Taking a look back

A week ago I entered into a new chapter: after the MBA year, newly employed with UCG. (Actually I am not really employed yet but that is another -less interesting even if somewhat bizarre- story.) So maybe this is a good a time to look back and of course look at the bottom line, if possible.

First of all, as in my good old days of regular blogging activity I looked for some images to illustrate my blog post with and I found two excellent things the first of which being this one below:

And wondering how to go on about reviewing my MBA experience I soon realized that it could be a good thing to enlist the help of an expert in back-looking, and who could be better suited for this than good old Frankie-Boy who has written the inofficial anthem of all back-lookers some quotes of which I am using to guide myself on this sentimental journey. However, I hope I am not facing the final curtain on a short term so I’ll have to start somewhere in the middle of the song.

“…I’ve lived a life that’s full,
I’ve traveled each and ev’ry highway…”
Yes, this was a life lived in full by my standards. Could have done some more partying and some less studying I guess, but then I remember Friday nights when no one wanted to go out because everyone was so busy working for the MBA (That’s true, I even blogged about this misery, one can still read it). I have also done a number of things for the first time in my life, which becomes increasingly harder to do as one gets older.
And yes, I did my fair share of travelling and exploring Italy during this year as all enthhusiastic followers of this blog may confirm.

“…Regrets I’ve had a few,
but then again too few to mention…”
Again true. I stand by my choices. Yes of course, with the knowledge of now one could do things better facing the same questions, but then was then and now is now so WTF.

“…I did what I had to do,
And saw it through without exemption…”
In terms of the MBA that is a good way of putting it. I really do hope my way of “seeing it through without exemption” was acceptable and beneficial for those working with me and that they forgive me the moments in which it may not have been so.
Seeing it through to me also means in the context of this past year truly letting go of something old to have the opportunity for something new to begin. That can be hard to do at first, but becomes a bit easier when doing it repeatedly. There is a wonderful story describing and explaining this phenomenen I was introduced to only very recently called “The Parable of the Trapeze”, you can read it here. Strongly recommended!!!

“…I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried,
I’ve had my fill, my share of losing…”
Yes. Emotionally all of this has accompanied me through this year. And this is where I have to bow my head and say THANK YOU to each and everyone who has been present throughout this year -physically or just remotely- for being such an inspiration and a part of my life!!

“…For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself then he has naught…”
Hmm, would certainly be interesting to follow that train of thought but that might be taking it a bit too far for this humble “Bologna experience” blog, as it says on the headline. Further discussions must remain reserved to long evenings with good friends and maybe with a lot of decent red wine . And they must remain unprinted. OBBIVIOUSLY!

So in the end the first class of the world famous and best Retail Banking MBA programs have graduated, to find themselves amidst a league of other extraordinary thinkers and scholars, academically decorated with the very same three letter code. To prove that point I am using the second result of my image search which I have mentioned before.

And for those new-MBAs looking back in anger, I offer some consolation: true, a Harvard MBA might get you a good job, but does it prove you are smart? Does it prove you are a good person? I say no to both. And also for that my second picture shall serve as evidence.

 

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19th of July, Stadio Olimpico, Roma

So here’s the concert review now. I feel like I have already told so many people how much I loved the concert, but to honor the boss this post needs to be written. Because of the swimming world championships in the stadium next door the beginning of the concert had been postponed to 22.00 hrs, quite late when you expect a regular concert to last 3 hours, but anyway, Roman authorities seemed to think this would be a good idea. When I arrived at 20.00 the ground floor area was already filling up.

Stadio Olimpico before the concert

At 22.30 the concert then finally started. The video below captures these first minutes and the big enthusiastic welcome that the crowd was giving to the boss and the band.

Even though all the way through “Badlands” the audience was already really participating and singing along, the boss went on the first of his numerous running trips around the stage and asked the crowd shouting into the microphone “Is there anybody alive out there?” Oh yes, there is! What makes his shows so special for me is the almost extreme degree of participation by the audience. I mean, on what other concerts do you find thousands of people singing along not only the words of some of the best known songs, but almost all songs and even certain guitar or saxophone solo melodies?! So a big part of the magic is certainly the community of fans. But I will get back to that thought later.

