Wild Wild Wharton

Best States for Entrepreneurs

2010-10-15T22:06:00.001-07:00

It should come as no surprise that California leads the nation in the number of companies that are VC funded. In fact, in 2009, the state was home to more than 40% of the nation's venture backed companies. The next closest states are Massachusetts with 11%, New York with 6% and Pennsylvania with 5%.

Despite the obvious leaders, there are a few surprises as well. Two states in the Mountain West have a surprisingly high number of venture back companies. Colorado and Utah rank 5th and 6th, respectively, in the number of VC backed companies per capita (Colorado has 1 VC backed company for every 89,728 in population and Utah has 1 for every 89,825). Also surprising, Arizona, Florida and Nevada have remarkably few VC backed companies. Arizona ranks 35th, Florida ranks 39th and Nevada ranks 41st.

North Korea

2010-10-15T21:43:00.001-07:00

North Korea is the most isolated and secretive country in the world with only about 100 Americans visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) each year. Our trip was extremely controlled with our "guides" accompanying us every minute of our trip (even walking us to the bathroom) and restricting our visit to predetermined buildings, sites and museums. Our cell phones were confiscated at the airport and returned to us five days later when we left the country. Internet is non-existant. We are required to ask permission before taking every photograph (much of the time being denied). We were not allowed to speak to unauthorized North Koreans, and they are not allowed to speak to us, under penalty of arrest, detention and imprisonment. Propaganda is rampant, blaring from loud speakers and covering billboards. Despite having my every move and word monitored (the 43rd floor of our nearly empty hotel is reserved for foreigners and we were warned that it was bugged), the trip was fascinating and unforgettable.

Bill Clinton said it was the "scariest place on earth," The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the 38th Parallel. You can see the North Korean soldiers on the near side of the picture and the South Korean soldiers on the far side. The 38th Parallel is the cement line that runs through the center of the three blue buildings.

A North Korean General at the DMZ who HATES America (no big surprise).

The 38th Parallel that separates North and South Korea runs through the center of this room. I am standing on the North Korean side and the soldier behind me is on the South Korean side.

As you can see, the roads throughout North Korea are wide and empty. We drove on 10 and 12 lane roads with one or two cars on the entire road. The roads are also lined with street cleaners who painstakingly sweep and maintain the roads.

Our government handlers/guides referred several times to "rush hour." At first, I didn't quite understand because even when they said it was rush hour, the street were empty. I soon realized they were referring to the length of the bus lines. The buses in Pyongyang are as packed as I have seen anywhere in the world. The lines were often several blocks long and we were never allowed to take pictures of them.

Room #25 shows the North Koreans "Victory" and Room #26 shows the US Imperialist's atrocities.

The "Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum" in Pyongyang is one of the most intriguing museums I've ever visited. It is full of propaganda against the "US Imperialist Aggressors." They have re-written history showing that they were living peacefully when the US bombed them "relentlessly." Eventually, the story always ends with the American cowards surrendering and the North Koreans triumphantly winning.

Our guide showing us how the North Koreans victoriously crushed the American cowards in the Korean War.

Many of the museums and buildings through out DPRK (North Korea) show pictures of Americans surrendering and confessing to war crimes.

4.5 million people were killed or wounded during the Korean war, including an estimated 2.5 million civilians. Much of the Korean peninsula was left in ruins.

You soon realize when in North Korea that Kim Il Song (the founder of North Korea and father of current leader Kim Jong Il) is revered as a God. The "Great Leader" is featured on a pin worn by all adult North Koreans, there are over 500 statues of him throughout the country, almost every book sold in North Korea was either written by him or written about him, and you can plan on hearing his name several hundred times per day.

I traveled with a great group. There were six of us from Harvard and Wharton all holding passports from different countries: US, Canada, Germany, Brazil, England and Sweden.

Inside a North Korean home - we are only shown what the government wants us to see, so it wasn't surprising to see a pretty modern home with a nice washer and drier, karaoke machine and tv. Certainly isn't a typical North Korean home.

Rice patty fields. Over the last decade, over 1 million North Koreans have starved to death. During teenage years, North Koreans are 20 cm shorter and 20 kg lighter than their South Korean counterparts due to malnutrition. People's rations shrink or become non-existant depending on how "loyal" they are to the regime.

One of the 500 statues of Kim Il Sung throughout North Korea.

Tens of thousands of people practicing marches, card flipcharts and "the wave" from dawn till dusk (in the rain) in Pyongyang's most recognizable plazas.

We were taken down to take the subway for one stop (weren't allowed to go any further). It descends nearly 350 feet below ground and doubles as a nuclear shelter.

The "Great Leader" and the "Dear Leader" are everywhere in NK, even in all the subway cars.

Beautiful subway stop (since were weren't able to see the other stops, it is tough to know what the remaining stops look like). NK is know for creating a great facade for the outside world, but behind the scenes everything is in shambles.

One of the prides of North Korea, this olympic sized swimming pool at Kim Il Song University, sits empty.

One of the MANY massive portraits of Kim Jong Il.

Two newspapers, almost a month apart, with nearly identical headlines and content.

You can see some of the hundreds of grey colored apartment buildings were all the North Koreans live. Every building is painted grey and most look identical to each other. The tall pyramid shaped building in the background is a hotel which was started in 1987 and would have been the tallest hotel in the world had it been finished. It currently sits partially built and empty.

Pyongyang's Rungrado May Day Stadium, the largest stadium in the world, with capacity of 150,000. The stadium is primarily used for the Arirang Mass Games, but has also been used for executions (several military generals convicted of attempting to assasinate Kim Jong Il were burnt alive in the stadium in the late 90's).

