26 Feb, 2014
One lazy winter morning in Malaviya Bhavan, sun cuddled up in his soft cloudy comforter hesitantly waking me up on a foggy morning. It was the last few days of spring, the weather was perfect. That moment when the sky lit up, it was as if the nature told me it was going to be the most memorable day of my life.
It was 1:00PM I was done with lunch and no more classes for the day. I turn the computer on to watch Korean Drama, Playful Kiss to be exact. There was a notification, a new mail said "I am pleased to inform you of your admission to the Summer Institute for General Management (SIGM) to be held at the Stanford Graduate School of Business from June 22 to July 19, 2014". For a moment it felt surreal. I couldn't contain my happiness or was that just a way I expressed it? - I can't ever tell. The only thing all of my third floor wingmates remember was seeing me run around in the corridor like a dog finding its owner after a 10 years. It was a rare sight; many know me as a calm and composed person who objectively calculates the outcome of an achievement or failure. Well it was one hell of a suprise for me, it feels nice that I had a moment like that in my life.
21 June, 2014
Trying so hard to tug my luggage along we, my sister and I, reached Munger Residence. At the entrance were R.Cs waiting for us. It was probably the best welcome I had recieved in a college. They gave us set of keys to our rooms and a welcome note. When I went upto my room I saw a name tag, t-shirt and few papers giving us details of the class schedule. Everything kept my concious mind preocupied for the next hour. I was done unpacking, my sister left for the day. It was time for brunch. On my way down, in the lift, I met my first classmate I guess. It was awkward for me, like a highschooler suddenly moved to a new school, normal for everyone I guess.
I was at the brunch table. It felt very different from all the interactions I ever had in the past. Are these how the interactions in the business world felt like? Do people become friends so easily? Am I the only one who was hesitant? Guess thats what happens when a visible extrovert, but an actual introvert, ventures out of her world. I learnt a lot about myself as I spoke to others. The brunch was for an hour, but I guess I met atleast 12 people. 5mins per person, the highest networking rate I have ever achieved in my life. An unexplainable anomaly in my rarely eventful social life.
I learnt that I wasn't a natural entertainer, I paid attention to the stories being told. Some were interestingly unique. Some were the same as mine but, I felt, all were better than mine. Not that the content of many stories were any different from what I have experienced in life, it was in the amount of enthusiasm and the narration that made the difference. Was that it? Was that all I needed to get everyones attention to a story I narrate?? May be not. I probably didn't realize but I slipped into the comfort of my thoughts. It was somwhere between rummaging through my memories and reminding myself that people were talking to me that I realised I say most of my stories in a - as a matter of fact - tone. Am I the only one who does that?
Next thing I knew we were on a guided tour, walking through living memories on the beautiful Stanford Campus. It was as if each stone, each wall offered a story of great wisdom. There were many but one stuck on my mind all along. It was this.
There was something about the place that I can't put my finger on but I knew something in me had changed. I suddenly felt I had the courage to face every challenge the world of uncertainity had to throw at me. And something that I didn't realize then was that I implicitly chose to walk straight ahead into uncertainity. More on that later.
It was late in the evening that I was back from the tour. Looking back I guess I was so absorbed appreciating the architecture and trying to avoid the sun without losing the group that I hardly got to talk to the others I haven't met earlier. A lot that I would want to do differently but nothing I want to change, that is what I feel each time I think of it.
Snacks were waiting for us. The RCs were too kind, they had brought all possible snacking items on the planet for us. I loaded on the unhealthy carbs skipped dinner and slipped into my room. Before I knew I was asleep. That was my first day @SIGM2014.
One lazy winter morning in Malaviya Bhavan, sun cuddled up in his soft cloudy comforter hesitantly waking me up on a foggy morning. It was the last few days of spring, the weather was perfect. That moment when the sky lit up, it was as if the nature told me it was going to be the most memorable day of my life.
It was 1:00PM I was done with lunch and no more classes for the day. I turn the computer on to watch Korean Drama, Playful Kiss to be exact. There was a notification, a new mail said "I am pleased to inform you of your admission to the Summer Institute for General Management (SIGM) to be held at the Stanford Graduate School of Business from June 22 to July 19, 2014". For a moment it felt surreal. I couldn't contain my happiness or was that just a way I expressed it? - I can't ever tell. The only thing all of my third floor wingmates remember was seeing me run around in the corridor like a dog finding its owner after a 10 years. It was a rare sight; many know me as a calm and composed person who objectively calculates the outcome of an achievement or failure. Well it was one hell of a suprise for me, it feels nice that I had a moment like that in my life.
21 June, 2014
Trying so hard to tug my luggage along we, my sister and I, reached Munger Residence. At the entrance were R.Cs waiting for us. It was probably the best welcome I had recieved in a college. They gave us set of keys to our rooms and a welcome note. When I went upto my room I saw a name tag, t-shirt and few papers giving us details of the class schedule. Everything kept my concious mind preocupied for the next hour. I was done unpacking, my sister left for the day. It was time for brunch. On my way down, in the lift, I met my first classmate I guess. It was awkward for me, like a highschooler suddenly moved to a new school, normal for everyone I guess.
I was at the brunch table. It felt very different from all the interactions I ever had in the past. Are these how the interactions in the business world felt like? Do people become friends so easily? Am I the only one who was hesitant? Guess thats what happens when a visible extrovert, but an actual introvert, ventures out of her world. I learnt a lot about myself as I spoke to others. The brunch was for an hour, but I guess I met atleast 12 people. 5mins per person, the highest networking rate I have ever achieved in my life. An unexplainable anomaly in my rarely eventful social life.
I learnt that I wasn't a natural entertainer, I paid attention to the stories being told. Some were interestingly unique. Some were the same as mine but, I felt, all were better than mine. Not that the content of many stories were any different from what I have experienced in life, it was in the amount of enthusiasm and the narration that made the difference. Was that it? Was that all I needed to get everyones attention to a story I narrate?? May be not. I probably didn't realize but I slipped into the comfort of my thoughts. It was somwhere between rummaging through my memories and reminding myself that people were talking to me that I realised I say most of my stories in a - as a matter of fact - tone. Am I the only one who does that?
Next thing I knew we were on a guided tour, walking through living memories on the beautiful Stanford Campus. It was as if each stone, each wall offered a story of great wisdom. There were many but one stuck on my mind all along. It was this.
There was something about the place that I can't put my finger on but I knew something in me had changed. I suddenly felt I had the courage to face every challenge the world of uncertainity had to throw at me. And something that I didn't realize then was that I implicitly chose to walk straight ahead into uncertainity. More on that later.
It was late in the evening that I was back from the tour. Looking back I guess I was so absorbed appreciating the architecture and trying to avoid the sun without losing the group that I hardly got to talk to the others I haven't met earlier. A lot that I would want to do differently but nothing I want to change, that is what I feel each time I think of it.
Snacks were waiting for us. The RCs were too kind, they had brought all possible snacking items on the planet for us. I loaded on the unhealthy carbs skipped dinner and slipped into my room. Before I knew I was asleep. That was my first day @SIGM2014.
