About Me

Seda Savas

Seda Savas

June 29, 2008

It's been a month since I got to Washington, DC and I'm writing my first blog entry. First of all, my apologies for the long break. I dove right into the busy city life here and pushed blogging down the priority list - right below social obligations and Euro 2008! Now that the soccermania is over (congrats Spain!), I can begin to report on everything that's happened since late May.

I'm interning at Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. Finally I know what that is - the umbrella organization for Washingtonpost.com, The Slate, The Root, Sprig, Newsweek, BudgetTravel, Express (the free daily newspaper you get handed every morning on the metro), and LoudounExtra (the Post's local newspaper for Loudoun County). Separate from The Washington Post, which is located right at the heart of downtown, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive stretches across four floors of a tall corporate building in Courthouse, Virginia.

My first impression of the organization - very different corporate culture from the one in California. Of course, that's the case with most organizations on the east coast. You can't find the "we don't care where you work or when you work, as long as you work well" attitude of Silicon Valley over here. You don't have flexible office spaces, you don't get to work from home whenever you feel like it.

In comparison to the east coast culture though, the Post is a pretty relaxed environment. There are some nice perks like free bagels on Mondays, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Fridays, ice-cream socials, free tea, coffee, soda anytime, metro checks and even pizza occasionally. The company has a social space with a TV, ping-pong table and a foosball table and you can actually take a break from work to play foosball whenever you want. It's a great way to meet people. Post professionals are young, energetic, professional, and pretty (strange to say, but even someone who was leaving the Post mentioned it in her good-bye email).

I work in marketing for most of the publications owned by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. My first project was a marketing plan for LoudounExtra. Now the plan is complete and I'm supposed to oversee the upcoming campaign for it over the summer. As my second project, I did some research on a competitor for washingtonpost.com's City Guide. The presentation recently made its way up to the VP of Marketing as well as the City Guide team. Now I'm researching marketing opportunities for City Guide, calling bars & clubs around town. In addition, I write copy for print and online ads. So overall, it's going pretty well, but I do run out of projects pretty fast and need to be challenged a bit more. We'll see what the rest of the summer will bring.

In terms of social life, it's really great to re-connect with friends from college and theatre. There are also a lot of MIIS alums and students. I created a facebook group called MIIS in DC. We've been using that to spread the word about events. We get together at least once a week - just today we got together to watch the Euro 2008 final. And of course, city life is great. I walked the "Race for the Cure," watched some independent movies that are playing in only ten theatres in the country, started taking a hip-hop dance class, saw a really good play (This Beautiful City by The Civilians), went to a Thievery Corporation concert… I'm also keeping up the running despite the hot and humid weather. Just ran four miles today, it was exhausting but good. So all in all, life is good.

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May 21, 2008

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately so I have been spending a lot of time by the ocean. Five of us went to a beach in Big Sur yesterday and watched the waves swallow big rocks as they hit ashore. The sun was out, the wind was calm, it was a perfect day.

Last weekend, we went on a mini trip to San Francisco for the "Bay to Breakers" race. After a really nice meal at The Brick downtown, I walked home all the way to the Panhandle and ran into a friend from college I hadn't seen in three years. He's back from Nicaragua and is spending the summer in San Francisco. We stayed up all night, talked about life and change and the foggy, misty weather of Northern California as we tried to get a glimpse of the sunrise through the thick clouds that were moving faster than airplanes. The race itself was a carnival. It's (Halloween) in broad daylight (or fog in this case); people in costumes, walking down the street with shopping carts filled with kegs, nudes hanging out with the police, music and no cell phone reception. I found people I wasn't looking for and lost the MIIS kids I came up to San Francisco with. Noel thinks we should run the race next year.

