But HOW do we build an impact ecosystem?

 So 2 months later... 

The Startup Madeira Retreat finished this past week. So what happened and where are we now?

Looking back over the previous post, it almost feels like we're at the same place... The vision hasn't changed and we're still trying to figure out our MVP and a business model. But as I'm reflecting on the past 2 months, I realise the following has happened:

• Applying a bunch of tools and frameworks to our idea to further define (and refine) it
• Identifying "experiments" for our MVP
• Getting a lot of feedback from mentors
• Organising "Green Beers" meet ups for folks interested in sustainability
• Meeting with a bunch of stakeholders in, or interested in, the impact space in Madeira
• Focusing on making one of these experiments a success for now (Impact Fest in Tursi)
• Creating content and a landing page to communicate and attract interested people
• Refining our pitch and how we communicate it
• Pitching our vision at the demo day
• Each of us (from the team) trying to juggle other jobs whilst progressing this
• Two members of the team dropping out
• Frustrations, disappointments, but also camaraderie, support, and excitement

Ultimately, what I learned is that there's enough interest in our idea in Madeira (and abroad) and people want to see it happen.

But now what?

With only 2 weeks left of physically being on this island, I'm slightly panicking about what I need to do to ensure the momentum keeps going and that hopefully something successful comes out of this! I've met a bunch of incredible people, each who I could see contributing to this impact ecosystem, but in a country where a lot of relationships develop better when face to face, how do I keep them all connected in order to turn Madeira into an impact destination?

I think the next step is to further build the community around this. We've started doing this already, whether through the "Impact Collective / Remote" team, the "Impact Meet Ups", "Connection Impact Madeira" and "Green Beers" WhatsApp groups and respective events, but perhaps the next step is a bit more of a structured community with set objectives, so people are aligned with the mission, get more value from it, and know how to contribute.

This is overwhelming me. Where do I start? (Yes, I've been Googling "How to build communities") How do I get people bought into the idea? Do people even want this? Is this enough? Will anything come from this? What should I be doing in the next 2 weeks while in Madeira to make the most of this? What if it fails or nothing happens?

Also, what would be helpful for this community platform to have (assuming it's going to be online, at least partially)? How will it be valuable to people? Perhaps by outlining the ideal user journey for someone who's trying to create impact in a remote location, whether as an individual or business, I can link to the necessary and helpful resources to do so. We can create content. People can post questions and responses, creating more connections...

Gotta try though, right? Maybe I'll have some chats with people about this idea and see what they think...

Would love to hear your thoughts ;)

How about we build an impact ecosystem?

Where we're currently at...

Impact Meet Ups led to a question on how best we can create impact in Madeira... and what was actually needed... which led to connecting to a few locals who were doing impact work, but not many... which led to thinking that there may not actually be many known "needs" in Madeira, but perhaps opportunities... which led to wondering how to grow an impact ecosystem that encouraged and supported more impact initiatives on the island...

At the same time, Micaela from Startup Madeira asked me to share an opportunity for the Madeira Startup Retreat for travel and tourism startups with my networks. Two nights before the deadline, I had an idea: Why don't we apply to the program to attract remote impact workers to address local needs & opportunities? A Blue Ocean strategy.

I couldn't do this on my own. So, with limited time, I messaged the 4 people that I thought might be up for pursuing something like this (they said yes!) and we put together an application for submission. A few days later we found out that we got in!

So what are we doing? Attracting remote impact workers to address social and environmental challenges in collaboration with locals. How? Still figuring that out.

We kicked off with understanding each of our visions for this work:

• Build an impact ecosystem that attracts externals and supports locals to create impact
• Helping Madeira become a hub for impact
• Providing access to support and mentorship
• Developing a framework that could be replicated in other locations
• Using design thinking to test assumptions
• Testing a few revenue streams to make it sustainable

We then defined our scope in terms of reaching out to impact workers and organisations, possible mentors/supporters, and investors/funding bodies, and defined initial principles around locality customisation, connection, creating impact, making the process easier, and targeting locations where impact ecosystems haven't been built.

Finally, we started defining our value proposition... something along the lines of:
"We will find you the best partners worldwide easily to create impact"
"Building impact bridges"

Creating shape to the project is important, but equally important is the team. Besides aligning our visions and what we want out of the project, we discussed our MBTI personality types, what each of us brings to the table and also what we do NOT want to bring to the table (things that don't excite us or don't like doing). It's good to get an idea of how we would work together and what makes each of us tick.

Next up, we'll look to refine our value proposition and validate how we can address users/customers pains & gains, then come up with a few solutions to test before jumping into a specific product & business model. All the while doing our research and reaching out to people to build this ecosystem (#100coffees) :)

We've got about a month before the program starts at which point we'd like to have a good plan on what MVP we'll be testing during the 6 week period. Let's see where we get to... :)

Determining how nomads can give back

Being the impact geek that I am, I've been trying to identify how nomads can contribute to having a positive impact in the place they're in. As part of that, I've been assembling like-minded people who are either already having a positive impact in Madeira or want to be, and I've set up these "Impact Meet Ups" so we can work towards that.

At the second Impact Meet Up last week, we wanted to be action-focused (versus just talking) and so I had the idea of facilitating a mini Theory of Change-like session to ultimately drill down on how we could create positive impact. Here are a few insights from that session:

