Winter break

To the few readers of this weblog - I wish you all a very happy and fun new year. I wish that terror attacks around the world stop and terrorists put their brains to better use. I wish I would read more books this year, and I get to play more often. I wish Chicago Booth and the talent here shines even more than it is today, and keeps making significant contributions. I wish I connect with more of my classmates in the six months I have here, and make a few more lasting relationships. I hope everyone looking for a job finds one, even if it is not the best one. And I wish winter in Chicago is mild this year.

That's so far as my hopes are for the days, weeks and months to come. But looking at the past month, I feel rather happy at my accomplishment of using the winter break very productively. Since I will be moving out of the US after the bschool education is over, I wanted to see more of the US. Therefore I ventured on a week long roadtrip which took me from Chicago to San Francisco, and I got to see the plains of Kansas, the mountains in Denver, the deserts of Utah and Arizona, and surreal Las Vegas, and the awesome mountainous drive alongside pacific on California-1.

Subsequently, I ventured into Brazil for a 10 day trip to get my first bite of what South American life is. And I was impressed. Spending time in hostels with backpackers from around the world made me realise how less I travel, and how much fun I am missing out on. The people of Brazil made me realize how much more there is to life than just earning lots of money that is sadly the goal of many bschoolers, and even the culture of many of the countries I have lived in. Visiting an island-town where there are no cars or other sophisticated modes of transport helped me understand that simplicity still works, as does walking from one beach to another through thick rain forest like vegetation. And one Caipirinha a day keeps me healthy all the way :) In short, I loved Brazil, and I wish to go back - but not just to that country alone, but a long backpacking trip across the continent.

I hope my fellow bschoolers had fun winter breaks. If you are still scouting for a job, stay strong and luck will strike. If you are an applicant reading this blog, keep faith in the process and put in your best, and leave the rest. A very happy new year to you all again.