On my way to Bogota

As I sit here on the 9 hour bus ride from Medellin to Bogota, I decided to tally up all the countries I've visited (excluding countries I've transited through). In no particular order:


Bahrain
India
Canada
USA
Oman
UAE
Qatar
England
France
Switzerland
Italy
Monaco
Vatican City
Germany
Netherlands
Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Hong Kong
Thailand
Nepal
Panama
Guatemala
Ecuador
Colombia

...25 in total.

And on the horizon in 2012 - Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Madagascar, Lesotho, possibly Israel or Saudi Arabia.

Medellin, Colombia

I'm sitting at the Parque de Los Pies Descalzos (which I believe means the park of bare feet) in Medellin, Colombia. When I wandered over here from my hostel, I didn't expect it to be in the middle of a corporate park, but it is and here I am. While I sit here, enjoying the perfect 70 degree weather in my slippers, t-shirt and shorts, I'm right across from what appears to be some sort of corporate team building event. Perhaps it's their first day on the job, everyone seems pretty excited as they stand in a circle imitating one another doing stupid actions. It reminds me of the Wharton class doing the same thing during the learning team retreat in Aug - little did I know we looked so silly from an outsiders perspective!! For what its worth, it seems to work to get to know those around you.

And if that group is having fun, the others walking back to their office building after their lunch break look straight up depressed. It is a day after Christmas... yet I can't help but ask why corporate professionals subdue themselves into accepting boring jobs which they put endless hours into for a good 30-40 years of their lives. Sure there are ups and downs but how many people truly feel passionate about pushing paper around?

I know I'm taking a very narrow-minded and pessimistic view but as I sit here, it makes me realize how lucky I am. I get to travel the world and do whatever I want to (at least for 2 years of my life). Yeah, there's the academics but in all honesty it's such a small part of the business school experience. Since I quit my job back in April, I've visited more interesting places, done more interesting things and met more interesting people in a short time span than ever in my life before. That's not to say that everything I've done and those I've met until now are any short of spectacular, but it sure didn't happen in a mere 6 months.

In MBA land, by now most students are in the thick of recruiting season - so we can all go back to those boring professional jobs the corporate world will offer us. I clearly feel very different about returning to the working world, so I've skipped out on recruiting for the most part. Apart from applying to two very elite companies (elite in my books at least) I'm following the entrepreneurial route. If I'm actually going to do something with my education, it might as well be something I love and control. I'm definitely not unique in my philosophy, even though it's not the mainstream at Wharton. Hopefully all of us aspiring entrepreneurs will build successful companies so we can employ others that are willing to take boring corporate jobs (i kid, I kid)! Quite the contrary, I do hope that when I build a company it has a culture where people don't drag their feet when they walk in after lunch. If I'm going to have fun building a company, everyone should have fun working their too.

In any case, back to Colombia. I got to Medellin yesterday evening and hung around Parque Lleras in El Poblado eating and drinking. Later today, I'll be checking out the views of Medellin by metro-cable and the Christmas lights by the river. And then it's off to Bogota. Adios mi amigos!

Back to School

It's great to be back in Philadelphia and pre-term has been a blast so far.  It's been insanely busy though.  I got back from India (where I was on summer immersion as part of my dual degree Lauder program) last Saturday, which was immediately followed by a weekend of moving.  If there's a way to walk into class tired on the very first day, it would be to come back from half way across the world and move an entire apartment while still suffering from jetlag!  I was exhausted by the time I got to campus on Monday at 8:30 AM.

Since my posts are being published in two places (my personal blog as well as Wharton Student Diaries), I'll digress and do a quick intro for my program once again.  I'm a Wharton/Lauder dual degree candidate.  That essentially means, along with my MBA, I'm also doing an MA in International Studies.  The MA consists of a country/language focus (India/Hindi in my case) as well as additional coursework in global business.  The MA portion also means that I started classes in May in Philadelphia and continued language classes in June/July in India.  So in essence, I've already been back to school for 3 months now.

So what was the first week like?  Well, on the first day we found out our cohorts, followed by orientation and introductions.  Our cohort was one of the better organized ones since we decided we wanted to do a social happy hour on the first day.  Yah!  On the second day, pre-term classes started.  My schedule was actually somewhat light since I took the Math Waiver Exam prior to arriving at Wharton.  There is a pre-requisite Math exam that everyone needs to pass in pre-term but since I had already done that, I was able to skip out of the math prep classes.  For any future students, make sure you do the same - it's a life saver in pre-term!  Other than that, I've had Stats, Managerial Economics and Finance classes this week.  Since I have a math background (Engineering to be specific), I've found them to be quite straightforward so far but I'm sure the difficulty will pick up in the second week.

Other than the academics, the social aspect is definitely in full swing.  Walk into any of the big name bars in Philadelphia this week and you're guaranteed to find at least 50 Wharton students!  I started the week similarly but decided to tone it back the last couple of days.  There's only so much one can go out in the first week!  Beyond the drinking, a number of student-organized events are also starting to happen - soccer games, golf, poker, theater, photography tours, etc...  The Wharton Class of 2013 is vibrant and excited to be here.  I'm sure it'll make for a great 2 years!

Dharamsala – Or is it Tibet?

For the final organized trip for the Lauder Hindi track, we were off to Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.  For various reasons, what was a Lauder event turned into an optional trip, however I wasn’t going to miss the chance to visit the home of the Dalai Lama.  Dharamsala is where the Dalai Lama has taken exile and a number of Tibetans have followed him.  In order to get to Dharamsala, we hopped onto an overnight train and then took a 3 hour taxi to get to Mcleod Ganj (the touristy part of Dharamsala).