1. 
   We need the local perspective to identify areas where we can give back. The 10 of us who showed up were all nomads -- I had been connected to a couple of local impact entrepreneurs, but unfortunately they were not able to attend. We were full of ideas on the kinds of shifts (outcomes) we wanted to make and concepts (outputs) that we could do to make that happen. But we realised it was perhaps a bit premature of us to determine "what the island needed" if we're all outsiders and don't know the full context of perhaps why Madeira is the way it is (or thinks the way it does) as a local would know. To avoid something like a white saviour complex, we first need their perspectives to see how we can possibly give back to the island's needs, versus vice versa.
2. Giving back is more than just economics. When discussing (or reading about) how nomads are "giving back" to Madeira, often the economic impact is addressed -- but only the economic one. Bringing in more nomads to Madeira has resulted in €1.5m more money being contributed to the local economy per month (through rent, food, etc.). While it's great that nomads can contribute to the wealth of Madeira (Note: quite contentious topic, given the economics may only benefit a few, and may create a bigger disparity in the long run), there doesn't seem to be an expectation on how nomads can give back in social and environmental means. Besides economics, the presence of nomads ideally can contribute to positive consequences socially and environmentally as well.
3. There are many ways of giving back. Throughout the session, I realised that people had different views on how to give back -- none of them wrong, but each stemming from perhaps their own interests, backgrounds, and experiences. These ranged from volunteering for organisations that required manual/physical labour (i.e. planting trees, walking dogs from the shelter), sharing skills (i.e. mentoring startups, teaching english), providing connections (i.e. to other startups, funding opportunities), philanthropy (i.e. raising or donating money for certain causes), activism (i.e. campaigning or influencing local governments to bring about change), to setting up systems and creating movements that they think can have social and/or environmental impact (i.e. starting communities, creating impact startups). Fellow nomad, Mihail Stevchev, wrote a great blog post on how digital nomads can help the local community. Each of these can have amazing impact -- it kind of comes down to preference, capacity, and personal definition of effectiveness. 

So in terms of how we are planning on giving back... well, it's back to insight #1: we need to find out what is needed in order to give back to. So our homework before the next meet up is to connect with as many local stakeholders as possible (charities, non-profits, impact startups, business owners, local government, community leaders, etc.) and ask them what is needed. Then we can start working on how we can give back... so stay tuned :)

(If you'd like to get involved or join the Impact Meet Ups, join the #givingback channel on Digital Nomads Madeira Slack or feel free to contact me directly)

Something's bubbling...

There's so many things I want to write about... building an impact movement to get people to want to join, remote working while managing a company, trying to understand what Madeira needs, what co-living communities are like, ideas on how to make intergenerational communities work, repopulating villages based on need, having an awesome team to build culture at work with, the things that wake me up in the middle of the night and then don't let me sleep for hours on end...

But when I open up a new post to create, I stare at a blank page and nothing comes out. Thoughts of self-doubt, of "who wants to read another travel blog" and "but how could I potentially help people with this?" and "why would anyone want to read this?", come up and the project-manager in me suddenly has a visual of an overcomplicated Venn Diagram with 18 circles and I get overwhelmed in trying to figure out where the overlap is. 

So my dear friend, Anna, decided to start a writing group. And here I am following my own suggestion of "maybe just take 5-10 minutes to write your own stuff and see what happens". No pressure. No having to have had to figure out the format, the style, the audience, my voice, the mission. Just start. And maybe the rest will follow (and maybe it won't, and that's ok too!)

I've enjoyed writing this blog in the past and I've enjoyed reading the posts afterwards (even if it's cringeworthy sometimes), so in the end, I am writing for myself :) At the same time, if there's anything you think would be particularly interesting or enjoyable for you to read, please let me know! Please be my muse ;)

The start of NomaD travels

 And this time there were 2.

Seven years after the last post, it's the start of another ride. We packed our stuff, put it in storage, became homeless, and left London. It's been 3 weeks since we got to Spain -- first to the mainland with my mom, then to the Canaries. We helped my mom move home and got to enjoy some beach time and mountain time too. July 5th we headed to Lanzarote where we'll be based for 3 weeks initially. We're working remotely (and taking Fridays off) and will be trying this out for 2 months at which point we'll head back to London for a bit for work stuff and to stay with friends.

Altea beach

Sierra Bernia...that we decided to hike in 33C weather (and eventually gave up and got saved by my mom and her friend)

We've set up our "office" on the balcony overlooking Famara beach. Not.too.shabby. Mondays to Thursdays we work (with some beach/surf time during lunch and after work), and weekends we're exploring Lanzarote. Caleta de Famara is a veeery chill fishermen's village turned surf-town with a few restaurants and bars dotted around alongside the "main road" with surf shops. Small enough where you start recognising the regulars and locals.  

Our "office"

El Golfo coast

Timanfaya Park

Lanzarote itself has such a wild landscape.... something like you'd expect from Mars. In 1773, volcano eruptions covered most of the island leaving some crazy lava-filled terrain. This combined with the island's vast space and dotted white houses (thanks to their beloved architect Manrique's prescribed law) creates stark contrasts between the minimal strong colours. So far we've hiked some lava rock coasts, checked out the Timanfaya (volcano) National Park, and eaten a lot of seafood. And salty wrinkled potatoes.

We'll be in Famara for another couple of weeks and then we're thinking of heading to Fuerteventura and La Palma before back to mainland Europe/UK. Definitely the beginning of an adventure, but we'll see how it goes! I'm sure there'll be ups and downs (and I promise not JUST to share all the beautiful-instagram-worthy pics and moments), but so far it's been off to a good start.

The end of the rollercoaster ride

"Wait, that's it? It's over?"

After the spins and the loop-dee-loops, your heads all in a whirl and your adrenaline is at an all time high, you suddenly coast to the end of the ride. You were kind of hoping for some more free-falls with your friends, but as you see the stop bumper suddenly approach in front of you, reality looms above it: Now what?

You've graduated INSEAD, had an amazing year, but probably aren't ready for this abrupt ending. Those with jobs start to head out of the theme park and head into the real world, while the rest of you get in line for another (perhaps smaller) ride -- called P6. You've found comfort in these people around you and since you have nowhere else to be yet, why not enjoy a few more rides? However, you're riding bumper cars now and with each hit, you're reminded of the real world, your lack of job, and the giant debt hanging over your head. You weren't ready for this. As a fellow INSEAD friend put it, they should offer the psych counseling also AFTER you graduate... to help you prepare for what's to come (or what hasn't happened). 