Everyone's departing soon. Bonfires and wine on the beach every other day remind me of the concrete jungle I'll be battling on the East Coast. Potomac River is nice, but it's a bit hard to compare it to the Pacific Ocean. Plus, the humidity - I just started running last week and went up to five miles already. It'll be difficult to keep that up when breathing is hardly possible. But there will be so many people from MIIS in DC. Perhaps I won't even miss the Institute. Doubtful.

I have a good-bye party tonight. It's my last night in Monterey. I'm leaving at 2:30am tomorrow with Noel, driving to San Jose airport, catching yet another flight to Long Beach and then to Dulles International Airport. Ben, the same friend who helped me find the "El Rancho" hotel when I came back from Turkey on those flights with many delays, is picking me up at the airport and I am beginning my quest of things to do apart from interning for the Post in the city for the next three months. Orion, a friend from Monterey, is touring with a local band in the summer and one of the stops is The Wonderland Ballroom in DC. That's a good start.

So to celebrate all that is to come, I'm meeting with friends tonight at a couple of different locations around town to say good-bye. Good-byes are difficult. After all, with every good-bye, you're lending a part of you to your friends, your family, people you care about and the places you leave; a word, a commitment, a recollection from the past, an expectation from the future. And time sure has its way of warping things. So you can only hope to find what you have lent upon your return.

I'll be back in San Francisco on August 21st - two days before my birthday - for the Outside Lands Music Festival. I just got my tickets; Radiohead, Beck, Manu Chao, Tom Petty, Ben Harper, Primus, Lupe Fiasco, Regina Spektor, The Coup, Jack Johnson, Wilco, Bon Iver… Concerts are at the Golden Gate Park, only a few blocks away from my friend's house. Three months in DC. What's three months anyway? Life goes by so fast. So bring it on.

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May 15, 2008

Finals are over! School is over! I can't believe an entire year has gone by. So quickly. Luckily I will be here for two more years. Looking back on last year - I should try to do more things outside of school and take advantage of living in California! This is a beautiful place to be.

Student Council election results were announced two weeks ago and they came out in my favor. We have a great group of people on the Council next year and an exciting group is coming in. There is a lot to do.

The weekend before graduation was very busy. My roommate Courtney turned 25 that Friday and threw a really big party at our house. I think we managed to fit half of the school in our living room and kitchen. (We are a small school, but still!) The next day, Fisher School students and faculty got together at Dean Scalberg's house for an end-of-year barbecue. On Sunday, another barbecue said farewell to Rashad, a beloved friend from Azerbaijan.

Then I went into finals week - four exams in four days. The first night, I got 4.5 hours of sleep and took my first exam. I didn't sleep the next night except for a quick power nap in the quiet room at 7am and took my second exam. The third day when it hit midnight with no sleep, I was definitely in some sort of haze and functioning at 1/5 of the speed at which I normally do. I finally forced myself to nap for 5 hours. The following night, six of us stayed up again until 5am in a classroom to study for our next final. Then I took two hours to explain multiple regression with PhStat to my friends who were going to take a test on that subject. By the end of Thursday, I was exhausted. And by exhausted, I mean completely wiped out. So I joined everyone at Indian Summer for a graduation party to relax and celebrate the end of the year. I finally got done on Friday! It is so relieving to be D-O-N-E!

I joined the President and some Board members for a graduation brunch Saturday morning. The graduation ceremony took place at noon. There were 38 countries represented. It's a strange feeling to know that half of my friends won't be around next year. I should be used to this by now. I have relocated multiple times. People come and go.

I finally got my summer plans together. I'm doing the consumer marketing internship at The Washington Post. I'm so excited to go back to DC! When I left the city last year right around this time, there were a lot of changes taking place in my life and things weren't easy. Now, a year later, I get to go back to it as a different person. A lot of friends from MIIS will be there to do internships. There is also a great MIIS alumni network, so I'll be meeting new people. I found a place to live near Chinatown! Great location, great rent.

Now that classes are done and I have very little to do, I'm spending most of my time just enjoying Monterey. Craig and I went to a restaurant called Rocky Point yesterday to have brunch and some mimosas. There's another barbecue at Carmel Beach in a couple of hours. I have almost two more weeks to go. Life is good.

