the summer that was

mba is a choice that i made. and a choice the repercussions of which i could not have imagined. coming out of my egg-shell as mom says. i started with 2 loans and now i have a job with which i can pay it back. and in this story, my summer experience was the turning point.

life is not about what you study. but about the people around you. in an organization, they have coined a new term - Organization quotient - how well you can make and nurture relationships to get things done. no matter how smart your strategy might be, how perfectly fitting into the framework you learnt in your corporate strategy class. but if you cant explain it to your colleagues irrespective of their background, you cant execute any of your smart plans.

and outside organisations its the people you live with. your family, your loved ones, your friends and companions. and then the people you meet in the journey of life. they will teach you a lesson or two out of their experiences, or they might just teach you to trust human beings. again.

the french psychiatrist who wants to lead a fulfilling life after seeing her parents strive after wealth during her growing up years. the italian diabetic patient or bridge consultant whose life revolves around making couch surfing a safe and reliable community. the canadian sicilian who cannot overcome his daughters' will. what you gonna do he would say often. and then the many egyptian, spanish, italian, pakistani, who would try to find a sign of familiarity in your face, seeking someone from their culture, their land.

teaching things like how applying vaseline under your eyes after washing off make-up reduces wrinkles and doesn't let you age. like how career-oriented women struggle with the decision and then the responsibility of motherhood. to what do they owe their life to - justifying the education they have received or justifying that they have the power and hence the responsibility to bring in and nurture life into this world.

or mundane things like how tv is an addiction. and even though now you may not care about or have time for watching tv, there was a time when you would fight with your siblings for control of the remote. but then again, now everything is online, so effectively you have your own personal all night tv. and you can sleep at 4 am and still go to work at 8 am. or the fact that shopping makes you fight off a depressing mood. plus later on, the giant wardrobe which refuses to fit into your luggage is a big eye opener. how one tried to settle down in one place, no matter how fleeting his stay might be. the desire for a tether. what do we seek? the limitations nature of a tether or the discipline of a home? maybe both. those who go across seas looking for new homes, new people - they start with travelling light. replacing something when its not useful anymore, not adding anymore space or any more stuff. but gradually they become one of that place. still different but never the same. not when they stop travelling. life goes on, while we choose to stop. i will find that out too...