tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89480289061194922312024-03-13T19:07:54.851-07:00Carmen's Adventures at IESECarmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-67789409914266448612008-07-23T04:31:00.000-07:002008-07-23T07:29:00.982-07:00Summer, Sun, Fun and the Internship in LisbonI can't really explain how happy I'm feeling these days. I'm working and having so much fun at the same time. This is probably the best job I have ever had. The internship is in Business Development and I'm working on two projects: the first one is finding new strategic products to be introduced next year the second one is product manager for a new service to be launched at the culmination of my internship.<br /><br />Work is good and life it's beautiful. I am in Lisbon and I love it here. The weather is nice and the sun comes out every day!! Nothing like Portland!! The weekends are all mine to go to the beach and enjoy the summer! Nothing like Barcelona!! But as everything in life, the situation is not perfect as Rafael is working in Barça over the summer so we only spend time together over the weekends. I guess I will choose to be optimistic about it and say: "it could have been worse".<br /><br />This year has treated me very nicely... After the second trimester at IESE things started to get better. In the third term I actually started to relax a bit, went out more and gave myself time to get to know my classmates. I've made wonderful friends from which I've learned something new everyday. I’ve learned that I have limits and there will always be someone better then me in a particular subject but that there are subjects in which I excel. I've learning that breaks are good and life can be better enjoyed when one slows down a bit. I've learned that a good discussion with a friend matters more than being prepared for next day's classes. Besides learning all this good stuff I discovered that I had more time to sleep and even started to enjoy a full night sleep every now and then. It’s amazing what a good night sleep can do to your life!! Now I'm back to 8 hrs of sleep and loving it!<br /><br />I traveled this year too, which is one of my favorite things to do. We went to Andorra, France, Portugal and Morocco... plus the added bonus the trip to China for innovateChina 2008 Challenge!! That was awesome. I will add pictures from my travel later but you can always check out Wei Yin's blog for up to date information, photos and videos of our adventures in Shanghai.<br /><br />So, things are going well and hope they will continue like this. Let the adventures continue!Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-26016773299184770092008-05-29T05:59:00.000-07:002008-05-29T06:08:42.541-07:00Hey guys,<br /><br />My good friend and superb leader Nuno Lopes Alves is participating in the selection Leader Quest 2008. This process sponsored by Harvard is aiming to recognize and promote the future leaders of Portugal. I have voted for Nuno and encourage all of you to vote for him at <a href="http://www.leaderquest2008.com/pt/lideres.asp">Leader Quest 2008</a><br />It will only take 2 seconds. Click on his name and then the gold medal on the bottom. It's that simple!!<br /><br />It will mean the world to Nuno and all the people who love him! He is in 4th place right now and really, we know he should be at least in the top 3, if not the first!! Thanks for your help!Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-891861889304326382008-01-06T13:57:00.000-08:002008-01-06T14:11:49.994-08:00Internship InterviewsSchool has not even started yet and I've already been on campus since Thursday afternoon... On Thursday morning, after having a panic attack when I realized I only had 4 days left to prepare for summer internship interviews, I decided to go to IESE to do some mock interviews with my classmates. Some of them were going to the campus since the beginning of the year. IMAGINE THAT!!<br /><br />Realizing I was behind with preparation was not a good feeling. I can swear I felt the stress going through my body like a hot rod, leaving behind cauterized flesh and smell of fear... Have I mentioned I don't feel prepared to start the school and even less prepared to meet with the consulting interviewers? After four days of intense preparation I don't think I feel much better... What can I do? Tomorrow is my first interview so I <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">must</span> show I'm prepare. I'll do my best and pray to my lucky star I'll nail the cases. Keep your fingers crossed! <span style=""><br /></span>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-32205204867822355142008-01-01T11:57:00.001-08:002008-01-01T13:29:07.015-08:00Life in pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15vyOBkdmTkBsiZcE7KlqiqaJPSoXGJIbIh-w8Ei534zh2PMqjKp7tUuVUNp5gq4sKgtqyLaTrENhDvsbO-TE8I80vJvwOcY3zFAxfx_LrUGAcnebVXr_refQfWEcdmD_XzHgEF1rwly7/s1600-h/PC150077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15vyOBkdmTkBsiZcE7KlqiqaJPSoXGJIbIh-w8Ei534zh2PMqjKp7tUuVUNp5gq4sKgtqyLaTrENhDvsbO-TE8I80vJvwOcY3zFAxfx_LrUGAcnebVXr_refQfWEcdmD_XzHgEF1rwly7/s320/PC150077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150617792407935458" border="0" /></a>Studying for finals<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIPzxQQypIafuhNUTSQSCWMRgsjzAqBR2RB4w-PigMp0MG-j4GqBBKe5q3a4DSCbkJyKf35UBt6jzn8gW7HqI6MnSizuZ__C0skpxBbApdyGMti8y6XIFXagIZDnzyZhnqJk0tpnNnAcK/s1600-h/PC180092.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIPzxQQypIafuhNUTSQSCWMRgsjzAqBR2RB4w-PigMp0MG-j4GqBBKe5q3a4DSCbkJyKf35UBt6jzn8gW7HqI6MnSizuZ__C0skpxBbApdyGMti8y6XIFXagIZDnzyZhnqJk0tpnNnAcK/s320/PC180092.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150618312098978290" border="0" /></a>Celebrating the end of the first semester<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgp6ccN3zNzfrYeS8SDo_eiyd6fxzRM33_19Z8t6x0ob14YJVDryrcj8CHWl1MifxOIfRNSqebNSizTkvdQ-uwMtH1t3OJTIIkVZXv2-OOBaZ2on2IrVhysz09o1SPLx7m-AijX4NNruJ/s1600-h/P1010147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgp6ccN3zNzfrYeS8SDo_eiyd6fxzRM33_19Z8t6x0ob14YJVDryrcj8CHWl1MifxOIfRNSqebNSizTkvdQ-uwMtH1t3OJTIIkVZXv2-OOBaZ2on2IrVhysz09o1SPLx7m-AijX4NNruJ/s320/P1010147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150600243171563858" border="0" /></a>Christmas Ball with my teammates<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMY1n5bXs4rQh1Mc2WGj1ESsI4J4xt7yvrXE4gMryDzSshsjzGjqzvWB_G_yBYYFo6r4JihmzRBpR_hnoKqBrHZjtQQ-7cqc5YgKm7J8avPjlmmqXoaQ8RWjIIIXyO5WqpR_to6f_bVWp/s1600-h/P1010140.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMY1n5bXs4rQh1Mc2WGj1ESsI4J4xt7yvrXE4gMryDzSshsjzGjqzvWB_G_yBYYFo6r4JihmzRBpR_hnoKqBrHZjtQQ-7cqc5YgKm7J8avPjlmmqXoaQ8RWjIIIXyO5WqpR_to6f_bVWp/s320/P1010140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150602661238151522" border="0" /></a>Party, party, party...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaZiATlfI6Y3veAm_V78MWP8_F5MSvOj06ZBAn3NCKkI1KA7M8LeNvXbiCbQIssLRtZeZodO2ZmXPDhD0GHo9U6m3xyC3r9AIm1fJZLCE3sHXcU-w-jNAaZmjOPKvX5db8WwRbbZZIRFl/s1600-h/P1010021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaZiATlfI6Y3veAm_V78MWP8_F5MSvOj06ZBAn3NCKkI1KA7M8LeNvXbiCbQIssLRtZeZodO2ZmXPDhD0GHo9U6m3xyC3r9AIm1fJZLCE3sHXcU-w-jNAaZmjOPKvX5db8WwRbbZZIRFl/s320/P1010021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150608223220799858" border="0" /></a>Christmas Dinner for Orphans at Laura's<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkt7KrZf7Uydhrn9chknrQMPRHCE1WNzM4BgPCO5Zn1j87dPgAhZXIue48ZnjfZLCaBIiK2ZJgO8qZY4llB0N7rYGKXY2xGE9cXjg3XVX2kdpNWFrCfF2fYeqAe0jP8mDS-0URG_EY1ZLH/s1600-h/P1010071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkt7KrZf7Uydhrn9chknrQMPRHCE1WNzM4BgPCO5Zn1j87dPgAhZXIue48ZnjfZLCaBIiK2ZJgO8qZY4llB0N7rYGKXY2xGE9cXjg3XVX2kdpNWFrCfF2fYeqAe0jP8mDS-0URG_EY1ZLH/s320/P1010071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150609717869418882" border="0" /></a>Surprise visit to see my family in Targu