Dave's Big Update

01/08/2002

Dear friends,

Just a short update to let you know what's happening with me, and a shout out to let me know what you have been up to...

First, apologies to those of you that I have lost contact with especially if this is the first time that you've heard from me in a while.

In short, business school has been hell. It's a lot harder than I thoughtit was going to be. Classes have been difficult, to say the very least. A lot of people here have been in business, or have been lawyers or accountants, so the classes seem easy to them, but I have been going mad. It’s only at times like this that I’m writing to friends do I really get to decompress. So far we’re taking statistics, accounting, economics, finance, strategy, etc. It’s tough, and very high level. I really can’t believe I am doing this. Strangely enough, I’m not drowning and I feel like I’m actually thriving in this environment. Far cry from slogging out proposals in Bangladesh two years ago!! In any case, 18 months from now, I will have been transformed into a lean, mean business machine. Actually, that’s the last thing I want to do. For me, to be just a business man is probably the most mediocre thing possible. Many I’ve just seen too many 60’s Jack Lemmon movies.

Not much to say about where I live…typical Dutch style flat…massive kitchen, tiny shower. Actually, I like it. My friends live in the building, and even though I hate apartments on principle, I am tolerating it well. The neighborhood is quite funky. Great bar across the street, another one down the block, excellent sandwich place on the corner. I have a view of the river, which is not a good thing (just barges and container ships), but the very scenic lake (with attached pancake house) is a short bike ride away and very very nice to go to. My Korean roommate has been acclimatising me to the finer points in Korean cuisine (beyond Kimchi) and my tastebuds are slowly getting used to the fiery pepper powder he puts in simply everything!

So now that the finals are over, I’m in a frantic state trying to organize a high-paying internship in a cosmopolitan city in the middle of a global economic downturn. Wish me luck!!! At the moment, I’m looking at corporate social responsibility (oxymoron, right?!), or going up to the UN for an internship with UNCTAD or UNDP. Of course, there’s the other side of me that wants the high-flying investment banking internship in Hong Kong…I’m confused. New York has the nightlife, but HK has better food…

Luckily, I've puctuated my course with a trip to the Mediterranean chasing the sun from Barcelona to Marrakech. However, I was struck with the beauty of the Andalucian girls of Granada, that I decided to coerce my travelling partners to stay there for New Years. Apparently the Spaniards like to see their fireworks up close. Dangerously up close...

At the moment, I'm spending a tremulous first day of second semester trying to figure out how exactly I'm going to get a high-paying internship in a cosmopolitan city when I'm not even sure exactly what I want to do yet. Some say I'm cut out for strategy consulting, so until I make partner at McKinsey, I'm accepting any and all leads.

Anyhow, I wish you all lots of luck and love in the New Year, and I hope to see you all soon, or at the very least, receive a nice long email from each and every one of you!!

Bestest,

David

**NEW contact info**
Struisenburgdwarsstraat 462 (Try saying that to the taxi driver when you're drunk) 
3063 BW Rotterdam 
Netherlands

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