Arirang was an incredible show - they were shooting people hundreds of feet through the air with large rubberbands. Some of the performers were as young as 5 yrs old. They perform on a nightly basis and many will perform until retirement.

Arirang, Mass Gymnastic Games. The background/backdrop is actually tens of thousands of people holding large colored flipcharts- they flip them constantly to change the backdrop of the show.

The "Great Leader" and the "Dear Leader" watching over a music class. This large school was built to showcase the talents of the young NK children. Many start learning music, art, gymnastics at just a couple years old.

Brunei

2010-08-09T00:38:00.001-07:00

There a few trips that one does during their life that they know they'll never make again. This was one of those trips for me. Most people have never even heard of Brunei, much less would they be able to point it out on a map ... and that's exactly why I wanted to go.

Brunei is a small country on the northern part of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. It shares the third largest island in the world (only smaller than Greenland and New Guinea) with Malaysia and Indonesia. Brunei also happens to be one of the richest countries in the world. Thanks to large oil reserves, they have made their Sultan one of the richest men in the world. The country is also predominantly Muslim.

The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is also one of the most spectacular buildings I've ever seen.

Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah mosque in Kampong Kiarong in Brunei is the largest mosque in the country. I was able to spend Friday morning at this mosque during the call to prayer, which was an incredible experience.

These boys arrived at the mosque with their fathers and seemed quite pleased that I would ask them to model for me in this picture.

It may be hard to tell from the pictures in the city, but Brunei is in the middle of a tropical jungle. We took a boat tour into this mangrove forest and watched long-nosed monkeys swing from the trees. We later saw about 20 more of them on the golf course at our hotel (playing on the green).

Lauder - Global Knowledge Lab

2010-07-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Is an entrepreneur born or made? As a team of global entrepreneurs, we set off to the Philippines, determined to explore this Nature vs Nurture debate.

As part of our MA degree requirements, Lauder students are required to form a team across language tracks and conduct research in different regions of the world. There are four of us in Lauder this year who were entrepreneurs before coming to Wharton, and we teamed up to further explore entrepreneurship in the developing world.

Will, an American in the Spanish track, is a former investment banker who moved to Mexico to open his own chain of ice cream stores. Stephan is a German, also in the Spanish track, who worked for McKinsey and Bain as a management consultant and also participated in several start-ups. Aymeric, a Belgian in the German track, was involved in several start-ups including a mid-sized pharmaceutical company in Europe. Last, and most certainly least, is me, the founder of PoolTables.com, the largest pool table retailer in the US.

Our mission was to further investigate an entrepreneurship school in the Philippines (The Academy for Creating Enterprise - ACE). A retired entrepreneur, named Steve Gibson, and his wife moved to the Philippines in 1999 to establish a non-profit school where they could train young, poor Filipinos on how to start and grow profitable businesses. They purchased a home large enough to house 25 students and they began teaching an intense eight week, in-residence program to young aspiring entrepreneurs. There were only two requirements: 1. They had to agree to pay a registration fee of about $20, which showed their commitment and sacrifice to become part of the program (all other costs for books, room, board, etc. are covered by ACE). 2. They had to be a returned missionary for the LDS church - as a devout Mormon, Steve had a strong belief that young people who had learned to work hard and serve others for two years (unpaid), were uniquely qualified and trained to become entrepreneurs.

As part of our visit to the Philippines, we were asked to teach the current batch of 25 students about entrepreneurship, our businesses and what had made us successful entrepreneurs.

Several groups at Wharton (Lauder Institute, Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, and the Wharton Store) were kind enough to donate items to these students. Every student received a Wharton tote or backpack, a Wharton t-shirt, mugs, Wharton pens/pencils/pads, etc. The items might seem insignificant, but you should have seen the look on the faces of these students as they received the gifts. It was well work the extra space it took up in our luggage!

I was fortunate enough to be in Cebu during this batch's graduation, so I attended the ceremony. It was a unique and touching experience to see each of them graduate. Most traveled to Cebu from islands quite a distance away, so only a few had family there to support them at the graduation ceremony. Despite this, without fail, when an individual's name was called, the audience erupted and if there was nobody there to support a recent graduate, several other students would run up to accompany the graduate for some picture taking. Of all the traveling I've done, I have to say that the Filipinos are the happiest people I've ever seen. I asked a taxi driver during my trip why Filipinos are always so happy. His response: "We can't afford much, but we can always afford to smile!"

One of my favorite classes at Wharton was an entrepreneurship classes where we participated in an innovation tournament, which we decided to duplicate during our visit. We didn't have a lot of time, so we did a condensed version. A week before our visit, I emailed the students and asked them to each come up with ten new business ideas which they weren't to discuss with their classmates. Upon our arrival, we had the 25 students divided into five groups of five. Each person presented their five favorite business ideas to their small group, followed by silent voting by each individual on a scorecard. After each person had presented their five ideas, we compiled the scores and revealed the top two ideas in each group (ensuring that they were from two different individuals - not surprisingly, several group's top ideas were generated by the same individual).

So with the top two ideas coming from the five teams, we had ten ideas which were the best out of an original 250 ideas. Each candidate from the top ten ideas formed a team of two or three individuals which helped them further develop their idea and create a poster which summarized the idea visually. We then had each of the top ten ideas pitch to the entire class. Upon completion, we gave every person two stickers that they could place on their top two ideas. This then gave us a winner, two runners-up and some very excited winners!

In addition to visiting current students, we also visited with ACE alum throughout the Philippines. Stephan and I visited with a few alum in Manila. These alum were all neighbors ... one runs a t-shirt printing and design company, another started a successful tamarind candy company, and the one on the far left is a regional coordinator for ACE, who oversees alumni affairs and other ACE activities in the northern region of the country.

