Pre-Term

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

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

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

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.