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April 17, 2008

I have been so crazy busy since spring break. First, MIIS Follies Talent Show, for which I spent more time in Irvine Auditorium than at home. The participants were so busy that it was impossible to schedule a rehearsal for everyone to attend. We ended up having three dress rehearsals and still didn't get through all the acts. But the night itself was great! All the tickets were sold out. The show started right after the happy hour (there was a samba band playing at the happy hour this time). Heather was the MC and I was her "silent" co-host, useful especially when she was getting ready offstage for her act. There were really great performances: Lei playing the Chinese Harp; Angelique and Adama doing their African dance; Ravi doing an Elvis impersonation and Chinese students singing in Chinese. I had a troupe of Bellydancers with a surprise: guys came out in bellydancing clothes. And Heather organized an outrageous drag show at the end.

The following weekend was V-Day. I directed the show with Maggie's help, who also did a very moving monologue. V-Day originated with "The Vagina Monologues" and turned into a worldwide event. It stands for "Valentine's Day" and "Vagina". A simple play turned into an entire movement empowering women. Now V-Day is spread out over three months; February through April. Eve Ensler, the playwright, organized a big event in NYC in 2006 and asked many playwrights to write monologues about women and violence. She published these in a book called "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer." We selected ten monologues by men and women from this book, rehearsed them, gathered facts about violence, and presented it all in Irvine Auditorium. The performances were really powerful and initiated long discussions in the MIIS community about violence against women and men and ways to stop it. I look forward to doing it again next year.

The following weekend was "International Bazaar," a day of cultural exchange. This year we had a record number of 19 food booths, featuring cuisines from all over the world. In addition, there was live music all day, a beer garden, a photo contest with prizes, a kids' table with face painting and piñatas, and informational booths. Luckily, the weather was beautiful and everyone had a lot of fun. The Bazaar is a great social event that brings everyone from the campus community together.

Last weekend was gorgeous. The temperature was in the 80s. We had a beach bbq on Saturday. Amy, Kendra, Courtney and I made water balloons and had a little water fight. We even got to swim in the ocean - which was a first for me in Monterey. Swimming in April!? It's great. Sunday was all about sunbathing in our back yard. I wish the weather would be hot all the time.

What other news do I have? I got an internship at The Washington Post! Consumer Marketing. I also got an interview with Sun Microsystems for a paid internship. Student Council elections start tomorrow. I've been nominated for President. Speeches are also tomorrow.

There are only three weeks of school left and we are all swamped with exams and papers. I know by now that I'm not a finance or accounting person. It's really difficult not to have any background in finance and to try to understand the logic behind it. I'm thinking about specializing in marketing. And I really need to focus on classes and nothing else for these next few weeks. It's almost the end of the semester, I'm pretty tired. And ready for the summer.

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March 15, 2008

Typing away at the Honolulu Airport while waiting for my flight… There's a six-hour delay - some sort of mechanical problem - which works well for me: I got two gift certificates to make up for the delay and I'm enjoying the great Hawaiian weather. Though airports can be tiring and as much as I'm used to the haze of traveling and the disappearing concept of time across zones, I don't particularly enjoy not being able to rest in a horizontal position for more than what my body wants to bear.

I spent the last week in Maui with two of my roommates and my roommate's close friend. We got a great house through craigslist, with a full kitchen, living room, outdoor sauna, infinity tub and proximity to the beach. I will proudly declare, we did nothing during the entire vacation. Go to the beach, swim, sunbathe, come home, enjoy the sauna, eat, hang out, and sleep. We took the road to Hana on our last day and drove through some breathtaking views of nature. This was the extent of our "activity." I don't think I laughed as much as I did in the last week since the semester started. I'm lucky to be around such great people - fun, outgoing, always up for something new, smart, sharing the same passions and funny. I'm sad that we won't have a spring break next year. This was exactly what I needed after the craziness of the past couple of weeks and the insanity of what is to come.

