Photos from Christmas in Prague

Merry Christmas to all my loved ones back home. I miss you more than you can know!

Some photos from Prague.













- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Location:Masná,Prague 5,Czech Republic

Christmas Lights in Madrid

Some pictures here of the lights around the city of Madrid!
















- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

A rugby trip AND a trip to the hospital

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6 hour bus ride from Madrid to Barcelona... Imagine how a rugby team keeps occupied!











A proud team with no idea how to play rugby














After a muddy game we all need a shower... and me... I needed a doctor











Putting a dislocated shoulder in is not the most comfortable thing in the world, but this is the price we pay for GLORY!!!














There is something wrong with this picture. For me it was 1 1/2 hours of "wrong picture" waiting for the doctor to finish his coffee break. Not fun. Socialized health care is NOT GOOD















This player is good as new














Already in the Hall of Fame. I'm destined to be a champion

The winter has arrived in Europe

Not a bad way to experience snow for the first time Farida!





With winter baring down on us, it's nice to be in Europe amongst the history and scenery. The hot spiced wine is being served to keep us warm and the women are trading their heels for boots. It's gonna be cold for a while, but it will be a nice winter.


- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Wing Night

As a way of revealing a little bit of American culture to my Egyptian folk I recently prepared a hefty portion of hot wings for us to enjoy.







I believe they were enjoyed...



- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Location:Calle de Serrano,Madrid,Spain

Street art in Logroño

It may be a factor of being a mid-sized town distant from any major metropolis, or maybe it's that Logrono sits as the capital of a romantic wine-growing region, but either way there seems to be an art movement forming here to this point unreported on. These streetside paintings seem to be ignored by most walking around this city, but it stuck my imagination. It's impressive, at least to me.














- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

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La Rioja wine country

Brones, in Rioja, seen from the vineyards.

It's funny to think back at my first experience ACTUALLY enjoining a bottle of wine... it was a '86 Marques de Caceres drank for a special occasion with my college girlfriend. Those grapes came from these vines, grown here at the base of this beautiful town.



The view from the top of one hill town. One of many hill towns here... one of may beautiful views here.


An old wine press...or maybe torture machine...I'm gonna get out of here!


- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

More fun foods from San Sabastian

An outstanding meal at Arzak (the # 9 ranked restaurant in the world). Juan Mari Arzak is one of the most innovative chefs in the world, pushing the limits of New Basque cuisine. We were lucky enough to get reservations just one day in advance...luckier yet to be served our first course by Mr. Arzak himself!

The meal was perfect, as they say, from soup...

















...to nuts.

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- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

The Views and Flavors of San Sabastian

The town is laid out along Playa de Concha, a nice beach in a protected harbor.







Tapas by another name... in this case they are Pintxos and the are unbelievable. An "out of body" eating experience. Something akin to being transformed into a giant, then having the worlds best chefs prepare a 9 course meal which you (being a giant) can consume in 2 or 3 life changing bites. Food will never be this good again.








The giant statue of Christ which overlooks the town.


- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Location:Arrasate Kalea,San Sebastian,Spain

The consumption - term two finals

We have been in a week of intensive study. This was finals week of term two and it consumed our lives. The second term is known for being the most difficult term and it lived up to its reputation. Everyday an exam... every night a cramming session for the next. It was the most challenging academic experience of my life.

Even still I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it not only for the intellectual challenge, but also for the bonding moments with classmates. I enjoyed it because I learned more from my counterparts than I learned from my professors. Every late hour, every borrowed slice of pizza, every tired, exhausted explanation of economic or quantitative theory provided the purpose for why we are here. We are here for each other.

It was the finals week for term two. It was the reason why we are here.

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The Royal Palace at Sunset

- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Sunset at Retiro Park

After a day of studying class notes at the park my efforts were graciously rewarded at sunset.

- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Location:Paseo de Eduardo Dato,Madrid,Spain

Finals Round 2:

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I’ve said it many times this year: My LEAST interesting life here in Spain is my academic one. I’m fully aware of how irresponsible that sounds, but if I am to be perfectly honest, this is the truth. Of course it is the truth. I live in a European capital where people start their nights at 3am and each newly explored street yields a new bar or restaurant (some good, others not so much). The ‘living’ part of life comes easily here. That is why this second round of finals seems so difficult compared with the first.

The first round of finals seemed to really matter (as dumb as that sounds now). It was new. It was a first challenge. It was an opportunity to prove myself. Now it just seems like a whole lot of fruitless labor. Economics, Cost Accounting, Financial Management, Operations Management, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing Fundamentals(cummon!), they will all be over in 2 weeks whether I study or not. Of course this is a terrible mindset to have… or is it?

In reality I AM studying. Actually I am studying quite a bit. At first I thought I was studying for finals, but recently I found myself selectively choosing the content that interests me. When I am engaged I am ACTUALLY engaged; soaking it up and enjoying it. So finals week will be a pain in the @$$ for sure, but at least this time I will choose where to apply my efforts.

Well into the MBA program... what will change?

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I am now roughly 1/3 of my way through my MBA. The experience has been great; full of adventures, challenges, and incredible opportunities to meet interesting people. In a multitude of ways however the MBA experience has been different from what I had anticipated prior to starting. These differences will shape my actions and approach for the remainder of the program. In short business school is now more of a 'daytime activity' while I shift my focus more toward people and career planning.

So what is different and what will change?


Well for starters, after paying a truly sick amount of money to IE Business School for my MBA education I am quite underwhelmed by the overall quality of the program (particularly considering the impressive #6 global ranking). From the professors and staff to the general organization and service level, the 'official' program lacks a sense of real quality and genuine value. Maybe my expectations and standards are too high, but never the less my experience with the school cannot lead me to believe I will have much help landing my ideal post-MBA job. That criticism aside, I believe the IE MBA is still one of the best in the world, attributable to the 'unofficial' program created amongst the student community.

The benefits of this program come almost entirely from the quality and variety of the MBA participants themselves. It's the people. People from over 83 countries on 5 continents. People who have built strong global careers, people who have faced great challenges and overcome, people who have proven personal strength and vision beyond their years. It's the people that are the ends. The daytime activity of the MBA is nothing more than the means to these ends.

Of course my goal out of this program is to get a job... and not just new friends. This is why my second focus for the remainder of the program will be on my career planning, more precisely my next immediate job. In the most rational terms after all this is why I am here in Madrid - to further progress my career.

Therefore even when classwork loads up and finals are barring down, even when pressure mounts up and competition amongst peers intensifies, I am making a commitment to myself to focus on what is most important. For me, from my experience thus far, this means people and my career planning. I will be leaving the rest to fate.

A final 'Summer Break', one to remember

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It is what will most likely be my very last “Summer Vacation”; the god given right of every student’s life. Being that I’m studying in Europe, the typical swimming pool and barbecue routine is sort of out of the question. What is very much within reach however is a rugged paradise along the shores of the Adriatic.

I’ve decided to spend my summer traveling from Venice, through Slovenia, and then finally sailing down the Dalmatian Coast to Dubrovnik. The trip follows the path of so many traders, explorers, and builders of empires. This was the highway between Rome and Athens, and in time Constantinople. Apart from a sunny summer holiday, the Adriatic provided me a perfect environment to reflect during this very important year in my life.

It is reflection. It is relaxation. It is adventure. It is probably the best summer break of my life.



















"Spritz", the traditional Venetian drink, turned out to be far too good for my well being.



















Lake Bled in Slovenia



















Dragons are infesting Slovenia...



















...an accurate reenactment of my technique for killing the dragons.
























































Simon enjoys a girly drink... he may think twice next time he asks me to order for him.















































Simon and I receive a Japanese guest at our prison cell in Dubrovnik...





















...and what a view our prison cell had.