The music was solid quality big band Rock, I am tempted to say “as always” with the E Street Band. The main impression one gets is just a wall of sound, with just few points of individual particular performance. To give an example what I mean: you have an organ/keyboard player (Charles Giordano, replacing the 2008 deceased Danny Federici) and a piano (“The professor” Roy Bittan”), you have up to 4 people playing some guitar: Bruce’s wife Patty, Nils Lofgren, Steve Van Zandt and the boss himself. So given that plus average stadium acoustics: how are you going to distinguish who’s playing what? The answer is: it does not matter, because that is not the point of a Springsteen concert. However I really enjoyed some of the guitar playing of Lofgren, especially the somewhat futuristic solo he played on the otherwise plain 80ies tune “The promised land” while spinning around his own axis like a dervish…

But coming back to understanding the magic of the show: during the 2,5 hours I was there waiting for the show to begin and contemplating both some of the past shows I had seen and the fact it was a Sunday, the thought occurred to me that in a way an evening with Bruce and the E Street Band has things in common with a religious service. And during the concert I found more arguments to support my theory:
(1) As already mentioned, it is a celebration of life or to honor life one could say. Speaking about “is there anybody alive out there”, which is also part of the lyrics of “Radio Nowhere” or also in the starting song Badlands the line “For the ones who had a notion an emotion deep inside, that it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive” or the energy coming from “No surrender”.
(2) The way he interacts with the people, also physically, walking on those stage parts that extend into the audience, touching and being touched, holding, shaking hands. It’s the blessing in the church of Rock’n'Roll.
(3) His special attention to the children that were there, taking a little girl and a little boy on the stage, making them sing into his microphone and lovingly appreciating everything they do, no matter how much out of tune…
(4) And special probably to this Rome show: having his mother and his also 80+ year old aunt dancing with him and the band onstage during one of the last songs – a uniting of generations in the one spirit of life, transmitted via the sound of Rock. It was very impressive to me.

There might be more things worth mentioning about this show and maybe I have already waited a bit too long before starting to write all of this down. But what I do remember vividly is the feeling of walking out that concert area at 1.30 a.m., after 3 hours of singing and dancing, before that 2 hours standing and waiting and still feeling energized in an incredible way. So it just remains to say: Thank You!

A fan’s journey

Earlier this year – when I thought I would spend it entirely in Italy – I came across the news that the BOSS himself would be coming on another tour to Europe. So checking possible consert dates and locations I quickly decided that Rome would be my best choice. Well, fate in the form of the MBA program then moved me to Munich in June and I considered getting tix for Munich or Vienna and selling the Rome ones… but then I thought: WTF, it’s just another good reason to go to Rome!!

What I did there I thought I’d just tell through pictures, so please find as a link below my photo-novel: Escape to Roma.

Roma in summer...

What else happened in May

It’s Sunday May 31st (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRETA!) and I finally make it back to duetorri. These past four weeks have gone by in a rush that I find hard to describe – a lot of news and paths determined, a lot of things to do and a lot of emotions have kept me so busy, that I did not take the time to find the quiet moments that I need to write some coherent sentences on this blog.

In the week after my Rome trip we had a meeting where finally our exact locations and positions for the internships were disclosed. A bit more than three weeks before they are supposed to start. Hmm. Draw your own conclusions. And in the week after that the last set of exams has taken place. No big surprises there.

After the last exam we directly went for a weekend trip to Livorno to celebrate the time spent together and enjoy each others’ company without having to submit a teamwork report afterwards… and Radu and his wife Antonella were wonderful hosts in their city and their house – thanks again!!! In the gallery below there are some impressions – unedited, just as caught on camera… enjoy!

Livorno Weekend (Click for link to gallery!)

The final week started off with a visit to “the headquarters” in Milan. Some senior members of management gave some speeches (including, yes, Alex the Great), we had a nice lunch and then some more speeches and then we travelled back. Does not deserve a gallery, but a nice group picture:

The UniCredit MBA team (almost complete)

And finally three days ago we celebrated goodbye at Alma school with a barbecue in the “secret garden” and a chance to dance in the grotto. I only had my phone with me – but sharp, clear pictures are a nothing but a bourgeois concept!
I feel there is not really a lot I can write about. For all of you who were there you will recall the feeling, for all others I probably can not explain…

Farewell BBQ (Click for link to gallery!)

So my time remaining in Italy is six days and counting. Which I feel truly sad about even though I have much less entered into Italian life than I had hoped for in the beginning.

See (some part of) Rome in half a day

After some days with quite a bit of work for the university this last week left at least a little more space to do other things than just study. And as one my favourite free time entertainments is travelling it was a nice opportunity to join my friend Jelena and her sister Svetlana for a day in Rome.

The two girls had already done a one-day-race around the city in an effort to see it all but were still in suprisingly good shape to do with me the following route (and Rome insiders will know, what it means…!): Pantheon – Castel St. Angelo (incl. inside visit) – Piazza del Popolo (incl. visit to S. Maria del Popolo) – then by Metro to Piazza Barberini – Fontana di Trevi – Piazza Colonna (for a coffee) – Piazza Venezia – Colosseo – Circo Massimo – Piramide – Testaccio (for dinner). And to finish it off, drinks and walks in Trastevere… respect!