This entrepreneur and his wife run a 30+ store business called Cellular City where they sell refurbished cell phones and service. He is one of ACE's most successful entrepreneurs.

Many of ACE's alum return home and start small businesses which provide an income sufficient enough to sustain their families. This ACE alum and his wife run a small barbecue stand together which supports their small family and a few older relatives.

This ACE alum actually owns three small businesses in Manila.

We met with a handful of ACE alum on the small island of Bohol one afternoon. The one standing up in the green shirt was in the first batch of entrepreneurs to graduate from ACE. He started a very successful online real estate company in the Philippines while a student at ACE. He now has over 30 offices around the Philippines and targets mostly Filipinos who live/work abroad who want to own island properties back home.

One of the fun cultural things we experienced in the Philippines was the transportation. These Jeepneys rule the roads in Manila and throughout the Philippines. They are old Jeeps that were stretched and converted into mini-buses where you can easily climb in and out the doorless-back of the vehicle.

Another common form of transportation are the "tricycles" which are modified scooters. As you can see, they often fit quite a few people on one scooter. We had 8 people on this scooter (I somehow ended up fitting right behind Stephan, in the pink shirt).

Mangos ... need I say more?

We somehow fit in some scuba diving at the end of our trip. Life is rough!

Cuba

2010-03-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break, Wharton students head to every corner of the globe in search of adventure, culture and relaxation. While my classmates summited Cotopaxi, toured Japan and visited the Nile, I headed for Cuba in search of entrepreneurs in a country where entrepreneurship isn't supposed to exist.

As part of my MA degree (I'm doing a dual MBA/MA program with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Latin America, respectively) I am required to conduct research and write a thesis-like paper with a small team of other students in the program. I have teamed up with three other entrepreneurs who share similar interests (Aymeric, a Belgian who is in the German track, who started a mid-sized pharmaceutical company in Europe; Will, an investment banker turned entrepreneur who quit his job and moved to Mexico to start a chain of ice cream stores; Stephan, a German in the Spanish track who worked for Bain and McKinsey as a strategy consultant and who has also worked on a number of start-ups).

As part of our research on entrepreneurship in the developing world, I figured it would be fun to try to go to Cuba, so I applied for an academic research license through the Department of the Treasury, and to my surprise, it was approved and on March 5th I headed to Cuba for one of the most adventurous ten days of my life.

Havana

In the above two pictures you can see the Capitolio in the center of Havana, which is modeled after the US Capitol Building.

Baseball is a staple of life in Cuba. Children play in the streets, parks and plazas, while dozens of men gather every day in a "peña" in one of the central plazas to talk baseball all day long.

A strikingly obvious omission in Cuba are "tiendas." Throughout Latin America people turn outward facing rooms in their homes into a small convenience stores selling bread, milk and other staple foods. In Cuba, food is strictly rationed, as you can see on this ration board in one of the state operated ration stores. Small bottles show the amount of rice, oil and sugar that is rationed to Cubans and small stacks of soap (for bathing and clothes washing) are also on display. There are shortages of these items throughout Cuba, but store operators and factory workers often find ways to steal these items and sell them on the black market.

Cars from the 40's and 50's dominate the streets in Cuba. As you can see, it is rare to see a car being driven without every seat being utilized.

In Cuba, resourcefulness is key. They continue to use and repair things that would have been disposed of decades earlier in the United States. I even saw men repairing disposable lighters (refilling them with fuel and replacing the flint).

I went to a playoff game while in Havana (this was the league championship game). I've been to quite a few baseball games, but I've never seen a more animated group of fans, at any sporting event. Thousands of people had actually made their own air horns by attaching horns to bicycle pumps. Cuba runs two currencies, one for tourists and one for Cuban nationals. My ticket cost me $3, but Cubans are able to attend for 1 peso nacional, which is equivalent to $.04 (4 cents).

Still overlooking the city of Havana is El Morro, a 16th century fortress that is perched across the bay from the city. It once protected the Spanish colony from the British and Caribbean pirates. It is a magnificent castle with dungeons, look outs and ancient canons.

The José Martí memorial at the Plaza de la Revolución. Martí was a Cuban who lived in the United States for nearly 20 years and then returned to Cuba to fight, and subsequently die, in a battle for independence from the Spanish. He is famously quoted in Cuban propaganda, which litters billboards throughout the country, having said "Viví en el monstruo, y le conozco las entrañas." or "I lived within the monster, and I know its entrails", referring to the United States. One interesting part of Cuba is that advertisements do not exist. All billboards are propaganda filled messages from the government and commercials on the two government run television stations are non-existent.

Opposite the Martí memorial is Ché memorial. This plaza is where Fidel and Ché Guevarra led their revolution that overthrew the Cuban government in 1959. Ché is one of the most popular and recognized figures throughout Latin America and is especially idolized in Cuba. Over a million people still gather in this plaza every year to hear the Castro brothers speak.

Sunset over Havana as the waves crash against the Malecón.

Viñales Valley

Western Cuba is dominated by rural villages, farmland, conspicuous cliffs and unexplored cave systems. Horses are a common form of transportation for the local residents.

One of many tobacco farms throughout the Viñales Valley.

Farmers still use Oxen and a traditional plow to till their farmland.

The local "school bus" taking children to school in rural Cuba.

These shower heads in Cuba brought back shocking memories from my time living in Bolivia. Electrical wires are connected to a heating mechanism in the shower head to heat the water. Warning: Don't touch the shower head or turn the water off while wet! This can be difficult when the shower head is at shoulder level. Fortunately, having been shocked in Bolivia numerous times, I was able to avoid a similar experience in Cuba.

Cienfuegos

Looking through an old fortress window which overlooks the bay of Cienfuegos.

