My wife (Geeta) recently wrote up a blog entry for the Ivey MBA Student Blogging website on a what it's like for a partner supporting an MBA candidate. I thought she did a fantastic job in portraying a realistic picture of what's its been like for her. Here it is.
----------------------
I was so excited when I found out my husband (Sacha) got into the Richard Ivey School of Business to do his MBA. More than anything I think I was excited knowing that we were going to be moving to London for a year. Both my husband and I were born and raised in Ottawa and never lived anywhere else. This was going to be a great opportunity to move somewhere different and expand upon our horizons. I was also thinking that being away from our family would bring us closer to each other.
I think I was more excited than my husband was about the prospect of meeting new people. As soon as we moved to London I got to work making new friends. I tried to find about the Ivey Circle – a group built by the partners (of the MBA students) for the partners. I couldn’t find anyone that knew anything about it (all the people that used to run it had left in the past cohorts), so I decided to start it up again. It was a really great opportunity to meet new people in a new city. It’s nice to have a group of people to hang out with when your partner has a 24 hour report due or when they have exams to study for. I hope that the Ivey Circle continues when we all leave with our partners since it’s been a really fun, and interactive way to get closer to people in the same situation.
When we first got to London I was a working woman. My job was one that you could take up anywhere as long as you had your laptop with you. I had been working at Nortel for over 11 years (the last few years as a Project Manager) and I wasn’t really enjoying my time there anymore - but my husband and I had a deal. The deal was that I would keep my job while he did his MBA and then after that I would quit and go into Event Planning like I had been wanting to for the past 6 years. It was a great plan, but one I was worried wouldn’t materialize because making a career change is not easy to initiate. Anyway, as fate would have it I got laid off (after surviving 24 rounds of layoffs at Nortel) shortly after we had moved to London.
I have to say that this sudden change in our lives, not to mention in our finances was a stressful time for us. Add to the fact that Sacha was in school day and night didn’t help the situation either.
After a lot of anxiety and not having Sacha there to talk to all the time, I decided that this was the best thing that could have happened to me. I embraced it and within a few months signed up for a number of Event Planning volunteering opportunities. I even got an opportunity to help plan the first Canadian MBA Leadership Conference at Ivey. Now I’m well on my way to transitioning into my new career and I am very excited about doing Event Planning full time!
These past 6 months have had their ups and downs. It’s always a strain on a relationship when you don’t get the time to be around each other all the time. During the times that I’m busy with friends or an event, I find it easy to be in London. During the times when I don’t have much going on, I find it hard being without my family. It’s tough to be home all day and not get any interaction with people. I guess the key is to keep yourself really busy. I found it a real treat to be at home in the beginning, but after a while there are only so many books you can read and only so much television you can watch ;-)
We always knew that Sacha would change as a person due to his MBA. It really is a personality challenge as well as an academic one. Being a part of this Ivey MBA “bubble” as they call it, has really brought out the social side to my husband. I like that but at the same time I realize that it takes time away from “us.” I used to get a lot more quality time with my husband and now I get time with him and his friends when he does have free time. I like the group thing too but after a while a little alone time is needed. We both find it much easier when his school work is lighter, but we have to make a real effort when school is demanding.
I know Sacha has learnt a lot about himself during his MBA program but I find that I have learnt a lot about myself too. I’m learning, for the first time, that when I don’t have a lot of interaction with people I really miss it. I learnt that when I like what I’m doing as a career I’ll put a 150% into it and that I can get so motivated. I’ve learnt that I was in the wrong career and I am so proud of myself for making a change now instead of regretting it for the rest of my life. I’ve learnt that I love meeting new people and making new friends. I’ve learnt that I really do miss family when I am not around them. I’ve learnt that whatever it takes, Sacha and I will work it out. But most of all, I’ve learnt that moving to London, getting out of our shell, was the best investment we made in ourselves.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Half Done!
It’s Saturday afternoon and I find myself back in Ottawa. Geeta and I decided to take a spontaneous trip back home after my team presentation (which was on “religionomics – the impact of religion on economic growth) concluded on Thursday. I’m currently sitting in a walk in clinic, surrounded by plenty of sick people….I’m paranoid that I may catch another horrible virus. My regular doctor in Ottawa doesn’t work weekends and I was forced to come into a walk-in-clinic. I’ve been sick for almost 2 weeks. What started off as a soar throat, and a weak voice (which is probably good for me because I talk way too loudly), has turned into chest congestion and I’m thinking that I need antibiotics? I haven’t exercised in two weeks and am dying to run again and get into shape for my upcoming China trip.
