In January 2008, I wrote a post ‘The Revolving Door: An
Expat’s Life’ and in April 2008 I wrote a post ‘Running Around the
World’. The former discusses my twinge of jealousy for those moving to exotic places, what a concept of ‘home’ to
me truly is, and how my identity is now comprised of the various cultural
attributes I have picked up from places lived and people met. The latter is
what the title says. It describes that internal drive that forces me to keep on
running even if the destination isn’t always clear. Because running is what I love
and it is who I am.
Fast forward a few years. It is now September 30, 2011; 25
days before I turn 30 and I am tired.
This year has been another crazy one, just as they all have been.
January: Spent 2 weeks in Colombia with 30 other MBA
classmates exploring this incredibly beautiful country from the mountains,
beaches and historical beaches. We hiked, sailed, drank, swam and partied.
February: Real world slams you in the face. Memories of
dancing on sailboats are quickly forgotten as we returned to Berkeley and began the intensive intern job search. Topping that off with all the leadership roles
you regrettably signed up for and a full class schedule - the stress mounts.
Desperate to get away, I booked a last minute trip to London for a long
weekend. At SFO, phone rings. Thomson Reuters asks if I can come to NYC next
week for a job interview. Sure. I change a few flights, head to London for
about 4 nights, fly to NYC Thursday afternoon, check into a hotel, head to the office for drinks
and dinner with talent managers and company employees who are watching every move, determining your networking skills and cultural fit. Friday is a full day of interviews, case study and presentation to management. 5pm - the 24 hour interview is over and Friday night I head back to San Francisco.
March: Spring
Break back to London with a weekend trip to Sevilla, Spain. Why not? My friends needed some sunshine.
April: Actually
spent the whole month in Berkeley
May: Move out of my place in Berkeley, pack for India, ship business clothes to NYC and put the rest in storage. Off to India
for 3 weeks with 3 other MBA classmates. We were engaged by a non-profit
organization to look at how mHealth applications can be used to improve the
quality of health care for mother and child in rural parts of India. Conclusion 1: Never give money to non-profit organizations unless you really understand how they are spending it. Conclusion 2: Sometimes the solution is a simple one. Health care would be improved by providing women with iron pills and better nutrition, not spending $2 million on smartphones. Sadly, our client didn't see it that way.
June: 24 hour
flight from India and I arrive in NYC on a Saturday. Work at Thomson Reuters in their Media Strategy group starts Monday. I move into a sub-let flat.
July: Working
fairly long hours but manage to get a family reunion trip to Long Beach Island, New Jersey and
July 4th trip to Cape Cod. End of July, my sublet ends and I move into a
friend’s apartment in the West Village to cat sit.
August: Friend
comes back. I sublet another place in West Village, moving everything once
again. At the same time, I am moving apartments on the other coast in Berkeley – thank goodness
for parents in the area! Friend from London comes to visit, sublet ends, we
spend one night in NYC hotel and then instead of going back to California for
the first week of school, I head to the Hamptons for the week for a rest – I
needed it! August 22nd I finally move back to California. Flying in
and heading straight to class that day. The next couple of weeks are spent getting
moved in, getting things out of storage etc. I am so tired of moving!
September: And now
here we are and the big question that all MBA students talk about:
Question: What are
you going to do when you graduate in May?
Answer: I don’t know. I am tired of packing and unpacking my life. I am tired of running around the
world.
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