Reality kicks in... Leaving Chicago in 40hrs

The reality of my one-way ticket has finally set in. My bags are packed... I'm ready to go... <song interlude!>

Um, my bags are packed, and I'm basically on my last two sets of clothing (as planned :) for Chicago.

My checklist (part of):
- Departure Paperwork
- Visas for Travel
- Thank Yous/Meetings/G'byes
- Apartment Lease Ended
- Disconnecting Utilities
- Closing bank accounts (only a few since I may be back soon!)
- 401(k)
- Shares/Stocks/etc...
- Essentials, like my guitar, purchased ;)
- Sold all that can be sold
- Donated & recycled items
- Paperwork for INSEAD
- Laptop & Charger
- Contact Information (Address Book) Updates
- Cellphone Contract
- CTA Transit Card Cancellation
- Pre Reading..

And of course, the most important part of the checklist is to get some R&R w/ the friends before the madness of the next month descends upon me. I will, however, have 12hrs in Seoul to ruminate.

Have a Happy Holiday!

Seriously - HAVE a happy holiday. I'm advising you (not wishing you :)

I'm sitting at the RIU Maya Palace Riviera Hotel in Playa Del Carmen - Mehico, sipping a cerveza.
And something I did want to say, early on, is that as soon as you decide you want to go to school (any graduate program) it is really helpful/healthy/important to take at least 1 month off prior to the start of the program (especially INSEAD where you have about 5 days off every couple of months) - recharge your batteries. Meet your friends. Do something ridiculous and fun (but not too new since the idea is to relax).

I got into this hotel last night, grabbed a bite and then went out with friends - we were hosting pseudo-bachelor/bachelorette parties for the bride & groom so needless to say I hit the sack around 2AM.
Got up bright and early - 7AM and with my roommate and newfound friend went to SCUBA dive in the Cenotes. Basically drove into a jungle and, in a hole in the ground that has been built after years of amazing geological phenomemna, jumped in to experience the wonder of caves/caverns. Surfaced in a bat cave in one of the dives which is like entering an old attic but with limestone and... ok I'm partially uneducated in the appropriate terminology (and trying to recollect what my divemaster told me in his heavy italian accent), but more than that, I'm speechless. I don't want to ruin the experience for you, so I'll just say this - check out Dos Ojos if you're ever in Mexico (google it).

Cenotes, as my divemaster explained to me, were created by heating and cooling of the earth over millions of years which results in flooding and drying of land masses, which, because of the space and time associated, involves quite a bit of erosion and hence creates these amazing tunnels - partially filled with water...

OK rehearsal dinner time, but more on this later!

and the typical feet-in-front-of-ocean picture :)

My Better Half

There's a story that goes something like this...

Barack & Michelle Obama are dining at a restaurant when the Manager walks over and embraces Michelle,  asking her, with a broad smile across his face, "How have you been after all these years?"

After he leaves, Barack asks his wife, "How did you know him?"
To which Michelle responds, "He proposed to me back in the day..." with a reminiscent smile.
Barack, keeping his composure, while obviously slightly jealous quips, "Well honey, if you had married him you would be the wife of a restaurant manager."

Michelle softly responds, "No darling, if I had married him, he would be the President of the United States today."

----

Great story isn't it? Humbles you. Reminds you that no one is an island. While the tough times define you, they also highlight the angels around you.

I'm very lucky. I am constantly thankful for that. I have a very close-knit family unit - My parents, brother, and sister-in-law are always by my side. Then there are many uncles, aunts, cousins, and "distant" relatives who remember me in their thoughts/greeting cards/etc...

Family has been an inexplicable pillar in my life. Come to think of it there are quite a few friends who fall in this category, too! Basically what I'm trying to say is that I did not do what I have done alone - there are so many people out there that have been integral in the journey... 

And one person (who is about to join the family unit soon as well :) has literally been my better half, esepcially through this journey to b-school (her family's great too!).

There were times that I wondered what the point of some of her difficult questions were, why she would get frustrated when I took a night off from GMAT prep, and best of all what was the point of some of the arguments over random words or phrases in my essay applications.

And now I look back at the application and what I used to think was the brutality with which it was checked, was really unconditional love - and I can't help but smile. I almost want to apologize for the madness! (which I did do, but was "refunded" after experiencing the Illinois Bar Prep vicariously through her ;)

Truth be told, I didn't get into INSEAD - we did.

Zoom Zoom!

One of the toughest things about leaving any place is the distance you inevitably create between the people you have grown to love in the life you've built in whichever city you're currently in.

Throughout my life, however, I've constantly been away from my closest family and friends to the point that physical distance is just a fact of my life so much so that it no longer overwhelms me. Instead, I welcome it as a chance to visit yet another new city! (and if you know me even remotely well, you'll know that I love to travel :)

INSEAD's 1 year program in France, Singapore, USA, Abu Dhabi... leaves very little room for people like myself to retain ties in our current city of residence. I was born in India but I grew up in Bangkok, Thailand where I attended Ruamrudee International School. I left Bangkok when I was 18 to move to New York where I attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Upon graduation I moved to Chicago where I've been living and working for the past 5 years... so as I pack my bags, I have to come to terms with the possibility that - depending on my job prospects - I may only return to the USA as a tourist from here on out!

My brother, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, cousins, god-daughter, nephews, nieces, grand uncle, and aunt (to name just a few close relatives) live here. My girlfriend and her family as well. Then there's obviously the extremely close friends (some of whom are like family) and the list goes on and on...

Of course, this post wouldn't be complete without my mentioning some of the THINGS that I've had to "leave" behind - i.e. sell, donate, recycle: the top 5 being:
1. ZoomZoom (Mazda3),
2. Schecter Electric bass
3. Ibanez Electric guitar
4. My first guitar - a Fender DG acoustic
5. My first TV ever - Samsung 42 in Flatscreen w/ DVR (that some might argue slowly deteriorated my ability to eat a meal w/o TV)

Mind you, these are not in chronological order of importance - just what I typed as I typed and reflected, fondly. Point being that, yes I was/am/have been attached to certain things. It is natural to become attached, but sometimes I think it is odd for me to feel that attachment since I've been leading this "peripatetic" life for as far as I can remember. Every few years I pack a few suitcases and I board a flight to some new place to settle down.

It is interesting because last year, when I moved into my apartment in Lakeview (the Briar residence you probably recognize), I thought: This is it. I'm in a serious relationship. I will apply to b-school here in Chicago (two of the best being in the city itself). I will setup my life here, in Chicago.

Approximately 12 months later, and not entirely shockingly either since I actually applied to a school halfway across the world, all that came to a grinding halt - and Chicago turned out to be yet another stop on my city & country hopping journey!

Chicago - A view from the North Sie

INSEAD on top!

A year ago today I walked out of an INSEAD information session at the W Hotel. I was impressed by the style in which the session was held - both because it was the W and their appetizers and drinks were exceptional, and because of the format of the session (see post from Nov 13 2009).

As I was reminiscing and cleaning out my gmailbox, I came across this: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/nov2010/bs2010119_517831.htm

Promises to be a great year ahead!