An ancient canon at the Castle of Jagua at Cienfuegos.

Monument in the central plaza of Cienfuegos.

Bay of Pigs

I was able to participate in Fidel Castro's favorite hobby - scuba diving. I went to the Bay of Pigs, the infamous site where 1400 CIA-assisted Cuban exiles unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. Cuban intelligence was warned of the invasion, and Castro and his army laid in wait for the ill-fated attackers. Several US ships were sunk and all 1400 men were captured or killed. Aside from this famous historical nugget, the bay provides outstanding scuba diving. It was the most pristine diving I've ever done - the reefs were untouched. Unlike most famous dive sites around the world, these reefs see very few visitors. It was genuinely one of the coolest experiences I've had during my travels. Absolutely stunning.

Beautiful beaches throughout Cuba create a vacationer's paradise.

Trinidad

Trinidad is one of Cuba's oldest and most important cities having been founded in 1514. It was a central hub to the sugar trade. This monocrop economy dominated Cuba for several centuries and caused the deforestation of the entire island, but it also brought incredible wealth to the isolated island and allowed for what was once a modern and wealthy city.

American cars from the 1940's and 50's still run the roads of Cuba and act as an important part of the country's transportation system and culture. Taxi drivers often work without the meter running allowing them to game the system where they earn $17/month.

Men playing dominoes in the streets of Cuba is a common sight. A poker face doesn't do you much good when you have this guy sitting behind you!

I was able to meet up with a few friends from Wharton while in Trinidad. Unfortunately, our schedules didn't overlap more, so we only spent this one evening together.

Q1

2009-10-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Well, despite numerous warnings from second-years, I've over committed myself within days of starting Quarter 1. In an effort to remember all my commitments, I'll list them below:

Co-Chair of Wharton's Business Plan Competition - I was selected with another first-year to act as Co-Chair of the business plan competition held at Penn. We subsequently went through piles of applications and picked an extraordinary student management committee to help us put on the competition. This has required between 5 and 10 hrs per week of planning, meetings, and presentations. I actually competed in a half dozen competitions as an undergraduate and was able to walk away with some decent prize money which helped me expand my business, so I'm a real believer in learning and education that happens in these competitions. The picture below is of one of the info sessions we conducted. My co-chair is presenting here to about 120 students.

SBDC Consultant - I was one of 20 MBA's chosen to be a consultant for Wharton's Small Business Development Center. This is an extremely competitive program, so I feel honored that I was selected to work with them. We provide strategic and management consulting to local companies within the Retail and Restaurants vertical. I am working with a team of another MBA and a couple Wharton undergrads. My projects currently include advising an executive team with 100+ national franchises which is targeting improved employee retention and training, and assisting a restaurateur focused on increasing traffic and profitability. I've been spending 10-12 hrs per week on these cases.

Co-Founder of Wharton's Founder's Club - Along with a couple other entrepreneurs, I have started a new club for MBA's who were entrepreneurs prior to attending Wharton. We meet weekly as a group and have a theme assigned to each meeting. This week, for instance, the theme is e-commerce and I will be doing a 15-20 minute presentation on my business, presenting a case study where we discuss a problem my business faced and how people would attack the problem. We also listen to a handful of elevator pitches by other founders whose businesses were in the e-commerce industry. We also do mentoring for students wanting to start businesses (both undergrads and MBA's).

Entrepreneurship Elective/New Business - I took an elective class this quarter (on top of the Core and Lauder classes) and I'm glad I did it! The class is OPIM 651, Innovation, Problem Solving and Design. In summary, the class of 40 comes up with 400 business ideas in a specific industry (10 ideas per person). We then rate the ideas throughout the semester and slowly eliminate ideas until the best business ideas filter to the top. I am working on an idea with a great team and two of us are actually moving forward with the business and actually launching it in the next few months ... details to come.

Youth Counselor - through my church organization, I work with some inner-city youth a couple times a week. It has been a fairly large time commitment, but I'm glad I'm doing it. I spend the majority of this time working with two 14-year old twin boys and have really grown close to them. Last night I took them to the Franklin Institute to see the Body World exhibit and participate in a science presentation.

Father/Husband - of course I have a few extra demands on my time that most MBA students don't have ... I have a small family with two beautiful little girls. Although I don't see them as often as I did in the past few years, it is the highlight of my day seeing them in the mornings and walking my little girl to school.

I'm going to include some pictures I took around campus yesterday. I feel fortunate to be attending school at such a fine and beautiful university. Go Quakers!

The Quadrangle - University of Pennsylvania

Locust Walk

Class gift of '92 (which century though?)

1892 ... Sounds old, but Penn was 152 yrs old by then.

Benjamin Franklin - founder of UPenn, the nation's first university.

Ivy League! Since June 7, 1873, every class graduating from the University of Pennsylvania has placed an Ivy Day stone somewhere on the university campus and a new sprig of ivy is planted.

How I get to school (50% of the time - also enjoy the walk back to Center City)

Well, time to hit the books. It's hard to believe, but I have finals next week for Q1 classes!

Pre-Term

2009-09-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

The last month has involved crash courses (Accounting, Economics, Statistics and more), career seminars, program introductions, THE math test, extracurricular activities, parties, the Leadership Simulation, the Learning Team Retreat, and, of course, Cohort and Learning Team assignments.

As part of Pre-term, Wharton bought 500 tickets to a Phillies game. It was a great game with a lot of home runs (mostly by the Phillies) and a ton of fun to see 499 classmates wearing their Wharton t-shirts!

The Learning Team Retreat started with a 6:00am bus ride into the Catskill Mountains of New York.

We arrived at Iroquois Springs to the cheering and screaming of our Leadership Fellows (2nd-year MBA's). I was skeptical, but open to the experience, and I have to admit that I had an absolute blast.

