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