovery tips
MIM life is a marathon disguised as a sprint, which means recovery is as important as the race itself.
Some of us swear by sweating the stress away with a forest run, others by the noble labour of slipping into the sauna on campus.
And if running doesn’t soothe your mind, at least it will push you up the podium of the INSEAD MIM Strava leaderboard. Maybe a kudos will lift your spirits.
Lydia and Marina are members of the MIM ‘27 class. Lydia and Marina studied Economics at university in Italy and Spain respectively, and connected over their shared passion for creative nonfiction writing and margaritas. “The Unofficial Fonty Guide” is an adaptation of an editorial piece that first featured in the INSEAD MIM Weekly Newsletter.