Cohort I was of course the weekend's dominant cohort.

We had to deal with a little bit of rain during the two days we were there, but fortunately the weather cleared and allowed us to participate in some of the outdoor activities that we scheduled.

There were a number of games and activities that allowed us to get to know our cohort better. This game above was actually the one where we were assigned to our Learning Teams (unbeknown to us until the game unfolded).

Canoeing was a fun part of a relay race which provided quite a few laughs. Before a team could start the canoeing section, others had to run, grab a paddle or life-jacket and spin around ten times. It was absolutely hilarious watching people trying to run back. I actually got to participate in the canoeing portion of the relay for my cohort and we won, which was rewarding!

This was one of the many activities which helped us work together and get to know our new learning teams. I need to track down a picture of me and my learning team, but it is a pretty cool group. There are six of us, 3 guys/3 girls, we come from Mexico, Singapore, Nigeria and the US, professionally, there are two bankers, a consultant, an economist, a real estate developer, and an entrepreneur (of course). Educationally, we were educated at Harvard, Yale, the London School of Economics, Georgetown, UNC and BYU. I couldn't be happier with my learning team and I'm excited for the next two years!

Just thought I'd throw this picture in. My wife, kids and I went up to NYC one weekend and had a great time ... definitely an advantage of living in Philly (which is also a WONDERFUL city).

Spain and other July adventures

2009-08-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Due to the H1N1 (aka the Swine Flu), we had some unexpected changes this summer. Originally we were supposed to be headed to Mexico for the first part of the Summer Immersion, but due to Swine Flu fears the first month was changed at the last minute to Argentina. Fortunately, Lauder had previously done the Summer Immersion in Argentina and had some wonderful connections there.

Unfortunately, we were thrown another curve ball halfway through the immersion. Our partner university in Madrid chose to cancel our program because of the swine flu which many of us had contracted in Argentina (ironically). After some debate, Lauder decided to send us to Madrid but with a slightly improvised schedule and a new partner university. We had a great time in Madrid thanks to the sacrifice and hard work of our language professors and program coordinators. We were able to do around 8 corporate visits in Spain to companies like McKinsey, Bain, Afi, Magnum Capital, Grupo Vips, Caja Navarra, the Bolsa de Madrid, and FCC. We visited outstanding museums which boast works of Picasso, El Greco and Dali. On top of it all, we were able to take Spanish classes every day, wooohooo.

After the first week of classes, a few of us went off to Pamplona to participate in the Running of the Bulls. Pamplona was an amazing little city with a ton of character and certainly knows how to throw a party. As soon as we arrived in the city, we noticed everyone (from the old to the young) was wearing while outfits with red neckerchiefs and sashes. I slept a few hours in the car that night, but the rest of the crew pulled an all-nighter in the crazy streets celebrating San Fermines. Early the next morning we battled for street position in the running, but after an hour of pushback from the police, we were forced off the street. We later learned that the only people that start at the course are allowed to participate in the running. Regardless, we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We spent the rest of the weekend in San Sebastian, a city on the north coast of Spain near the border of France. It is a beautiful city with a gorgeous harbor and beach. I was able to attend one of my church congregations in the morning with one of my traveling companions and was able to see some of the sights, castles, fortresses of San Sebastian.

Our second weekend in Spain was a couple days longer than normal, so we headed down to the Andalucia region of Spain. We visited the Alhambra in Granada, the oldest bull fighting ring in Spain in Sevilla, and the Straight of Gibraltar in Tarifa. I spent one afternoon on my own in Tangier, Morocco, which was a fun experience. I listened to the call to prayer and stood in front of a mosque as people entered, washed themselves and prayed.

Christopher Columbus' tomb

My first and last bullfight

Straight of Gibraltar

Alhambra, Granda

Plaza de Espana in Sevilla

Tangier, Morocco

The third weekend our entire group went to Barcelona on one of few Lauder sponsored trips. Barcelona is a beautiful city on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. We did a fun walking tour of the city and visited several several places that Gaudi designed including a beautiful home, a spectacular park overlooking the city, and the infamous Sagrada Familia which has been under construction for nearly 100 years.

Carriages wheels once scrapped across this corner

The Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

The last day in Barcelona, I left early in the morning with Greg to visit Andorra, one of the smallest countries in the world, which is nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains. I don't know that I had high expectations of Andorra, but I honestly loved it! The drive was absolutely beautiful and Andorra La Vella was charming and quaint.

The dangers of making a wrong turn in Andorra ...

After Barcelona, we were all given 4 days of free time to either work on our summer projects or travel. Five of us headed to Marrakech, Morocco to experience a little bit of Northern Africa and the Sahara desert. It was amazing to me how similar the architecture in Southern Spain (Sevilla/Granada) is to Morocco's. Looking at pictures, it would be difficult to tell one from the other. The Arabic influence in Spain is more apparent to me than ever after visiting Morocco.

Marrakech was a different experience for me. The first thing that has to be mentioned when discussing the city is the heat. With temperatures of about 115 through out the day, it is incredibly difficult to feel comfortable. Air conditioning is all but non-existent, so there is no way to escape the heat. I had been sunburned pretty badly in Barcelona, so I bought a typical Arab outfit that covered my arms, neck and head (plus it just looked so cool that I was practically looking for an excuse to buy it). After a long hot day, we returned to our hotel to recover. Three of us decided to hit the town again that evening and we found the secret to Marrakech. Everyone comes out at night! No wonder the streets seemed empty when we were walking around all afternoon. The streets and markets were packed with people. Outdoor food kiosks, traditional music and spice vendors filled the main square and created an intoxicating atmosphere. The snake charmers and monkeys were also out in full force.

