“To the end of classes…!” we all spoke at once, as we raised our glasses last week after the final exam. As we drank, we all looked at each other in silent contemplation – would that be the last time we would share drinks and laughs? As a December class, we enjoy a well-deserved summer break after six months of an intense MBA program.

• Read more about A Bittersweet Summer

Surely one place you will get to know well while in Singapore is Changi International Airport. Honestly, I’ve never thought I would be excited about an airport. But Changi is different – it will be greeting you almost every Sunday evening with Jazz music, the smell of orchids and efficient immigration. So, enjoy all the trips that you will experience! During P1-3 in Singy, I visited more than 10 new countries, and wanted to share some of my favourite destinations (in no particular order): Sangat Diving Resort, Busuanga Island, Philippines

• Read more about My Top Asian Destinations

Dear All, It’s been a while since my last update. To be precise just a little less than two months, but a lot has happened since then! Period 2 has come to an end and it’s time to pause, reflect and appreciate. To give you a flavor of these eventful weeks, let me share a few highlights with you.

• Read more about Period 2 highlights and the relevance of objectives

P3/P4 break is one of my best experiences in INSEAD so far –  My teammates and I organised a one-week trip to Japan, bringing 40 other students to our beloved country. Though Tokyo and Kyoto are by far the most popular cities, my mission in this trip was to take INSEADers from all over the world to Iida – a city in the countryside to provide a homestay experience with local farmers. I was really happy to see my friends smiling with their host families. The following is the story from the beginning motivation, the challenges and the discoveries. 

• Read more about Japan Trip -Discover Authentic Japan

Before the business trek during the school's P3/P4 break, there has always been a certain expectation on what Israel should look like. Probably due to the images often portrayed in news of conflicts, tensions, grief… it's no surprise that these are the words often associated with this land. So when I first touched down in Tel Aviv, I was shocked by it's liberal culture and lively atmosphere.

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And suddenly your phone is ringing... After months of hard work towards perfecting your MBA application, all applicants are waiting for "the call”. I still remember when I got the call from France: “Congratulations you got accepted into INSEAD”. There are no words to describe the excitement that I felt at that moment. It still feels like it was just yesterday. I got the call on a Wednesday at 8.20am, I was with my father, at home.

• Read more about Four ways to meet your future classmates

While discovering Phuket these past few days, I would never have expected to feel like I was back “home in Russia” as a child. This experience was so fascinating to me and it initiated so many memories, or reflections, that I wanted to share. *** Spoiler Alert *** Sometimes you have to travel a great distance to (re)discover your heritage. And, certainly the cultural diversity present within INSEAD helps greatly in this regard.   Let me begin with the more interesting observations I made in Phuket.

• Read more about Feeling At Home

I was reluctant to sign up for another big group trip, as this generally means less independence, and sometimes leads to more confusion. Four months into the 10-month program, I was no longer going on trips with most of my classmates simply because I’m a sightseer and not a beach bum. On three separate occasions, I had tried to enjoy sitting on a beach: 1) pre-MBA trip to a private island, 2) Phuket, and 3) Bali. It wasn’t working, and I had accepted this as a personal limitation in terms of group travel.

• Read more about My Favorite Weekend at INSEAD: Basque Country