Reality shock

So... Here I am, sailing. Can't believe it's over. What a week! What two weeks...!

Let me go back to the October 9th to explain you why I have been so absent from the blog.

On the 9th, we received a worrying e-mail from the Dean of INSEAD, informing all students about Felix's critical situation. Felix, a German friend of mine, had a very serious diving accident that weekend and was in coma at the hospital, waiting for a helicopter to carry him from Malaysia back to Singapore. What a shock for all of us. All of a sudden, the fun, crazy, partyish, happy INSEAD took us back to real life. Accidents can actually happen. Even at INSEAD.

The following day, we had already created a booth on campus with pictures, cards and a booklet with messages of hope to share with Felix as soon as he woke up. His parents arrived in Singapore as soon as possible and have been wandering around since then, always hopeful, always cheerful.

As if the shocking news from our dear Felix were not enough, Gordinho, my beloved granny, died on Tuesday, the 11th. I was not prepared at all. As any morning in Singapore (evening in Portugal), I texted Mom, Dad, Mico and Gorda a lot in our WhatsApp group. We call it my "Morning Monologues". Told them about some plans I had for Mom and Dad in Singapore, told them I bought my flights back here after Christmas, and even told them that we had a cake to celebrate Chantal's and Shai's friendship on Facebook - they are respectively from Lebanon and Israel, so this is an historical fact worth celebrating. When they woke up, everyone read the messages, no one answered and Dad texted me directly, asking if we could FaceTime. I knew by then that something had happened and thought about Gordinho right away. Actually, I couldn't wait till my Accounting class finished. Left half time, called Dad, and then cried like a baby. My poor little Gordinho, who was getting old and more and more sensitive day by day... why did he leave? And why was I not closer to him and to the whole family in such a fragile moment for all of us?

I checked flights back home but would never make it to Aveiro in time for the funeral, so Mom, Dad and me decided I should stay in Singapore. My friends were awesome though. They kept texting me, giving me hugs, taking me out, etc., etc. Thomas even invited me to go for a second workout that day, and so did we. This kiddo starts to know me well. Going to the gym was the only thing that kind of took me out of the deep sadness I was in. Or, at least, distracted me for a while.

I tried to go back to the routine as soon as possible since, every time I would be by myself, I would cry. Study did not go as efficiently as usual, but I managed to stay at home as little as possible. I had flight tickets bought to Bankok that weekend. After internally debating, I decided to still go. I needed to get some fresh air.

Ironically enough, the Thai king died that Thursday (what a morbid week...) and Thailand declared national mourning. What did that mean? That meant that all entertainment events would be cancelled, that music was not allowed in bars or clubs, and that alcohol would be banned at least for a few days. I.e., I was on my way to a weird Bankok, but probably to a Bankok more appropriate for my mood.

It was a very nice weekend indeed. I stayed with the Portuguese crew at the W, thanks to consulting points once again. Dani is a great roommate, which is so convenient . We can laugh, have fun, gossip, hug each other or just stay silent very comfortably.

The first day, we went to the crowded Weekend Market, spotted the most important temples, and had Thai curry crab for lunch/ afternoon snack. Walked a lot and had a very decent day. Oh, we also learnt about how chaotic Bankok's traffic is. Gosh...! For dinner, our Thai classmate Udit took us to one of the nicest restaurants in town - an Argentinian steakhouse. I must confessed I complained about the fact that we were going to an Argentinian restaurant while in Thailand, but that place was damn good!

In the second day, we woke up to a rainy grey Bankok, and ended up having a very different day from the one before. I worked out while everyone was asleep. We all had a greaaaaat breakfast at the W, and then Dani and me left for a massage. Not a random massage though - a four hand Thai massage for each, in the same room, while listening to the thunderstorm and the rain outside. Such a nice massage!!!!!!!! Can't wait to have more Thai massages either this long weekend in Phuket or next weekend in Koh Samui with my Gorda. Following that, we had an amazing Thai lunch (Tom Yum, Pad Thai, Green Curry, fried rice, and more). I guess I don't have to tell you that I put on weight during those two days. To finish the day right, we visited Jim Thomson house, which was beautiful, and went to a gorgeous rooftop bar before heading to the airport. Can you imagine how weird is a fancy 66th-floor rooftop bar without music or alcoholic drinks?

Our flight was supposed to leave Bankok at 11 pm and arrive in Singapore around 2 am. However, it got very delayed and we only arrived home around 4:30 am. And there we were, back to reality on a Monday morning (a usual feeling we have since we started our MBA). The problem was that that was the last week of P1, meaning we had to deliver all the final assignments and get ready for 5 exams in 3 days (Monday to Wednesday of the following week).

I can tell you it was not a very pleasant experience. I stayed on campus from 6 am in the morning until around midnight everyday for one week. Studied a lot and didn't move much, but managed to workout everyday and eat properly. Exams could have gone better but didn't go bad at all, so I cannot complain. I did learn quite a lot during this study week (not mentioning all I learnt throughout the P), and that was my main goal.