Mures, Romania<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7MKL_VBvKSN378W8izCfmcZ-gHXhojiIDQXWK_pzy4ublz6w-EesJvZVZjbyM-wtQLiOGNYK7eueRh09yJ1tlWxB4kBOxMsvmiI2puyOecoWcIkNNPzrJB7aJ548JtReBma1Ajw7ceLf/s1600-h/P1010108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7MKL_VBvKSN378W8izCfmcZ-gHXhojiIDQXWK_pzy4ublz6w-EesJvZVZjbyM-wtQLiOGNYK7eueRh09yJ1tlWxB4kBOxMsvmiI2puyOecoWcIkNNPzrJB7aJ548JtReBma1Ajw7ceLf/s320/P1010108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150611757978884498" border="0" /></a>Downtown Targu Mures<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9iYevp1kDzNmLIYZuMnILgNXLuCTNyXJraTLOMMUUgcvKCbZWex602fhgyp0uoBvIO81mqRhJJGLDV4tnMkHqcqVFeZdCrUUj8evn0y9KYMGCpNqRrS4hdjSjkBwrZvb82lBdoFFT64L/s1600-h/P1010178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9iYevp1kDzNmLIYZuMnILgNXLuCTNyXJraTLOMMUUgcvKCbZWex602fhgyp0uoBvIO81mqRhJJGLDV4tnMkHqcqVFeZdCrUUj8evn0y9KYMGCpNqRrS4hdjSjkBwrZvb82lBdoFFT64L/s320/P1010178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150612427993782690" border="0" /></a>In Bucharest with Steli, Lucian and Florin<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_EjEwd0zraVc1eUCL8l5LlNEMDW1jp0UC3AqkTNmkQwS8AwMMsIILQxLnc1G3jht1jPVxJ0MmW1NPp-KhscWjDePiQiWV-KkDxNL10ppEPTqRFShlO6-4zoFM9X-FHvUAekz9pWTcrmR/s1600-h/P1010193_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_EjEwd0zraVc1eUCL8l5LlNEMDW1jp0UC3AqkTNmkQwS8AwMMsIILQxLnc1G3jht1jPVxJ0MmW1NPp-KhscWjDePiQiWV-KkDxNL10ppEPTqRFShlO6-4zoFM9X-FHvUAekz9pWTcrmR/s320/P1010193_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150615112348342738" border="0" /></a>New Year's Eve in Plaza Cataluna with Rafael...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvhVO4udyxnmGjrFDUbMC-TC1chfd6WSKlw6OzVtGS-CyAdkHL9XFK-9_1b_vqB-keZ_ExyXtssoIl-qarEn01HEuJE_jG4M1BqLsWhhi43T81HHWZ4y14ujc10lJNzWmcIZNk7gb6Als/s1600-h/P1010194.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvhVO4udyxnmGjrFDUbMC-TC1chfd6WSKlw6OzVtGS-CyAdkHL9XFK-9_1b_vqB-keZ_ExyXtssoIl-qarEn01HEuJE_jG4M1BqLsWhhi43T81HHWZ4y14ujc10lJNzWmcIZNk7gb6Als/s320/P1010194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150614167455537602" border="0" /></a>... and Nitesh, Kanika, Vinod and Gautam (he was taking the picture)Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-36649943803331007942008-01-01T10:44:00.000-08:002008-01-01T15:35:25.307-08:00I'm still alive<span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Dear friends and random blog readers,<br /><br />It's been a long time since I last wrote. For the last months I've been busy surviving the MBA. Can't lie and tell you it's all honey and roses because it's not. After the midterms I started to freak out, more or less questioning my decision to be in the program all together. Truly I did not expect it to be so challenging and demanding. Working was a breeze compared to school. So, after sleeping less then six hours per night and realizing all my time was spent at school or involved in school related activities, I started to think about taking a break from all the madness. I was under the impression that I was the only one going through the tough times but after talking to more people I realized many of my colleagues were sharing the pain.<br /><br />By talking and listening to others I started to build back some confidence and hope for the future. In the process I also built some great friendships, which I hope to keep for the rest of my life. The best way I can describe my first semester at IESE is <i>boot camp</i>. I hope that the second semester will be much better, even though before we went on Christmas break we were handed a huge package with next semester's cases. Believe me I did not smile when I saw what expects me in the near future.<br /><br />In the mean time I'm on vacation, enjoying every day as much as I can. I spent Christmas in Barcelona, then went to Romania for five days, returned to Barca just in time for New Year celebration and now I’m enjoying being a tourist in the city that never sleeps. Today, while visiting the Castle on Monjuic, I found myself smiling and thinking "Life is beautiful!" I hope this euphoric moment will less for a while because school is scheduled to start in less than a week and I expect life will go back to being unpleasant. Well, at least this time I know what to expect!</span>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-37602961813751792692007-11-04T13:07:00.000-08:002007-11-04T13:23:17.938-08:00BlogosphereI guess there are many things that happen in the blogosphere<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span> which are better left unquestioned. This will be the case with the next request passed on to me with the warning that if I don't post it in my blog, "awful things will happen to you and Humanity"... I'm not afraid for myself because I already can tell you awful things will happen to me on Thursday and Friday during the mid-terms... but I definitely don't want bad things to happen to Humanity. So here is the request/demand!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">...pick up the nearest book, open it on page 161, write on the blog the first complete sentence. And then pass this challenge on to five other bloggers.<br /><br /></span>The closest book to me is our dearest Corporate Financial Accounting book, but someone already used the quote on his blog. Then, when I decide to pick another book I realized I don't have any! Oh wait, the IKEA catalog!! Gush...it sucks being an expatriate! Ufff, the catalog is in Spanish... the sentence is: "¿Cuál es el secreto para poder guardar todas tus cosas en un espacio pequeño? Los cajones (a no se confundir con cojones ;) See what happeneds to you if you study too much accounting!!!<br /><br />I'm passing this challenge to my friends and fellow blogers <a href="http://spanishnoelle.blogspot.com/">Noelle</a>,<a href="http://longestday.blogspot.com/"> Gonzalo</a>, <a href="http://yangweiyin.blogspot.com/">Wei Yin</a>, <a href="http://www.jaredfriedman.blogspot.com/">Jared</a> and <a href="http://bhagra.blogspot.com/">Gautam</a>!Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-82552936440602282042007-11-01T14:16:00.000-07:002007-11-01T14:20:26.778-07:00Complainer!Someone has been complaining that I have not posted a picture with him/her on the blog! So to stop the baby from crying here it is! Find the complainer in this picture! :D<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nGE2laop0NWARxNAzj2QzUsydtq-F4QQy37wXn3oLzhKFZWxFnXYrLgxZKjvkKMN05WMvdPg4Yu872Ikm_M-fpASHw92dgcM77pNdRwtcqP1B-gF1Bk6_0hMOauVJIDKINJjRSa5gXv_/s1600-h/Group+picture.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nGE2laop0NWARxNAzj2QzUsydtq-F4QQy37wXn3oLzhKFZWxFnXYrLgxZKjvkKMN05WMvdPg4Yu872Ikm_M-fpASHw92dgcM77pNdRwtcqP1B-gF1Bk6_0hMOauVJIDKINJjRSa5gXv_/s320/Group+picture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127984684396440418" border="0" /></a>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-35934675873753422852007-10-21T13:01:00.001-07:002007-10-26T01:47:37.061-07:00The COWAnother IESE tradition is the COW - the <span style="font-style: italic;">Comment Of the Week.</span> How does this work:<br /><br />Throughout the week one designated person records all natural "pearls" and funny comments we make during classes. At the end of the week, this person presents the best few which are rated by the whole class during a short 5 min. presentation on Friday afternoon. The comment which gets the most applauses and laughter, wins the COW! The person who wins the COW will present at the end of the next week. The trophy, a stuffs cow is handed over every week from proud IESE student to another!<br /><br />So, this Friday we had our first COW presentation. There were four nominations, with two of them by the same student! I wonder if our class has broken a record with that!<br /><br />First: in accounting, talking about inventories, our dear Argentinian colleague <span style="font-style: italic;">G</span> tried to inquire about a particular situation in a "risky business". What we hear is <span style="font-style: italic;">"Would it be the same for a wisky business??"