Now before I talk about Dharamsala itself, let me tell you a little about Indian trains.  The overnight trains are a lot of fun – you get your own little section, you play cards, read a book, gossip for a while and then go to sleep in bunk beds (stacked in sets of 3 beds).  Now the less enjoyable part is after you’ve gone to sleep.  The train makes a few stops along the way and then you have random people coming into your section turning on your lights.  Or trying to steal your pillow.  Or pulling out your phone charger to charge their own phone (don’t ask me why they can’t charge it in their own damn section).  In any case – all of this happened to my poor friend who was desperately trying to get some sleep and not only did it wake him up each time but the rest of us too!  Can’t we have a little bit of common courtesy please?!?

In any case, after arriving in Dharamsala, we decided to take a trek to the Bhagsu waterfall.  We were given very vague instructions on how to get there so before we knew it we were going off road on the mountain.  It was all good fun though as we found a few mountain goats who took quite the liking to us and followed us along the way.  The goats were uber cute and mostly harmless.  Well, apart from when they decided to fight, ramming into each other head to head!  The waterfall itself was scenic but nothing incredibly amazing (I do come from Canada which just happens to have the largest natural waterfall in the world – perhaps I’m a little biased?).  What I did find spectacular though was how the clouds went in and out of the peaks and valleys – it made for some phenomenal views.

The next day, we went to the Norbulingka Institute.  The chaos that is India completely disappeared in this small compound.  The grass looked greener, the air seemed fresher and there was a relaxing peacefulness about the place – well, until the mosquitos started feasting on my ankles!  Regardless, it was a very enjoyable monastery.

Over the next couple of days, I also hit up the 17^th Karmapa monastery, the Tsuglangkhang complex (where the Dalai Lama lives) and another temple that’s hidden away in the forest.  I accidently came up on this temple wandering on a small path through the forest and still have no idea what it’s called.  I actually found it more fascinating than the one in the Tsuglangkhang complex, so anyone going there please go check it out – walk down the road around the backside of the Tsuglangkhang complex (it’s a 15-20 minute walk).

The trip to Dharamsala wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the food.  The Peace Café surely has the best brownies in all of India!  It was so good that I went back there a second time just for the brownie!  Other than that, I found the Tibetan and Bhutanese food quite enjoyable – momos, thukpa and thenthuk.  Overall, Dharamsala made for a very enjoyable low-key weekend, exactly what I need before heading back to Philadelphia for the Wharton MBA pre-term.

In the Media

As I’ve already discussed on my blog, the Lauder Hindi track has had the opportunity to meet some pretty big names during our summer immersion.  Two of the most interesting and fun visits involved the Hindi track presenting itself in front of the Indian media.

First off, we had the opportunity to write for the Navbharat Times (Delhi’s most popular Hindi newspaper).  On day 1, we individually wrote articles about India’s arrival on the international stage and what challenges face the country.  There it is – my Hindi in full print!  Fortunately, the wonderful editors at Navbharat Times actually make my article sound somewhat legitimate.  On the second day, we had the opportunity to tag along with a reporter – but unfortunately, my reporter’s meeting got cancelled (it is India, after all).  Later that day, we collectively wrote an article about the changes that have come about in Delhi.  It felt a little artificial, but once again, we were immortalized (or something like that) on the front page of the newspaper.

The other visit was to Radio Mirchi - India’s most listened to Hindi station.  Radio Mirchi really impressed me – the employees had an energy about them, a vibe that clearly demonstrated the fun they have at work.  And that fun definitely translates into the broadcast studio.  All the Radio Jockey’s clearly love being on air.  And for a few minutes, I had the opportunity to partake in that enjoyment.  Right in the middle of rush hour, my trackmate and I had the opportunity to have a short chat live on air.  We talked about our program, our reasons for studying Hindi and even about finding the right woman!  The RJ’s and Radio Mirchi employees gave me an uber-compliment when the told me I was a natural on air.  Perhaps if the whole business thing doesn’t work out, I’ll become an RJ on a Hindi radio station!

Jaipur, Rajasthan

A couple of weekends ago, the Lauder Hindi track went to Jaipur.  We left on Friday afternoon but first we stopped off for a night at Neemrana.  Neemrana is between Delhi and Jaipur and the location of an old fort, which has been converted into a hotel.  This is where we would stay on Friday night.  The fort itself was gorgeous.  We spent a good 2-3 hours exploring the fort before jumping into the swimming pool to cool down.  Beyond the natural beauty we were a little disappointed with the hotel itself – small rooms, mediocre meals and we would later learn that half the fort was built specifically for the hotel!  Despite that, we had our fair share of fun (which may or may not have included some late night sneaking around the fort in the dark).

The next morning we left for Jaipur.  Our trip took a turn for a worse as we were stuck in traffic for much longer than we should have.  We had a corporate visit at a textile factory in Jaipur, which turned out to be a bust.  Not having had any lunch, we were all starving and had little interest in the textile factory itself.

Despite not having eaten, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity of seeing the Jaipur sunset from Nahargarh fort.  It was by far the most memorable moment of the weekend and one of the most beautiful and unique sunsets I’ve ever seen.  From the top of the fort, we could hear individual voices, cars horns and prayers from each of the many masjids in Jaipur.  We saw the daylight turn into a beautiful spectacle of city lights and could see fireworks going off in the distance.  For anyone going to Jaipur, I would highly recommend watching the sunset from Nahargarh fort.  It’s breathtaking!