I have an econ exam next week. From that point on, I have at least two exams or projects due every week until the last week of school, when I have four finals in three days. The next three weekends will be MIIS Follies, V-day performance of Eve Ensler's new play about violence against women and the International Bazaar. There will be more to come on each one of those, of course. So next week is just booked with rehearsals for the Follies and for V-day in addition to classes, work, exams, projects, social life, scholarship applications and securing a summer internship (I had a late start on this one, we'll see how it turns out). I already had one interview with a Marketing firm in San Francisco and I was overqualified for their program. I have another phone interview next week with The Washington Post. I just got a call from a staffing agency representative who found my resume on monster.com. I also applied for some internships in Turkey - I'll go wherever opportunity takes me. I'm juggling a lot this semester and I will be very proud if I can get through all this without stress. It's hard to get really stressed in Monterey, though. Or I have really learned not to take life way too seriously.

Back to plans for the weekend: I will be back in San Francisco tonight and tomorrow to see some friends from college and to meet up with nearly 40 people from MIIS to celebrate a friend's birthday. We're renting a bus and driving around the city from 3pm till late night. I'm going back to Monterey on Sunday and on Monday I don't have class till 4pm. It's a nice transition into my hectic schedule.

I'm running out of space and I have another hour to wait before boarding (allegedly) begins. I could read Love in the Time of Cholera, watch Tell Me You Love Me, or explore iTunes. Sleep would be perfect right now, considering I'll be in Oakland at 4am. It'll be a long night.

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February 29, 2008

It's hard to believe that spring break is only a week away. Half of the semester has gone by already! My schedule has gotten ridiculously busy and I'm actually enjoying it. Am I insane? No, I'd get bored if I weren't so busy. I had three big exams last Monday through Wednesday - International Econ, Financial Management and Operations Management. Finally got the results back and I'm very happy with them. Things are under control.

Last Wednesday, Friends of the Middle East Club had a movie screening: "Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul". It's a new documentary by Fatih Akin, the Turkish/German director of the movie "Head On", which is about two first-generation Turkish-Germans and their lives falling apart at the clash of the two cultures. His new documentary focuses on the music of Istanbul and how it reflects the diversity of its culture, the mix of the East and the West, the beauty of the city and its contradictions. I watched the movie with some friends and then we all went to a reggae concert downtown.

Last Saturday we had "Fisher Fiesta," Fisher School's big business networking event for students and alumni. As one of the organizers of the event, my entire Friday and Saturday were spent on coordinating logistics, but it was well worth it. More than 80 students and 20 alums attended the event despite the pouring rain. Carmine Gallo, an Emmy-award-winning journalist, talked about motivation to kick off the evening. Everyone mixed and mingled at a wine and cheese reception and walked over to Gilbert's Seafood Restaurant for dinner. The night ended at Lallapalooza, one of the sponsors of the Fiesta.

Sunday evening I got together with a bunch of friends to watch the Oscars. Can't miss it if Jon Stewart is hosting it! On Monday we had an Accounting presentation and in the evening I cooked a big Turkish meal for our weekly house dinner. (My roommates and I started having dinner together one night a week. Every week, it's someone else's turn to cook). Throughout the week I had a couple of meetings for the V-Day event we're organizing on campus: It's a collection of ten monologues about violence against women, and I'm directing it. We finally cast the show; rehearsals start this week. We also had two auditions for MIIS Follies, the talent show. I'm helping to organize that too and doing a fun act for it with a couple of friends.

Let's see, what else has happened in the last two weeks? We had our first Decision Science exam two days ago. Right after the exam a friend and I went up to San Jose for the night to watch a Cirque du Soleil show; "Kooza!" Cirque du Soleil is always fun and amazing, and it kind of makes me want to go back to theater and tour around a bunch.

