blogging from Japan

In my jet-lagged status, i can just throw a couple of lines from my "Lost in Translation" hotel room about how different Japan is from the West. We just arrived in Japan and were warmly greeted (in perfect Spanish!) by the officials at passport control and duties. The trip from the airport to the hotel was shocking: scalextric-type roads, very narrow streets, really high skyscrapers all around. Tokyo is a bit claustrophobic, I might say.

We tried to get out of the hotel and look for a restaurant, but in the Canary Wharf development that the hotel is, this proved a difficult mission. We discovered, however, that there is always a shopping mall around the corner in Japan. Sushi has been a great discovery so far: amazingly fresh, and really inexpensive!!

Today we'll head to the city centre....let's see what awaits for us there!

New York, New York!!!

The results of the Exchange programme allocation are out, and I have been awarded a place to exchange in Stern, School of Business at NYU. So, I will be moving to New York for a term during the next academic year!!!

There were many things that attracted me to Stern/NYU, among them:

- high quality academic standing. At NYU there have been Nobel prizes like Severo Ochoa, Paul Samuelson or even the father of modern freemarket theory Frederik Hayek. Not only that, but the business school is the alma mater of Mr Alan Greenspan himself!!
- the possibility to enhance my knowledge in Finance, Marketing and Media, areas where NYU is one of the world's leading schools, and of course
- being able to live in NY, NY for 4 months!!

The school is located in Greenwich Village, in one of the funniest and most interesting areas of the whole Manhattan island. I cannot be happier!!

Of course, it will be sad to leave London, which is a fantastic place, but this will only be a temporary fling and I will stay loyal to my current hometown....I cannot help thinking, however, who would have told me that I would end up living in the city that never sleeps???

I am already meeting some exchange students from Stern next week, but any practical information on the school, the city, accommodation, etc, will be highly appreciated!!

Now there are many decisions upcoming: which term to choose (this is going to be like doing 'encaje de bolillos' with all the open options regarding electives, my flat in London whose lease expires in August, the search for a full-time job and for a second year project, etc). However, it's time to celebrate! WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

BTW, thanks to Patxi for letting me know about tinyurl, a great tool to avoid copying & pasting lengthy links over the internet. I wonder whether and how the guys who created it make money, though...

great weekend back in Spain

The Spanish Club at London Business School (i.e., me and some other pals) just organized a great trip to Barcelona, my home town for the past 3 years before business school. It was fantastic to go back, eat at the same places, hang out at night partying in Luz de Gas and Sutton, enjoy the weather, and see a lot of people again. I even dropped by my old office and greeted my old fellow workmates, my former boss, and everybody. I was very happy to see them, even though some sad incidents has put the morale of the office a bit down.

One thing that surprised me is how lively the city was. Hordes of barceloneses walking around in the Ramblas, the Gòtic, the Raval or the Borne. Full restaurants and bars. Maybe I got a bit nostalgic, but to be honest, I didn't remember it that way.

In any case, congratulations to the people at the Club who put together a lot of hard work organizing a tapas night, a guided tour and a fancy dinner. I am sure everybody loved it, specially the ones who originally went to Barcelona for the IESE conference on Responsible Business but ended up joining our plans...