Back to School (Kind of)

I spent the morning in Johannesburg waiting for my classmates to arrive. I flew in last night from Cape Town; the end to a fantastic two weeks vacation in South Africa. About 25 IMD students chose to come to South Africa early, extending our plane ticket for some extra vacation in the bush or near the shore. I have now been in the country for almost two weeks- the first week I spent on safari near Kruger Park in the north east part of the country. During the second week a large group of classmates met to enjoy the great life in Cape Town.

The native South African in the class, Lisa Bridgett, orchestrated the itinerary for our time in Cape Town. She made sure that we saw everything that the Cape has to offer- we hiked Table Mountain, explored the vineyards, went shark diving, saw the penguins, and ate our fill at amazing local restaurants. We also had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the sun, catching up with classmates with some fantastic South African wines. Big thanks to Lisa for arranging such an amazing week for us!

The rest of the class started arriving about an hour ago. We officially kick off the program this afternoon with an orientation session and some introductions to the key people that will be guiding our activities in South Africa. During this session we will learn more about the companies that we will be spending the next two weeks with, and our own goals and focus. But right now it is a huge reunion in the hotel lobby; hugs and greetings and questions about holidays- everyone looks rested and tan. Although its tough to shift out of vacation mode, I'm excited to learn more about our plans for the next two weeks and catch up with all my classmates.

Kristin