Hiking in the Atlas Mountains

On our last day of break, INSEADers put the Mt. Everest simulation to work and trekked in the Atlas Mountains near Marrakech in Morocco.

We "saw" camels (actually, only George did).

We climbed ladders...practice for climbing up the business ladder.

We proved it's all about the bass on the top of a mountain.

And then we took just one more selfie.

Thanks Patrick (and Omar)!

Marrakech Morocco

The first period of classes at INSEAD is over and after a grueling finals week we had to take some time off and do as INSEADers do, travel. There were many groups of students going to different places but the Morocco trip stood out the most to me. I had never been to North Africa and thought it was a great chance to check off a continent and see something completely different. 

We had a fantastic group of people and stayed in a traditional riad, which is an open-air house with a rooftop. Props to Patrick for bringing his gopro and selfie stick and taking some awesome pictures.

We spend an entire day exploring Marrakech and walking around the markets. A bad judgement on my part, I checked my carry-on luggage and they lost it so I had to actually buy some things to use during the trip. Not a big deal though because now I have some cool souvenirs that I can use again!

Everything in the markets was wonderfully colorful and handmade. We also went to a traditional Hammam spa and where they pampered us and allowed us to relax. On the last day, we took a trek to the Atlas mountains, which I'll talk about in my next post!

There's me with a monkey!

Rugby tour to Cambridge

INSEAD is all about being open and trying new things, so, when asked by my roommate if I wanted to join Rugby Club, I said, why not? I've played plenty of sports throughout my life and rugby sounds like American football, so I thought, how hard could it be to learn? Full contact rugby has all kinds of plays and rules but the touch version is actually fairly simple, once you realize that you run and pass backwards (instead of forwards, like in football). After a few Monday night practices followed by drinking and chanting, I decided to join the club on the rugby tour to Cambridge, UK. 

The canal in Cambridge.

The guys team playing full contact against another college.

Practicing touch rugby in the park.

Watching rowers on the canal.

Fancy dinner at Christ's College.

Train station in London.

Enjoying some real English tea on the way back.

Have you ever played rugby?

Afternoon in Monte Carlo, Monaco

On our pre-INSEAD trip this summer to Nice, we took a day trip down the coast to Monaco for a long afternoon. You can easily take the bus from Nice to Monte Carlo and the ride is quite breathtaking as you travel along the winding coastline.

Upon arrival, we walked up to the Prince's Palace and enjoyed some amazing views of Monaco. I mean, can you imagine owning a yacht here? It seems like every building has an ocean view.

Monaco felt more like a quaint tourist town than its own country. We walked around just exploring the streets and and enjoying the views. My friend Liz had her "real" camera (as opposed to my usual iPhone pictures) and took some great candid shots of Neena and I.

We then proceeded to walk around Port Hercule and enjoy the market along the water. We dreamed about getting on one of those yachts! Maybe when we get jobs after business school?

And finally, you can't visit Monaco without seeing the famous Monte Carlo Casino. While we couldn't go inside, we did explore some of the nearby (less fancy) casinos and eventually decided that it wasn't worth gambling our tuition money and settled for lunch at an outdoor cafe instead.

Chateau Life

Last week I posted about my first month at INSEAD and wanted to follow up with a little about my awesome home at the Chateau de Tavers. I could have lived in an apartment close to campus but opted to try something a little different instead. When else would I have the chance to live in a chateau in the countryside in France?

Tavers takes up it's own block of land on the banks of the Seine River, which I can see from my room. We have charming common areas, my favorite being the library with a fireplace and piano. One of my roommates serenades us in the evenings.

We have weekly dinners where our "house mom" Paula cooks for us and our guests. There's lots of wine and cheese, as you can imagine. And a little different from running along the lake in Chicago, but there is a pretty good path along the Seine! If only I had time to run more.

Finally, let's not forget the parties! The whole campus gets bussed over to our epic parties. These pics are from the first one during welcome week. The whole group is below, I love these guys!