September 14, 2007

• first night

   

  STANFORD, CALIFORNIA | SCHWAB RESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1F EAST SIDE è

  last night was my first night here at the stanford gsb, and boy has it been insane.

  it’s very different being a local and realizing that if i forget something i am only a 25 minute drive away from resolution.  my move-in has been less frantic and more seamless than those of my peers, which i’m grateful for.  on the flip side, starting school and moving into schwab–the business school’s primary apartment-like housing–has felt less monumental as it has for some of my classmates.  i’m reminded of folks like manny and bethany who, as rhode islanders, needed not travel far to move from home to school, whereas i traversed 2500 miles with three large suitcases to kickstart my undergraduate education.

  regardless, it’s been quite fascinating.

  in one night i’ve managed to move in virtually all pieces of my existing life, from books, DVDs, and photos, to all sorts of electronics and clothes, to kitchen items, keepsakes, and random knickknacks.  they are all, of course, strewn across the floors and shelves in a surprisingly comfortable, fully-furnished dorm room.  the space is certainly larger than my west village apartment (no surprise); i share a small kitchen area with a suitemate (ian, an ex-private equity guy who seems reasonably nice); and i am proud resident of the disability bathroom which means not only do i have a bench in my shower but also my shower is almost 2x the size of most others.  score!  the major downside of room is that i’m on the first floor, opening up to the busy courtyard, which means limited privacy and less-than-ideal natural sunlight.  something about being high just appeals to me.

  socially, things have been fantastic.  i’ve met a couple more quality folks, in addition to the great group from my outward bound trip.  julia, the fellow bainie i connected with over admit weekend, and i grabbed dinner in downtown palo alto at a pasta resto, catching each other up on our summers and recent adventure stories.  our moulin rouge night turned into hours-long conversations with new friends.  and at midnight we moseyed on over to escondido village (graduate housing near schwab) for a massive gsb party that lasted well into the night.  people continue to emerge from interesting backgrounds: microsoft, avon, l’oreal, katzenbach.  it’s great.

  frighteningly, we’ve already been given an assignment to complete by monday (our first day of class), and our first final (accounting) is in 2 weeks.  insane!

  today, it’s all about continuing the settling in process, aside from a two-hour optional microsoft 2007 training this morning and a rafting team reunion bbq this afternoon.  later tonight there’s an outing to a local bar, which should be fun.  i’m not quite sure if my body can handle so much schmoozing, let alone the alcohol that goes with it.  but that’s what b-school largely is — one big drinkfest.

  i’m looking forward to my target run today.  being back in the ‘burbs, it’s so refreshing to shop at huge supermarkets and places like target, costco, and ikea.

  so be it!  here comes day two.

   

  • 11:13 am
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