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>Second: in marketing, professor asks <span style="font-style: italic;">N</span>, what could he tell about the customer segmentation. <span style="font-style: italic;">N</span>'s reply: "Well we know that there are 80% women buying the product." Professor: "Great. What else." <span style="font-style: italic;">N</span>: "Hmmm... and 20% men!"<br /><br />Third: in marketing, <span style="font-style: italic;">S</span> from India talking about cannibalization (this was my favorite). "If we pursue this strategy we will eat ourselves!"<br /><br />...and the COW trophy went to... <span style="font-style: italic;">N </span>our<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span>Portuguese<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span>friend, who made the following comment in ABP. Professor: "What should we be worried about?" <span style="font-style: italic;">N</span> wanted to say - the plan change; We hear: "The planet change!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK14_qvS9UmmYsLuS7mAFUKDUqDVA3OaIPLH0B0KPcBO4lDLxxUFwLmoxBXic7cxo52Wg87s_U1V13Sz5DBEUxIYC7JwPS2LGZarJ7aQ0sHlbcG911A0lWOdAz1VJqou2ntwvLKLAHfHg/s1600-h/COW.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK14_qvS9UmmYsLuS7mAFUKDUqDVA3OaIPLH0B0KPcBO4lDLxxUFwLmoxBXic7cxo52Wg87s_U1V13Sz5DBEUxIYC7JwPS2LGZarJ7aQ0sHlbcG911A0lWOdAz1VJqou2ntwvLKLAHfHg/s320/COW.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123890840477037698" border="0" /></a>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-46088081568805989182007-10-21T01:44:00.001-07:002007-10-21T01:54:53.163-07:00Bar Crawl!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05h0CgQqC8XFuJul3mOu63sijPCgi_vkfGLczFox4-rWYXfjFAoRvGeUGvu-HOKD00FiJcYVM9C9Fqb1KVoqbPcZQYthgh8nErE_HTTySJBjvKi0EWNjWZoNNnOxSUVO42BNDlznLO4P7/s1600-h/b1010009_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05h0CgQqC8XFuJul3mOu63sijPCgi_vkfGLczFox4-rWYXfjFAoRvGeUGvu-HOKD00FiJcYVM9C9Fqb1KVoqbPcZQYthgh8nErE_HTTySJBjvKi0EWNjWZoNNnOxSUVO42BNDlznLO4P7/s320/b1010009_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123708407446172786" border="0" /></a>As promised, a small sample of the Bar Crawl 2007!!! I don't have to tell you it was AWESOME!!Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-556759784152565982007-10-17T12:21:00.000-07:002007-10-19T04:57:23.557-07:00Busy!!!As Noel kindly noticed, there has been no recent post on this blog. The reality hit me in the face about three weeks ago when school started. Since then, I only sleep about 6 hours per night (at best), work on cases, go to classes, do career services events and try to enjoy every "free" moment I have. <br /><br />To break the monotony I went to London last weekend, following a trail of MBA students eager to find an IB (investment banking) job opportunity. The London Banking Tour was organized by our brave and restless Finance Club, run by all-knowledgeable and highly sought after second year colleagues. It was a banking marathon which started at 7:45AM and went on until 9PM. Some staid even later to party but I had to retire to the hotel room and rest as my feet were killing me! No one sent a memo telling us not to wear high hills! That's what happens when you have a lot of guys in the finance club. Next year I'll make sure to send a memo out for the ladies! So, you must be wondering what we did the whole day! We saw six banks: Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Citi, Barclays, Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank. We walked around, listened to presentations, did some job shadowing and asked a bunch of questions. As expected, the banks put their best foot forward trying to convince us why should we consider one IB over the other. We also did our best to impress them so when they come to the career forum next week they will remember us!<br /><br />In terms of partying, there’s plenty! We just need to decide what and how to choose. Hmmm… should I build a decision three for that or do a alternatives/criteria matrix…<br /><br />The sad part is we cannot party as much as we would like, but we have second year to look forward to, right Noel!? As in a business situation we prioritize and do as much as we can with limited resources! But tonight is the BAR CRAWL and I truly look forward to it. Our section team is "policeman", which means we all have to dress up in policeman outfits, go out to preselected bars and PARTY!!! However, I should not forget to mention that the second year students will be testing and scoring us on all sorts of bar crawling competitions! One thing I expect... we all be crawling by the end of the night. I’ll be taking lots of pictures and post on facebook to somehow preserve the privacy of the bar crawlers!Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-14692992921804739392007-09-29T10:06:00.000-07:002007-10-20T09:54:39.755-07:00Grupo 7 y la magnifica profesora<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY7FsMKLyUVbntY5gDRKY1Q3yfdL28AlGsLSEJyfkC0pwtk14qIqaL8EC75kjW8lec3-PoI-QGF_WdpW_qZPCrFFgXgW4nUJK56i_yI-IVivIq35steqjN8cn-rYdwlq0JihTNlMTfyZZ/s1600-h/c9210010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY7FsMKLyUVbntY5gDRKY1Q3yfdL28AlGsLSEJyfkC0pwtk14qIqaL8EC75kjW8lec3-PoI-QGF_WdpW_qZPCrFFgXgW4nUJK56i_yI-IVivIq35steqjN8cn-rYdwlq0JihTNlMTfyZZ/s320/c9210010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115674847212662754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLErrpVOhApI4tqzrk59FpOO3WW5qm4C6IiUifZJiUHE08jWdDXcxrljOjNoLJ_e9D81hqbx5-ETaSqfuE4De0N_oQQ1zTp0OxslFm9fVFKsctlvrvQaIjvQ08CKyfUsJNXEfR3AJfTnw9/s1600-h/c9210009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLErrpVOhApI4tqzrk59FpOO3WW5qm4C6IiUifZJiUHE08jWdDXcxrljOjNoLJ_e9D81hqbx5-ETaSqfuE4De0N_oQQ1zTp0OxslFm9fVFKsctlvrvQaIjvQ08CKyfUsJNXEfR3AJfTnw9/s320/c9210009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115674610989461458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM5e-NfcG6XZBbHkZP-PjXqfWABhnfpfUGV-FgVoZNuNXmdNZ-COj0K2wa1Zx1z58fE9HJTcvtsUcTwe1pCEPBFWYlu7ubHBnivbBU5JlCn2ZVdtIhuwLeiP-8ZzVm9rfUvqaaMDs030h/s1600-h/c9210014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM5e-NfcG6XZBbHkZP-PjXqfWABhnfpfUGV-FgVoZNuNXmdNZ-COj0K2wa1Zx1z58fE9HJTcvtsUcTwe1pCEPBFWYlu7ubHBnivbBU5JlCn2ZVdtIhuwLeiP-8ZzVm9rfUvqaaMDs030h/s320/c9210014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115676835782520834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v4Uv1NYbeNzAde4FoDUp47JgFh8FqQelZGjQu5gDsi0pHQx86-p9ukB3r7CIsJbjgVandhaKeyw3PcFjfeDNAvUBQpGGd0A9RVuoad8AZfnISls4xSdB9bzdw164FUAe31a8bazKvLbW/s1600-h/c9210012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v4Uv1NYbeNzAde4FoDUp47JgFh8FqQelZGjQu5gDsi0pHQx86-p9ukB3r7CIsJbjgVandhaKeyw3PcFjfeDNAvUBQpGGd0A9RVuoad8AZfnISls4xSdB9bzdw164FUAe31a8bazKvLbW/s320/c9210012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115678957496365074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2WSBRAjmXafq355hD7I-XY7_x4ijJ1VJCnzVB8dQjkg9kU5U6SFyxj15hXOSCv490dd52dlPxKTDIT69C-PNgJuvkeM7KUFgYNYNH3aDwM4tArRUv6FVPhiDj0hODVnCh5B3DkzCQGaJ/s1600-h/c9210015_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2WSBRAjmXafq355hD7I-XY7_x4ijJ1VJCnzVB8dQjkg9kU5U6SFyxj15hXOSCv490dd52dlPxKTDIT69C-PNgJuvkeM7KUFgYNYNH3aDwM4tArRUv6FVPhiDj0hODVnCh5B3DkzCQGaJ/s320/c9210015_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115680271756357666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz47V9ubcnfhjmmQTuJLUlkBht2WYEHgmJzGLj5zSlkZoKex-elnNXk5wmaBzgqGLnlfWiuislO8xOp1067u3Nj533xxh_RWgbSQp01CxbQD-Lk6h7qU_X9J35zukcVAWUwhYunyy5he3k/s1600-h/c9210017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz47V9ubcnfhjmmQTuJLUlkBht2WYEHgmJzGLj5zSlkZoKex-elnNXk5wmaBzgqGLnlfWiuislO8xOp1067u3Nj533xxh_RWgbSQp01CxbQD-Lk6h7qU_X9J35zukcVAWUwhYunyy5he3k/s320/c9210017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115680920296419378" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4JGd36AUSqxIyrutMSUP41KUahLMlef6xy79xXpNII21p3L4La1oJLTkz4oktggncUrTgIfxLUVDuq7AstE9sEoak30PBc2BxUV_fjmebDPxeLh2d-Kk_DHDPnNBOE17jYGiIYKTvSv6/s1600-h/c9210016_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4JGd36AUSqxIyrutMSUP41KUahLMlef6xy79xXpNII21p3L4La1oJLTkz4oktggncUrTgIfxLUVDuq7AstE9sEoak30PBc2BxUV_fjmebDPxeLh2d-Kk_DHDPnNBOE17jYGiIYKTvSv6/s320/c9210016_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