As we drove back from Nahargarh fort,  I couldn’t help notice the numerous animals on the streets – cows are commonplace in India but there were horses, camels and elephants being ridden on the streets!  After a much needed dinner, we crashed at the Hotel Arya Niwas.

On our way back to Delhi, we stopped at Amer fort.  Once again, the views from Amer fort are breathtaking.  The fort itself is massive and quite a spectacle but by the end of it I had definitely seen enough forts for the weekend!  The trip to Jaipur felt a little short and we unfortunately didn’t have time to see the older part of the city (The Pink City).  Nevertheless it was a fun trip and I’m sure I’ll return at some point in my life to see the rest of Jaipur.

What About the Academics?

From my recent posts it must appear that the Lauder summer immersion is all fun, games and travel, but we actually do have to study too!  So on that note, I'm going to use today's post to summarize the academics.

Over the last 2 months, we've averaged 3-5 hours of class on most days, which includes instruction as well as one-on-one sessions.  Overall, I definitely saw an improvement in my Hindi, but I also feel I'm quite a ways from the much desired "superior" level.  The ultimate goal over the 2 years at Wharton/Lauder is to improve our language skills up to "superior," which basically means that one can handle a wide variety of situations (including presentations, debates and role plays) with complete language fluency.  Now if by some miracle, I am actually able to pass off as "superior" by the end of the 1st year, then my summer project for next year will have more flexibility (i.e. I wouldn't necessarily have to come back to India next summer).  Superior or not, my goal was to improve as much as I could.

Aside from the language instruction, I found the first month was very light on graded assignments.  And then suddenly, about half way through we were hit with a presentation, debate and short speech all in the same week.  I presented my Wagah border experience (from my July 15th post).  For the debate, I had to role play the government view on the Lokpal bill (an anti-corruption bill) - much to my chagrin it's not a viewpoint I agree with and thus got killed in the debate.  And finally, my speech was about a recent corporate visit to Reliance Big Entertainment.

For the second month, we had a number of ungraded debates, presentations, grammar correction exercises and ad hoc stories we had to make up.  We had our final exam today, which consisted of a 5 minute speech, a written assignment and some grammar corrections.  All in all, I was happy that our classes were somewhat relaxed but a part of me thinks a little extra rigor would have helped me improve my language faster.  It's a difficult balance though since I'm sure I would have been complaining if the classes were any tougher!

Day 3 - Bhaktapur, Nepal

On day 3, we ventured to Bhaktapur.  Bhaktapur is a small medieval town that through some miracle has avoided the typical westernization that is commonplace in South East Asia.  We are all too accustomed to seeing Coke, Pepsi and Vodafone signs everywhere that it was refreshing to come across a town that has entirely avoided the commercialization.  Furthermore, traditions such as washing clothes at the town water tanks, acquiring water from wells and lounging in the outdoor huts playing cards are still very much prevalent in the town.  The town infrastructure is almost all made with brick - from the homes, to the roads to the drainage as well!  It truly felt like stepping back in time.

To cap off the evening, I had dinner with a family acquaintance at a Japanese restaurant in Kathmandu.  We talked about some of the challenges that Nepal current faces - a nation that is struggling to be a global presence, considering it's located between two of the world's fastest growing economies in China and India.  At the same time, Nepal is trying to establish political stability within its own borders.

The next morning, we jetted back to New Delhi but not before an inordinate amount of security checks at Kathmandu airport.  It seems like they really don't want anyone to leave - it takes at least 2 X-ray checks, 2 manual luggage checks and being frisked 3 times by security before you're allowed to board the plane!

Day 2 - Everest, Nepal

The second day started with a completely unplanned trip to Mount Everest.  Although we are three strong lads (although slightly questionable with our recent workout routines), we decided against climbing the mountain.  Instead, we took the easy route and hopped onto a 7 AM mountain flight and saw Everest by air.  It was an absolute awe-inspiring flight!  It was overcast but we were able to break out of the clouds long enough to see the massive peak.  And the cherry on top was getting to see it from the cockpit!

After returning, we completed the remainder of our walking tour.  This time we ventured to Durbar square and once again, we saw lots of courtyard and temples.  We finally settled to have lunch on Freak Street (named so by the locals since there are numerous foreigner hippy "freaks" in this part of the city).  Once again, we braved the Nepali food and once again we were disappointed.  This time the food was way too bland.  The remainder of the day got washed away by the monsoon rains so I sat indoors and caught up on writing up a few posts for this very blog.

Day 1 - Kathmandu, Nepal

Three of us from the Lauder Hindi track decided to go to Kathmandu for the July 4th weekend.  We arrived with minimal planning and two of us found out that we had to purchase visas on landing.  No worries.  We had ample money in Indian rupees, which I knew is widely accepted in Nepal.  Here's the catch though - the visas can only be purchased in foreign currency (i.e. US Dollars, Pounds, Euros, etc...).  And there was one more catch - denominations of Indian Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 are not accepted.  Oh crap!!

At this point it was like we had no money.  We had to withdraw Nepalese Rupees from the ATM and exchange that for US Dollars to buy our visas.  Quite ironic that in order to enter a country half way across the world, we had to convert back to US dollars!

