Damn Good Decision

The night before Rohan and Amit left for Singapore, Rohan and I were talking about random things. With us by the poolside at the AIM Zen Garden were a few people from Batch 4, 5 and Katja, our German ISEP. Rohan and I jokingly call ourselves expats because we were supposed to go to Germany for our exchange program but due to various reasons opted to stay back at AIM for the final term.

As we were talking, both of us agreed wholeheartedly how it was a blessing in disguise that we had decided not to pursue going to Germany for exchange. Although it is without any doubts that going on ISEP would have been a very nice experience, traveling and studying in Europe, going there would have excluded us from the wonderful times we had in the last term of our MBA.

What is it about the last term that more than made up for not having a European Experience? Let me count the ways...

1. Good friends became even closer friends as we had more free time to go out and do fun things like eat out or travel around, time to relax and be more at ease with each other..

2. talk to the people we have not spoken with in the past terms

3. look for jobs/give interviews,

4. know more people from other countries - the ISEP, batch 4, batch 5

5. but most of all, staying back meant we were able to attend the graduation. The graduation symbolized the culmination of our hard work for the past 16 months and we got to feel a sense of completion as we took our oath and received our diplomas.

Staying back meant that we had the chance to say farewell to the friends we have made and to give them heartfelt hugs and handshakes. To personally wish them well and look them in the eye and see the echoing sentiments of friendship.

Staying back meant my loved ones got to see me go on stage and receive the diploma that was the result of their love, support and encouragement.

Although going to Germany may have expanded my horizons, allowed me to have a European Experience and although there is a tiny part of me that wonders how it might have been had I gone, I am overall happy that I stayed back. ^_^