Roma in half a day (Click for gallery!)

A night out

“So, what’s next? Should we go dancing?”
“Go to Venice?”
….
“Why are you writing some SMS now?”
“I am not writing SMS, I am checking trains to Venice. The next one goes at 03.18!”

Or so it started. What followed was one of the more exceptional nights in a lifetime. The U**Credit MBA night expedition squad was formed by losing the timid (A&A) and recruiting reinforcements (sorry for waking you up at 2 a.m., N.!). We went to the train station and started the adventure with energy.

Night train to Venice (1)

Energy that, however,….

Night train to Venice (2)

…faded into the night. And the guardian to keep us awake quit her job, at some point…

Night train to Venice (3)

…so that we did not realize that OUR part of the train was not even going to Venice. But through this little mistake we got to see the beautiful train station of San Donà di Piave – Jesolo!

A stop along the way

So with some minor difficulties we finally reached our destination. And what place in the world could possibly be better to study multi-channel issues than Venice.

The first-hand multichannel experience

It’s just a shame that the sunrise was not visible…

No sunrise over San Marco...

…and that the only gondoliere was just taking a break and not working. 

...and gondoliere on strike.

Amsterdam excursion (A Preview)

Just to announce that some interesting inside stories from the first unofficial U**Credit MBA excursion team visit to Amsterdam will be posted here soon…

These stories might or might not have to do with…
* un-/expected non-/participants (now try to figure that one out!)
* banks (see picture)
* a stork (see picture)
* far-away countries (not on the picture)

Amsterdam, first insights...

But one question will eternally remain:

“SO WHAT’S NEXT???”

Break!

I just realized that I have taken a 10-day break from blogging. Re-reading my last post I think that might have been a good idea, I guess that was a bit of a weird mixture of thoughts in one post. Anyway.

Another reason for a longer break might have been the fact that I was fighting off a cold during the last days and did not feel so well. But don’t worry, no more medical stories. I self-medicated myself and am already quite close to ok again.

So what did I do with my time off – two short city visits… let’s see if you can find out where (For link to some more pictures and the solution – click on the images)!

A great piece of art done by a great master!

Gothic grandeur

Other than that I relaxed, read, went out with friends, worked on my italian skills…. and I can not believe that it is already Friday and on Monday the next term will already start.

Before I forget: me and András went to see a really great musician at Arteria – a solo guitarist named Paolo Sereno, who has a quite unique technique of being his own percussionist. I highly recommend checking his site if you like acoustic guitar music (and if you don’t yet, why not give it a try)!!!

One word in favor of globalization…

…even in times of the crisis.

PROST!

Beer from my home region (found at local discount supermarket, they also have Gösser!)

Mountain days in Madonna di Campiglio

A great weekend in the mountains lies behind me. Two days of so much snow as never seen before and one day of magnificent weather and fantastic views of the Brenta Dolomites. After thinking about what to write,  I finally decided to simply let the images speak for themselves.

So, here is the link to my complete picture gallery (two examples below):

Dolomiti in the clouds

Snow & sun

And there is also a video channel on youtube!!! (Click for link)

Finally, some thanks goes to our accomodation at the “Kaiserkrone” in Dimaro.  The rooms were very nice, the people were friendly and the breakfast was… let’s say “typically italian” – and everything at a reasonable price. And they really have had Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I. (aka Cecco-Beppe, in Italy, thanks Jacopo) as their guest some years ago! Check the “History” section on what might be the worst looking homepage in the country (click here)!

Ice & Snow

Restarting my Bologna life I took the opportunity of an almost empty fridge to de-ice it – and the result was a nice cover for my kitchen sink…

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Ice in the kitchen...

While this was going on inside, outside snow was falling from the sky.  So if you have been convinced so far that all of Italy except the alpine region has that ever-mediterranean mild climate: think again!

...snow on the streets

Geniale Momente der TV Geschichte

Zwischendurch, ohne besonderen Kontext, etwas zum Lachen:

Otto Waalkes vs. Ingrid Thurnher (ZIB2)

Giovanni Trappatoni vs. Strunz & Co.

Viel Spaß!!!!

MBA party community

Just a short post that was somehow overdue. The question I get asked a lot is: so how is partying??
(Underlying assumption: if you are a student, you must be partying the nights away like crazy!)

La Scuderia 1

Of course we do! Well not each and every night, but every once in a while…. especially if there are three birthdays within one week to celebrate!!

But to leave a little mystery on the essence of UniCredit MBA partying here, I have selected those artful pictures on which the flash would not go off. I leave further details with the imagination of my dear readers of this blog…  

La Scuderia 2

Less secretive I am about the place where it all happened. La Scuderia in Bologna’s university epicentre.