Expectations changed. At the start of INSEAD, I was expecting to have 5 offers in the bag by P4, just like during Undergrad. Since INSEAD is more impressive than my Undergrad, maybe I'd even have more than 5! Then I met the 13D's during my P2 (their P5) who still didn't have jobs -- maybe they were just being lazy? But they didn't seem worried. Weird. P3 I got the ball rolling in applications. According to my timing, this meant I would have offers by P4. One offer in P4. But it wasn't right for me. Where are the others? Maybe in P5... Nothing in P5. Maybe by graduation? Nope. So this is normal? Alright, I'll give myself 6 months to find something. If nothing by then, I might have to consider moving back home and having mom take care of me :P

They said it will work out -- just have patience, you'll find something. But I'll tell you something: in that period where you DON'T see any opportunities yet and you're calculating how many months you can survive off of the rest of your savings, it's hard to see any silver lining. I couldn't keep crashing at friends' places. I needed something to happen.

Just go for it. My desire for change caused me to become less intimidated. I emailed old job contacts and asked for work. I had nothing to lose, so why not? My lack of intimidation also spilled over into my daily life... I'd "excuse me" the person standing in the walk-side of the escalators, I'd ask people to move into the center of the MRT during rush hour so we could all get on (Singaporeans seem to be silent sufferers for easy fixes like these!), I asked for a discount on our last wireless bill (thank you, Negotiations class). It's surprising how an attitude change like this can make opportunities come flooding in. Four days after the emails, I had a job. 

I'm not saying it will happen that quickly for everybody. I still consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world, so that probably helps. But as I said, it doesn't hurt. Within a year, all my wonderfully talented classmates will be employed and hopefully doing something they love. 

So bring it on, London. I'm excited about this opportunity and maybe even more excited that change is happening. This rollercoaster may have ended, but I'm getting in the front seat of this next ride called Life.

*end corny metaphor*

Oh hey, it's time to figure out your life

Hmm, so it's been a while... So much for the regular updates on how MBA life is going and keeping track of travels. Not that I had expected this when starting this program, but being where I am now, I can't say I'm surprised. The lengthy times of reflections of experiences and foreign travels are now squeezed into subway-zone-outs, rushing from the airport to get to class in time, and reveled in the subconscious of our (minimal) nights' rests. In no way has this diminished my love for travel or my excitement to keep going at this pace, but I do miss having time to reflect. So here it goes.

As before, it's been non-stop. Even now as I write this, my left brain is urging me to read the cases for class tomorrow, follow up club emails, project emails, job emails, life-back-at-home emails, TAXES,... but how about a distraction? Reflection. It's probably important. Or maybe just an excuse.

We're in the midst of recruiting season. This is a time of chaos, anxiety, egos getting hurt, friends feeling envy, and a growing hatred of writing cover letters. Another rollercoaster of emotions -- it's like recruiters are juggling with our feelings, making us feel loved one day, and rejected the next. Moreover, it feels like this "season" has just kind of sprung upon us... how the hell did this happen? What are we doing? It's easy to get caught up in the herd that's running towards you, making you pick up your stride and run the same direction. But do we know what we're running towards? What do we want after this?

Let's not forget what we came here for. Our dreams. Our larger than life ambitions. Sure, we may not get our dream job right away, but let's not get off course. Stay focused. Take steps in the right direction. Know what will make you happy. We've come this far, why not go for it? Idealistic? Sure. But what's the worst that could happen? 

I know what I want. Sort of. At least I know the direction I'm running in ;) To be honest, I blame my assurance partially on the Career Dynamics & Self Assessment course I took (also known as "Group Therapy" or "Crying for Credits"). The reflection assignments helped. I am so sure of what I want, even the powerful consulting herd can't make me change my direction :P. 

The "sort of" part of knowing what I want is tricky though... I realize it must be even a bigger turmoil for those who don't know the overall "want" in the first place. The "sort of" has me questioning HOW I want to get to my end goal and which decisions will be best for that. The more opportunities that arise, the harder the decisions get (#firstworldproblems). I feel like I'm also messing with recruiters' emotions... cheating on them, in a way. Coming off overly optimistic about a position in hopes to be offered it, but then not knowing if it's actually what I want. At least it's a two-way street?

I look forward to the time this chaos subsides. Not necessarily when all of us have jobs (not all of us will when we graduate, but that's ok. We're employable and just holding out for what we WANT), but when more of us find time to reflect and enjoy the time we have left here at INSEAD. It's winding down, guys... we only have a few months left in Utopia and the rest of our lives to figure out what we want and how to get there. It'll all work out. Here's to many more express weekend trips and nights of singing our hearts out and dancing our butts off.

Keeping it real

Last Wednesday I was in London for the Social Impact Trek to meet a bunch of socially minded businesses and with a happy hour at the end of it. This networking event consisted of some of the presenters from throughout the day, social entrepreneur alumni from the ISEP program, and several INSEAD alumni who had social impact connections. The conversations would start out with small talk and usually lead to discussion around social impact, ending with an exchange of business cards. Then one small talk with an alumni stopped me in my tracks. "Did you like INSEAD?" (expecting the usual 'It was the best year of my life' answer).

"Not really. It felt fake."

After the notion of thinking he was a disgruntled person who didn't make the most of his time at INSEAD wore off, something sunk in. With this accelerated lifestyle, where we're trying to accomplish so much in 10 months (absorbing a whole new kind of knowledge, finding our dream job, and establishing meaningful relationships), is it perhaps fake? Many of the alumni at this event didn't necessarily have their dream job (or any job, for that matter) and couldn't really identify whether the knowledge they had was acquired from INSEAD or elsewhere. Most importantly... this made me question the relationships we make here. We so badly WANT to make these connections that will last a lifetime, but never before have I had a social life that has depended on a deadline. Everything we do at INSEAD is based on deadlines -- 2.5 weeks to acquire the knowledge because of finals, 2.5 weeks to establish friendships with those not going to Singapore, 6 months to find a job, 6 months left to make other meaningful friendships/relationships. With the time pressure on, are we being real to the circumstances or just pretending?

A fellow INSEADer told me the other day that he felt "empty". We're on a high coming in, so any time this rollercoaster pauses for just one second, we look down to realize how far off the ground we are and question if this is where we want to be. There are so many expectations we have about our time here (even before we got here), sometimes the reality makes us impatient about whether we've met them yet. Are we trying to force ourselves into a certain expected form of happiness?

