International LEAD weeks..

Well, today was the first day back at school after the long winter break.. and one main topic of discussion was the international LEAD weeks which quite a few students went on..
I was on the group that went to China - 32 Goizuetans on a fascinating two and a half week long trip that originated in Hong Kong, continued to Xi'an or Yangshuo, then on to Shanghai and finally culminated in Beijing. During this trip we had the oppurtunity to not only work on real-life projects with Shanghai-based firms, learn much about the enigma that is Chinese culture, visit world famous historical sites and bargain vehemently for trinkets in crowded street markets, but to also get to know some of our classmates much better. There is nothing that brings people closer than sitting around a small table giving each other moral support as we try exotic dishes like fried bees dipped in honey, bamboo worms and other more random unindentifiable creatures..

Although the other groups traveling to South East Asia, India and South America each had their own share of fun and exciting stories to relate, the one thing that was evident in the interaction of everyone at school was how happy we all were to see each other again. Only today did I realize just how much I missed the handshakes, hugs and giving each other a hard time that has become an integral part of my life and just how important my Goizueta family is to me..

Aditya Rao
MBA 2008
Goizueta Business School