Off to India...

Well, tomorrow I am off on another international trek around the globe. This time it's to India for two weeks. I am going with a group of my fellow MBA classmates on something our program calls "study tours." These tours are done during the two weeks between our winter and spring quarters and we usually have four of them occurring at the same time. The trips are developed and organized by fellow students and are available to those who apply. Almost half of our MBA class consists of international students, so it is great when they step up to plan a tour to their country.

Last year I went on a study tour to China and it was one of the best experiences I have had in the MBA program. During our two weeks abroad, we visited 15 companies in four major cities and got a front row seat of the worlds fastest growing economy.

In India, we will also be going to four major cities: Bangalore, Delhi, Goa, and Mumbai. The companies we will be meeting with cover industries such as outsourcing, micro finance, oil, and securities exchange.


India is one furthest places to fly to from the continental United States. Tomorrow we have to make the four and a half hour trip from Seattle to New York first before we take the 18 hour flight to India. It should prove to be a long day, but we are all excited for the trip.

I will try to do some blogging while I am over there and of course post all of the pictures when I get back. Welp, back to packing.

Copenhagen Riots are back...

Well, I have been keeping in touch with my classmates from Copenhagen who are finishing up the second half of their year long study abroad and it looks like the riots I experienced in front of my apartment last September continued again last week.

The roommates that are still at my apartment said they burned several cars and a couple of buildings. Here's the link to the story.

Golf at Bandon Dunes

This past weekend I took a break from classes to make the trek down to the Oregon coast and play what is becoming one of the most popular set of golf courses in the world, Bandon Dunes. It is about an 8 hour drive from Seattle and worth every mile.

In 2005, Pacific Dunes, the second of three courses, was rated the number 1 golf resort course in the country by Golfweek magazine; just inching out the famous Pebble Beach for the title.

These spectacular courses are notorious for rainy Pacific Northwest weather and gusty ocean winds. However, we enjoyed 3 fantastic days with plenty of sun, no wind, and no need for long sleeves. It was a great weekend and fantastic golf experience. I am looking forward to many more of these in the future!

Take a look at all of the pictures from the weekend here

Snow in Seattle...

Well, I am fully into this quarter of classes and today, as well as most of last week, I will be battling the winter weather that we are experiencing here in the Pacific Northwest. Last week we received a light dusting of snow that stuck around all week due to some bone chilling temperatures.

This morning I woke up and found that we received another inch or so of snow last night. I'm now sitting here looking out the window and thinking it's going to be an interesting trip to and from school today.

This weekend I'm set to play golf at the famous Bandon Dunes courses on the Oregon coast, so I'm just hoping that the weather gets better before then. Only time will tell.

Finally off to Seattle...

After a great Christmas with my friends and family, I made my way to Las Vegas for my annual 2 days of Vegas with my good buddy Ryan. We stayed at our favorite casino the MGM and played plenty of Poker. I actually made it out of town with some winnings in my pocket, so all in all it was a successful trip.

Yesterday we then made the long drive back to Phoenix where we had one last barbeque before my trip home today. By tonight I should finally be in my own bed after seven full months of traveling and I am looking forward to seeing all of my friends back home.

I made it back to the US...

After a full 24 hours of travel, I finally made it the nearly 10,000 miles or 16,000 km from Copenhagen to Arizona. It was a long day but I was pleased that there were no disastrous delays during the trip.

After a night of catching up with my friends, I headed out the following day for my home town of Kingman. The drive from Phoenix to Kingman takes about 3 hours, but the desert scenery makes for a beautiful drive.















Yesterday, I enjoyed a fantastic Christmas with my family and today I am hitting the road again. My friend Ryan and I are off for our traditional Christmas week trip to Las Vegas. We will make the 1 1/2 hour trip from Kingman to Las Vegas today and then head all the way back to Phoenix on Wednesday... hopefully with some money still in our pockets.

Wish us luck!

Goodbye Copenhagen...

After 4 1/2 months, 15 countries, and many many good times, my stay in Europe is over..... at least for now anyway.


This has been an amazing experience and I am so glad that I chose to spend time living in Europe. I have met so many great people and truly expanded my network of friends globally. In the future, I should be able to travel much of Europe and always have a place to stay.


The last few days have been spent celebrating and saying goodbye to everyone. It has been a blast, but has also been a bit sad. It's amazing how close everyone has become in such a short time. A lot of us have been living together, taking classes together, and traveling together, so the relationships that have been formed are strong.

Everyone is heading in different directions; some back home, some to new countries, and some are staying for another semester. Luckily with so many ways to stay connected on the web, I think we will all be able to keep in touch. And if we are lucky, work out some reunions.


Yesterday was the last day in Copenhagen for a lot of us, so the night started with a big party that then continued at the bar until the early morning hours. Like many of the nights that we have spent together, we had a blast. Tonight there will be one last night out for the remaining students.

We will start by cooking one last dinner together here in our flat which will consist of everything we have left in our cabinets. Then we will head out to the infamous all you can drink Dakota Bar to meet up with the remaining students for the last of the goodbyes.


For all my new friends, thanks for so many good times! I will miss you all and look forward to finding a way for some reunions!

Skol!

Here are the pictures from our last days in Copenhagen.