In a way it's comforting to know I'm not the only one feeling like this. While the highs are high, any slight dip feels like a low (what's with the rollercoaster metaphor, Nadia??), so on the nights I'm not actively engaging with people and creating those bonding experiences, I can feel alone. And sure, there's fake-ness out there, but I think every one is just trying to cope with this time pressure and handling it in different ways. Mr. "It-felt-fake" probably just didn't give the circumstances a chance (or so I'm going to tell myself).

So I'm choosing to set myself outside of the deadline restrictions. While it looms in front of us, time here is not quantifiable. It seems unfathomable to make great friends in such a short amount of time, but the experiences so far have exceeded expectations to what is possible. While this is not a normal pace, this isn't a normal place. What's important is that in this accelerated lifestyle to not lose sight of who we came here as and just be real. Let our vulnerabilities down a little (what do we have to lose?) and enjoy the ride.

*end cheesiness*

An educational field trip to Lisbon...

This past weekend our "undefeated" rugby team (of 60+ players) were going down to Lisbon for some matches. Having never been to Portugal, I thought I'd tag along as an unofficial cheerleader... except I never made it to the games because I was busy being a tourist (sidetracked, sorry!). I know what you're thinking. "Oh, Nadia, another weekend debauchery trip. Shouldn't you be focusing on your studies?" I did. I learned a lot of business related things this weekend that are applicable to my classes. Here are a few...

Ethics:

• If the bathroom ceiling of your AirBnB property caves in on itself, it is the ethical responsibility to upgrade the guests to an even nicer apartment in an even better location. However, for these said guests to then arbitrage their trip as a "calm and quiet girls trip" when the opposite is true, might not be as ethical...

Organizational Behavior:

• Power of Influence: It only takes one person yelling "GRENADE!" to cause an effect of 90 people seeking shelter under tables in a restaurant
• Group decision making becomes easier when everyone else is in a stupor and will follow like sheep... to the next bar

Accounting:

• The total cash flow of a night in Lisbon needs to be adjusted by Capital Expenses of Alcohol, Cab Rides, Late Night Food, and depreciation of one's own body
• The Balance of your wallet from the night before and the morning after never seem to balance out perfectly. Adjust the statement by including a "Period of No Memory" clause.

Economics:

• There is a segment of people that are less price sensitive to the cost of a ride in the tuk tuks given their valuation of the experience :)
• At some point in the night, girls and boys reach a Nash Equilibrium where they have don't have a benefit by changing their strategies unilaterally... (credit goes to Caitlin for this one)
• Given unlimited Supply of good food, Demand increases until it reaches the equilibrium point of Full Stomachs and Complete Lethargy
• While the demand of Pasteis de Belem is high, it's worth the massive line
  
  

  

  
  

Statistics:

• 
  While the supposed population mean is 29, with a sample size >30, the sudden perceived age seems to be 18-22 (with a 95% confidence interval)
• There is a positive correlation between the time of the night and amount of dance-offs. However, a negative correlation between time of night and amount of cash left in your wallet (and amount of quality sleep)
• The probability of finding 90 people in striped shirts with berets and red scarves is actually quite low, once variables such as Level of Intoxication are factored in

Finance:

• The net value of Bifana at 4am is very great given the discount rate alcohol has on your body.

So there you have it. See? I'm learning.

But seriously, Lisbon was great. Lots of good sights, good food, good people, good times. Also got to hang out with Jon Lu who just happened to  be in Lisbon at the same time for a conference!

Now to start studying for finals...

The beginning of something beautiful

We started with a blank slate. I can't think of many times in life that this happens -- everyone being on the same level, all being equally vulnerable, and having all the power in your control to be the person you want to be with the future you want. I look at my calendar and count the days... Exactly 7 weeks since I walked onto INSEAD's grounds and the doors were opened to a world I had yearned for.

Backtrack to 1-2 weeks earlier. I was scrambling to get all the last minute things done and organized before leaving the wonderful city of Cincinnati, where I had built my personal empire of the life I wanted until then. In Cincinnati, I became a grown up. Here I learned to live on my own, be responsible, get up early enough to make it to work by 8 (usually...), buy my own condo and car, create a business, and proactively make the best friends one could find in this town. And with their amazing help and support, I was able to depart from Cincinnati, albeit in a somewhat disheveled form. I know what you non-Cincinnatians are thinking... "Cincinnati? Really?" Really. I fell in love with my Middle-of-Nowhere City and its people and could not imagine a better past 5 years. Thank you!

Then there was the Trip of Hell. Flying out of Chicago, 7 hour layover in London, flying to Milan, waiting at the bus station for 9 hours, a 15 hour bus ride (with many, many stops) to Paris, and finally the train ride to Fontainebleau. And this all with 100 lbs of luggage. Since joining business school, I've learned about Opportunity Costs. The savings weren't worth it. Neverdoingthatagain. #endfirstworldproblemrant

As for life in Fontainebleau, it's as idyllic as it can get. You know the opening scene to Beauty & the Beast with Belle singing "Little Town"? Sometimes I burst into those lyrics while skipping through the cobblestone streets, passing the bakeries, chocolate shops, butcher, and cheese stores. Men with baguettes, ladies in heels with babystrollers, old people walking their tiny dogs. I live a scenic 35 minute walk away from school. I had considered getting a bike (this is where my old friends will freak out and scream, "HOLY CRAP, NO, NADIA! DON'T DO IT! YOU WILL DIE!"... and you are right. So I decided not to.), but love the walk to remind myself daily of where I'm living and loving it.



School life has been intense. A whole new lifestyle that I've never experienced before. In college, I studied to get by, to pass the test, and the next day I would forget almost everything. I'm here to actually WANT to learn and retain knowledge for a job that I hope I will love. My days are filled with professors with funny accents, trying to find an available Break Out Room to do my homework in (but distracting myself with the internet instead), getting my tea fixes in little paper cups in between classes to help stay awake (I really need to get a reusable bottle...), counting the number of times the German Finance professor says "Hokay!", a spread of class notes I try to organize at my locker, fighting with the printers in the Library, eating delicious cheap cafeteria food (surprisingly, I'm not being sarcastic), becoming loopy after spending hours on homework with my work group, and unwinding at one of the many bars that INSEADers decide to take over.