After arriving at our hostel, we decided to go on a "Lonely Planet" walking tour around Thamel (the touristy part of Kathmandu).  We saw temple after temple - it seems like there's a temple at every intersection and two or three in between too!  Tired of seeing temples we decided to wander over to an intriguing ceremony - a Hindu festival celebrating children.  The kids were dressed in their best clothes and looked quite adorable.  We got to the epicenter of the festival and my jaw literally dropped.  We walked straight up to a live goat sacrifice!!!  The head was still being chopped off and the body was wriggling about - blood was gushing everywhere!  It was the most gruesome thing I've ever seen.  It was all a very odd scene - there was a huge line of children sitting on one side and blood being splattered on Hindi gods on the other side.

Even though we had lost our appetite, we decided to stop for lunch at a traditional Newari (Nepali) restaurant.  Our meal consisted of chicken, deer and goat.  Yes, we had goat right after watching a goat sacrifice!  For what it's worth, we absolutely hated the food and couldn't stomach much more than a few spoonfuls.  Exhausted from our travels, we returned back to our hostel for a long nap, only waking up in the evening for a proper meal - this time for Thai food at the Yin Yang restaurant.

Wagah – The India-Pakistan Border

Before I get going, a warning that this is about to be a long post. The Wagah border experience was a once in a lifetime experience for me and I want to capture it in its full essence. With that, onwards with the story…

The same afternoon that my friend and I visited the Golden Temple, we also took a trip to the Wagah Border. During India’s independence in 1947, the town of Wagah was split into half – half of it in India and half in Pakistan. This is the only land crossing between India and Pakistan. Every day at sunset, a special ceremony between the two countries takes place – a ceremonial opening of the gate and lowering of both countries’ flags. The ceremony simultaneously captures both the close ties and the animosity between the two countries.

We arrived to the town at 3:00 PM, a full two hours before we would be let into the stands and 3.5 hours before the ceremony was due to begin. Being a Saturday, they were expecting 20,000 people and we weren’t going to miss the chance of getting a seat. We were the first to arrive but as the crowds grew, we were pushed closer and closer against the entrance gate. In over 40 degrees of heat (~110 degrees Farenheit), it didn’t take long until I was completely drenched in sweat. Just imagine 20,000 stinking and sweaty bodies pushing up against you for 2 hours – it was a few magnitudes worse than being on a local Mumbai train!

The gates opened at 5:00 PM and I was almost knocked down in the stampede. I kept my balance but there was a mad rush to the security checkpoint. We were one of the first to make it there but the people behind us kept trying to push in and get ahead of us. We almost broke into a fight, trying to maintain some form of queue – it bothers me that most Indians have no regard for common courtesy, fairness and organization!

Once through security, I pleaded with the security guards to let us into the VIP section. Anyone holding a non-Indian passport is considered a VIP (which applies to me) but unfortunately, I didn’t bring my passport with me on this occasion. The guards would not have any of it so we ran to the general seating section. We had already lost out on getting one of the first few rows but we managed to find a seat on the hot concrete stands. It was scorching and I think I gained a few 1st degree burns on my rear end!

Soon enough the VIPs were allowed to walk onto the border crossing and wave Indian flags in anticipation of the ceremony. Here we were in the stands with 20,000 Indians but it were the foreigners (many with no Indian heritage whatsoever) who had the privilege of waving the Indian flags inches away from the border. Hmph!!

Regardless, the ceremony started at 6:30 PM. First the Indian soldiers marched to the border, then the Pakistani soldiers. Both sides opened the gates to the crossing and shook hands.

Next, each set of soldiers paraded back and forth trying to outshine the opposing country through angry gestures and trying to establish superiority. The Indian crowd (including me) was going nuts, shouting “Hindustand Zindabad”, “Bharat mata ki jai” and “Vande Mataram” – patriotic chants proclaiming India’s freedom. The ceremony ended with lowering of the flags and the closing of the gates between the two countries. Just as the crowd had entered, it also left in mass exodus. Even though the experience was frustrating at times, watching the ceremony live was well worth it and a moment of pride for me as a heritage Indian. This is cultural immersion at it’s best!

Amritsar, Punjab – Golden Temple

I’m way behind on posts so the next few posts are going to be about my travels from the last 2-3 weeks.

First off, two weekends ago, my roommate and I went to Punjab. We had an early flight on the Saturday morning and woke up way too late. If that wasn’t bad enough, as we approached the airport, we were told that auto rickshaws aren’t allowed all the way to the terminal. Some dude wanted us to pay Rs. 500 for a 2 minute taxi ride but we weren’t having any of it! So we jumped on a packed public bus instead. We had to run to the check-in desk and arrived just 40 minutes before departure and a full 20 minutes after check-in had closed. After some expert negotiation, we were allowed in. Whew!

Upon landing in Amritsar, we took a cab to the Golden Temple. We decided to seek out a tourist guide to tell us about the temple before we actually went in. The guide first took us to Jallianwala Bagh, the site of a massacre conducted by the ruling British in 1919. We were able to see the bullet holes back from when the massacre took place. It was quite a moving experience.

Next, we went back to the Golden Temple and the guide explained the significance of the temple. It was awesomely beautiful. We soaked in the environment and walked around the surrounding pool. It is believed the pool of water can heal skin diseases such as leprosy and therefore, many pilgrims bathe in the water. We decided to stay well away from the water!

Finally, we enjoyed lunch at the largest free kitchen in the world. It is estimated that 80,000 people dine at the Golden Temple’s free kitchen on a daily basis. The cycle time for a single meal is a mere 20 minutes – that includes entering the hall, serving the food, eating lunch, exiting and clean-up. The entire kitchen is run by volunteers and there is even a queue in order to volunteer at the kitchen! And if that wasn’t enough, the meal itself was amazing too.