115681465757265986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyth43fFXBXEsuwq0DviBP_7VShZ7UV43MBvWKwKKGfaRxxUvTmvyT4atmQLSR78CFIx9R19a8KdLDx3ER3X9id9VlHL-MJWY9nmZv7AWIRRRNFuc7EuHjWhJ955Po_aRixKLzn8py9L8I/s1600-h/c9210006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyth43fFXBXEsuwq0DviBP_7VShZ7UV43MBvWKwKKGfaRxxUvTmvyT4atmQLSR78CFIx9R19a8KdLDx3ER3X9id9VlHL-MJWY9nmZv7AWIRRRNFuc7EuHjWhJ955Po_aRixKLzn8py9L8I/s320/c9210006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115682298980921426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fUamg3R_0uZJ4nmTGuQQnRzy7OHTivlThOMEQpCf_uGOcBW9-TNn5yXjmn90h153_6EP0swXrC3RSEBZhr0UuM2sdPB8JXzB0XPv18TaxXlMobtE2AnDQfTXLM34KDm0ENizEOlP2HSP/s1600-h/c9210018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fUamg3R_0uZJ4nmTGuQQnRzy7OHTivlThOMEQpCf_uGOcBW9-TNn5yXjmn90h153_6EP0swXrC3RSEBZhr0UuM2sdPB8JXzB0XPv18TaxXlMobtE2AnDQfTXLM34KDm0ENizEOlP2HSP/s320/c9210018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115683304003268706" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXzIwaKEyQKGcoRwAFy7AilVZPtdb-YUq05kPrIhSkL1MoZ1RymYoz5QtQfJghxoDur0e0khqrEeKExyb1ia1qGrry15EptsrU4GvEKhhDmNdD4cU779rN7JpyVH4FLWUr-kTsfbeUCaL/s1600-h/c9210008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXzIwaKEyQKGcoRwAFy7AilVZPtdb-YUq05kPrIhSkL1MoZ1RymYoz5QtQfJghxoDur0e0khqrEeKExyb1ia1qGrry15EptsrU4GvEKhhDmNdD4cU779rN7JpyVH4FLWUr-kTsfbeUCaL/s320/c9210008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115683827989278834" border="0" /></a>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-56901903621515058072007-09-20T13:46:00.000-07:002007-09-20T14:12:32.178-07:00A..Count...Thing<span style="font-style: italic;">Accounting </span>- the art of counting things was probably invented to simplify the life of bean counters and complicate the life of MBA students. Here I am close to midnight trying and hoping to resolve this accounting case while fighting to keep my eyes open and my mind attentive to all the little intricacies of the text. I was supposed to go out tonight for the BOW (bar of the week) but then I opened the case figuring I will be done in one hour. Two hours later I'm still not done but I managed to do a lot of other things in the mean time such as looking up friends on Facebook, checking for air tickets on the Internet, talking to friends on Skype, catching up on my email and now updating the blog. Oh yeah, the case is not done and will probably have to wait until tomorrow. I lack accounting inspiration tonight.<br /><br />BTW, everything was going well before we start talking about cash flows. You would think this is the easiest financial statement as all you have is cash in and cash out... Easy right!? Even a two-year old could do it. Well, life would be easy if cash flows were intuitive... BUT, someone decided the direct method was toooo easy and MBAs should struggle more and party less. And then the indirect approach was born! If you haven't had the pleasure to meet the indirect approach I suggest to keep your distance! It's a total mess!! Everything is backwards... ins are outs, minuses turn into pluses, increases in decreases and so forth. All I can tell you is that I look forward to the Spanish classes! They are like a breath of fresh air on a hot <span style="font-style: italic;">a count thing day</span>!!Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-16169528146572927282007-09-13T13:05:00.000-07:002007-09-13T14:54:20.839-07:00Spanish classes are the best!I haven't laughed so much in years. I laugh with tears in my eyes every day and one of my classmates<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> A </span>is promising that this will continue throughout our pre-courses, which BTW start next week. We'll see if I'll be laughing in Financial Accounting... hmmm... that sounds so serious. Back to Spanish now...<br /><br />We have a great Spanish group, and naturally is the best Spanish group ever!<br />Our group, probably the largest (18 people), has the most fun, I guarantee you that! There are so many things to laugh about that we had already created a multitude of themes which recur in conversation and class presentation. Let me give you and example: Palencia - tiny town in Spain, not to be confused with Valencia, more well-known tourist attraction. How this came about... well... during class when we were having a discussion on the usages of <span style="font-style: italic;">el subjuntivo</span>, our teacher asked if we had any more questions. To this, one classmate, let's call him <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">M </span>raised his hand and asked in a clear and loud voice: <span style="font-style: italic;">Donde esta Palencia? </span>We all start laughing because this Palencia thing was so out of context. So the teacher, which by the way is a wonderful lady who allows us to make fun of everything imaginable and unimaginable... well, she very kindly asked<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> M </span>why is he concerned where Palencia is. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> M</span> replayed that he had found a moto in Palencia and is thinking to buy it. You can imagine the reaction the class had. We were laughing so hard while <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">M</span> was looking at us with a serious face.<br /><br />Okay, now fast forward a couple of days. We have group presentations on real estate investments throughout Europe. One group gets in front of the class to start their presentation and even before announcing the location where they have decided to invest the capital, the whole class, in one voice exclaims: Palencia!!!<br /><br />Another day, we are diligently working individually on some exercises. The class is unbelievably quiet, which btw is the exception to the norm. Suddenly we hear a noise, which sounds like a supernatural fart!! <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">K </span>turns around to face the back wall, the direction the noise came from, and exclaims in a reprimanding tone: JESUS!! We all turn around and realize he's addressing the crucifix in the back of the class. You can imagine the laughter! Later we figure out the noise was actually coming from someone drilling holes in the back wall. However, for us the joke it will always be on Jesus!<br /><br />There could be so much more to tell you such as the presentation on Conifugio, the Estea* swimming pool bar, the Red Bull gum, the new brand of Water against Hangovers, or SPAin the massage spa for overworked consultants and IB professionals. There are so many funny situations to retell but the truth is they are not as funny when you read them as when you witness them first hand. For us these days is just enough to look at each other smiling and we all start laughing without an apparent reason. Maybe we are laughing at a joke or maybe we are going crazy due to too much <span style="font-style: italic;">subjuntivo</span>.<br /><br />* <span style="font-style: italic;">Estea - el subjuntivo de Estar en Portunol; </span>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-51905246959052484222007-09-07T14:41:00.001-07:002007-09-09T04:30:26.994-07:00The good, the bad and... the rest...For the last month I've been experiencing Barca and I came to the conclusion this is a city of extremes. There are great things here and others not so great but no matter whose opinions you've heard, don't limit yourself to that, come and experience it first hand. I've put together a little personal alphabet of Barcelona to help me remember my impressions in the future.