And then there are the weekends. Time to catch up on work, catch up on sleep, catch up on life outside of INSEAD? Nope. We go to ridiculous parties at chateaus, we go to Oktoberfest in Munich, we go wine tasting in Bordeaux, we go champagne tasting in Champagne, we spend 48 hours at entrepreneurship bootcamps. This life is addictive and I can't stop. And in these 8 weeks, I've been lucky to have had 4 friends come visit me already :)

Only about 9 months of INSEAD are left... I'm already getting sad about that. I feel like I'm on the brink of it all... new friendships, new experiences, new life. Yesterday I committed to going to the Singapore campus for January-July. I know this is what I wanted, but as I was on the application page, I hovered over the "Submit" button for a while. Will my Singapore experience be as great as the one here? It's almost hard to imagine. I've stumbled upon something so beautiful.

Still so many things to do! Lisbon this weekend, exploring more of France, a Social Impact Trek to London, seeing the Northern Lights, maybe a trip to Morocco, Corsica, Egypt, Barcelona... And the homework and tests...

I hope I can stay afloat :)

Holy motherload of changes

Ack ack ack... I'm way behind on this. One of the purposes of keeping this blog was to help me remember my travels and now as I sit here, I'm already forgetting the travels that have happened since the last entry...

But I don't have time right now! Why? Because I'm a full time student and still figuring out this crazy lifestyle :P And I have a quiz tomorrow that I should  be studying for, so should stop distracting myself (How did I get on this site in the first place?!).

But I'm in France now. Living. And loving it. And was in Bordeaux for fun last weekend. And had a crazy ridiculous travel experience of how I got to France in the first place. And before that, I was in Atlanta at one point visiting Ryan. And maybe other stuff that I can't remember now...

All that has got to wait for now. I'll be back! Au revoir!

A gelato a day...

After my stint in Germany, I had some business to take care of in France aaaaand then just vacationing in Italy, since I'm already on that side of the pond...

*4 Days in Paris & Fontainebleau*

Since I'm moving to Fontainebleau for school in the Fall, wanted to go check out my future living situations and take care of rental contracts and whatnot. After the 12 hour bus ride from Munich (14 hours, actually, with multiple stops and having to change buses in the middle of the night... whaaaat? That's what a 15 Euro bus ticket gets ya. Guess I can't complain), I met up with Kim & Guillaume in Paris. After the start of a romantic affair, Kim moved to Paris to be with her guy for a year. They live in an adorable apartment in the city where I had the honor of gracing their couch while I stayed with them :) After meeting up with some fellow INSEADers starting with me for lunch, we walked around and ate French pastries and sweets (the reasons I'll get fat while I'm studying there...). Didn't really do anything touristy this time around, but was more in the mood to hang out with friends anyway. Also met up with Frederic and went wine tasting on a boat in the canal with his friends before a nyummy Cambodian dinner! 

Headed to the train station to catch a train to Fontainebleau, and after the ticket machines not accepting my money and the ticket office being closed, I was advised to "just go" because they were on a strike anyways and there wouldn't be any attendants. Hmm. Oh Europe and their strikes. Got into Fontainebleau late and after realizing there were NO buses or taxis available, I approached the only person there who gave me a ride to where I needed to be (after negotiating on a price for a bit). I show up at the house of INSEAD students where I would be staying and am greeted with friendly welcomes and wine -- it's "Italian Week" after all... i.e. more excuses to drink wine. In whatever state they were in, they gave me wonderful advice of the do's and don'ts at INSEAD ("DON'T go to THIS bootcamp, but DO go to that one", "DO try to take the class with THIS professor", "DO get a car", "DON'T sleep with the professors"). Ha. Either way, great sneak peak into the life I will be living in about 2 months time. I think I need to prep my liver...

The next morning I headed out to the INSEAD campus to check it out. A little drizzly of a day, but nothing a raincoat couldn't handle. I was impressed by the facilities and the openness of the place. Ran into a few students I had met the night before and felt comfortable roaming these halls -- good feeling :) Afterwards, I headed into the main part of town to go talk to my new bank. Passed the local bakery, butcher, pastry shop, cafes, and got excited about living my life in such an idyllic little French town for a while. After the bank, I strolled into the Palace of Fontainebleau, which was home to many French monarchs (including Napoleon) since the 1600s. Ridiculously impressive, including its gardens and lakes. Living here while going to INSEAD would have been suitable ;) However, I then went to see where I would ACTUALLY be residing -- cute little 2 bedroom apartment and met my lovely landlady, who knows NO English. The place comes furnished, but imagine me trying to ask whether I'd have to bring my own bedsheets (a lot of arm waving, drawing out a bed, enacting being asleep and pulling the covers...). I then waited 2.5 hours at the train station for the train back to Paris (damn strike...). All in all though, I'm glad I got to go see what Fontainebleau was like and cannot wait to move there!

Back in Paris, we got some Mexican food (legit, too!) and ate at the edge of a canal. Preetty sure this was the location of where Amelie was skipping stones, too (anyone?). Watched Marie Antoinette (how fitting) and called it a night. The next day I had a flight out of Beauvais (note: RyanAir, this is NOT in Paris...).

*5 Days in Cinque Terre (and Pisa)*

Cinque Terre had been on my bucket list since I first heard about it from Lynn and Jimmy. "Villages on cliff coasts", "no cars", "breathtaking", "hiking between towns" were all used in describing it to me and adding to its appeal. Flew into Pisa and spent the night there (had some amazing gigantic sized pizza) and caught the train to Corniglia, where our rented apartment was for the next few days. Corniglia is the third of the 5 villages and, in my mind, the perfect one to overnight in -- less touristy: it doesn't have easy access to beaches and isn't as picturesquely scenic as some of the other ones, therefore also quieter and cheaper. It's also located at, what feels like, a bajillion steps up from the train station, so always a nice hike up ;) Bought some pasta, pesto, and prosciutto and ate our dinner on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean and 2 of the other villages.