Gov't of India - Unwelcome to Foreigners

Every foreigner in India that is staying for more than 6 months or arriving on a student visa has to register at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).  The purpose of the registration is national security.  Unfortunately I was subject to this registration since I'm here on a student visa.  I'm not against the idea of national security but if you've been to any government office in India, you'll know the insane bureaucracy that exists in this country.  It's ludicrous!  I was supposed to register within 2 weeks of arrival and you're expected to have a permanent address.  Considering I only moved to my "permanent address" on day 15, I was already facing an Rs. 1395 penalty (~US $35).

Regardless, I arrived at the FRRO with a letter from the institute where I'm studying, 4 passport photos and my passport.  I walked up to reception and was told I could not be accepted.  The gentleman did not provide any reasoning - he just pointed to a sign behind me - hours of operation were 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (with a lunch break from 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM).  It was 3:03 PM.  I politely asked the man to let me in since I was technically there but had spent the last 10 minutes filling out their form.  He refused...  and then went on to give me a lecture about how I shouldn't "teach him a lesson."  When I explained that I couldn't come back the next few days since I couldn't cut out of class he said I shouldn't have even come to New Delhi then!!  I was shocked.  This is the face of the FOREIGNERS Office - an office that is outright rude and inconsiderate to foreigners within their first few days in India.

As a heritage Indian, I argued through this (in Hindi, of course) and he finally let me in but I was completely disappointed that India, my mother country, is essentially discouraging foreigners with this sort of behavior.  From a macro perspective, India most definitely need foreigners (heritage Indians or otherwise) - for investment, to improve education standards, to assist with governance, to bring innovation, etc... and the FRRO is working directly against that.  Government of India, please add this to your already long list of things to fix!

The bureaucracy didn't end there.  I then had to leave the office to make 3 copies of the form I had just filled out (why can't they just make the copies themselves?  Or perhaps invest in a coin-operated photocopy machine at the office?).  When I returned to the office I was bounced from counter to counter.  At one point, they even stopped working on my registration for a tea break.  Regardless, my work got done and surprisingly it didn't take too much longer than an hour and a half, although I'm quite positive that my argument at reception allowed me to jump the line.  I felt bad for the people that were still at the office struggling through the process - it really shouldn't be this difficult.

Monsoons, Amitabh, Traffic & Nightlife - This is Mumbai

After spending much of the week without the Internet, I'm back online!  Week 2 of the Hindi Lauder track has been packed with exciting stories.  It feels like I could write a post for each day but don't have the time for it so I'll have to make do with the abridged version.

Last Saturday, I landed in Mumbai and it was pouring rain.  Just like how I remembered the monsoons from my childhood - stuck in traffic, roads flooded with water and having to roll my pants up to wade through the water in order to get home.  As horrifying as it was, it's part of the charm of Mumbai.  Since then, it hasn't failed to rain a single day.

During the work week, we had a lineup of corporate visits.  Meetings with CEOs, executives and the occasional Bollywood star.  Kishore Biyani (The Future Group / Big Bazaar), Saroj Datta (Jet Airways), Sanjoy Chatterjee & Himanshu Bahuguna (Goldman Sachs), D. Kurane & Amit Shah (Yes Bank) and Amitabh Bachchan.  Yes, that's worth saying again - we had a meeting with AMITABH BACHCHAN!  In Hollywood terms, that's like combining the superstar power of Elvis Presley, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and any other favorite celebrity.  If that wasn't enough, Amitabh spent 2 hours talking to us (instead of being on set with his celebrity son, Abhishek) and even blogged about us!  Check it out at: BigB - Day 1154.

Aside from the corporate visits, I spent an endless number of hours stuck in traffic.  The traffic in Mumbai sucks!  On one occasion it took over 2.5 hours to make a trip of approximately 20 kilometers.  For everything Mumbai has become, the traffic issue is a major setback.  I can't imagine the hours of lost productivity or lost family time wasted away on the roads of Mumbai.  Mumbai severely lags in infrastructure and I just don't see it catching up to the ever-increasing population.

Finally, a trip to Mumbai would not be complete without the food (Paneer Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, Vada Pau, Pau Bhaji, Indo-Chinese, Chicken McSpicy's, more Butter Chicken, an upscale meal at the Taj) and nightlife (Mondegars, Leo's, Jazz by the Bay, Topaz, Olive, Zaffron, and crashing a wedding at the Taj).  It was only a week but we managed to cram in as much of Mumbai as we could - it will be memorable forever!

India Unbound

The randomness that is India didn’t end with our housing issues. On the first day of classes, we took the auto rickshaw to the address provided to us. After circling around the area for a little while, we asked a local if he knew where the D-31 Defense Colony building was. He pointed us to the adjacent street but he insisted our address was incorrect since the building was recently demolished and under reconstruction. We figured he had no idea what he was talking about… but low and behold, when we arrived our university was a floor and a half high amidst a pile of rubble! The sign directed us to C-133, our makeshift building – we entered our classroom, a converted living room inside someone’s apartment!

If the location was unassuming, the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) is anything but. Affiliated with over 100 American Universities, AIIS is a launch point for International Studies in India – ranging from the study of 18 distinct Indian languages, to affiliation with archeology sites in India, to government projects for India’s national museums. It was reminiscent of a language school in Latin America with an Indian flair – i.e. endless cups of free tea, breakfast in class and a full serving kitchen.

