My Follow Up

So, this IESE grad is starting a multilingual blog of business, financial news around the world... partly because I love to share my opinion, partly because I love languages, but mostly because I love the world!

My thoughts on business news:
In Spanish: mujerdivina1590-2.blogspot.com
In Portuguese: mujerdivina1590-3.blogspot.com
In English: mujerdivina1590-4.blogspot.com

Enjoy!! Until later!
Hasta pronto!
Ate breve!

My Ending

Hello,

For those loyal followers of this blog, I've started a new chapter in my life. So this one is closing. Thank you for joining me in my 1st 2 years abroad in business school. May you all have happy and prosperous lives.

Cheers
-MujerDivina

My Interview in Murcia

One July afternoon, I received a call from the Spanish branch of Hero, a Swiss condiment company. I would have an interview with them in Murcia via Alicante. That morning, I woke up and flew to my first completely Spanish interview. This was a lucid indicator of how far I had come from my stay in Spain. Not only with my Spanish, but with my life.

The interview would last all day, and consist with a few interviews with Marketing Directors, and HR personnel, and hours of IQ and Psychological tests. Everything was in Spanish, and I although I found the personality tests interesting, it took a while to fully understand each of the 80 mini situations written in colloquial Spanish. The timed IQ tests consisted of Spanish word jumbles and spatial puzzles which I found mostly ridiculous and sometimes infuriating.

At the end of the interview, the driver took me on a tour of the city, but I had already made my decision. I would not be taking the job. Although the people were nice, and the company was respectful, it was not what I wanted. I learned that I would spend 1 year in a small Spanish town for an internship before moving to a permanent position in Albany, New York. And to be honest, I didn’t want to put another year of my life on hold. As I said before, I want roots. Neither Murcia nor Albany fit the bill. And I didn’t complete an MBA for the prospect of a fulltime offer after a 1 year internship. I wanted a commitment to a full time offer; I wanted security. I might even want a job back in Securities.

Graduation

Whenever I think of graduation, that Journey song comes to mind....

"Just a small town girl. Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going aaaany-wheeere!"

In a way, a lot of us are taking this train (going aaaany-wheere!), in probably the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. And me, graduating with a bilingual MBA from Spain. The next few months will be anyone's guess what will happen.

Graduation was strange. Emotional for some, unemotional for me. I guess it's because the future is so uncertain. I came to the MBA partly to "change the world" but right now it seems like I'm solely living in this world. I don't know if that makes much sense.

Anyways, the night before graduation, I went to probably the last Calatrava BBQ hosted by David P I might ever go to. It was a classic. Sun, beer, food, good IESE company. I spent the night before graduation salsa dancing with Prisque. It was a strange feeling, because I knew Prisque would be leaving to Paris soon.

I woke up April 30 feeling it was a regular day, but at the ceremony, it felt good to get the diploma in hand and hear the wonderful speeches. Alan's speech was hilarious. He made us all laugh (so hard!), which was exactly what we needed.

Some pictures of after the ceremony:

The Ultimate Financiers: Basti & I

We gathered in the atrium of the aula magna for cocktails. Ran into some Professors and chatted a bit. It was nice. After the schmoozing was the graduation dinner. And after that, was the party at club Elephant:

My 2 first year flatmates.

The actor that plays Ted Mosby says something on "How I Met Your Mother" that I truly believe in:

"I think for the most part, if you're really honest about what you want out of life, life gives it to you."

I now know what I really want out of life. So I'm going to go out there and get it. And it's going to be Legen... wait for it... dary.

Doll Face

A video about the illusions in life that try to change you and what happens when you take great risks to become a different person. A challenge for every trader. You have to be humble. You have to accept that you can't control the market. You can't take things personally. You have to make your decision and get out of it never looking back... it costs too much to worry. Trading is immensely psychological, not many realize.

"Pursue your life with integrity. Find what you're good at: that which so fits your values and interests that it expresses the depths of who you are. Out of that you'll find a career and a calling--whether it's trading or something else.

Everything else is illusion."

-Brett Steenbarger

Spring Fling

Spring Fling is an event IESE hosts every March which brings together neighboring European business schools to compete in sports and listen to presentations from well known business leaders.

My team (IESE Second Years) took 1st place in the salsa competition.

The team:




Although this was a rueda where we switch partners, my intial partner Daniel and me.

The video:

Multi Culti

It's been about a month since Multi Culti 2009, an IESE event where different cultures are put together in a closed Colosseum where they showcase their national food, customs & drink. Since I am too lazy to recall all the details of that delicious March 6 night, I'll post pictures and you can create your own story:

The Mexicans

The Japanese

Go Canada

The Italians

The Spaniards just have a certain something to them, don't they?

Those crazy Dutch (I'm jealous)

The Brazilians and a little Samba

The Portuguese table... oooo Super Bock!


Now some personal pics:
Balaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Best dance of the night had to be with a Colombian.

I forget what this is.

Me and my favorite Uruguayan ... Ricardo!

All the second years of last year... one year after IESE.

TOGOR Project, FISCAL Exam, Life in General

Today were the final presentations for TOGOR (Toma de Decisiones y Gobierno de las Organizaciones). Our presentation covered the executive decisions of UBS regarding a new compensation system to top executives after the Swiss bailout. We did it in English, and although we were allowed to, I was secretly worried that we should have done it in Spanish. The truth was, we could have done our presentation in Spanish, but we decided that the quality would be better in English. It was, but I secretly wondered what it would have been like to get up there and explain banking in Spanish. I knew I could do it...

The FISCAL (Fiscalidad) final came next. It was a written exam explaining what you had learned about the Spanish taxation system. When I walked into the room I felt like vomiting, because the truth was, I hardly understood anything that went on in there. It was too legalese and specific to Spain, which I knew nothing about. But I studied off some Spaniard's notes and reading some text was very helpful, so I was able to turn out a pretty good exam.

After the exam, I felt pleased with myself. Some things in my life are not going so well, which are not my problem, and not my fault, but it affects me. And as I was walking down the hill to the bus, I thought first "Man I would like to visit my friends in Colombia and dance and have some fun right now." And then secondly came my real thought: "Although I have been tired of Spain and continental Europe and speaking Spanish, sometimes it's kind of cool to interact in Spanish. I think I might like living in Madrid."

Why Madrid? Last week I had an interview with the Portuguese renewable energy company EDP Renovaveis, for a Corporate Finance position in Madrid. I started the interview in Spanish, then ended up switching to English to explain the Finance terms. I think they really liked me. I didn't much like the prospect of staying in Spain, but the company and the job seemed really nice, and after a few years, I'd like to relocate back to the States, since they have offices there. Notwithstanding, I hope I get the job.

I'm also looking at jobs in London. Why London? Because they speak English there. :) But it is still close to Europe, and I might not be ready to go home yet. And many good friends of mine will be there. After London in rank, I'd like to be in New York for the same reasons, then if all else fails, I'd pick up all my things where ever I am and move back to New Orleans. I'd probably envision myself working for Tulane, perhaps being a lecturer in Corporate Finance. Then everyday after work I'd have a drink on the porch of the infamous Column's Hotel and watch the passerby on St. Charles.

Nice life. Pero solo falta una cosa......