The next morning we set out in one direction and hiked to Vernazza and Monterosso. Beautiful hike. Granted, out-of-shape-me had to catch my breath a few times with all the upward hikes and steps, but worth it. Passed some amazing flora, creeks, waterfalls, vineyards. Made our way passed a couple of old time towers and down into the village that lies at a harbor: Vernazza. The colorful boats being docked at the little harbor with the bright painted buildings in the background just added to the magnificence of this picture. First things first, I had to get my gelato fix (not lying in my title...) and then got some delicious seafood prawn for lunch. Next town up was Monterosso, perhaps the busiest of the villages because of its pristine black sand beaches. Here we found ourselves some beach chairs and an umbrella and treated ourselves to some beach as reward for all the hiking. Then ate more gelato... and took the train back to Corniglia. Back there, got some mojitos at a bar where all the locals ended up to unwind.


The next day the plan was to hike the other way, to Manarola and Riomaggiore; however, our path soon got blocked by "no trespassing" signs... which we decided to ignore. And this is where it happened. Since our path was blocked, we went down to the beach area and climbed some boulders to get to the other side. Slippery boulders. And so I slipped and fell into the Mediterranean with my phone in my pocket. Any pictures here on out were taking with Gearoid's iphone... We then ran into a half hanging bridge, which we pulled ourselves across from and were more than halfway to the next town when we finally ran into a construction worker that was fixing up a landslide. A "tsk tsk" and a waving finger indicated we had reached our end and had to turn back around. So close. Went back to the train station and took the train there instead. Manarola is the 2nd smallest of the villages and dazzling as it hangs off the cliffs. Got our lunch and of course some gelato before heading to Riomaggiore, where we relaxed our muscles on the hot stone beach before heading back to Corniglia for the night.

Made our way back to Pisa (slowly) the next day because we had an early flight out of there to Catania in Sicily. On the train back, we passed some mountains with what looked like were covered in snow. That seemed weird... Oh. Salt mines. Makes more sense. 

*4 Days in Sicily*

Rented a car in Catania and made our way to our hostel (I have excellent co-pilot skills ;)). Fun place, right next to the daily fish market and center of town. THIS is where the stereotypical hand-waving-yelling-burly Italians come from! The fish market was a scene to observe -- fish getting tossed around, early vendors bidding on the catch of the day, and every type of edible (and not so edible) fish you could think of. Catania itself was a surprise to me (granted, I'd done NO research on Sicily) -- big town, beautiful old buildings, amphitheaters, ...and excellent gelato. And arancinis! Delicious fried rice balls with different yummy matters inside (meat, or mushroom, or pistachio,...). Since we got in early and are typical tourists, we wanted to squeeze as much as possible into the day, so we headed south to Ragusa, Scicli, and Modica (all recommended by the hostel receptionist for being quaint cute towns... and Modica being famous for chocolate, so obvious stop for me). We arrived in Ragusa during siesta time (is it called 'siesta' in Italy too?) so the city seemed deserted. Good for people-less photo opps though as we wandered by churches, parks, cheese shop (wine infused cheese was delicious!), and ate gelato. Next stop: Scicli, the smallest of the three. Laid in between hills and valleys, there were dwellings IN THE HILLSIDE! BLEW my mind -- the most exciting thing I'd seen all day. I mean, how cool is that?!?! Last and most important stop was Modica... for the chocolate. Checked out L'Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, the oldest chocolatier in the area that has been using the same recipe since the 1800s! Had some of ALL the samples, then bought a bar of the orange peel infused chocolate. Nom. 

To counter all the gelato and chocolate, we hiked Mt Etna the next day. I won't lie. I think I'm seriously out of shape with how pathetically exhausted I felt starting to climb that thing. I could blame it on the bad shoes (no traction, not hiking shoes), but in the end... 80% me. Worth it though. Got to the top to see the active crater with sulfur gas spewing out. Oh and on the way up, there were ladybugs EVERYWHERE! Millions! Burrowed in the black volcanic ash. Quite cool. Being covered in volcanic ash, sulfur, and dirt (and my shoes carrying half of the volcano in them), we headed to Taormina -- a popular tourist destination perched on a hill overlooking the ocean (picturesque, naturally). Walked the cobble stone streets lined with fancy retail shops and cafes and then headed back to Catania for the night.

Next day, drove to Palermo. While we hadn't received the best reviews about Palermo from friends and locals (a bigger, more industrious city), it definitely still has character too. While this may represent the tougher, "dirtier" side of Sicily, we got to experience some awesome street food prepared on grills out in the open (stuffed intestines, meat on a stick, etc.), and found out that the cheapest way of getting booze at all hours of the night is not by going to a grocery store, but knocking on an old lady's shutters and getting big bottles of beer for a euro (no tax). The city's got its fill of cultural establishments too: grandiose theaters, palaces, and archways. A fun city to walk around and eat in.

Off the western coast of Sicily, lie 3 small islands, called the Egadi islands. We drove to Trapani, then took a ferry to the biggest of the 3: Favignana. Beautiful coastlines and the limited use of cars made this a relaxing spot for a beach day. Waters were turquoise blue and clear. Afterwards, we made use of the 5 Euro happy hour drink specials that included free snack buffet (uh, free dinner!) and then took the ferry back.

The next morning was a scramble. RyanAir, you can suck it sometimes. And here's why. We both had early morning flights out of "Palermo", but after following airport signs that were taking us to an airport called Falcone-Borsellino, we decided to turn back around towards Palermo. After all, google maps was showing there WAS an airport right next to the city. Turns out it was a private airport. RyanAir, Falcone-Borsellio is NOT Palermo. So we went back that way. Gearoid was cutting it uber close, so he jumped out in time to catch his flight while I looked around for a gas station to fill up the tank for the rental car (my flight was an hour later). In the end, all worked out. But seriously, RyanAir. Stop pretending.