In true Indian fashion, we began our day’s program a half hour late. We didn’t actually have class, but it was more of an introduction and orientation. With pleasantries out of the way, we were taken to a conference center to meet two of India’s greatest thought leaders – Mr. Gurcharan Das and Dr. Ashis Nandy! Mr. Gurcharan Das is a bestselling author of “India Unbound”, former CEO of Proctor & Gamble India and former Managing Director of Proctor & Gamble Worldwide. Dr. Ashis Nandy is a prominent Indian political psychologist and has previously appeared on the list of Top 100 Intellectuals on Foreign Policy and won the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize.

Being the inaugural Hindi class of the Lauder Institute, we were a little suspicious of the quality of business and national leaders we would get a chance to meet, but we started with a BANG! The lineup on day 1 blew us all away and we took advantage of the opportunity, enjoying a thoroughly engaging conversation with our celebrity speakers. Much credit goes to our Hindi Program Director and the Lauder Institute – the Hindi track is off to a great start.

The Apartment

Upon landing in Delhi, I was excited to see our apartment. A friend, living in the US managed to hook me up with an awesome pad in a new apartment building with a gym. A gym!! That’s unheard of in India… off the hook! The taxi slowed down at the apartment...

Taxi fare	Rs. 160
Mineral water	Rs. 175
Mattresses for apartment	Rs. 1500
“Gym”	Climbing up 3 flights of stairs with heavy luggage
Indian style bathroom	Free
Wasp’s nest in bathroom	Also Free
2 dead wasps	Killed by roommate
Security system	2 stray dogs
Average temperature in Delhi	110o F (~40o C)
Air Conditioning	Non-existent
Refrigerator	Also Non-existent
Hours of running water	30 mins per day
Water tank	Empty
Pump for water tank	Burnt Out
Plumber Costs	Rs. 4500
Summer Immersion in India	PRICELESS!

The issue wasn’t so much with the amount of problems with the apartment, these kinds of things tend to be commonplace in India, but it was more an issue of expectations. My friend (who for the record is living it up in West Palm Beach, Florida) told me there was a gym in the building and that was the basis for a WHOLE bunch of other assumptions. Clearly all of them turned out to be false so my roommate and I have been sweating it out (literally) for the last 4 days. To add insult to injury, the area of town we’re living in is across from slums, there are no fun places to hang out and it’s a 30-minute auto rickshaw ride to classes every morning (which also happens to be the 30 minutes when the city water is available).

The good news is we’re not sticking it out here any longer… We found a place with all the amenities we need for a great price and walking distance from our classes. We’ll be moving there once we return from Mumbai. As for my friend in West Palm, she’s been very apologetic about the whole thing – don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you for more than a few years! :)

Off to Delhi

As part of the International Studies portion of my masters, I’m off to New Delhi for 2 months. The goal during of the immersion is to improve our language skills – we’ll have Hindi classes every morning, followed by corporate or cultural visits most afternoons. There are 5 of us in the inaugural Hindi track and we’re paving the way for future Hindi track Lauderites.

After exams got done on Thursday afternoon, I rushed home to pack. By the time everything was said and done it was already midnight and we had to take a 2:40 AM bus to Newark airport. Naturally, we weren’t planning to sleep so off we went to Silk City to party with the rest of the Lauder class. 2 hours of partying later, we stumbled to the bus stop and went to Newark. My sleeping habits took the best of me as I slept on the bus and on the plane to Heathrow. Now here I am, on the second leg of the journey – Delhi is just 4 hours away!

Lauder Love - May 2011

Wow! I can't believe the month of May has almost entirely passed. I started classes on May 9th and since then it's been a whirlwind. For those like me, that thought business school would be significantly less work than a professional job, we were surely mistaken! There's just no way to keep up with all the material that's thrown at you so you have to get good at pruning out what you need to study.

On the academics side - I've had 3 classes throughout this month:

• Competitive Strategy/Global Strategic Management
• South Asia Area History
• Hindi Language Classes

But the BIG decision is how you'll trade off the academics with the endless number of social activities. Off the top of my head I think I've attended the following in the last 3 weeks:

• 3G Party - 3 generations of Lauder students partying until 4 AM
• 1G Party - just our Lauder generation - also partying until 4 AM

• BRIC dinner - somehow the Brazilians never got the invite for this! :(
• A minority tracks dinner - to get back at the Chinese track!
• Entrepreneurship dinner at Zaffron (owned by a fellow Lauder classmate)
• Entrepreneurship dinner II

• Hangover 2 night
• A party before going to NYC
• A party in NYC
• A party for coming back from NYC
• A party because we hadn't had a party in 2 days

So that's basically what happens when you put 70 of the most international and vastly diverse group of students together. It all adds up to one big family, known as Lauder LOVE!

Back to Philadelphia

The final morning of the first Equipé, brother trip we had a wonderful Guatemalan breakfast and then walked around Antigua. Wifi Freak and I headed back to Guatemala City airport leaving Photo Freak to enjoy 2 more days in Guatemala. It was a sad moment but Equipé, brother will only spend a week apart before we reunite for the start of classes on May 9th.

For yours truly, Sleeping Beauty, you may spot me wearing a Guatemala hat and sleeping on some form of public or private transportation on my way to England, UK. I will be spending some quality time with my family before embarking on my MBA journey.