The drive up to Ottawa was quick. We listened to a dance club mix on the way up…my favourite lyric these days: “Daddy-O, you got the swagger of a champion.” You’ll never guess where that one comes from. …It’s Britney Spears, “Womenizer.” Wow, I’ve got a Britney Spears song stuck in my head …that’s pretty sad, although I do love the line. I’ll have to incorporate that one into a blog entry somehow ;)
Coming back to my hometown/Otown has been very refreshing. I didn’t realize how much I missed home over the last couple of months. It’s been really nice spending time with family, my nieces and nephews, and friends. Geeta and I have been splitting up our time here in Ottawa; she’s been living at her parents and myself at mine. I enjoyed a boyz day out with my dad and brother yesterday; we went out for Thai food and caught the new Bond flick (by the way I wasn’t too impressed with the movie). The family hooked up for an extended family dinner last night in the popular Byward Market after having pre-drinks/snacks at my inlaws…fun times. I’m looking forward to coming back here for Christmas after the China trip. My baby niece Sanya is growing up so fast and I feel like I’m missing out.
Unexpectedly, coming back to Ottawa made me realize how much I was being missed at home. I didn’t expect that. It made me realize how important it is to me to be close to home and close to my family. My parents are undergoing household renovations, and my dad has been taking on a lot of extra physical activities that I normally would have helped out with. My mother is recuperating from back injuries after a nasty ‘freezing rain’ fall. I wish I was here more to help them out. My brother told me a few weeks back that I should consider staying close to home in the future especially as our parents get older. That kind of hit home with me and I think it is important for me to be close to home no matter what endeavours I pursue. Moving to Toronto post-MBA is closer than London (4 hr versus 7 hr drive to Ottawa) so I hope I can be home a bit more to help out.
On a sadder note, I was disappointed to hear that a few of my Nortel colleagues were let go after last week’s dismal news, including two of my favourite executives Lauren Flaherty (CMO) and John Roese (CTO). As you may recall from my previous blog entries, Lauren Flaherty was going to come to Ivey in October to do a talk on leadership but had to cancel last minute…I guess I know why now. Last week, I published a blog entry for the Financial Post. That entry has been read by thousands of people around the globe and I’ve been getting lots of email and feedback on it. It’s amazing how far blogging can reach out. On the positive side of things, the article stimulated a lot of debate as it was picked up by other websites including allaboutnortel.com and others. It even prompted a counter blog to be written against my pro-government intervention view point. The Financial Post/National Post wanted to publish it in print last Tuesday but I opted not to go through with it for personal reasons. I have enjoyed the Nortel/Government debate and hope that I continue to write more about controversial topics such as this one. Thanks to everyone for your feedback and encouragement.
So what else is going on?
A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to attend an Ivey Alumni Award Gala in Toronto. The alumni chapter in Toronto was honouring the Ivey Business Person of the Year (given each year to an Ivey alumnus from Toronto). This year’s recipient was the CEO of Manulife Insurance. Attending this gala was a surreal experience; there were CXO’s and EVPs from pretty much every major Canadian corporation. Its pretty cool being apart of the ‘Ivey club’ and to be apart of an alumni network that has so many prominent names. In fact part of our student group sat at the Harry Rosin table, where CEO Larry Rosen entertained us. When you come to Ivey, you often hear about how three out of every five CEOs in Canada are Ivey or Harvard grads…its one of those useless facts that you kind of just kind of shrug off. When you get an opportunity to attend a gala such as this one, that fact becomes deeply engrained in your mind…as you start to wonder if that will be in your own fate fifteen years down the road. Another notable event worth mentioning is that ten Ivey students got to go down to Toronto to see/meet with former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, Alan Greenspan. In a couple of weeks, I will get the opportunity to attend a Bill Clinton talk in London…keep you posted.
Speaking of Toronto, I was back in Toronto last weekend to attend another MBA fair with some of my student ambassador colleagues. It’s always an honour to represent your school at these fairs and its kind of neat talking to prospective applicants, especially since you were in their shoes only a short time ago. The fair was successful and fulfilling on a personal level and I hope to attend many more in the future.
On a side note, I wanted to quickly mention my MBA learning team, “Team 5.” If there is one thing that has made my Ivey MBA experience it’s my learning team. I am a true believer in collaboration and team work and I was touched to come into class on my birthday with a gift waiting on my seat from my team. …it was a book on collaboration…how fitting and how touching. Our team just wrote a blog entry on "The Dynamics of Team Five" on the MBAA Student blogging site. Give it a read if time permits.