Yesterday, about ten of us from the business school came up to San Francisco to attend the annual International Career Fair. I must say I'm a bit disappointed. Almost all the companies at the fair were looking for researchers and engineers, not business students or summer interns. On the positive side, though, I got together with lots of friends from Middlebury in San Francisco. I'm going back to Monterey tomorrow and focusing on Accounting for the exam on Monday.

Spring break is in a week. I'm going to Hawaii with three friends. Everything is set. We got a great place to stay, right by the beach with an outdoor sauna and a full kitchen. A full week of sunbathing, water sports and fun! Can't wait!

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February 15, 2008

Life got really busy here. Classes are more difficult than last semester and I have three exams next week. I just got home and it's 4:20am. Yes, 4:20. Now I should be in the third REM stage of my sleep, but I'm writing a journal entry instead. Can it get any better than this? Oh, my body's starting to fall apart, too, it's fun! There's a virus going around and I'm pretty sure I got it. Plus my knee hurts. Add a bit of sleep deprivation in there and we're good to go. Perfect recipe for spilling late night musings onto paper.

All in all life is great. Since we got back from the ski trip to Tahoe, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous! I spent last Sunday spreading out on the lounge chairs in our backyard, reading my accounting book, listening to my ipod and sunbathing - well, getting roasted, really. My friend from college was in town so we went on a walk along the bike path and had some great food at Monterey Plaza Hotel.

Tahoe was awesome! So much fun compressed into three days. I was betting on how many times I was gonna fall on the first day - over or under 30 - and I came out with zero falls! Well, except that one time when a snowboarder ran into me and we collapsed onto each other. But that doesn't count!! I skied down two easy slopes, hit two medium difficulty slopes and took the ski lift all the way to the top by myself only to freak out at the sheer descent of the black diamonds. I am a beginner, what was I thinking!?? This is what happened the last time I tried to ski, I ended up rolling down the hill in a snowball. Luckily, there was one blue slope at the top so I didn't break any bones.

We got some ridiculous 20 inches of snow overnight so the second day was a bit of a challenge. It was all going fine and dandy until I went into just another pile of unpadded snow on my way down, but the snow turned out to be not so puffy after all, my skis got trapped in the pile and stopped abruptly! The skis didn't come off, I fell forward, gravity pulled me down, I did a 180 and stopped facing up the hill, my legs spread out and my knee twisted in some unpleasant position. Why didn't the skis come off??? Two passers-by helped me recover, both from the ridiculous position I was in and from my laughter-and-pain-mixed embarrassment. Nevermind me talking like I know how to ski, I don't really know what I'm doing. But I did way better than I expected, despite the hangovers and sleep deprivation from spending too many night hours at the Mexican restaurant around the corner, the Casino, the hot tub and hotel rooms with everyone else. We lived it up to its fullest, so to speak. Can't wait till next year. But before then, I gotta make some spring break plans. This is our last spring break after all…

There's a lot coming up next week. There's another happy hour this Friday. Then exams, meetings, MIIS Follies Talent Show auditions, movie screenings, maybe a workshop and Fisher Fiesta: a networking event for Fisher school students and alumni. Carmine Gallo, an Emmy-Award winning journalist, will speak to kick it off. Then we'll have a wine reception and a nice dinner by the Wharf. Oh, wow! It's almost 6:00am. Hmm. Good night!

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January 27, 2008

It's raining in Monterey. It's been raining for a week. My room is slightly cold; the heater takes up too much energy, it blows the fuse. I lit tea candles in red candleholders. The playful light flickers on my burgundy walls. Rain taps quietly against the window. A red "Starbucks Bearista" from our Thanksgiving trip to Los Angeles sits on my bed, staring at a picture of Joan Crawford printed on a single tile against the wall.

I put so much work into this room! It took me the first two and a half weeks of school to make it what I wanted it to be. Painting the walls, sanding the floor, putting down polyurethane, assembling furniture, taking out closet doors, installing curtain rods, decorating the space… It's so nice to be back.

