OK, by stories/anecdotes, I did NOT mean one-line emails such as “wow sounds cool” or “I hate you”. Particularly not the second variety. I didn’t like those. ONE person wrote a very interesting reply, which I will quote from below, because it’s exactly the sort of thing I wish I’d written, but, since she did, I don’t have to. Sweet.

I feel like I need to write- again to follow up my last post with something more realistic….and to round out the description of my life. It’s 12:30 Sunday night, and I am just calling it quits on work today…I hope. Some of you may complain about 70-80-90 hour weeks, but I am technically on call all the time, so I work a 168 hour week. Deal with that. We got back to Moscow last night at 12:30, and had to be at an office nightclub party, which I went to straight from the airport…can you imagine the hardship???? In Moscow, people get very dressed up to go out, so me in orange Nikes, non-fancy jeans, a t0shirt, and sports jacket (sports as in athletic, not like a blazer) was a site for the doorman. Oh well.

So, here’s a paragraph from the email I referred to (edited for privacy):

“Finally post INSEAD personal life…….. Friendships - I am not sure yet how the INSEAD dynamic is going to play out. I spoke to a friend recently who graduated from INSEAD two years ago, and she told me that the people she hangs out the most with are those that were her friends pre-INSEAD. She still says INSEAD was one of the best years of her life and she wouldn’t change it for the world, and she met great people there,…but just as it happens, she doesn’t see them that often anymore….That made me think. I have been back for two weeks and I do find myself seeing my old friends again A LOT! I guess it is a function of being back in the old city, but nevertheless I do hope things will be different. I do believe INSEAD has changed most of us, in one way or another. For some it meant gaining confidence (you know who you are), for some it meant becoming outspoken, for some it meant realizing they are not as ‘hot’ as they thought they were, for others it meant long lasting friendships or simply an insight into French culture…..and yes of course academic studies as well…..Lets not forget all of that! So, I say as hard as it is, let’s try and keep in touch and grab drinks when we can. Lets share our experiences, and while I realize we will all be running around all corners of the globe, we still have something that connects us and lets keep building on it!”

Isn’t that nice? I think it’s great. It made me think that that without effort, it's quite easy to write off relationships that so recently seemed so important and meaningful as consequences of proximity and convenience and nothing more. I do not believe that's the case at all, but more often than not efforts at preservation are one-sided, and it's a shame. I worry that if I don’t see someone in Skype when I have downtime, I may let things slip, and I definitely don’t want to do that, 168 hour work weeks notwithstanding.

From Russia, With Love,

cca

Well, while I know that more than a few people are still roaming around with open eyes and ears, it seems like quite a few of us have settled (contentedly or not) into our post-INSEAD lives.


That could be applied to me as starting, well, today.


Today is my first real day of work, though I officially started on the 2nd, and moved to Moscow 4 days before that. There was a bit of unease at the beginning when it seemed like I may not actually have the job I was hired for, but after some tense scrambling with my partner-in-crime Olesya (who has redefined for me the advantages of INSEAD over any other school), we managed to iron everything out, and now I am a real worker.


Well, sort of…. it’s hard to say that with total authority, as I write this from a villa in Sardinia, looking out on Porto Rotundo, where I’ve been (with a few trips to Rome and Trieste thrown in) since last Wednesday. I wake up in the morning, walk around the pool while staring at the sea, read the papers and prepare briefs and emails before heading down for my breakfast of fresh fruits, cakes, and cheeses. After a quick conference with my boss, I head back to my “office” of a long marble table, dappled in Mediterranean sunlight, and work until 2 or 3 when called for lunch, a 4-6 course affair with all the delights on Sardinian cuisine and viniculture, after which I continue until dinner time. I guess one of the advantages of working with a billionaire is the chance to live like one on a thousandaire’s salary. I have to say, it’s not such a bad life. Instead of “window or aisle” it’s nice to choose between “couch or dining table”…or just go back and forth. I’ve learned that I prefer raspberries and caviar to peanuts and pretzel sticks. Who knew?


If you think this sounds good, fear not. I will be writing much different posts after November 13, when I will be ensconced in Moscow winter, living in the same complex where I work, seeing nothing but the inside of the World Trade Center, and eating borscht for every meal.


Anyway, the next few weeks are going to be very hectic, but I may be coming to a hotel near you. If you’re in Moscow, New York, Mumbai/Goa, Tehran, Beijing/Shanghai, Zurich, or Berlin, there’s a chance that between now and November 13th, we’ll be in the same city. It might be fun to grab a drink (may I suggest vodka?).


Please send stories, anecdotes, whatever, as the only way this will continue to be interesting to you or me, is if it touches on things outside my new bubble (and this goes to all my friends still in the INSEAD bubble, who I haven’t heard from for some time). I miss you all, and hope the wind blows me in your direction (or you in mine) soon.