2012 at a glance

This is my year – I was one of those partners who could travel to Laussane frequently as I lived and worked in UK.  I think it was a great experience for me to be away for 10 months and think how life has changed over last 4 years.  The day I received my citizenship and OCI status for India I flew to Lausanne.  Here is a snapshot of my 12 months.

January - Begin of new life where your partner is not around you and the auto pilot of your life is missing.

February – Begin to make new friends and realise I need to add value to myself while he is studying.  Started with my salsa classes and got enrolled for CIMA master’s gateway course. 

March – Looking forward to see hubby after a long gap of 2 months and you find hubby pressed with loads of assignments – you think I am here for few days and he doesn’t have time to spend with m L

April – 1^st holiday for Easter.  You want to do things but he wants to relax and chill.  You want to have conversation with him but it seems very difficult with circumstances … u think why????

May – the month of ICP and travel.  But thankfully I get to see him for a day.  You want to plan and do things that one day but excitement missing at the other end as for him he is home and wants to chill out on his sofa watching tele.

June – A week of holiday booked to spend time with him.  He is physically around me but mentally mind is occupied with school.  I am given a book to read to keep myself busy.  Hostage at the table – a leadership book.  Book which makes you think if you choose to.

July – Summer holiday.  Hey ho – finally he is at home.  You just want to catch up with as much as you can.  Go for long walks, cook yum dishes (we are lacto vegetarian) and most importantly have conversations.  Few things happen and few don’t. Again expectations not realised.  You finally confront and express yourself. 

August – I receive my UK passport and time to apply for my OCI.  Students busy under pressure for applying jobs.  But communication improves marginally as classes’ pressure decreases.

September – Another week holiday in Lausanne from work. This time I was prepared to be busy and was constantly studying for my CIMA.  As I had no expectations I would say it was my best holiday.  I had few good days with him going for long vineyard walks, montreux and rochers-de-naye. 

October – Receive my OCI, resign the job and join him in Lausanne for few days.  Proud of him doing the Lausanne 10K marathon in snow.  I realised the importance of not having any expectations and kept myself busy with CIMA preparations.

November – Option to do the electives – thanks to Martha (Program Director).  Doing electives was an eye-opener. Not only personally it made me think of what I want in my life but also made me realise how much work load they have with class preparation, case study, group discussions, presentations and assignments. 

December - The final month and here comes graduation.  Everybody passing out in flying colours and embarking on a new journey of life.

All I can say is 2012 has been eventful and challenging.  As I sit and look from my window at the snow I am thinking as to what kept us going?  I feel its communication and a strong desire to understand and be understood.

And this needs to continue as the new phase of life begins….

A Week from today - End of 1st Semester

Yes my partner friends… a week from today and the school would be closed for 4 days giving the students a respite from busy schedule… This time around no classes, no studies… complete fun and family times... cant wait for it…

Certainty balancing Uncertainty

In next 10 months the MBA program would be finished. All our partners would be out of their dungeons like free birds migrating to find their new homes. They would be equipped with new skills and be energized to reach new horizons. They would be probably changed personalities from beginning to end of the course (thanks to self discovery courses and simulation activities that they undergo). But then it’s me too going through a phase of change, learning and realisation. I can think of 10 things that I want to do and had I been in India with family I could have worked towards them. But being alone in an alien country with no specific time period of how long it would take for me to get my citizenship has left me with few choices. A short video call with my family today also made me realise that had I been at home I would’t have felt so lonely and difficult to live. But then I know the fact that I can’t do much. It was a joint decision and I can’t afford to be weak and fall back. I am glad that I have started learning Salsa and being regular to gym. Very soon I shall start studying some part-time course or modules which shall be more fulfilling and keep me busy. I don’t know how long this uncertainty (of living in UK) shall last but the certainty that in next 23 days I would be seeing my partner glows me up... not to forget may be some new friends too :)

Eventful day ….