My trip to the States took twenty-eight hours. Both flights got delayed; I missed the connecting flight and then the shuttle from San Francisco to Monterey. I stayed the night at a hotel called "El Rancho." This was my friend's joke on me. I talked on the phone with him throughout the wait. "You have to stay at this hotel. First of all, because it's called El Rancho!! Secondly, you can't stay at your friend's place in San Fran. It's Friday, they'll be up all night and you need sleep." Oh yes, I do need sleep, I haven't slept in more than thirty hours. "I got you a reservation. They have breakfast in the morning and even a hot tub you can relax in now." No thanks, I'll happily sink into bed - float in it even. And happily I did. At El Rancho!!!

Noel and Emily picked me up the next morning and we headed to the Sonoma Winter Wine Fest: a two-day wine tasting event that coincided with Noel's birthday - the perfect welcome back! On each day, we tasted innumerable different kinds of wine for six hours and bought a couple of nice bottles. Thanks to my ten-hour jetlag, I fell asleep at 9:30pm and 6:30pm respectively on Saturday and Sunday, waking up at 2:00am fully refreshed only to have to watch "George of the Jungle" in the lobby. I couldn't help but think of "Sideways" throughout this trip. "No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f…ing Merlot!" What a controversy. If I had a tenth of Dean Scalberg's wine expertise I could say more, but unfortunately I don't possess the vocabulary.

Classes started last week. I'm still in some kind of haze. Just received my books in the mail and started to read for classes: Decision Science, International Econ, Operations Management, Financial Management and Managerial Accounting. I don't even know what some of these classes are really about. But the more math-oriented a class is the more I like it, strangely enough. If life is full of uncertainty and we can only try to make sense out of it by predicting, logic and math give me an optimistic look on life.

On a more cheerful note, the first happy hour of the semester was last Friday. There was a great turnout at Samson Center despite the continuing rain. On Sunday, I went out to get some ski clothes for this weekend's trip and got soaked on the way back. It's raining now as I type, the sound of the keyboard mixes with raindrops on my window. The clock ticks toward an exciting weekend in Tahoe. I will provide free entertainment for those who wish to watch me stumble down the slope. So long as it's dry.

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January 5, 2008

Three, two, one, take-off. My flight is taking off in less than three days. Count to three and I'll be gone. I already said my good-byes, "I'll be back soon, we'll spend more time!"

I'm used to this; it's in my sense memory. Fourteen years away from home, seven years out of the country, hundreds of good-byes, hundreds of people left behind.

Is this really what I want?

Not if time is really "still" like in one of those Dali paintings. But I hear the clock ticking, faces get wrinkles, hairs turn grey, and bodies get tired; one day we look in the mirror and can't recognize who we are. One day we stop and can't find the strength to move as easily. I need to resist this absolute power of time over me, I need to keep moving, from one city, one state, one country to another because life is exciting, full of possibilities and now is the time - 'cause soon there won't be that much of it left. I'm young, I have energy, I have time. If not now, when? Even though I'm so scared of missing people and moments that I might never find again. It's a delicate balance, life is. I want no regrets.

I know how to turn my back and keep walking. Don't cry. Stop it, … stop. There's no point. You've made the choice. Now just look ahead and smile. It's the sadness of leaving one place, the happiness of going to another.

I can't wait till I'm back (in Turkey). I'm so happy to be going back (to Monterey). What is this "back"? Where do I want to go "back" to eventually?

Wherever you are, there is always something to miss. Wherever you go, there is always something left behind. And if you live in Turkey, there's always some melancholy - everywhere - it's the spice of life.

I did it! In this winter break, I left behind four countries and six cities. In those cities I left two weeks I could have spent with my family and friends. Give and take.