I thought I’d end this entry with an update on my ‘networking’ activities as my brother likes to call it (aka “partying” activities). Yes I’ve calmed down on the partying scene and typically go out once a week, and only if my wife is willing to join ;) I admit that one of my primary personality changes this year is the fact that I like to party now. I know it’s been a tough adjustment for Geeta, but I guess I know that it’s only going to last another six months and I want to make the most of the “ivey bubble” experience and ‘network’ it up before heading back into the routine working world. The last few weeks have involved some pretty crazy ‘networking’ activities. I celebrated my 28th birthday like it was my last birthday. I celebrated Halloween like it was the last time I would ever dress up….and next weekend I will celebrate a “bollywood”/”Iveywood” theme party in true Indian fashion and bhangra it up until my feet hurt. What can I say…I’m having a blast at Ivey and it’s definitely going to go down as one of the most memorable years of my life.
Four weeks to go until the China Study Trip….can’t wait.
Until next time,
Sacha
The drive up to Ottawa was quick. We listened to a dance club mix on the way up…my favourite lyric these days: “Daddy-O, you got the swagger of a champion.” You’ll never guess where that one comes from. …It’s Britney Spears, “Womenizer.” Wow, I’ve got a Britney Spears song stuck in my head …that’s pretty sad, although I do love the line. I’ll have to incorporate that one into a blog entry somehow ;)
Coming back to my hometown/Otown has been very refreshing. I didn’t realize how much I missed home over the last couple of months. It’s been really nice spending time with family, my nieces and nephews, and friends. Geeta and I have been splitting up our time here in Ottawa; she’s been living at her parents and myself at mine. I enjoyed a boyz day out with my dad and brother yesterday; we went out for Thai food and caught the new Bond flick (by the way I wasn’t too impressed with the movie). The family hooked up for an extended family dinner last night in the popular Byward Market after having pre-drinks/snacks at my inlaws…fun times. I’m looking forward to coming back here for Christmas after the China trip. My baby niece Sanya is growing up so fast and I feel like I’m missing out.
Unexpectedly, coming back to Ottawa made me realize how much I was being missed at home. I didn’t expect that. It made me realize how important it is to me to be close to home and close to my family. My parents are undergoing household renovations, and my dad has been taking on a lot of extra physical activities that I normally would have helped out with. My mother is recuperating from back injuries after a nasty ‘freezing rain’ fall. I wish I was here more to help them out. My brother told me a few weeks back that I should consider staying close to home in the future especially as our parents get older. That kind of hit home with me and I think it is important for me to be close to home no matter what endeavours I pursue. Moving to Toronto post-MBA is closer than London (4 hr versus 7 hr drive to Ottawa) so I hope I can be home a bit more to help out.
On a sadder note, I was disappointed to hear that a few of my Nortel colleagues were let go after last week’s dismal news, including two of my favourite executives Lauren Flaherty (CMO) and John Roese (CTO). As you may recall from my previous blog entries, Lauren Flaherty was going to come to Ivey in October to do a talk on leadership but had to cancel last minute…I guess I know why now. Last week, I published a blog entry for the Financial Post. That entry has been read by thousands of people around the globe and I’ve been getting lots of email and feedback on it. It’s amazing how far blogging can reach out. On the positive side of things, the article stimulated a lot of debate as it was picked up by other websites including allaboutnortel.com and others. It even prompted a counter blog to be written against my pro-government intervention view point. The Financial Post/National Post wanted to publish it in print last Tuesday but I opted not to go through with it for personal reasons. I have enjoyed the Nortel/Government debate and hope that I continue to write more about controversial topics such as this one. Thanks to everyone for your feedback and encouragement.
So what else is going on?
A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to attend an Ivey Alumni Award Gala in Toronto. The alumni chapter in Toronto was honouring the Ivey Business Person of the Year (given each year to an Ivey alumnus from Toronto). This year’s recipient was the CEO of Manulife Insurance. Attending this gala was a surreal experience; there were CXO’s and EVPs from pretty much every major Canadian corporation. Its pretty cool being apart of the ‘Ivey club’ and to be apart of an alumni network that has so many prominent names. In fact part of our student group sat at the Harry Rosin table, where CEO Larry Rosen entertained us. When you come to Ivey, you often hear about how three out of every five CEOs in Canada are Ivey or Harvard grads…its one of those useless facts that you kind of just kind of shrug off. When you get an opportunity to attend a gala such as this one, that fact becomes deeply engrained in your mind…as you start to wonder if that will be in your own fate fifteen years down the road. Another notable event worth mentioning is that ten Ivey students got to go down to Toronto to see/meet with former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, Alan Greenspan. In a couple of weeks, I will get the opportunity to attend a Bill Clinton talk in London…keep you posted.
