Living in a Brave New World

So, the Harvard police officer, says to me, in a very thick Boston accent, "You are not from around here, are you?" Oh, I wonder how he figured that out? By the way, I had not found myself in any trouble, I was only enjoying a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Not surprising, there were three officers enjoying coffee, donuts and the Boston Globe.

As my finance textbook author says, "A nearby penny is worth a distant dollar." It's a good thing, because I seem to be finding a lot of pennies and dimes! I found the Bostonians to be much less careful with their change. If I walk past a popular taxi stand, I can find a lot of spare change, as passengers are quick to enter and exit cabs here. If only they would drop a Benjamin or too!

Went to CVS this morning - between Staples, CVS and the Harvard Coop, I am able to work out my retail therapy needs. Would you believe they sell sunscreen here? In April? For what?? It has turned out to be a beautiful day here and having finished my first round of studying, I do believe, (imagine that phrase with a British accent) that I might take in another walk before the temperature drops. A very busy week of work and rain is in front of me, so I wish to take advantage of both the time and the pleasant weather.

During my two hour walk around Harvard Square and Harvard yard this morning, I found, again, the local people to be most unpleasant. So, I decided that I would bring joy and began finding random acts of kindness. You should have seen the look on the man's face thatI allowed to go ahead me in the check-out line. I don't think people do that here. When he said, "thank you," I quickly replied, "my pleasure" Both he and the clerk looked at me very strangely.

I promised you a comment or two about my Indian dinner. The food turned out to be quite good, but the atmosphere was . . . interesting (my favorite word here). Imagine me at a table with 25 men from all over the world, with a huge (I mean worthy of the Taj Mahal big) Hindu statue poised next to me. The highlight of the evening was the ladies restroom. Now, I will try to tell this delicately, but I cannot miss this story. The doors on the ladies toilet rooms were two way mirrors. I could see out, but they could not see in. The ladies who had not been in the toilet rooms had no idea of this fact. So, as I am in the toilet room doing what one does in such a place, a woman comes to the door and begins primping, straightening and applying lipstick right in front of me in the mirror. Imagine the surprise, when from behind the mirror, I said, "you missed a spot." Ha -- I have to find some humor in this journey.

I am both an oddity and misplaced soul in this present environment. I commented to my friend, Lynn, by e-mail last night that it remains to be a strange place for me. Not to be fully a part (if any a part) of this place, and yet also to be absent from that place which is familiar, but drifting somewhere in between swept in the arms of my Lord. That is really all I have here and I am quickly learning, that is enough~

Attached are some scenes from my daily life ~

Much love, peace, and blessings to you all,

Dee Ann

Weekend in New England (with apologies to Barry Manilow)

"Not everything that can be counted, counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." Albert Einstein

Einstein was, of course, a brilliant man. This was the most important sentence I heard the entire week, and I have thought about it a lot in context of where I am. After a week of being amid very smart people from all over the world, my most daunting conclusion was that there are people who believe they are so intelligent that they would never put faith in something that is beyond what can be calculated in a formula. Based on the confusion here about who God is, or if He even exist, or if He can be found in a statue, or worshipped as a cow, I have concluded that the mission field here is greater than in Africa. My prayer is that God will reveal to me why He has brought me here, what role and purpose I play. I am patiently waiting on the revelation.

It's scary how much I am beginning to enjoy finance. I made a correct application of the case study to a business principle in accounting today. That was a big victory for me! I don't know how to compute all the ratios yet, but I certainly know what questions to ask. And I learned the most important concept: "Don't run out of cash." :) Went all the way to Harvard for that one. There was an interesting story the Finance Professor told today. He was talking about choosing the right ratios to determine the health of a business. He explained that you can look at a number of them and they will all point to the same thing, so once you find the key, (which he believes is Return on Capital (vs. ROE, or ROI and now I know why), then you don't have to keep working it again and again. He said it is like when a truck runs over a squirrel in the road and it dies. It's already dead, and no matter how many more cars run over it, it cannot be anymore dead! I thought that was pretty good for an accountant (with tenure I might add!).

To my "Raving Fans at Chick-fil-A", thank you so much for the cookies. I think they may help me to redeem myself with my team. You see, I refused to purchase or participate in the c0nsumption of the Grey Goose, Heiniken and tequila (just to name a few), but I am sure they will feel better about me when I share my cookies in study group tomorrow. As I keep saying, this has been an interesting week and there is certainly emphasis on the word, interesting. Last night in study group, my colleagues from India, South Africa and Trinidad got into a shouting match over the best way to explain a balance sheet. It was really very heated -- over how to read a balance sheet!!