The next morning we woke up early to begin our 7-8 hr drive to the Sahara. We first climbed the Atlas mountains and then dropped into the Sahara. We waited an hour or two for the heat to dissipate before mounting our camels and heading for the Berber camp which would be our place of rest for the evening. After a two hour camel ride and some incredibly sore behinds, we arrived at the Berber camp. We ate a typical Berber meal and then pulled our mattresses out of our tent to enjoy a star-filled night in the Sahara.

My month in Spain was a blast. Madrid was an amazing city that I hope to get to know better in the future and Spain and its surrounding countries are filled with natural beauty, wonderful cultures, and brilliant histories.

Portuñol

2009-07-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

As an unofficial member of the Portuñol track, I felt it necessary to visit Portugal to complete my understanding of the Spanish language and culture. We had a few days between the end of our time in Argentina and the beginning of our classes in Spain, so a few of us decided to head to Lisbon, Portugal for a few days. We spent three days there and I have to admit that I’ve fallen in love with Portugal. I’m convinced that I’ve found a hidden gem and I've added Lisbon to my list of favorite cities of the world.

Flying into Lisbon gives you a good sense of what you have awaiting you in Portugal. The first thing you notice is the enormous number of white buildings and an even larger number of buildings with red-tile roofs. Once I got into the city I quickly starting making mental comparisons with San Francisco. The city is full of steep hills and winding roads. Lisbon is set against a back drop of beautiful hills and a dark blue ocean which carries a refreshingly cool breeze through the city.

I loved wandering the narrow cobblestone streets as we soaked up the sounds, smells, and music of Lisboa. We caught ourselves standing outside a tiny little restaurant tucked between the narrow streets of a quaint and seemingly ancient little neighborhood. Inside two men lifted the spirits of a dozen people with a guitar and a beautiful voice echoing the sounds of a romantic language. Nearby, two men sat on a small bench, echoing the words of the singer as they played their air guitars, they had had one too many drinks, but it made for an enjoyable and unforgettable night.

We also visited a number of the major historical sites of Lisbon and its surrounding area. We enjoyed eating (a few too many) Pasteis de Belem, a famous pastry in Lisbon. On our last day, we rented a car and experienced a short, but exciting road-trip. We drove out to three small historical towns on the outskirts of the city: Estoril, Cascais and Sintra. Two first two are beach towns which once boasted having Portuguese kings bath in their waters. Sintra is tucked into the forested hills outside of Lisbon and is the host to one of the most impressive palaces in Europe, the Palace of Pena. It was clearly influenced by the Moors, who ruled the Iberian Peninsula for several centuries. We also visited Cabo de Roca, the most western point of Europe, "where the land ends and the water begins."

Despite not being a Spanish speaking country, I felt that this short trip to Portugal, the sister country of Spain, helped me better understand the Iberian Peninsula, Spain, and the relations between the two countries that share this large peninsula.

Don't Cry for Me Argentina

2009-07-09T12:54:00.001-07:00

It’s hard to believe that the first month of our Summer Immersion has come to an end. From the glaciers of Patagonia, to the waterfalls of Iguazu, Argentina has been amazing. Two weeks ago we all flew to Mendoza on one of the few Lauder sponsored (paid for) trips during the immersion. It is a beautiful city nestled high in the Andes. We spent a day at the base of Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western and Southern hemispheres. We were fortunate enough to get hit by a large snow storm, so our day’s activities included making a snow ball or two. We then spent a day visiting some wineries. As a non-wine drinker, I know very little about wine. Despite this, I found the visits very enjoyable as I learned more about the challenges and opportunities that wineries face globally and in Argentina.

The following weekend, my wife came out to visit, which was a blast. We spent a long weekend visiting Colonia (Uruguay) and Iguazu Falls (Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay). We also spent a few days in Buenos Aires visiting the sites, taking Tango lessons, and shopping. My time with her was definitely one of the highlights of my time in Argentina.

Having come from a family that loves Argentina (my father and two of my brothers have lived in Argentina at different times), I had a lot of preconceptions of what Argentina was like and I thoroughly enjoyed finally getting to spend some time there to develop my own understanding of the country. It is true that Argentine beef is among the best in the world, although I also discovered it to be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to get a steak cooked medium-rare. The beauty and diversity of the country is remarkable with arctic oceans, glacial lakes, dense jungles, and arid altiplanos. The European influence in Argentina is undeniable, from the beautiful architectural design of the city, to the ethnic traits of Argentines themselves. They are proud to call themselves Europeans, wait I mean South Americans (or maybe a little bit of both). I’ve loved my time in Argentina and feel like I’m taking a little piece of it with me as I leave.

Argentine Sunrise (Sunset)

2009-06-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Every time I saw a beautiful sunset growing up, my dad would tell me it was an "Argentine Sunset." I have to admit I've seen some beautiful sunsets here in Argentina, but the Argentine sunrises are just as beautiful. Here are a couple pictures of the sunrise taken from my 13th floor balcony in Buenos Aires.

Patagonia (Argentina/Chile)

2009-06-17T18:08:00.001-07:00

Thanks to an Argentine holiday, we had a long weekend, which I took full advantage of. After going to Colonia, Uruguay on Saturday, Gaspar, Eduardo and I took off took off to Patagonia. We made stops at El Calafate, Argentina (to see the glaciers), Torres del Paine, Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina.

Perito Moreno, Argentina

About an hour and a half away from El Calafate, a city near the southern tip of South America, is one of the most beautiful glaciers on the planet, Perito Moreno. The sheer cliffs rise several hundred feet above the icy waters below. The deepest part of the glacier is actually 2,300 ft deep. The sound of the calving of the glacial walls is an impressive sound that I don't think I'll ever forget.