*2 days in Bergamo & Milan*

...On that topic of RyanAir, I flew to "Milan" because my flight back to the US would be from there 2 days later. Didn't fly into Milan. It was Bergamo. An hour north of Milan. However, for once, RyanAir redeemed itself in its surprise of airports-that-aren't-actually-where-they-say-they-are because I fell in love with Bergamo. A couchsurfer from there had invited me to stay (he was hosting 4 other people) and so instead of heading straight to Milan, I decided to stay a day and night. Best decision ever. Wandered into the old town, which was laid out with its cobblestone roads (I have a thing for cobblestone roads) and old buildings and castles with flowers in all colors flowing over its edges. The smell of jasmin was everywhere in that town. Cafes, parks, and the botanical garden were filled with meandering people enjoying the scenery. In the old town center with its churches and palaces, were two museums free and open to the public: the archaeological museum of Bergamo and the natural science museum. I checked out both. Wandered the streets some more, going in and out of various shops -- cheese, chocolate (duh), pizza, gelato (duh again). What a time not to have a camera on me... every 5 seconds I wanted to take a picture, but at least this forced me to breathe in the moment. 

The next day I headed to Milan and, besides the grand central train station and church in the center, I wasn't all too impressed. Big city, less character. Still a good way to wind down the trip though. Ate gelato ;)

The hostel I stayed in was a clusterfuck. They charged me 4 Euros extra for bed linens. When I said I could sleep in my sleeping bag, they said that wasn't an option. Mold in the bedrooms, paper-thin walls (yay for hearing the couple in the room next to us all night long), bathrooms were the epitome of disgusting, and since I didn't have a phone, I had to rely on the front desk guy to wake me up at 6am. That didn't happen. Thankfully I barely slept, so I got up at 5:30am and when I left at 6:05, he was still hard asleep and snoring at his desk. Ha. Oh well, we all need those experiences to tell good stories later ;)

When I got back home, I weighed myself. I weighed the exact same as when I had left. Either I hiked too much or I didn't eat enough gelato...

Family, friends, and fun in Munich

My awesome cousin Anne was getting married to an equally awesome Sebastian in Munich and that's more than reason enough to go there. The initial plan was then to stick around Europe afterwards until school started in August, but mini anxiety attacks were telling me I needed to go back to Cincy first and enjoy the summer there before I left :) Of course once in Europe, it'd be a shame to not travel around a little...

*5 Days in Munich*

My first time in Munich and had always wanted to go. For my first night here, Anne had insisted I stay with them even though they were in the midst of planning a wedding <3. I got in around 10 and since Anne wouldn't be finished with work til 4:30, I took one of those Free Walking Tours to get my tourism on. 3 1/2 hours of cool information and walking around the city, as well as making friends with Mandisa, a fun South African :) Churches, monk history, Nazi history, brewery history, we got it all.

Met up with Anne and after dropping off my baggage and enjoying drinks on her terrace, met up with their friends for dinner (had the most giant schnitzel ever) and went to a concert. Of course wonderful people have wonderful friends ;) Having flown in that day after 13 hours of travel, I felt a little wobbly at the concert and my eyes kept wanting to close despite the good show. We came home around midnight and I crashed hard.

As true Bavarian style, Anne and Sebastian made sure to have Weisswurst and pretzels for breakfast. Nom. Bring on the high caloric food. I'm on vacation.

Headed to my CS host (Patrick)'s place, who showed me a fantastic time in Munich with his friends. First day we lounged at the English Gardens, met up again with Anne and co. at a biergarten, then headed to a bar and a student party. ..it was a 5 am kinda night. Haven't done one of those in a while.

...Except then again the next night: Anne and Sebastian's wedding celebration (they had gotten officially married on the Zugspitze, the highest point in Germany). Got to see and catch up with my family that I hadn't seen in a while, meet cool people, and danced the night away until, you guessed it, 5 am. When I headed back to Patrick's, it was already surprisingly super light out. Helped me not getting lost.

For the friends and family that were still around the next day (and weren't still recovering), brunch was held at noon. I felt half alive at that point. Headed back for a much needed nap before meeting up with people again for dinner, the last of the wedding related festivities :) After another typical Bavarian meal (Schweinsbraten with sauerkraut and knoedel), we topped it off with a couple of beers and called it a night.

The next morning I was able to meet up with Michael, my brother, who I hadn't seen in a couple of years! Every other weekend he flies back home to Hamburg after working in Augsburg and taking the train to Munich, so we met at the train station and caught up over breakfast and drinks.

This was definitely a family-filled vacation and I loved that I got to see so many of my relatives in such a short time. I don't get that opportunity a lot (yay for weddings). Hopefully once I'm in France, I'll be able to visit them more, and likewise, hope they'll come visit me.

Patrick took me to the bus station and just as the bus was about to take off, Anne shows up on the bus! She had come to deliver shot glasses that they had engraved for the wedding that not all the guests had gotten. Super sweet of her, I can't believe she did that <3

So now I'm on my way to Paris on a 13 hour bus ride (ooy). Get to see Kim again and take care of some business for school while I'm there. Then it's off to Italy for 9 days! More updates to come :)

Mom & I go Country, Rock, and Soul

A few years ago, my mom and I started a tradition of marking things off her bucket list for her birthday each year. This year's item was: Experience the Music in Nashville & Memphis.

Mom flew into Nashville on a Tuesday, where I picked her up after my drive down from Cincy and dropped off our stuff at Ralph's, who we'd be staying with for our time there. Ralph was my neighbor my last 2 years in Austin, who ventured to Nashville (with a pitstop in Cincy at one point ;)) for bigger and better things :) Then first things first: BBQ time. Headed to Wild Horse Saloon for some brisket and pulled pork buns and thankfully left just before they were going to start making us do two-step on stage ;) Went back home, met Ralph's wonderful roommie Jim, and then they took us out to 5 Points for some great live music and cheap beers!

The next day before we headed out to do our touristy sightings, our musical trip became even more complete with Ralph's drumming lessons. Note: I can't multitask. Apparently. Then headed to the Grand Ole Opry... whiiiich, honestly, kinda a disappointment. 1) New mall-like building (there's actually a mall next to it), 2) You're not even allowed to go inside without a ticket to a 'spensive show or a $30 "tour ticket", and 3) tours were cancelled that day for a private event anyway. Pshh. So the highlight was rummaging around their gift shop. Dissatisfied with THIS Grand Ole Opry, we realized what we were looking and hoping for was the Ryman Auditorium, where the Grand Ole Opry radio show FIRST debuted in this once-congregation-hall. Bam. Way more impressive. THIS was where all the country stars became famous and it became known as the "Mother Church of Country Music". 