The clouds have still not parted and I could stand it no longer, so I had to go for a good walk after getting out of class at 3 today. I walked across the river (well, I didn't actually walk on water -- it was a bridge), and through Cambridge. I ended up at Staples purchasing items to make my little cell more comfortable and organized. The less you have, the easier it is to organize! Anyway, it is still raining, 40 degrees and very windy! Our whole group has our day planned around the expected sunshine tomorrow. It is a really big deal here, apparently, for it not to be raining in April. I really enjoyed being out and about this afternoon and getting a chance to take a good, deep breath. It is such a relief to have the first week behind me.

Well, tonight my learning and living group is going to eat Indian Fusion food with my Hindu friends. I guess, those who know me, know I probably won't like that too much, but I am trying to be a good team player and aid in team bonding. After last night, we certainly need it. I will try to get some pictures of the experience and share tomorrow. I am sure I will have a story to tell!

Don't be surprised when you see me, that I now have an accent -- and I don't mean a Boston one. You cannot live with people who speak English as a second language and expect me not to pick something up. Well, I better hurry, dinner is at 1900 hours and it is about 5 kilometers away and it is -2 degrees, Celsius that is. If I have learned anything, it's not that everyone else is so different -- it's we Americans who have chosen to be different. Yes, I have to convert time, distance and temperature in every discussion.

And just think, I am still in America! Funny, I keep forgetting that~

Love, peace and blessings to you all~

Dee Ann

Numbers, Numbers Everywhere!

Good Evening~

And Hello from sunny Boston . . . NOT!  There has been one day without rain since I arrived Sunday. The Charles River is flooding its banks and those crazy people are still out there rowing in the rain and 40 degree weather.  More rain tomorrow, before a pretty day on Sunday, before rain comes back on Monday.  If we could only send all this water south!

Today was a hard day in the classroom -- finance and accounting, BUT since I listened so well in study group last night, I actually got my question "exactly correct" in class today!  It was a treasured moment!  

I cannot wait until 3 tomorrow, since Sunday I will be out of class all day!  Still have tons of reading to do and case studies to prepare, but I don't have to get up before 6 on Sunday -- yeah!!

News from home:  Trey chipped a tooth at recess, but it was a baby tooth :).  Trevor made a 100 on his driver's permit test -- wow!  And Trenton has been moved to Defensive End because of UGA's shortage of DE's.  The good news is that he is expected to see some playing time in the G-Day game next weekend.  And Ashley is trying to keep them altogether.

Thanks so much for the cards, packages and encouraging e-mails.  Pat, I had to do both my own laundry and sew a button on today.  I really miss you!

And I really miss you all~ Keep those prayers coming, as I will for you.

The pictures attached are from the classroom and surrounding area, so you will see where I am spending so much time!

Love to all,

Dee Ann

Happy Birthday, Trevor!

Today is Trevor's 15th Birthday!  Driver's everywhere be aware!  You can e-mail Trevor good wishes at trevor.turner21@gmail.com.  Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Dee Ann

Sort of Like Boot Camp!

Today, started very early. HBS has a wonderful three-story fitness center and so I was up at 5:30 to get weights and a walk in, checked e-mail, had an early morning phone call with family, prepared for class, which started at 8:30 today and ended at 6:30 this evening. I felt like a marine! (You know -- they do more before 7:00 a.m. than most people do all day).

Our classes today included finance, marketing and strategy. This afternoon, HBS professor, author and Board Director for Goldman Sachs, Rob Kaplan came to speak to us about the current economic crisis. He was very engaging and insightful. He gave us some tips that I thought you all might enjoy:

"What does this crisis mean for your organization? What should you do?"

1. Recognize that this is also a great time of opportunity. Many businesses will suffer, but some will do quite well.

2. Plan for this to take longer than you expect. Plan for a scenario that includes less capital, more expenses and especially expect downsizing in non-profit arena.

3. Everything you do requires more analysis, homework and preparation.

4. Start with a clean sheet of paper. Focus on core competencies, solicit advise and feedback, brainstorm for the possibilities.

5. Put a premium on Vision. Focus on priorities and leadership development through tough times.

6. Pay attention to your behavior under pressure. Present a calm and forward thinking approach.

And . . .

