Let it begin! Monday Day 1

Well, it's been three months since I have updated this blog and I have a lot to add... went to Africa, could barely breathe but managed to get to the top of Kilimanjaro (check out my Africa blog). Managed to wrap up (most) things at work, moved from Virginia back up to CT (that was a NIGHTMARE in a half... painting, throwing out, a Uhaul that was too small- you name it!) and after a few days there and in Buffalo visiting the Grandparents I departed for the UK.

So here I am. Spent a week in Suffolk with the family and moved into my dorm- Francis Rowley Court- on September 9th. I call it my shoebox but truth be told it's not so small. The set up is like an apartment, or flat as they call them in England, with 5 bedrooms down a long hallway flanked with 2 bathrooms. One door on the hallway goes to a small sitting area that leads into a kitchen so I can cook all my own food if I am so inclined. Of course, I have learned to live on a single bed (lumpy and icky but a part of the experience!) and the alley outside my dorm seems to magnify all sounds but again... all part of the experience!

Orientation started last week... on Monday. Before I go into the details I want to add a little side story... well I guess it's not a side story, more like a beginning. I hate revolving doors... always have since I was stuck in one when I was visiting DC when I was 6. As a result, I avoid them like the plague and do my best never to go through them (although sometimes that is inevitable). So day 1, as I am striding up to the front of Cass Business School, for the first time, after getting hopelessly lost on my way from the dorm- I even had to ask a taxi cab driver for directions!, I was a little nervous as I eyed up the revolving door. Of course, as crazy as this sounds, I kind of smiled and saw it all as a metaphor. I was going along, thinking I knew what I wanted until I found myself a bit lost but ultimately in the right neighborhood. So, after some direction from outside, I found my way there and had to face my fear... needless to say, I used the revolving door. The upside to this story is that later in the day they opened the side doors so I didn't need to use it again! :-)

The day was great. I met a ton of people from all over the world including my team which is comprised of people from the UK, Slovenia, China, Kazakstan, and Saudia Arabia. I also met people from Malaysia, India, Taiwan, Australia, Iran, Lebanon, etc etc. I was amazed! I really wanted to get out a map and put little flags in the places from where my classmates hailed.

Part of our first day included learning all about our Flagship team building experience-- essentially we will be working as teams on a simulated boat sinking exercise on a Royal Navy base in Portsmouth. We'll even be sleeping on a warship and going to a reception at a castle by the sea. Sounds amazing, even if we do all end up wet and cold!

I wish I had written this earlier- like Monday night-- I might have remembered more! But a week later the days are kind of molding together.

At the end of the first day I made my way back to the dorm with a few other MBA students who I found out live there too. We all decided to meet up and walk to the main campus to hook up our ResNet internet links... 100 GBP later (nickeling and diming us to death!) I emerged with internet in my dorm room. I did a few hours of work at campus for NLUS and went home to make some dinner and go to bed.