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A</span>partment(s) - </span><span>poor quality but expensive as hell! It took us one month to find a decent apartment at an OK price. Also, remember <span style="font-weight: bold;">August</span> is not the best month to move here and do business. The whole city is on vacation! The other thing to consider is <span style="font-weight: bold;">agents</span>. I did not know that to find a decent place, one needs to go to an agency which will show you a few places, and then if you decide to rent through them, the agency will charge one month's rent in agency fees. Gone are the days when we were offered one month rent free just to move in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">B</span>each - </span><span>great beaches in and around Barcelona. Very easy to get to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bogatel</span> or Mar <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bella</span> even going by<span style="font-weight: bold;"> bus</span>. My favorite beach so far is in a little town called Sitges, a half away southeast of Barca. Talking about buses, Barcelona has the best public transportation. (See transportation for more details).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">C</span>losed -</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">cerrado</span> is for sure the most annoying thing in Barcelona. Banks close at 2PM every day and of course are also closed on the weekend. Stores close during the day from 2PM to 5PM and then again at 9PM so if you have to do grocery shopping you need to plan it. Restaurants open for lunch at about 1PM and for dinner from 9PM onwards. Do I have to say more...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">D</span>ogs - </span>people here love dogs, especially little white ones, but what they don't like is to <span style="font-style: italic;">scoop the poop. </span>So, if you happened to come home at night keep an eye on the pavement in front of you. You never know when you might hit the jackpot and step into one! I was thinking to invent one portable poop detector! Who knows, maybe I would hit the jackpot with that invention. The good things about dogs is that rarely you will see stray dogs or cats.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">E</span> </span>through<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="font-style: italic;">J</span></span> have nothing to say, for the moment...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">K</span>isses -</span> without a doubt, Barcelona is the best city for kisses! It has the best kissing places plus its climate induces to romance. I think even the shy people lean to kiss in public after spending only a few days in Barcelona. Take a stroll in a park and you'll see people of all ages kissing . Go to a party and the first thing you'll do is to do the customary kiss while you are doing the introductions. Kissing is part of the Spanish culture as mush as tapas and wine are. Don't miss out on it!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">L</span>ate -</span> everything in Spain happens late. Dinners are served really late, people come to meetings late, parties start late...we went to a disco where the crowds were just arriving around 2AM!! The funny thing is that I start to get used to being late as well, even though before I used to be quite strict about punctuality.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">M</span>oto - </span>or scooter is the favorite for or transportation in Barca. They make a lot of noise but seem to be quite efficient. I've seen all sorts of people riding them: little old ladies, business men dressed in suites, young girls going out for a night in the town and ordinary people carrying all sorts of things from household objects to grocery bags! The variety is amazing. The best things is to see the motos lined up at a stop light and then, as the light changes from red to green, they all take off in full force, competing for positions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">N</span>oise - </span><span>I'm still sleeping with my earplugs in my ears. Does that say it all?! </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">O</span>...</span><span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">P</span>arty - </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">fiesta</span> is what everyone comes here for! There are plenty opportunities to party every day of the week! Don't miss the fun and excitement during carnivals and holidays! I surely won't!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Q </span>...</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">R</span>estrooms -</span> public restrooms to be more specific, don't seem to exist!! Quite counterintuitive in a city which hosts a great number of tourists every day! And this people are here to party! Consequently, at night the streets in the most touristy areas smell like... you guest... a public restroom!! The good thing is that when it <span style="font-weight: bold;">rains</span>, it pours. So the streets get cleaned in a natural way. When it doesn't rain, the cleaning crews power washes the streets to restore its dignity.<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">S</span>un</span> - or <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sol </span>it seems to be always present, and when it's humid the heat feels unbearable. Nevertheless I love the sun and I enjoy every minute of it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">T</span>ransportation - </span>and here I'm referring to public transportation, is best in class. You have a choice of day and night buses, metro and all sorts of trains (RENFE, cercanias, etc). If you don't feel like taking the Nit Bus after a night of bar crawling there's always a <span style="font-weight: bold;">taxi</span>, and they are inexpensive most of the times if you have a vague idea where you are and where you are going. At night they add an extra fee for night shift, I guess, and if you carry extra luggage they charge extra for that. In Barcelona there's always a <span style="font-weight: bold;">tax</span> for something.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">U</span>mbrella - </span>when it rains an umbrella is truly necessary. Back in Portland I use to wear my gore-tex jacket almost year round. In Barcelona is too hot for it. I know for sure because I tried to wear it once and I felt like I was in a steamer, slowly cooking to perfection. So, I'll have to put away my rain jacket together with all the other cold weather clothes I brought with me. Umbrella is definitely the way to go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">V...</span><br /><br /></span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">W</span>ine -</span> is cheaper than <span style="font-weight: bold;">water</span>!!! Love it! And that's not all. Even inexpensive wines are great so don't be shy and try the wines in the grocery stores. Wine is part of the Spanish culture and is quite acceptable to have wine with your lunch and then return to work after the siesta break. Tap<span style="font-weight: bold;"> water </span>has an awful taste (even though it's potable) so if you are thirsty and don't feel like buying bottled watter, keep on drinking wine instead.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Z</span> through<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> X</span>... <span style="font-style: italic;">de momento no tengo nada</span><br /></span>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-19274219579191043512007-08-31T12:13:00.000-07:002007-08-31T12:53:03.220-07:00Party's over...Yes, is the truth... for all students not yet fluent in Spanish, school has started on Thursday. All the lucky ones who are already fluent in Spanish have one more month, can you believe it, on full month of vacation!! The actual first day of the MBA program will be September 27. However, before that we'll have the pre-MBA courses so even the lucky Spaniards will have to come by the school and get a refresher on accounting or quantitative methods. We'll also have a communication course which is compulsory for all. <br /><br />So, on Thursday, among other things we had the Spanish placement test. One short oral communication test and a computerized grammar test. The oral one was easy, the grammar was another story. There were about 50 to 60 questions, can't remember exactly, ordered by difficulty. The first twenty, no problem! From there on I had to make my brains think. The last 20, hmmm... I had to go by instinct. <br /><br />Friday morning we got the results and surprise! I was placed in section G7 working on module 8. That was better than I thought. Apparently I must have got some questions right. Neat! That means by the end of the intensive Spanish course I could be done with section 10 and then maybe have sections 11 & 12 completed before the end of the calendar year. My colleagues in section G8 are already working on an intensive preparation for the DIEN exam, which apparently is the culmination of the Spanish course. I've heard the final test is hard so I better get a good hold on "Subjuntivo" before the end of these sections. <br /><br />That's it for now. Got to go to bed soon. Did I mention we have classes on Saturday? Yeap! Half day but still../ on Saturday... YUK... I'll try to make some time tomorrow to write a little more about life here in Barca. So much had happened in the last month and I wrote so little. That's how it is... time flies when I'm having fun!Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-48989331296682968152007-08-17T13:41:00.000-07:002007-08-17T13:45:59.652-07:00Music for the soulI finally found out how to make a video entry. Enjoy one of my favorite songs at the moment: Zece - Florin Chilian <br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZ0rUCMnIn8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZ0rUCMnIn8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-38431670028907012052007-08-12T14:17:00.000-07:002007-08-12T14:52:42.261-07:00Modern Art in Barca<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQPzc1PwqG0KBkmAM8WKnLYdczBK2NLhyPxT067k2Ga5HLpjeDzEfxW1b6J8yRVaU4x6SzQ09g1nJAlOFsD7AKmxIkr-bZrILa98W5JGuN_dh4SZZpwNBuR-hPT7G4pcnvNcR1Yi6k_7h/s1600-h/P8110176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQPzc1PwqG0KBkmAM8WKnLYdczBK2NLhyPxT067k2Ga5HLpjeDzEfxW1b6J8yRVaU4x6SzQ09g1nJAlOFsD7AKmxIkr-bZrILa98W5JGuN_dh4SZZpwNBuR-hPT7G4pcnvNcR1Yi6k_7h/s320/P8110176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097928908741760002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gkl5XwxUIKJmWLQmksgO8DNBDF8RQF9allYtGB2f58MO7YEDupf0WYcctpGiuDmDGQkoUnXjaOxRlmjNZiXlX7FEfM2erih2DLwfo6MF8cOd8oqihQ6u0wgrd1TiPsA3f9blBpFEexy7/s1600-h/P8110182.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gkl5XwxUIKJmWLQmksgO8DNBDF8RQF9allYtGB2f58MO7YEDupf0WYcctpGiuDmDGQkoUnXjaOxRlmjNZiXlX7FEfM2erih2DLwfo6MF8cOd8oqihQ6u0wgrd1TiPsA3f9blBpFEexy7/s320/P8110182.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097930789937435666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloUCwUWCsL1bGB1QvQ-NBhZAycXp4y8AQ6Tzwn9LUC67xnD2ywoF_fbfZXmAjTwQ4WaXzILnoTzZilVtM3EqK5474vSufFFcJCqphrMqiRFmROVjUZxaxcIFcSQjdT2C4ZWWQ3pUjDYfO/s1600-h/P8110162.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloUCwUWCsL1bGB1QvQ-NBhZAycXp4y8AQ6Tzwn9LUC67xnD2ywoF_fbfZXmAjTwQ4WaXzILnoTzZilVtM3EqK5474vSufFFcJCqphrMqiRFmROVjUZxaxcIFcSQjdT2C4ZWWQ3pUjDYfO/s320/P8110162.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097927358258566130" border="0" /></a>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-6313282755004804602007-08-12T01:55:00.000-07:002007-08-14T12:51:58.070-07:00Working M through F, turists on the weekendsI was told Spain is on vacation in August but I didn't really understand what this meant until I arrived here. Every other store has a sign in Spanish or Catalan with a note something like this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> "<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">On vacation. We'll be back in September</span>".<br /><br /></div>Amazing! The other amazing thing about Spain is that on the weekends it's impossible to do business. At the grocery store they close from 2 to 5PM on Saturday and on Sunday they close for the entire day. So, during the week we search for apartments (what a pain this is!!!) and on the weekends we become tourists (which is actually not bad at all ;).<br /><br />Last weekend we went up on a mountain and this weekend we took a stroll by the Mediterranean Sea. If you want to get a great view of the city is best to do it from above. Believe me, I didn't realize how impressive Barcelona is until we took this trip to the top of Tibidabo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdK0OUnjq4myF18RtpVE_tgERIxQr5jNiNd6bMGJghSUZrONwqoNN9816Lys2KF-mambkPK7-rThyphenhyphenKh4tgWK5vKhJYREJJ04hTN4n6bZOlasqL3359iOjqmsG32K2OA1wSfOx5_ZtdkhO/s1600-h/P1010123.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdK0OUnjq4myF18RtpVE_tgERIxQr5jNiNd6bMGJghSUZrONwqoNN9816Lys2KF-mambkPK7-rThyphenhyphenKh4tgWK5vKhJYREJJ04hTN4n6bZOlasqL3359iOjqmsG32K2OA1wSfOx5_ZtdkhO/s320/P1010123.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097737469164475362" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqGJAKxknnI86-F_7hqBOLh9c-rpdnipJHFWn5Dx614iLM86ERfB2HXhf-g6VtUdr8DZDO4hAtio0VEAFLLrzjEVsqb_NXO6E7TGyR7pUdFaPuaNWRtfpqN7Z1i5M1AFEmhQlMZUxRYsg/s1600-h/P1010113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqGJAKxknnI86-F_7hqBOLh9c-rpdnipJHFWn5Dx614iLM86ERfB2HXhf-g6VtUdr8DZDO4hAtio0VEAFLLrzjEVsqb_NXO6E7TGyR7pUdFaPuaNWRtfpqN7Z1i5M1AFEmhQlMZUxRYsg/s320/P1010113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097943588939977762" border="0" /></a>We walked and walked up the hill, on a hot humid afternoon. By the time we reached the midpoint we decided it was time for a break, so we stopped at a terrace to grab <span style="font-style: italic;">un refresco</span>. From here we caught the cable cart, for the steepest part of the way. The view was magnificent, but when we reached the top we were unpleasantly surprised to find an amusement park right alongside the Sacred Heart Church. That was odd. I wonder if the church runs the park, because otherwise I don't understand how was it possible to obtain a permit to run religious and amusement worship centers at the same time. Hmmm, maybe that's the new incentive to attract people to go to church up on the steep hill! Great marketing!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHvGzqgspgbsGrR4cN6mPOs0ua4pna-FY_4cUx2cmgGy3xanx29fuu0o2Q97OIM8Ojd8FuYTFy1OGN_QON9YYI_J56eK36Rd2_p4-98lX8Ywt8VW_F60PYw_lqlEtLeNcAXusoOoti8xP/s1600-h/P1010116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHvGzqgspgbsGrR4cN6mPOs0ua4pna-FY_4cUx2cmgGy3xanx29fuu0o2Q97OIM8Ojd8FuYTFy1OGN_QON9YYI_J56eK36Rd2_p4-98lX8Ywt8VW_F60PYw_lqlEtLeNcAXusoOoti8xP/s320/P1010116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097946835935253554" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCCOsgDrP5dxoyD0_Wgnu_9PhALCG7zZzm5TOIb77iRGhdBr65i2TqIzKWFfYEJu4nFHYvnr2yoRuuRTNCgM42aFJJmEJy000pxXNkdogg2A6ooxGwWOCmJ6CV5otAWEoOmA_Sr4v7WIf/s1600-h/64387406-M.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCCOsgDrP5dxoyD0_Wgnu_9PhALCG7zZzm5TOIb77iRGhdBr65i2TqIzKWFfYEJu4nFHYvnr2yoRuuRTNCgM42aFJJmEJy000pxXNkdogg2A6ooxGwWOCmJ6CV5otAWEoOmA_Sr4v7WIf/s320/64387406-M.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097947475885380674" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This weekend we went down to sea level to enjoy the breeze. We quickly learned that Barceloneta beach is fully packed on the weekends so we decided to check out Sitges and Vilanova i la Gertru, located about 40km southwest of Barcelona. We got there by train but buses and cars are a popular option also. Sitges is definitely a touristy place worth visiting. We had one of the best rotisserie chicken at a local restaurant and than hit the nicely groomed promenade Miramar. The beach was busy here as well, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuCVWzNfIHvTh7Qc6Nngy4vSlySU8MLIlU1CNhaemuhkorwDW3zvTCi795B2rLG1-eeJNeb9LG4ad_hlgxLTXBVBsOC-7hjjyiefJBlIA5CHnKbJdZTRZpquMmwJYj8TN605WkE8YAn0e/s1600-h/P8120201.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuCVWzNfIHvTh7Qc6Nngy4vSlySU8MLIlU1CNhaemuhkorwDW3zvTCi795B2rLG1-eeJNeb9LG4ad_hlgxLTXBVBsOC-7hjjyiefJBlIA5CHnKbJdZTRZpquMmwJYj8TN605WkE8YAn0e/s320/P8120201.