And now, here I am, on a boat, living like a princess...

Sorry for the absence on the blog. A blog on the amazing boat trip to follow very, very soon!

Gordinho

Always so serious, but so friendly. A bit conservative, but always curious. Quite strict, but such a good heart. Literally a tough cookie. A good cook, but an even better foodie. So active, so helpful, so handy. My Gordinho was, in so many senses, a true man of the house, respected and loved inside and outside home...

More and more in love with Grandma every year, Gordinho lived for her. He was Grandma's chauffeur, assistant cook, fashion advisor (and "incentivisor"), CFO, partner, and more. They wouldn't do anything without each other, and even watched TV holding hands.

He lived for the family too. My Gordinho helped raising Miguel and me. We will never forget the whole summers we spent in Praia da Barra nor his endless patient to play with us and take us around. We will never forget the mornings and afternoons at the beach (only in the advisable hours), the ice-creams in the evening, the Tour de France, nor the competition regarding who would eat the cake dough whenever Grandma baked a cake. We will never forget how happy he would be anytime we showed up or called. And I will never forget how much he cried the day I said goodbye before coming to Singapore.

I already miss him like crazy, but I am relieved that he had such a happy life, so full of love until the last day.

The last time we talked, this weekend, this is how happy he was:

I wish I was home. Gordinha, Mom, Dad, Mico, Tio, stay strong. I will try to do the same on the other side of the world.

Collection of cool things I haven't had the chance to tell you about

So far, all my posts have been very structured and focused in only one specific topic at a time. This has refrained me from sharing cool stuff about my life at INSEAD with you. Enough of postponing all the random topics that have come up to my mind on the past few weeks, just because they are not big enough to fill an entire post! It's time to (randomly) share!

Firstly, there are some class dynamics that I would like to tell you about.

1. Each section defines a "word of the day". The first person who uses such word in a question to the professor in a way that is a) meaningful and b) makes sense in the context of the class, gets a drink from the section's social fund. Whether the question makes sense or not is judged by the class, and words are chosen by the winner of the previous challenge. Anytime a Professor understands that we are playing this game, no drink will be attributed. We've been playing this game for a while, and the outcome has been hilarious. Examples of words/ expressions already used include "moist", "eggplant", "hamster", "juggernaut", "snowman", "catwoman", "Victoria's Secret", among others. Only one of them has been identified by a Professor - smart Miguel Sousa Lobo -, and words have been mentioned in all our classes - from Accounting, to Finance, to Statistics, to Organizational Behavior (the easiest one, by the way).
2. Since 2004, there is a tradition at INSEAD called Dash. Dash is a different day at INSEAD, in which all students put up their funniest costumes, get together in the condo where I leave by 7 am in the morning, and run (dash) to school around 8 am, already after one or two drinks. People attend classes in such costumes and there are a few special activities on campus as well. This year's dash is happening in one week, on October 17th. I won't be drinking in the morning for sure, but I guess I will have great stories to share with you in a future post.
3. Other remarkable events at INSEAD are the National Weeks. Every year, 3 nationalities (or groups of nationalities) are voted (by the previous class) to organize thematic weeks. This year, we will have Latin America week, Italian week, and Russian week, as per 16D nomination. We will choose the National Weeks for the upcoming class, and so on. Latam week starts tomorrow, and organized events include: football tournament and Brazilian barbecue on Tuesday, salsa class and tequila tasting on Wednesday, latin party on Thursday, thematic meals at INSEAD's cafeteria, and more.
4. Robin Hood campaign is another weekly event that will take place sometime this year. It is a fundraising one-week event aimed at collecting money for a few scholarships. Fundraising is done through students, in very creative ways. For instance, in the end of certain classes, students have the chance to auction themselves to their fellow colleagues. For instance, a Brazilian guy can sell capoeira classes, a good looking guy can auction a dinner with him, a fit girl like me can auction workout sessions (haha), and so on. Furthermore, we have the chance to send flowers with messages to our classmates and friends (each flower costs a certain amount, which reverts to the cause). People use the flowers to prank friends. And more activities like these, you see?
5. There are many more social activities, which I will explain to you as they approach.
6. Each section has students representatives - two academic reps, two career reps, and two social reps. Social reps are the ones in charge of monitoring the games mentioned above, and of coming up with new ideas to entertain such bored INSEAD students.

Secondly, there are important topics of my personal experience here that I haven't shared with you yet.