Tikal

The second last day in Guatemala – we took a trip to Tikal, an ancient Mayan city that existed from approximately 200 BC to 900 AD. It was quite a long journey to get there – we took a shuttle bus back to Guatemala City, hopped on a 1 hour flight to Flores and finally, another shuttle bus to Tikal (of course I slept through most of each leg). Archaeologists are still excavating Tikal and the amount of history here is fascinating.

We happened to arrive during the hottest month of the year at the hottest time of the day, which made for an interesting tour. We were so eager to complete the 4-hour tour and get out of the heat that we rushed the guide through the whole thing. We didn’t even give him a chance to get some rest, although we did offer him water multiple times. We got done the tour in 2.5 hours and the poor tour guide looked ready to collapse by the end of it! The abridged tour gave us a lot of free time, so we stayed cool by drinking Cerveza Gallo (Guatemalan beer) and enjoyed the sunset while we played dominos.

Equipé, brother at Lago de Atitlan

Once again we took an early shuttle bus, today to Lake Atitlan. The lake is surrounded by 3 volcanoes and is considered one of the most picturesque lakes in the world. The towns surrounding the lake are inhabited by Mayans who have maintained their culture on the most part. We visited San Juan and Santiago – the Mayans in this region are known for their arts & crafts and coffee production. We also got an inside peek into their daily lives, including their worship of Saint Maximon, who the Mayans offer alcohol and cigarettes to. Quite different from the offerings I’m used to as a Hindu!

But the most exciting moment of the day for me was the purchase of my Guatemala hat – I finally had the appropriate attire to be a part of “Equipé, brother.” “Equipé, brother” – a term popularized by a Brazilian Coca Cola commercial, literally means “Team, brother” but more importantly it represents the team before the individual and in the context of our lives, the team is a group of international travelers with unique eccentricities. Just the 3 of us in the group so far:

• “Wifi Freak” – has the uncontrollable urge to look for wifi signal anywhere – such as inside caves atop a volcano 
• “Photo Freak” – insists on turning any location into a photo opportunity – such as a random building or tree 
• “Sleeping Beauty” – yours truly, aptly named for falling asleep in all kinds of places – cars, buses, boats, planes and the dinner table! 

When not partaking in our passions, we can be recognized by our unique hats – the hat of the country in which we joined Equipé, brother – 2 Panama hats and a Guatemala hat.  Equipé, brother!

Volcan Pacaya

After an amazing breakfast, we walked around Antigua and prepared for our afternoon trip to Volcan Pacaya – an active volcano that last erupted only a year ago and covered much of the surrounding area with ash.  We took the shuttle bus from Antigua just as a storm system moved in.  Thunder and lightening and an insane amount of rain!  It was like the monsoon rains in India.  At one point it seemed like we wouldn’t be able to climb the volcano but fortunately the rains eased up as we began our ascend.  We got to experience some breathtaking views although there were no signs of molten lava, fire or sparks yet (well, apart from Paco the tour guide hitting on “Photo Freak” – I saved Paco’s number for you in case you want to call him up!).

As we hiked closer to the crater, the ground looked like a massive burnt brownie – remnants of last year’s eruption.  There were still some hot rocks too!  We finally arrived at a crevice in the ground.  We could see the molten lava underneath and it was a great spot to toast some marshmallows.  Nothing beats lava-toasted marshmallows!  We hiked back in the dark – fortunately, we bought flashlights earlier in the day and were able to make it back down safe and sound.

Guate

I was off to the airport once again (the 4^th of 8 flights I would take during this 8 day vacation). I got ridiculously early to the gate and patiently waited for my 2 friends. I had heard enough horror stories about armed crime in Guatemala City (see - Recent Crime Incidents Involving Foreigners) and literally had no arrangements for my 4 days there. If my friends didn’t show up, I would have to fend for myself (keeping in mind my limited and broken knowledge of SPANGLISH)! Needless to say I was more than a little nervous. While I waited, I contemplated my spontaneous decision to agree to go to Guatemala…

Just over a week ago, the Saturday night during the Lauder dinner at Wharton welcome weekend, two of my new classmates (known as “Photo Freak” and “Wifi Freak” from this point on) invited me to join them on a trip to Central America – specifically Panama, Cuba and Guatemala. They were leaving Monday morning (a little over 24 hours from when I heard about this trip) and I spontaneously agreed to it. The next day it hit me – if I went to Cuba then I might not be able to get back into the US (considering the US/Cuba relationship is not the greatest). So instead I decided to go to Panama on my own and later join my friends in Guatemala.

And now I wondered if I was a little too quick to agree to go to Guatemala with complete strangers! Back at the gate, I was one of the last people remaining as I waited and waited for my friends to show up. Finally, I had no choice but to board the plane. I was coming up with my contingency plan - get out of Guatemala City and head straight to Antigua. Antigua is considered a safe zone – a cozy and historic town with lots of tourists. Aright, I could do this... and then I looked up to see my friends waltz onto the plane. WHEW! I don’t think I’ve been happier to see people I barely knew.

Upon landing in Guate, “Wifi Freak” had arranged for a private car to pick us up and take us around the city. Equipé, brother – you know who you are, thanks!! (I’ll explain what “Equipé, brother “ means and how the names of “Wifi Freak” and “Photo Freak” came about later). In the evening we did go to Antigua, which would be our home base for the next 4 days. I was safe and sound in Guatemala.