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097951216801895506" border="0" /></a>however, if you don't like the crowds you can continue walking south and find a secluded cove and a beach all to yourself. That's what we did. We walked and walked until we found a nice little beach than continued walking and hiking all the way to Vilanova i la Gertru. This small town is nothing like Sitges, but the beach is really nice and wide and the sand fine and soft. It was worth exploring the area by getting off the beaten path. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6PuSOahfmcriJasy8R7ov5_R7Zl91KVztcmHQy7-j_5J4mYmmM7FhVRsn-s5qQEubos97YQ5UmilrcR2b3tuJh544LE0kX5ie6nYdvK8BVlKHEePPyvCw8noi_ANfI8sT7Xrxj2L30-6/s1600-h/P8120208.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6PuSOahfmcriJasy8R7ov5_R7Zl91KVztcmHQy7-j_5J4mYmmM7FhVRsn-s5qQEubos97YQ5UmilrcR2b3tuJh544LE0kX5ie6nYdvK8BVlKHEePPyvCw8noi_ANfI8sT7Xrxj2L30-6/s320/P8120208.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097954407962596450" border="0" /></a>As one can imagine, it was an enjoyable and tiring day trip. We walked and hiked about 8km and seen all sorts of interesting views. After such a busy day, I'm sure we'll be sleeping well tonight!<br /></div></div>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-10375822215998367132007-08-12T01:38:00.000-07:002007-08-12T01:46:30.368-07:00Per your request...<div style="text-align: center;">One beach photo for Wei :) Vila Olimpica on a hot summer day. More pics to come!<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjyVntye0Yqd9opWGHGieAL8uzCsRIliO04b5fZrCEMh4ICS5DAUTvN6OhlbevOvPYoUljYbbyEJN_FR3VtXmpPb1Q-4fY_x0v66MOUVuIsQohW_YIhfzMFZ33dpQEj8e1qZ2z_hfc6uT/s1600-h/P8110181.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjyVntye0Yqd9opWGHGieAL8uzCsRIliO04b5fZrCEMh4ICS5DAUTvN6OhlbevOvPYoUljYbbyEJN_FR3VtXmpPb1Q-4fY_x0v66MOUVuIsQohW_YIhfzMFZ33dpQEj8e1qZ2z_hfc6uT/s320/P8110181.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097731533519672274" border="0" /></a>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-58169120881269245542007-08-05T15:35:00.000-07:002007-09-09T04:28:52.390-07:00Pictures!!<div style="text-align: center;">Finally I got a moment to put up some of the pictures we took in the last days.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4X1hl23JXvF_f_Nicv9t4Lv79JT0BQjUxSWaMDomFRABRj30M9G6NVNi9xvwqKH9X48W596kiPQWUnTxY_ZLl7RihRufd8befuCI_w469OqptHWuIpzeMeM2Lw_ldo_hkiPajbL0Puj6l/s1600-h/P1010081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4X1hl23JXvF_f_Nicv9t4Lv79JT0BQjUxSWaMDomFRABRj30M9G6NVNi9xvwqKH9X48W596kiPQWUnTxY_ZLl7RihRufd8befuCI_w469OqptHWuIpzeMeM2Lw_ldo_hkiPajbL0Puj6l/s320/P1010081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095349948384236418" border="0" /></a>Lera, Lisa, Heiko, Tessa, Jared, Rafael & Carmen @ Kibuka<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJKxDrGZw6Q4dYaIBqjJwSfe_JqIngwDhrsTVyDCXfUKoPLBbZt4PLD5LyiNfCGCa1gDH7Izk2pntceMYT42s5ilKisgJ032HWIZpYwAxjnhkXvqBi0beeDmDqHQN5V6rIuxqC-mpk1pp/s1600-h/P1010090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJKxDrGZw6Q4dYaIBqjJwSfe_JqIngwDhrsTVyDCXfUKoPLBbZt4PLD5LyiNfCGCa1gDH7Izk2pntceMYT42s5ilKisgJ032HWIZpYwAxjnhkXvqBi0beeDmDqHQN5V6rIuxqC-mpk1pp/s320/P1010090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095350609809200018" border="0" /></a>Heiko attacking some delicious desert<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXX44rNOn8Unoz-dvREK4Huq0c96Rx4by3guS56ynVzYAdMhr12qNi1QAwd2vBUzQ8pBchx2BOHkY9AhV6LorqhRjzi-qvElQrBdOeVYRVl4Gh2-DvJgBVFNUkq9Qbj-bEaf72cO-Td0i/s1600-h/P1010093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXX44rNOn8Unoz-dvREK4Huq0c96Rx4by3guS56ynVzYAdMhr12qNi1QAwd2vBUzQ8pBchx2BOHkY9AhV6LorqhRjzi-qvElQrBdOeVYRVl4Gh2-DvJgBVFNUkq9Qbj-bEaf72cO-Td0i/s320/P1010093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095351447327822754" border="0" /></a>Hsiang, Rafael and Brandon @ Bar 314<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvqSZI2LXxnfZo9-sgeqaIXQV4KukgF1SR6PeAHmEmX23yYhi1rlVcqFc30WNpARUckxySaYUIP039x7L7fIud5X0ZAt4xH1nsG5vifoVuEzldUYVUICjlpYJQ78IQEj7A_VCZDt4cG-X/s1600-h/P1010099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvqSZI2LXxnfZo9-sgeqaIXQV4KukgF1SR6PeAHmEmX23yYhi1rlVcqFc30WNpARUckxySaYUIP039x7L7fIud5X0ZAt4xH1nsG5vifoVuEzldUYVUICjlpYJQ78IQEj7A_VCZDt4cG-X/s320/P1010099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095352641328731058" border="0" /></a>Fiesta Latina @ Club Noir (No, I'm not pocking Lera's eyes!)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k6arSUMaGn4xsx2PwX9-GSfdqDKSGdoTnFfAUC1ZhoOZU2yARAXNZUG5UqMpCpCmmmbu-ABFFyQCWEcUA6KIz36xQqkazCO9n7Lbw7bbEWZeXnMWcWD2nRc7JrjBV157GLMMah4ZeCWO/s1600-h/P1010091.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k6arSUMaGn4xsx2PwX9-GSfdqDKSGdoTnFfAUC1ZhoOZU2yARAXNZUG5UqMpCpCmmmbu-ABFFyQCWEcUA6KIz36xQqkazCO9n7Lbw7bbEWZeXnMWcWD2nRc7JrjBV157GLMMah4ZeCWO/s320/P1010091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095353298458727362" border="0" /></a>Some decided that tequila shots are a good way to start the night!<br />...more to come later....<br /><br /></div>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-4270810087076116912007-08-01T16:30:00.000-07:002007-08-01T17:23:50.616-07:00First days... first impressions...<div style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div id="previewbody"><span style="font-size:100%;">So, I was wrong... I'm still jet legged. Can't you tell? It's about 1:30 AM and I'm checking email and blogging. Well, I really hope it will go away in the next day 'cause I have work to do. No more waking up at 12PM and trying to start the day when everyone is at siesta. :)<br /><br />I wasn't sure if I'll share this with you but in the end I decided it will be a lot of fun reading these notes one or two years from now. This story is from Tuesday, our first day in Barcelona. I was really tired coming off the plane... after we took a taxi to the apartment, I struggled opening the apartment door as the key locks are quite tricky on this side of the world. Finally, someone from the inside opened. It was Jane, one of our roommates. After introducing ourselves and chatting a little bit she showed me the room we were renting. In the excitement of the moment, after checking the room briefly, I placed the keys on the table and ran to take the elevator to help Rafael with the luggage. As I was closing the elevator door, I hear a loud noise: boom!! It was the apartment door closing behind me. I didn't think too much of it and continued down, where we loaded our many luggage’s in the elevator. Once we reached the floor and unloaded everything, as we were preparing to enter the apartment I realized that I didn't have the keys!! No problem I say, let's knock, as Jane must still be inside. So we knocked, and knocked, and rang the bell... All sorts of scenarios were going through our heads: maybe she left the house taking the stairs while we were coming up with the elevator, or maybe she took a nap because she wasn't feeling well... or maybe this, or maybe that. The thing is that we were hot, and tired, and perspired... and I was angry to leave the keys inside. So, I'm thinking of a strategy to get out of the building and try to walk to one other roommate's work place to borrow her keys. Then we find out we cannot get out of the building as the door downstairs is locked (later we learned how to use a buzzer to open that door). Now I'm pissed and it's getting hotter and hotter in the hallway! Rafael is keeping his spirits up as he realizes I'm on my last straw. He continues to knock, make jokes and try to cheer me up. Suddenly, as he buzzes again we hear some noise on the inside. What a relief. Jane was home but was taking a shower and couldn't open the door. I think we were out in the hallway for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Finally in the room I vouched never to leave the apartment without the keys, better yet, I put Rafael in charge just in case, to avoid future problems.<br /><br />From here on things start improving a little. We got something to eat but not before taking a cold shower (we didn't know how to turn on the heater :) and then took a walk to Rambla’s. You already know we had to walk back on foot at midnight because the train wasn't running by the time we were coming home.