1. I am an official INSEAD blogger. Along with a few other INSEADers, I contribute to The INSEAD MBA Experience, the school's official blog. Feel free to check my one and only post so far: Welcome to Singapore
2. I am a not-so-official but very-seriously-taken Personal Trainer at INSEAD. Many of my friends (especially the Portuguese crew) started coming with me to the gym. I go everyday, at least from 7 to 8 am. They join whenever they can, i.e., when they had not drunk much the day before and/or their body pain allows. I typically give them ideas of new exercises to do and monitor their postures, but their all-time-favorite is my 15-minute core class that literally kills them.
3. Group work with my team has been going very smooth. We decided to split tasks. For each assignment, two of us are responsible for doing it, another one of reviewing it. For all assignments, the doers are responsible for presenting the output to the team, so that everyone understands what has been done and is update with all the topics. We seem to be less busy than most of other groups. I guess it means our method is productive and efficient.
4. Last week, for our Organizational Behavior class, we had a group feedback session. It could not have gone better. Everyone took all the comments in a constructive way, and I would dare to say that such feedback session was a good bonding event. It made us closer to each other. On a personal note, I was happy that no one thought I have been too direct/ push/ intolerant during these first weeks - which is my less positive feature that I committed to work throughout the year.

That's it for now.

Talk to you soon,

Marta

In love with... Vietnam

Another weekend, another trip. And what a trip...

This weekend, over 50 INSEAD 17Js travelled to Vietnam. As per usual, we were less than 10 in the beginning but the word got spread and more and more people decided to join our trip. We ended up splitting into a few different groups. Although most of us met in Hanoi, we ended up exploring Ha Long Bay in three separate boats.

Our boat hosted 40 people (41 considering the group mascot - Adriana, 15 months old), and was some kind of fairy tail boat - quite upscale, super nit, pretty well decorated, smelling like roses. The boat itself was great, but all the rest helped. The sceneries could hardly been more beautiful. Activities included some sports, such as kayaking, swimming and tai chi. We managed to sleep (which was not really the case in Kuching, and won't be the case in Bankok either). The group was fun and quite homogeneous. And the food? Oh, the food... Vietnamese food is delicious!

So here's some context. We all travelled to Hanoi on Friday after lunch. The Portuguese crew (I guess I still need to talk to you about the Portuguese crew) stayed at the Sheraton, taking profit of all the accumulated consulting points. We had a very nice local late dinner (again, Vietnamese food is nomnomnom) close to the hotel, and met the others for drinks and clubbing in chaotic Old Quarter.

On Saturday, we all met around 8 am to take a shuttle to Ha Long Bay. We arrived there around lunch time. Everyone was really surprised with how nice the boat was, and even more surprised with Ha Long Bay's natural beauty. All of us had high expectations for Ha Long Bay and its limestone karsts and isles, but none of us knew of vast it all was. We sailed for one full day and it never ended. And it is beautifuuuuuuuuuuuuuul. And very, very, very peaceful. Who would want to attend INSEAD's Thursday mindfulness classes, if they could go to Ha Long Bay for the weekend? No one!

We left Ha Long Bay around 11 am on Sunday, slept the entire trip back (around 3h30) and arrived back in Hanoi before 3 pm, right on time for some sightseeing. The Portuguese crew stayed at the Sheraton again. And I guess it is about time to talk about what's the Portuguese crew about. The Portuguese crew is the nickname attributed by non-Portuguese people to the coolest group of INSEAD 17Js. A crew that tends to be fun, and to stick together more than any other nationality. It is not exclusive to Portuguese people (such as Thomas Teixeira da Mota, João Viana Baptista, José Viana Baptista, Miguel Moura, João Jalles, me, and more), as it includes the coolest Brazilians (Dani, for instance, is already learning how to use Portuguese accent and expressions) and, sometimes, good specimen of other nationalities. Hahaha. In this trip to Vietnam, for instance, Fran, his wife Marta, and their little daughter Adriana (all Spanish), were more than part of the Portuguese crew.

The Portuguese crew in this trip - Thomas, João, Zé, Dani, Fran, Marta, Adri and me - spent the afternoon together. We first went to the only World Heritage monument in Hanoi - the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. It was quite disappointing but somehow fun. At least we managed to live a bit of the Vietnamese culture, as there was a fair going on and lot's of beautiful young ladies being photographed in typical costumes. We then walked to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the mortal pieces of the famous Vietnamese Communist revolutionary lay. Traffic in Hanoi is wild, insane, but controlled at the same time. The city has a cool vibe. Although it is not astonishing or incredibly beautiful, it is lively, dynamic and happy. We finished the day at the Old Quarter, which is closed for traffic on Sundays. It has so many people in the streets that it is hardly less confusing than when traffic is allowed there. The Portuguese crew (except from gluten-free Marta, me!) had a Bahn Mi - a typical sandwich - and we walked around for a long time. 15-month old Adriana kept up with over 4 hours of city exploring, always laughing and playing with us. I kind of learnt how to be a mom this weekend. I am very impressed with how relaxed and practical Marta and Fran are. WAY TO GO!

To finish the weekend in style, we had dinner at a nice restaurant - probably at 1/3 of the price it would have cost us in Singapore. And we took a Uber taxi to the hotel. Oh well, that was a fun/ scary experience!

Heads up to Daniela who organized such an incredible trip to more than 40 people.

And cheers to weekends like this.

As Mr and Mrs Kenney say, #totravelistolive.