Events are not just happening in Laussane with students and partners but also with me and in my home. It’s my day off and I went to pick up study table. While driving home I was planning to go for a short walk and ponder about how to paint my canvas for 2012. I landed home and found that my washing machine has stopped working. Being a naïve I tried to press a few buttons, opened the door and the water spilled all over my kitchen. I immediately shut it, rushed to clean and then stood back with my house-mate (Amit) both of us lost on what to do. He started using google and I began to search for manual. We opened the water outlet slowly but the water gushed out and the kitchen was completely flooded with water. It went slippery and I almost skid. We again cleaned the water, managed to find the manual (with help from Mahipal) and identified the problem. We found that there was some cloth and plastic stuck in between which stopped the motor from spinning and hence water not being drained. Somehow we both managed to fix the machine. Later on I also set up the table. I realised how dependent I am on Mahipal to get everything up and working. But I think the aim of 2012 would be to get more independent. I was surprised that for the 1st time in life I wasn’t stressed of things not working instead I was trying to make it funny. Am sure that partners who are away would come across similar situations in this year ahead… where something might stop working / break down and we wished our partners would be our genie to fix it up. But I will now on take these incidents as fun and real learning curve. Trust me my clumsiness of stopping the water would be in my memories for years to come… and I don’t mind to paint my 2012 with such eventful days of stress, learn and fun………….

Excitement not just for us partners but also for Marcella too....

Wow it’s that time of the year already! It will by my 6th year welcoming partners and I have to admit, the anticipation and the excitement are still the same! I am eagerly awaiting Wednesday 11 o’clock when I finally get to see the whole partner group together – sure some will be missing, but thank FACEBOOK they can still be part of our 2012 partner community. And I will certainly be urging them to contribute in some shape or form – look at Vinita who has already been busy with the first entry on this blog.Why the excitement? Why the anticipation?Because until the whole group gets together you just don’t know what can happen: each year it’s a new combination of nationalities, new blend of characters, a new batch of varied, different yet always interesting people – and then when you mix them all together and put them in a foreign setting, then anything can happen… or not. Thing is you never know until they get here!I have already met a few partners, a few children – some ideas have emerged already, so who knows what this year will bring? What exchanges will take place, what insights might be shared, what opportunities created, babies being born...Perhaps I might get my Bollywood dance at the Graduation Ball after all….With hopeMarcella

1st day without Mahipal

4th Jan, 2012 has finally arrived for me (and other dates for other partners) and Mahipal has left for his new pursuits – full of energy, enthusiasm and looking forward to evolve himself as a better person. After all the shopping and packing – weighing every single piece of his baggage he has left my room nothing less than storage house with things scattered all around. I thought that it wasn’t difficult for me to clean this mess up. But the moment I started cleaning it reminded me of him. And I just sat there holding them with tears in my eyes and thinking how the year will go by. I tried during a rigorous workout so that I can sleep easily but while laying in bed all I could do is to just think about him. I have been alone several times while he is travelling. But this time it’s different. He is not away for a day or two but a long time. I don’t know how things would be like in his absence but all I need is the strength to take care of myself. Because I know the fact that if I am happy he will be less worried about me and if he is less worried about me then he is more focussed to finish IMD with flying colours. And this makes me realise that I have got a year to myself – a year to plan and do things which I wanted to do but couldn’t for different reasons. I think for all of us partners who are not joining in Lausanne – let us set ourselves some goals to keep ourselves busy and occupied. Also these goals would give a sense of fulfilment keeping our mind and spirits high. For me to begin with I would start getting into my regular habit of meditation (couldn’t do in last 2.5 years) and take up some new course (details shall follow when I decide but if partners can share their ideas of their new goals ( in absence of their partners) would probably create a think tank for others who might be struggling. So good luck and keep posting ideas and feedback.

And yep dont think too much of how to write... trust me its 1st time for me to blog as well.... we are here to express our feelings and not our writing skills... so just start making your ideas into words and lets start sharing our experiences. Happy New Year to all of US. Vinita