We hit up Broadway st, and after getting ice cream and shakes at Diana's Old Time Sundae Parlor, deciding not to spend more money at the Country Hall of Music Museum (we only had half an hour left anyway), we plopped ourselves down at Tootsie's, got some beers, and listened to a red-headed country singin' gal and some impressive fiddle music. Too bad I forgot my country boots.

We had promised the boys dinner for their hospitality, so we hit up Kroger, and mom made her famous chilli dinner for them (enough to feed 8). Another night of good quality late night chats, then we hit the sack.

Our last day in Nashville, the boys joined us to the Belle Meade Plantation, which is known for owning horses that spawned many of the famous Derby winners. We toured the mansion and its grounds, tasted their wines at the winery, then headed out to Memphis. Crazy rain storms hit us while we were driving, where I think I was drifting more than my wheels were on the ground. Eek. Got to our hotel in Downtown Memphis and thankfully we had bought a bottle of champagne prior in order to toast to mom's birthday at midnight :)

The next morning we make our way to see the Peabody ducks. Cutest. thing. ever. For the past 50+ years, there's been a "duckmaster" that leads the ducks from their "penthouse" to the elevator to the fountain in the lobby. Adorbs. We then make our way to the Rock n Soul Museum, which besides all the information and history on the music, had a collection of old time jukeboxes since the 1930s. Neat!

Then... it's Graceland time. What my mom's been waiting for ;) The mansion itself is pretty modest (compared to today's lavish mansions) and you get a good feel of what Elvis was like at home. In the end, he was just a small town boy who wanted the best for his momma. Well... and then owning over 40 cars later. And 2 planes. After Graceland (and its many many exhibits -- kinda has that Disney feel to it), we hit up Sun Studios -- where it all started for Elvis, BB King, and so many others. This was my favorite part of the day. It's riveting to be in the same space where prior "nobodies" recorded their first songs. So cool.

For dinner, we ate at a Chinese restaurant where our waiter was Balinese and mom got to practice her Indonesian (and I got to understand about 50% of it!), and then headed to Beale st for some more live music. However, we didn't stick around too long... being a tourist is exhausting, so we called it a night ;)

On our way back to Cincy, we spent a night with mom's old childhood friend in Clarksville, IN, and were spoiled by them. More birthday celebrations and then the next day headed home!

We took a one-day break, then headed to Berlin, OH with Kris & Maria for Amish country. Turns out it's not so Amish after all. Amish women driving cars, cheese factory with electricity and machines, and hardly any buggies. Whaat the hell. *Disappointed in the unfulfilled stereotypes*. Oh but still a fun time with friends. ...And we stopped at a vineyard on the way home, so that helped ;) 

My Destination's "Biggest Baddest Bucket List" Travel Competition

Here's where I make a complete fool out of myself. Vote for me please! :D

                               

Retirement Trip Close-out

Tonight marks 2 weeks since I've been back from my trip. It always fascinates me how fast everything goes back to "normal" and I just cue in to this rotating wheel of society that's of course been running without me :) Hello freezing weather. There's some faint memory of me being on a beach not too long ago ;)

So quick recap of the end of my trip, and well, everything... 

Bali. The honeymoon destination. I feared it would be too commercial. Too many foreigners. Ruined culture.

Wrong.

One reason probably being that we steered clear of the very touristy areas (Kuta, Nusa Dua) and got the amazing opportunity to stay at my mom's friends' vacation home a little off the beaten path in Pecatu. Kelly joined us after a day (3 countries total of Kelly time!) and we all fell in love with the island... the abundance of green rice fields, the coffee plantations, the artists' shops, the Hindu influence and temples, the monkey forest, the various types of beaches, the food...

We also pampered ourselves by taking mom's friend's advice on a hotel called Abalone Resort. Pa.ra.dise. Located on a black sand beach with scattered fishing boats and Nusa Penida in the distance, we were given the "apartment" with 2 pristine bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, and kitchen. And there's an infinity pool with cabanas. Oh, and we were welcomed with "Abalone Special" drinks. We had booked for 1 night. We ended up staying for 2.

All in all, a perfect way to end the 2.5 month trip. Relaxing. On the 25th, Kyle and I took a flight to Jakarta and then parted ways. She traveled with me for 2 months in Asia... and I gotta say, the best travel buddy I could have asked for :) Thanks for being awesome. (I miss you!)

So now that I'm back, people have been asking me, "What was your favorite thing?" A near-impossible question to answer ;) But I'll try to simplify it as much as possible to what my favorite thing was about each country...

• Ireland -- The vibe (Er, maybe I should say "craic"). These people know how to have a good time.

• Netherlands -- Family & friends (no brainer here ;))

• Istanbul -- The sights. One city has so much history and amazing things to see.

• India -- The colors. There's color everywhere... the houses, the clothes, the food...

• Cambodia -- The people. They're friendly and honest (something you don't find in a lot of developing countries. Scratch. Any country.)

• Thailand -- The beaches. The most beautiful ones I've seen, ever.

• Indonesia -- The food. Mostly for nostalgic reasons, but I also think I got the most variety here. 

And, of course, over all... all the amazing wonderful friends, new and old, along the way...

I miss it all though. I want to go back. And not in a "Oh, it'd be nice to visit again one day" kind of way. No, I wanna go BACK... be there, live there. Mission Get-My-Ass-to-Live-in-SE-Asia has started. 

School starts in August. They recommend being there a month beforehand. My cousin gets married in Germany in June... I'm thinking (if it's both financially feasible and NOM-business feasible), to just hang out in Europe after the wedding til school starts. That gives me 2.5 months to absorb as much of Cincy and its wonderful people as possible, sell/lease my condo, sell my car, figure out visa crap and housing stuff in France, get a loan (freakin' A, B-school is expensive!), and try to squeeze in some US last-minute trips if possible. Impossible, you say? Maybe. And maybe the cause of why I'm feeling sliiiightly overwhelmed. It'll all work out.

It always does :)