<br /><br />On Wednesday things improved even more. We know the area a little better now and it feels more comfortable to walk through the neighborhood knowing we'll find our way back home without a map. The evening got even better as we met, for the first time, 7 of our IESE friends at a nice Japanese restaurant in Gracia. I was so excited to meet them. We talked and talked, about school, finding apartments, cell phone networks, etc... and while we were talking the food kept pouring. Apparently at this place there is a set menu and they just bring the food to the table, no need to order. Well, let me tell you, it was so much food!! Every time we thought it was over they would bring some more! AND on top of everything there was DESERT! You can imagine we couldn't say no to that! It was an enjoyable evening and the long walk back home was a welcomed and needed workout.<br /><br />Tomorrow, actually is already Thursday, well today is another day! Let's see what today will bring! Good night everyone!<o:p></o:p></span> </div> <br /></div>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-48646827721147113162007-08-01T00:24:00.000-07:002007-08-01T00:35:54.981-07:00Barcelona, here we are!!!I can't really believe it but...we are here!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> We arrived yesterday and were really tired. After we got settled in the room and found something to eat, we crashed from 2 to 7PM. When we came back to our senses we went out to check out La Rambla, the most famous tourist area of the city. Around 12AM we finally went to have tapas in Gracia, a neighborhood close to the one we live in. Then when we were ready to come home, we went to the metro and found out it stops running at 12AM!!! So we had to manage our way back to the apartment on foot! The good thing is that we had a map with us so we made it home safely. After that was sleep until this morning. Rafael is still sleeping :)) I think I'm back to normal now but I'll probably find out later in the afternoon.<br /><br />Today we'll probably visit the school and meet with future IESE students! Can't wait to meet them all!!<br /></div>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-59706097888440794792007-08-01T00:14:00.000-07:002007-08-01T00:22:54.223-07:00It's done!<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Sorry I kept you waiting for so long. After a small incident at the passport agency, not worth retelling, I got a new, shinny passport!! Did I mention I had to wake up at 3AM to drive all the way up to Seattle? Well, it was Rafael doing the driving so I have to thank him for that. We arrived about 7AM... the agency opened at 8AM, so I was the first in line. After a short review of my papers, I paid the fee and was told to come back at 2PM to pick up the passport. So, we went shopping at Nordstrom's and checked out the famous Pike Place Market. Then we met with a couple of IESE students and shared our stressful stories about getting ready for the big move. It was kind of comforting to hear they were going through the same thing: packing, selling furniture, closing accounts, getting everything ready to go but at the same time no sleep, loads of stress, and last minute adventures like receiving the student visa 5 days before having to leave the country!! Gush, this IESE students are really something else, aren't they!?!</div>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-86429907349802097902007-07-23T16:49:00.000-07:002007-07-25T13:33:40.050-07:00Attempting the impossible<div align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;color:#993300;"></span></em></div><div align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;color:#993300;"></span></em></div><div align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;color:#993300;"></span></em></div><div align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;color:#993300;"></span></em></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="center">Tomorrow is a big day as I will be attempting the impossible<br />... drum roll...<br />getting the passport done in one day!!<br /><br />It has never been done before (by me) so, you can imagine how stressful this can be. Add to that the fact that we are leaving in less than 7 days! Yes, I love this last minute excitement, and NO, I'm no slacker... it wasn't my fault the paperwork wasn't finalized in time for the passport application. But, the good think is that it's ready now so... please keep your fingers crossed for this, never before seen attempt to obtain a passport in one day!<br /><br />Stay tune until tomorrow when I'll reveal the results! </div>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948028906119492231.post-47275818136548769892007-07-16T15:01:00.000-07:002007-07-16T17:35:40.375-07:00The train has left the station...<div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUujW_QAxXCqD2F1nDKhIG5JFj7b23X8nk4sJvNG-NT0AEQQOnawVkhQrXPkFEeX4sc2AEM1nTyfSo174XU0PnFtLrBTrlOy_YHoowP1Ae7_-nn7FJ3hdkslUlkrJFoz1Yn4RuBeTfaJ2D/s1600-h/P1010085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087954034524556322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUujW_QAxXCqD2F1nDKhIG5JFj7b23X8nk4sJvNG-NT0AEQQOnawVkhQrXPkFEeX4sc2AEM1nTyfSo174XU0PnFtLrBTrlOy_YHoowP1Ae7_-nn7FJ3hdkslUlkrJFoz1Yn4RuBeTfaJ2D/s320/P1010085.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><div>...it's funny how I'm feeling lately... When I go home from work in the evening, as soon as I step into the house I become stressed and frustrated with the preparations for the big move... Then I go back to work in the morning and fall into the usual routine which makes me feel everything is "normal" again. Hmmmm... I'm actually enjoying numbing my mind with numbers and problem-solving... but then the evening comes and I arrive home back to STRESS! Some days I'm wishing for more days until the move, other days I wish we were leaving today! On a bad day the idea of backing out crossed my mind... but... as Rafael so wisely put it... the train has left the station... and we are on it!! In the end, when all this stress will be over, we'll be sitting in Barcelona on a terrace sipping wine and eating tapas, laughing at all the commotion this move had caused. As you can see, I always like to thing there's a light at the end of the tunnel.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZXrHIW9k7uWqsD_gFcMYLO6dmDMyU6EnpcMuOOan7MTvmdq-gnsQWpcxiYiwdAgrvDpOKkUhpDTM62pcim3mHr-AtyJejdD9ZKCwNpF_rCOuJ6DjZfB5zFswuuLHSbToVB-WUgryKpE3/s1600-h/P1010083.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087956869202971730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZXrHIW9k7uWqsD_gFcMYLO6dmDMyU6EnpcMuOOan7MTvmdq-gnsQWpcxiYiwdAgrvDpOKkUhpDTM62pcim3mHr-AtyJejdD9ZKCwNpF_rCOuJ6DjZfB5zFswuuLHSbToVB-WUgryKpE3/s320/P1010083.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Besides, it's not all that bad. After announcing at work that I was leaving, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTlnH-hYXXglxboxKBVh1s1gU0nOgR9edDIZO_P1Dz4lnzTnw3j0RUkWtYrVxbdC3J77HF8CqY5OwbOo1L4CmPa4U_KiK3ew2xCkzsosEmoBRwxU09PwDUCFcQXBag41__D8F5mjUlod4/s1600-h/P1010161.JPG"></a>I got invited to lunches and "happy hour" celebrations. So, for the next two weeks I'm set! Then we decided to throw a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQx7T6hdKWUeYCguE7cQwRSX7FVpoASCo41ydlTsHmbpRpCMsAfhh8kr3-idZkoPd2M3uG8Z5KdsvUhp21S1KMDrCSRvOpxOGy1pOxxfnraJ_drsIRbfTw-15HdrSd-t3ZGdZUTlH4GIK/s1600-h/P1010083.JPG"></a>"See you later!" party and a good friend graciously offered her house for the get-together. That was a lot of fun. Before that, we celebrated 4th of July at the coast with a couple of really good friends. That was the warmest day I have ever spent at the beach. Keep in mind I'm talking about the Pacific NW... I actually walked in the water (no swimming though) and lied down on the blanket to work on my ten. Not bad, not bad at all! I guess I should start singing</div><div> “<em>Always look at the bright side of life… tutu,tutu,tutututututu</em>”</div></div></div></div></div></div>Carmenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078606358889450802noreply@blogger.com12