Speaking of Toronto, I was back in Toronto last weekend to attend another MBA fair with some of my student ambassador colleagues. It’s always an honour to represent your school at these fairs and its kind of neat talking to prospective applicants, especially since you were in their shoes only a short time ago. The fair was successful and fulfilling on a personal level and I hope to attend many more in the future.
On a side note, I wanted to quickly mention my MBA learning team, “Team 5.” If there is one thing that has made my Ivey MBA experience it’s my learning team. I am a true believer in collaboration and team work and I was touched to come into class on my birthday with a gift waiting on my seat from my team. …it was a book on collaboration…how fitting and how touching. Our team just wrote a blog entry on "The Dynamics of Team Five" on the MBAA Student blogging site. Give it a read if time permits.
I thought I’d end this entry with an update on my ‘networking’ activities as my brother likes to call it (aka “partying” activities). Yes I’ve calmed down on the partying scene and typically go out once a week, and only if my wife is willing to join ;) I admit that one of my primary personality changes this year is the fact that I like to party now. I know it’s been a tough adjustment for Geeta, but I guess I know that it’s only going to last another six months and I want to make the most of the “ivey bubble” experience and ‘network’ it up before heading back into the routine working world. The last few weeks have involved some pretty crazy ‘networking’ activities. I celebrated my 28th birthday like it was my last birthday. I celebrated Halloween like it was the last time I would ever dress up….and next weekend I will celebrate a “bollywood”/”Iveywood” theme party in true Indian fashion and bhangra it up until my feet hurt. What can I say…I’m having a blast at Ivey and it’s definitely going to go down as one of the most memorable years of my life.
Four weeks to go until the China Study Trip….can’t wait.
Until next time,
Sacha
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
28 and counting…
It’s my birthday today and I’m 28 years young. I’m feeling 20 these days, and I think I look it too aside from the greys that I can’t seem to hide anymore …I recently shaved my head, and no more goatee for a while now ;)
Wow a lot has changed this year, and despite the many ups and downs, 27 was a great year for me and I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished. I feel like 27 was the year where I got out of my routine and out of my shell, and explored unchartered territory. It was year where I made so many great friends, and took risks…definitely a defining year for me and one that I’ll remember.
Geeta has been spoiling me rotten all week and she definitely made my birthday a special one. I missed not being around family today to celebrate and I’m looking forward to seeing them at Christmas after a class trip to China! Speaking of China, I just attended a class preparation seminar for our China MBA study trip. In that seminar we got a few mandarin lessons and it turns out that accents are accentuations are really important in the language. As a learning exercise, the class was taught how to say ‘da’ four different ways using the four mandarin accentuations...it was pretty funny hearing the class repeat ‘da’ over and over in different tones.
When I was born in 1980, President Ronal Reagan was elected into office that day as I’m told by my mother. Today, on my birthday President-Elect Obama is elected into office. I feel like I’m living through a historical moment…kind of like all those folks that lived through the first man on the moon landing, the JFK era, or the Vietnam War. I guess it isn’t entirely true (that I haven’t lived through historical moments); I mean I did live through the fall off the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the dot com boom and bust, and 911….but somehow, Obama takes the cake. It almost feels as if the world took a deep breath today and expressed a sigh of relief….like everything is going to be ok :) Just wish the damn stock market felt that way today! It’s still paining me to look at my portfolio.
What were my key takeaways from year 27?
-Genius comes in times of adversity.
-Don’t give up hope when things look hopeless.
-A conservative person can become a conservative risk taker.
-Successes are nothing if you don’t have friends or family to share them with.
-Negativity is contagious but so is positivity.
-Don’t take all the good things you have for granted.
-Don’t let friendships slip away as a result of stubbornness.
I mention that these were my key takeaways, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve learned to master them :) I still have a long way to go on embracing many of these takeaways. Let’s face it: I hate adversity, I have downer days, I’m conservative in nature, I love family and friends but in doses, I love to bitch about things on occasion, I definitely take things for granted, and I can be one of the most stubborn asses you’ve ever met on most days….but hey... I’m working on it ;)
So what’s 28 going to be all about? I want it to be about successful new beginnings in a new city (Toronto), successful partnership with my wife, good friendships, keeping it good with family, making a difference, and having impact.
Thanks to everyone for you warm birthday wishes….means a lot to me.
Until next time….
Sacha
Wow a lot has changed this year, and despite the many ups and downs, 27 was a great year for me and I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished. I feel like 27 was the year where I got out of my routine and out of my shell, and explored unchartered territory. It was year where I made so many great friends, and took risks…definitely a defining year for me and one that I’ll remember.