Me, Eduardo and Gaspar about 300 meters from the front of Perito Moreno.

Torres del Paine, Chile

The drive to Torres del Paine was long, but we had a blast. We left around 4:45 am to make sure we had enough daylight at the park. We braved a few snow flurries and when we got to the Argentina/Chile border at 9 am, it was so dark that it could have been midnight. The sun finally peaked up from behind the mountains at 10:55 am. By 3:00 pm we lost sight of the sun (behind the clouds), by 4:00 pm it was getting dark and by 5:00 pm the night had begun. One of the most remarkable things I saw in Patagonia were the stars. The only place I've seen something similar was in Bolivia, where I actually confused the stars with a cloud because the stars were so thick. The difference here in Patagonia was that the "cloud" of stars actually stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. I can certainly understand the orgin of the "Milky Way". We could also see two smaller galaxies just to the left of the Southern Cross. I've never been more awed by the stars. It was simply amazing. The only bad thing was the bitter cold! It was tough to stay outside the car for more than 5 minutes.

Patagonian Grey Fox with the Cuernos of Torres del Paine in the background (top left).

The "Cuernos" or the "M" as it is commonly referred to is seen at the top left of the picture. Probably the most stunning mountain I've ever seen.

Condors on a ridge at Torres del Paine.

Another beautiful site of Torres del Paine. The Cuernos are in the top right of the picture.

We saw literally hundreds (or even thousands) of guanacos grazing in the Chilean Andes.

Ushuaia, Argentina

Ushuaia is the southernmost city on the planet, located at the tip of Tierra del Fuego, the island on the tip of South America across the Straights of Magellan. It is also the city from which most Antarctic adventures depart. It is located at the base of the Andes mountains and overlooks the Beagle Channel.

The Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in the Beagle Channel is sometimes referred to as the "Lighthouse at the End of the World."

Colonia, Uruguay

2009-06-13T19:14:00.001-07:00

This morning eleven of us left for Colonia, Uruguay, a charming little colonial city. It was the first city in Uruguay and was fiercely disputed between the Spanish and the Portuguese (changing hands about a dozen times over the last several centuries). Because of this, Colonia has an enormous amount of Portuguese and Spanish influence.

We took the buquebus ferry from Buenos Aires which was very convenient offered beautiful views of BA.

La pandilla de Lauder. One of these things is not like the other ... one of us doesn't have a scooter.

Some poor photography of beautiful Colonia, Uruguay:

2009-06-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday on Wednesday! 31 years old ... definitely the grandpa of the Spanish track. There are 3 or 4 people older than me in the Lauder group, but I'm the oldest one in the Spanish Track. The average age of the Lauder students this year is 28 (range: 24-32).

Anyway, we went to a restaurant in Puerto Madero called Asia de Cuba, which was a fun experience. Good food, fun atmosphere and great company!

Eduardo wearing his rose pedal crown.

The Constitucion station after our corporate visit to Clarin (the largest media group in Argentina).

I went out to a pizza parlor called El Cuartito with Greg and Jeff the other night. It was packed with people watching a soccer game and filled with soccer memorabilia. The pizza was outstanding!

Argentine armored truck.

A picture of a fountain in the Jardin Botanico in front of my apartment.

A beautiful building in the Jardin Botanico.

Our Lauder group visited one of the oldest "plateros" in the world. This family has been doing silver work for 8 generations. Their work is incredibly elaborate and beautiful. They made the facemask that was used on Evita Peron at her funeral and made silver roses (as the one pictured below) for Princess Diana's funeral.

Day 2 in BA

2009-06-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

I really don't plan on updating the blog nearly this often, but since a lot is happening these first few days, I thought it would be justified to post today as well.

Our first day of classes at la Universidad de San Andres started this morning at 9am. Greg and I took the subway, which is just down the block from us. The subways seem to be very clean, but CROWDED! It made the NYC subways seem empty. I think it was one step down from the YouTube videos that show subway workers in Japan forcibly squeezing people through the doors in order to get them shut. The subway got to be so full that at a few stops none of the passengers could get on because we were all pressed together so tightly.

Our professor at the local university actually taught at Penn a few years ago, so she is a great asset for us here in Buenos Aires. We of course have our summer coordinator/Spanish teacher from Penn here with us as well. He is Dominican (which is fun for those of us who have lived in the DR), and is just a great, low-key guy. After a brief orientation and a few hours of Argentine history, we all went to lunch together followed by a city tour. We got home around 6:30pm, completely wiped out. We visited la Casa Rosada, Boca, San Telmo, the Cementerio de La Recoleta (where Eva Peron is buried), and a few other places.

Me at the famously painted houses of La Boca.

Jeff, me and Sheynna at La Boca.

This was cracking us up! Daniel and Sheynna both did a perfect modeling job. Daniels face makes me laugh just thinking about it!

Eva Peron's grave in the Cementerio de la Recoleta.

The iconic Buenos Aires monument, el Obelisco.

Buenos Aires

2009-06-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

I've officially completed my first Wharton and Lauder classes! Finals were on Thursday and everyone spent Thursday night either celebrating, packing or flying out of Philly (or all of the above). Here are some pics of my apartment, roommates, Lauder friends, etc. from the past week.

I think I've spent more time in the air than on the ground over the last 3 days . After wrapping up finals, I hung out with some of the other Lauder students to celebrate the conclusion of our first round of classes and then I headed home to pack and clean up my apartment before heading out to the airport at 4:45 am. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

It was SO nice to be home, even if it wasn't near long enough. I had about 24 hrs with my wife and two little girls. It was harder to leave than I thought it would be. That said, I'm glad I flew home before heading off to the Summer Immersion. It will be a tough two months without them, but I'm also very excited about the experience.