I witnessed history in art and architecture, the works of Picasso, Dali, Gaudí and Cerdà, Centre Pompidou, Notre Dame, L'Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. I watched theatre; "Good Canary" directed by John Malkovich in French and "Vladimir Vissotsky ou le vol arrêté", directed by Jean Luc Tardieu at Peter Brook's theatre, Bouffes du Nord. I read about the assassination of Butto alongside the new romance of Sarkozy from a French newspaper that was left on the street. I ate tapas, snails, croissants, kafta and kabab and drank wine, kir, mango and guava juice. I imagined how the Library of Alexandria burnt down and the Lighthouse of Alexandria collapsed in the earthquake. I spent New Year's Eve listening to debates on why one should not work in the alcoholic beverage business in Egypt - because it's eventually gonna go down. I saw the pyramids of Giza and admired a civilization that was once truly great. Then I hosted two friends in Istanbul and visited maybe for the fifth time the Topkapi Palace, Underground Cistern, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar, with the same delight and enthusiasm as ever. And time has passed.

Fourteen days with my family, seven with my friends. It's a delicate balance, life is. I want no regrets. Three days to pack and say goodbye, two days in Sonoma Valley at the Winter Wine Festival, one extra day to get over my jetlag before school starts. I'm gone.

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December 15, 2008

Greetings from the Monterey Institute! I am your guide to the wonderful student life here in Monterey, California. Make sure that your seat belts are securely fastened, your tray tables are folded and your seats are in an upright position. We're about to take off. In case of emergency, the restrooms are located right by Samson Student Center on campus. I am pleased to inform you that that is probably the only emergency situation you are likely to encounter in Monterey.

My name is Seda Savas, which literally means "Voice War" in Turkish - Yes, it's actually a common name, and no, there is no "of" in there. I traveled a long way here from Istanbul, Turkey with two detours; four years in Middlebury, VT at Middlebury College and two years - working - in Washington, DC. My background in theatre and my experience at non-profits might not be what you would expect from a business student, but it's normal here at the Fisher School and it's been a very smooth transition into academics for me (phew! so far). I just finished my first semester as an MBA student and I'm considering the dual Master's program with International Policy Studies.

In my first week here at Monterey, I stayed at one of the "inns" on Munras Avenue, where the ocean was on one side and the rolling hills on the other. I must have been stunned by the view, I managed to get lost on my first day in town (this isn't common, it's a small town). I had set up many appointments to see houses, I was late to the first one by almost a full hour and then, you know, the domino effect... In case your wireless card just feels like not working when in Monterey, visit the public library to get a map of the town.

What awaits you in your first week here is a great new student orientation for the Fisher School with lots of business and culture related games and teambuilding activities. We built sandcastles, threw Frisbees, went on expeditions around town, role played as businesspeople from different cultures and participated in wine-tasting competitions. It was a blast and I would do it again if I could.

Now the semester's over and it's been wonderful in many ways; I made great friends, joined the student council, learned a lot about new subjects, took two workshops, hit golf balls at the driving range, went on a wine-tasting tour to Carmel Valley, joined Net Impact and participated in a restoration project at Green Gulch/Muir Beach, traveled to San Francisco, hung out on Carmel beach Monday nights after class, attended screenings at the United Nations Film Festival, watched the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey at the Golden State Theatre, threw dinner parties with friends and enjoyed cuisines from all around the world, went on a cross-cultural hiking trip to Big Sur, traveled to Jon's house near Los Angeles with ten other friends for Thanksgiving weekend, threw a bbq to celebrate the end of finals and did many other things the list of which exceeds the space provided.

With this momentum, I found myself attempting to visit four countries and six cities in two weeks during winter break. Just got back to Istanbul from Barcelona and Paris, I'm off to Egypt tomorrow to visit Cairo and Alexandria. It's a great combination to have frequent flyer miles and friends in all parts of the world! Paul (a friend from "MIIS" as we call the Monterey Institute) is visiting in two weeks and then it's back to school. I look forward to it!

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