Geeta has been spoiling me rotten all week and she definitely made my birthday a special one. I missed not being around family today to celebrate and I’m looking forward to seeing them at Christmas after a class trip to China! Speaking of China, I just attended a class preparation seminar for our China MBA study trip. In that seminar we got a few mandarin lessons and it turns out that accents are accentuations are really important in the language. As a learning exercise, the class was taught how to say ‘da’ four different ways using the four mandarin accentuations...it was pretty funny hearing the class repeat ‘da’ over and over in different tones.
When I was born in 1980, President Ronal Reagan was elected into office that day as I’m told by my mother. Today, on my birthday President-Elect Obama is elected into office. I feel like I’m living through a historical moment…kind of like all those folks that lived through the first man on the moon landing, the JFK era, or the Vietnam War. I guess it isn’t entirely true (that I haven’t lived through historical moments); I mean I did live through the fall off the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the dot com boom and bust, and 911….but somehow, Obama takes the cake. It almost feels as if the world took a deep breath today and expressed a sigh of relief….like everything is going to be ok :) Just wish the damn stock market felt that way today! It’s still paining me to look at my portfolio.
What were my key takeaways from year 27?
-Genius comes in times of adversity.
-Don’t give up hope when things look hopeless.
-A conservative person can become a conservative risk taker.
-Successes are nothing if you don’t have friends or family to share them with.
-Negativity is contagious but so is positivity.
-Don’t take all the good things you have for granted.
-Don’t let friendships slip away as a result of stubbornness.
I mention that these were my key takeaways, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve learned to master them :) I still have a long way to go on embracing many of these takeaways. Let’s face it: I hate adversity, I have downer days, I’m conservative in nature, I love family and friends but in doses, I love to bitch about things on occasion, I definitely take things for granted, and I can be one of the most stubborn asses you’ve ever met on most days….but hey... I’m working on it ;)
So what’s 28 going to be all about? I want it to be about successful new beginnings in a new city (Toronto), successful partnership with my wife, good friendships, keeping it good with family, making a difference, and having impact.
Thanks to everyone for you warm birthday wishes….means a lot to me.
Until next time….
Sacha
Monday, November 3, 2008
Blogging...blogging...blogging
I didn’t get much of a chance to write an entry this week. I’ve recently extended my blogging activities and I’m now blogging for three sites including this one! I can’t possibly write three different entries on a regular basis so here’s how I’m going to do this:
http://sachagera.blogspot.com: will be my personal blog highlighting the ups and downs of my MBA experience and will have a realistic and more personal feel to it.
http://iveymbastudents.blogspot.com: will generally be the same entry as this blog site but minus the personal stuff (since its audience is primarily for prospective MBA students). Sometimes, I will add MBA specific stuff that I won’t be adding to this site.
I’m also now blogging for the Financial Post along with two other Ivey MBA students. Check out my blog entries @ http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/executive/default.aspx . These entries will be focussed on business issues as well as MBA related articles.
Since I don’t have a formal blog entry this week, I thought I’d attach a link to my latest posting on the Financial Post. It’s about a topic I’m really passionate about ;)…can you guess? Yes, I get made fun of a lot in school for constantly referring to Nortel during our class discussions and this article is called “Why Ottawa Should Save Nortel.” Even the professors poke at me about Nortel to the point where it’s getting a bit annoying! Hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear some feedback on it:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/executive/archive/2008/11/03/why-ottawa-should-save-nortel.aspx
Until next time…
Sacha
http://sachagera.blogspot.com: will be my personal blog highlighting the ups and downs of my MBA experience and will have a realistic and more personal feel to it.
http://iveymbastudents.blogspot.com: will generally be the same entry as this blog site but minus the personal stuff (since its audience is primarily for prospective MBA students). Sometimes, I will add MBA specific stuff that I won’t be adding to this site.
I’m also now blogging for the Financial Post along with two other Ivey MBA students. Check out my blog entries @ http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/executive/default.aspx . These entries will be focussed on business issues as well as MBA related articles.
Since I don’t have a formal blog entry this week, I thought I’d attach a link to my latest posting on the Financial Post. It’s about a topic I’m really passionate about ;)…can you guess? Yes, I get made fun of a lot in school for constantly referring to Nortel during our class discussions and this article is called “Why Ottawa Should Save Nortel.” Even the professors poke at me about Nortel to the point where it’s getting a bit annoying! Hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear some feedback on it:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/executive/archive/2008/11/03/why-ottawa-should-save-nortel.aspx
Until next time…
Sacha
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)