On Vacation

Day 3 in Bocas was pretty uneventful. I stayed at the hotel reading a book on the hammocks for most of the day as a thunderstorm swept through the area. I took a flight back to Panama City in the evening and felt much more confident navigating the city even though I still didn’t know more than a few Spanish phrases. My proudest moment was negotiating a $20 taxi for the next day from Luna’s Castle to the International (Tocumen) airport. I later found out that most foreigners pay $25 so HA! I beat the system! Who says you need to speak the local language to negotiate? I spent the rest of the night drinking at the local watering hole next to the hostel. I met some other adventurers trekking through Central America and now I actually looked like I belonged – sporting a Central American suntan, a headful of messy dried-up hair and an unshaven mug. A true vacation!

Bocas Del Toro

I hopped onto a 1 hour flight to Bocas Del Toro – a collection of islands and a popular beach resort for Panamanians and foreigners alike. Upon landing, I was greeted by a local who told me that the “boss” at the hotel had sent him. I was immediately suspicious when he didn’t mention Stacey (the boss) by name. I walked with him into town but then told him I will find my own way. I flagged a taxi down and soon enough I arrived at the picturesque La Coralina. The hotel had the absolute friendliest staff and guess what… they all spoke English!!! Stacey put me in the honeymoon suite at the cost of a courtyard room and I’m quite positive it’s the finest hotel in all of Bocas. I borrowed a surfboard and headed straight to Bluff beach to catch some waves, but alas it wasn’t firing on this day (probably a good thing as this world class break could have been quite dangerous for a beginner surfer like me).

On my second day in Bocas I went searching for a more appropriate wave. A $2 water taxi brought me to Isla Carenero – a small paradise of an island that looked like it came out of one of the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies! I hiked around the mostly deserted island for a couple of hours and then met Luis at the “Bibi’s on the beach” restaurant. He got me set up with a board and took me (and some Dutch girls) on a boat ride to Wizard’s beach. I dropped in on my first wave and I was standing… I quickly tired myself out fighting through the breaking waves – the struggles of a beginner surfer! I ended the night at the Bibi’s happy hour with the Dutch girls, who also happened to be traveling around Central America without knowing any Spanish. I guess I wasn’t the only “newbie” around!!

My First Night in Central America

I got into Panama City at 11 PM last night and realized that I was going to be lost without Spanish. Luckily on the plane I met Ana, a Venezuelan 24 year old, who spoke amazing English and lives in Panama City. She suggested that the best way for me to get to the hostel was by taking a ‘Taxi Collectivo’ and she volunteered to help me out. I felt like one of those lost competitors on the Amazing Race that have to rely on a local to get them to the next pit stop. I had considered myself an experienced traveler but I wasn’t so sure now.

For $11 each, Ana, myself and 2 loud mouth New Yorkers shared a taxi into the city. I was the last to be dropped off – I arrived at Luna’s Castle. Not a backpacking / hostel kind of guy, I’m sure I looked out of place. The guy at reception told me I would be screwed without Spanish… Great!! Little does he know that I’m heading to Guatemala City after this – only the capital of armed robberies in Latin America! Feeling a little intimidated and not in the mood to mingle, I crashed in my assigned dorm bed.

I woke up this morning to a chorus of singing – perhaps it’s because of Semana Santa (holy week), but as I looked out of the window I saw a breathtaking skyline. I was excited to start my first day in Panama.

Spring Welcome Weekend

This weekend is Wharton's Spring Welcome Weekend. I just got back from my first event (Pub)... actually first pre-event since the official weekend activities haven't even started. The cool thing was there were about 10 other Lauder admits - my future classmates and family and they are all awesome! We all shared similar intros - "I was born in country X, but lived in country Y and then I decided to go to country Z and now I'm learning language ABC."

The next 2.5 days are going to be a whirlwind of activity. Here's a rough idea of what I'll be up to:

Friday

- Lauder breakfast

- Wharton Intros, Philosophies, etc...

- Meet with Faculty

- Entrepreneurship Session

- Technology Session

- Media and Entertainment Session

- Pub (again)

- Group Dinners

- Around the World "Costume" Party

Saturday

- Breakfast

- Financial Aid Session

- Leadership Session

- Wharton Follies

- Drinks with the India Club and Canada Club at the same time

- Lauder Dinner

- Evening Soiree (i.e. more drinking)

Sunday

- Brunch with either the Consulting or Entrepreneurship Clubs

Whew! It'll be busy but I wouldn't want it any other way!

Re-Branding Myself

I've hit the reset button on life. I'm leaving my job this week and I'm going back to school to exchange my life savings (and then some) for 3 letters 5 letters - MBA/MA. That's right! An MBA/MA joint degree. I'm super excited about the MA part of it - I'm one of the first students going through the Hindi track at Wharton/Lauder... EVER! Now only if my trusty Hindi can carry me through it...

Okay, so enough jibber jabber about degrees. I'm re-invigorating this blog because I have a few friends that are genuinely interested in what my life will be like at b-school. And perhaps along the way I'll pick up a few more readers but this one is really for all of my friends! So thanks to everyone for encouraging me throughout my undergrad, my career, the MBA application process and well, just being there for me! I'm going to try to stick to interesting stories (travels, adventures, business, technology and other random silliness) but we'll see what happens when things get going. And no guarantees on how often I'll post! I hear b-school doesn't offer up a whole lot of free time so I'll try to make the best of it. If you haven't already caught up with me I can be found on twitter (@RoopakMaj), Facebook and LinkedIn.

Upcoming Milestones:
Apr 8 - Last Day of Work
May 9 - Classes Start