7. Take better care of yourself. It's a stressful time and if you are to ride out the storm, do things that reduce stress -- sleep well, exercise, eat right and do things you enjoy.

If you are interested I have slides of his entire presentation and can share with you at a later date.

It is great fun to learn so much about other cultures. There are two Hindu men in my living group and they taught me about the rite of passage for young men in India today. My South African living group member and I started a political discussion about the US. Knowing that none of these people are Christians, I decided to say what I thought about the US and went into my spiel about how God has blessed the US, not because we are His chosen people, but because we have always been a friend to His chosen people - Israel. I went on to explain how God has promised protection for those who protect His chosen people, and I am uncertain about how foreign affairs will be handled, particularly in the Middle East. Her glazed over eyes looked at me and she said, "oh." Then, I realized I had probably just alienated myself. Oh well, it's the truth!

Continue to meet more CFA raving fans! They are all looking forward to CFA day! I am too~ I miss you all so much.

Sorry, but I have no pictures tonight! I didn't see the sunshine today for more than 30 seconds!

Thank you for the continued encouragement~ Keep those cards, letters and prayers coming!

Love and blessings to all~

Dee Ann

"My First Day of School"

As my friend Sally said this morning, just like Kindergarten, High School and College, today is another "first day" of school.

It was an interesting and enjoyable day studying about the Nike Company through numerous case studies.  I found the classroom environment to be stimulating and I am enjoying the opportunity to just think about learning.  My brain seems to be able to retain more than usual and I am not forgetting as much!

I appreciate all the e-mails of encouragement~  Thank you Mom for reminding me what day it is; thank you Lynn for the morning Scripture to start my day reminding me to TRUST and thank you to Trenton for telling me, it may be smaller, but he thought my dorm room is nicer.  I will have to say, it is VERY quiet.

This afternoon, I was able to get outside and take a brief walk to Harvard Square (and get that razor I needed.)  It is a beautiful, sunny day.

In study groups tonight and a very long day of class tomorrow.  I am excited to hear Bob Kaplan come to talk to us about the current Economic Crisis tomorrow.  Not that I am at all excited about the economic crisis, but it will certainly be interested in hearing an expert opinion.  Still meeting interesting people and hearing interesting stories~  I will fill you in more when I get a break~ maybe this weekend?

For now, I have included some photos from my day~  enJOY~

Blessings and love to all (even the person following this blog that I have no idea who you are)

Dee Ann

Hi All,

I have had a most interesting day during my first day at HBS.  I feel a little like I am on a different planet.  Today, I moved into my little space and I have included pictures of my room - yes, that is the whole room!  It's clutter free and not much to keep clean.  

My living group is all international - India, Singapore, Slovakia, Trinidad, Dubai and South Africa.  Until 8:00 tonight, I had been the only woman, but another woman showed up from South Africa, so there are 6 men and two women.

The stories I have already heard are but a taste of what I think I will learn.  I had my indoctrination into case study today and I am already overwhelmed.  We will be tackling 4 case studies a day and you want to be prepared because they have the "Harvard Cold Call" and I will be called upon to comment on said case.  So there will be a lot of reading and studying going on.  I have also included a picture of the work they have given us.  The white stack on the right is hundreds of case studies and they promise more.

The fitness center is three floors and outfitted very nicely.  If it ever stops raining, there are beautiful places to walk.  And I will be walking very soon, because I forgot a razor and we all know how much I hate stubble.

Of course, I have had the opportunity to tell the "Chick filla" and "Chick alet" story many times.  I also met a neat Christian woman from Trinidad.  

There is no break in the action outside the dorm either.  I watched the Harvard crew teams practice on the Charles today.  I want to be the one behind them in the motor boat yelling the instructions.  Yes, they were rowing in the rain and 40 degree temps.  And then I heard a horrible screeching sound on the highway directly below me and looked out to see to cars collide right under my window.  I quickly went to dinner as I didn't want to be a witness to a car accident between two Bostonians on my first day here.  

They gave us an Ipod tonight to keep up with the e-mail here, announcements, class schedules and even case studies.  Between the Ipod, blackberry, camera, laptop, and pulse pen, it took me about an hour to plug in all the chargers for all the gadgets.  I guess I will have to get up 30 mins earlier to unplug them all.  The funny thing is, I don't see how I am going to have time for any of them.

Please pray for me as my living and learning group is a very interesting situation.  

Trying to be salt and light in a very interesting place,

Blessings and love to all,

Dee Ann