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Published: August 15th 2008
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Interns
Me with Ola, girl from Nigeria getting her MBA at Georgetown. She's been here almost 2.5 months Back to the Blog Didn't expect to update this blog again from last summer, but here I am on another adventure....thought MAYBE my parents would like knowing I was safe and sound now and then via my blog, but given that they haven't responded to any of my emails since i left the country...maybe not.
Congratulations Kate and Bryon!!
I’m missing my family all in NH right now for my cousin’s wedding! So disappointed I couldn’t make it for the big event…hopefully I will get lots of great pictures sent to me (hint, hint).
Though my blog readers may find this as a disappointment, instead of having to scribble notes late at night in some shady hostel and type them up on some decrepit keyboard that is IMPOSSIBLY slow, I have high speed internet all day long at work here in Malaysia, and length of entry will NOT be restricted by level of patience for computer or sitting in a humid, fly-invested internet cafe where i simply can't wait to wash my hands after touching the keyboard. i.e. long, rambling entries
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Leaving NYC Behind It's been 6 months since I last traveled outside the US (unfortunately
Office
Here is the women whose name I can't pronounce yet I did not blog about my month-long trip to India in December as time was short, and I was traveling with so many people...) I'm here in Malaysia for about 5 weeks or so, primarily "working" for a non-profit company. Very excited about the project - more to come on that later.
I have to admit, the second I passed through customs in the KL airport, I got really excited....I love showing up in new airports and suddenly everyone looks different and things work different. I flew Japan Airlines and had a layover in Tokyo, and realized how much I *still* love that country - part of me still wants to live there for some time. The service on JAL was not surprisingly, great, and luckily I had an entire row to myself as I had a collective total of about 6 hours of sleep my last 2 nights in NYC.
Coming to Malaysia also marks a slight new page for me. After spending a less-than-ideal 2.5 months in NYC, I've learned quite a few things:
1. Probably shouldn't have spent the summer in NY; in the absence of a few specific reasons that no longer exist,
Rachel
This woman is great! She\'s my age and quite a riot...love working with her! i have no real reason to be there, and definitely shouldn’t have gone for the job (more below).
- What I learned? Should have thought about why I decided to spend the summer there.
- Upside? Once I accepted that I was going to be in NYC, I focused on just enjoying my summer there - got closer with quite a few GSB friends, particularly girl friends (girl's night out every weekend!) and got to spend a lot of time with my cousin and his gf, who I love being around! Even had a nice long weekend visit to the relatives over the 4th of July.
2. Job = big mistake. BIG. Didn't like it all from the first day.
- What I learned? I totally ended up in this job as a path of least resistance, and as a matter of location. Oops. Should have followed my heart and not been able to justify "it's just for the summer." Really, though, i learned a TON about what I need in the workplace to be happy. Mom and dad - i hope you are ready for me to go work for some random
start-up you've never heard of when I graduate!! 😊
- Upside? I learned a ton about investing and the markets, and had I any money, i would be putting it to work! Also satiated my interest in trading, which, while fun on a day to day basis and well suited for my personality, isn't really intellectually stimulating. I'm pretty sure I logged fewer hours than any other summer associate, making the job work around my schedule as much as possible! Also, I got to interact with some very impressive senior women at MS, and while their success has been in the corporate world, their advice is invaluable.
Moving on to Malaysia So that leaves me here, in Malaysia - taking a deep breath and finally able to gain some perspective. I hope to be able to have a lot of time to myself, refocusing and reflecting on what I want out of my second year at school. I’m also very excited to be working back in non-profit where this organization is very passionate about helping people, and I feel like I can actually contribute to that. My "work" here will be very light and very enjoyable I
Baskets
The women in the villages make these baskets, which the company I work for then sells and gives them a significant portion of the profit. think, and I will have plenty of down time to myself. I was in the apartment last night - as you can see from my pictures, very cozy and up to american standards! And i realized I had *nothing* to do - I was still jet lagged, so I didn’t' really feel like exploring outside. My computer is still broken (ugh) so aside from the fact that there is no internet in the condo, I couldn't even do anything on the computer if I wanted. I have no cell phone so I couldn't call or text anyone. I had no tv to watch, no radio to listen to. I realized I could read a book, write in my journal, work on my pictures, or sleep. I ended up spending quite a while doing some mix of the above, and realized that it's been a long time since i've felt very relaxed with nothing to accomplish! I'm hoping that I will feel so peaceful throughout my time here. I plan on getting LOTS of rest, running in the park behind our condo in the mornings, going on adventures over the weekends around Malaysia, writing in my journal, and hopefully de-toxing a
bit after all that partying in NYC!
A bit about my accomodations: I'm in a rather nice 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo where I have the master room (!) I'm sharing right now with a Georgetown MBA, who will be here 1 more week. Next wednesday my other classmate who is working wtih me arrives, then it will be just us 2 i believe until it's time to head out. Some past intern was in the room before me and the first thing i did was CLEAN! so now i'm very comfortable in the bedroom. I haven't attacked the kitchen yet, but....it needs it. We have AC, but I actually get a bit chilly with just the fan blowing on me at night. The apt has an alleged "gym" which is just one weight machine thing I heard...haven't checked it out. There's also a nice, outdoor pool so i'm looking forward to relaxing there on steamy KL nights. We are located in a suburb outside Kuala Lumpur, about 40 minutes or so on the train. Kind of thing where you can go in for the night now and then, or easily spend a weekend day visiting! I have a
Out to Lunch
Ola and Rachel at lunchtime, at the "foodcourt" couple of other classmates located in the city, so some weekend nights I may end up just staying over! (Namely, my Thai friend who made an appearance in my blog last year, when I visited her in Bangkok!) There is also a HUGE park behind the condo - that my bedroom windows look over. it's so peaceful, and we have a nice balcony where we can sit at night and look over the park. It sounds like a jungle in our condo, what with the birds chirping, no traffic....so peaceful.....
Next time: more on my organization i'm working with here, and details on the project I have facing me the next 4 weeks!
Later:
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Bahar
non-member comment
glad you're settled and safe!
hey girl! i'm sorry we missed each other before you left but i'm so happy to catch up with you via your blog. things have been busy...we have tons to catch up on...my schedule is kind of up in the air for the next few months so i'm not sure when i have free time, but as soon as i do i think a visit in order :) love you soooo much and can't wait to see you/hear from you again... xoxo