I'm in Buenos Aires! It's hard to believe I'm actually here. My dad and two of my brothers have lived in Buenos Aires, so essentially I've heard about this city since infancy. I can see why this city seems to charm people. It is full of culture and history.

I am rooming with Greg, a fellow Spanish tracker. He worked in the Peace Corp in the Dominican Republic and later worked for a Private Equity group in New York City that focuses on investments in the Hispanic market. He's a great guy and I feel lucky to have him as a friend and roommate. Our apartment is great. We have a spectacular view of the city, overlooking the Botanical Park. I think the closest thing I could compare it to is a NYC apartment overlooking Central Park (but not as expensive). ;) We are on the top floor and have a great balcony, which I'm sure we'd use a little more if the weather were a little better. Of course it is the beginning of winter here, so the highs are in the 60's and the lows in the 40's. Not freezing cold, but cold enough that I don't think we'll be hanging out on the balcony all the time either. Here are some pics:

This is the main hallway/entrance to the apartment. It is on the "penthouse" floor, so it has a spectacular view of the city and the Botanical Park. Nice, but simple apartment.

This is the view from the balcony. Beautiful view of the Rio Del Plata (which blends into the sky in this picture) and the Botanical Park.

Sheynna, Jeff, Greg and I walked around the city a bit this afternoon, which was fun. Jeff and Sheynna have both visited or lived in Buenos Aires before, so they know the city pretty well, so Greg and I went along for the ride.

Notice the piano on the street? Still trying to figure out how they get the piano there once/week.

Dulce de Leche icecream!

One of the coolest street performances I've ever seen. Notice how they are dressed the same? Absolutely hilarious!

La Casa Rosada (The Pink House) - the Argentinian White House.

Me, Sheynna, Jeff and Greg after a great Argentine lunch (chorizo, asado, morcilla, milanesa and provoleta).

Greg, Kat, Daniel, Amaya, me and Margot eating dinner at Quimbombo, a great find in Palermo.

NYC/Estee Lauder

2009-05-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

Three weeks down, 101 to go before graduation. Not that I’m looking forward to the experience ending, in fact, quite the opposite. The first few weeks have been a whirlwind. I first heard about the Lauder program at Wharton in 2002 and hoped/planned on attending ever since. Because I spent so many years anticipating the experience, I began Lauder with extremely high expectations. At this point I can say that the experience has exceeded my expectations (which is saying something)!

We are taking three classes this month before beginning the Summer Immersion - INTS 712 (Latin American Area Survey), INTS 670 (Spanish) and MGMT 654/655 (Global Strategic Management). The two Lauder classes are not incredibly time consuming, which is good, because our strategy class is a mind melter. Our professor, Mary O’Sullivan, is from Ireland and educated at Harvard (MBA and Doctorate degree). She also taught at INSEAD for about 10 years. She most definitely ranks among the best professors I've ever had.

Yesterday was a nice change from the typical 12-16 hr day of class/reading/studying/etc. We woke up around 5am and met on campus at 6am to head up to NYC to visit Estee Lauder Companies (as you may have guessed, the Lauder program at Wharton was named after the Lauder family). We visited their executive office on the 40th floor of the GM building with a stunning view of Central Park. We had breakfast, socialized, met some of the Estee Lauder executives and then had the opportunity to meet William Lauder, the CEO of Estee Lauder (grandson of the founders, Joseph and Estee Lauder). He was very bright, articulate and passionate about Estee Lauder and has done an outstanding job of leading the company. He is also a Wharton alum ('83) along with many members of his family. I was fortunate enough be able to ask him to share with us some of the successes and failures Estee Lauder has experienced in the acquisition of other companies. He shared the incredible success story of the acquisition and rise of MAC cosmetics along with a few experiences of failures, such as the acquisition and subsequent sale of Jane cosmetics.

We also had the honor of listening to Ronald Lauder, along with the Senior Vice President of Global Management Strategies, the Global President of Bumble and Bumble and the SVP of Global Marketing. Each of them passionately and eloquently spoke to us about Estee Lauder and their roles in the organization.

After an exciting day in NYC, I returned to Philly to continue my studies and preparations for the final week of class. Finals and group presentations await me this week, followed by 24 hrs at home with my family before heading off to Argentina and Spain!

The Calm Before the Storm

2009-05-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I arrived in Philly on Friday afternoon in preparation for classes which start on Monday (May 11th). I spent Friday and Saturday getting to know my future Lauder classmates and settling into my temporary home (for the month of May). For those who know me, I'm not a big night-life guy, but I've enjoyed spending the evenings getting to know students over a Sprite/beer. Unfortunately, I don't think my Sprites cost any less than their beers. Regardless, it has been fun.

As a married 30 (almost 31) year-old with 2 kids, I find myself in an interesting living arrangement. It didn't make much sense to move my family out to Philly for the whole summer knowing that I would be in Argentina and Spain for 2/3 of it, so they stayed behind and I found myself living with 3 Lauder roommates, eating frozen pizzas and cereal. Oh, the life of a bachelor!

My three roommates are as intriguing as they are intelligent. One of them was admitted to HBS and another to Stanford. Like me, Wharton was their top choice of schools due to the Lauder program. One of my roommates is an American who spent his childhood living in France and is a Johns Hopkins alum. Another is ethnically Chinese, born in the US, raised in Singapore and educated at Stanford. My third roommate is a fellow BYU grad who has been in pharmaceuticals and speaks perfect Japanese. I am an entrepreneur who started a business with ties in China, but am proficient in Spanish, having lived in Latin America for 12 years of my life.

We are just a sampling of what the Lauder class represents. I am anxiously awaiting the adventure that will begin in 12 hours and will end 2 years from now.