(Post) MBA Blog

So I'm sitting in a Starbucks opposite the World Bank headquarters in Washington, and our MCP interviews are very nearly over. Just one left, before Cesar and I race to Baltimore to catch our flight.

What a blast it's been.

To say The Bank is 'interesting' would be a huge understatement. It is intricate and powerful and huge. It is the 800 pound gorilla you read about. We've met some great, hugely experienced people here at the Bank, who graciously gave us their time and suffered our MBA freshness for an hour or so each time.

Last night we dropped in on the Judge Alumni in Washington get together, hosted by the head of the Judge, Dame Sandra Dawson. We didn't get an invite, but I think being a thrusting MBA and inviting ourselves was rather expected. A fine evening all round, I'd say. We met some very nice alumni and swapped cards while they reminisced their time at Cambridge. Most of them are at The Bank/IMF/IFC/IDB etc, being some of the few MBAs that these places take from anywhere around the world. I think Cesar and I put on a good show and suitably represented class of 2003 ;-)

Back in London in a few hours. Gonna miss this place!

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As an entry for the project risk assessment I wrote 'Diplomatic incident' and 'Be polite' as the mitigation. You certainly have to be careful here in Washington; a stray word can get you into a lot of trouble.

So what have we been up to? For starters, here is a blast of a story:

Cesar and I get into town on Thursday night and went out to see the town on Friday. We walked a long time and ended up at the Lincoln Memorial. I was lost in a presentation given by a ranger, but Cesar wondered off. He turned round and who did he bump into? Of all people, Anthony, our other team mate!! That's right, in a city of millions, we bump into the one person we need to, when we need to. I was great, after we got over the shock that something very weird and a little scary just happened.

We are also lucky because it is the Cherry Blossom festival here in Washington, which involves a mad kite flying contest on the Mall and lots of singers at the Jefferson memorial. We've been walking everywhere and the guys won't believe that I have flat feet!! Grrrrr....

So, at the end of the day yesterday, we wound up at ESPNzone, where after plenty of hassling, we got to sit in front of the huge sports screen (about 15 by 15). In huge lazyboy chairs. Eating huge meals. It was great. We watched the Utah-Denver basketball game which was brilliant; I nearly turned into a football hooligan in the dying seconds as Oroyyo scored the winning point, which 0.2 seconds on the clock. Any more of this an I'm in danger of becoming a fan. I bet the two MBA Utah Nathan's were stoked. I certainly was.

Another bit of madness:
While waiting for our plane in Heathrow, we bumped into Sarah Michelle Geller, yep, Buffy the vampire slayer herself. I got a couple of pictures, but the autograph was too difficult, given the mass of paparazzi. We then showed the photos to the check in clerk, who had just a hoot and secretly upgraded us for the heck of it. So we reached DC is style, just below business class. British Airways rocks!

Were having a little trouble pinning people down for interviews at the World Bank, as they are all abroad on duty tours (missions). We have between 4 and 10 interviews over the next 2-3 days, depending on luck.

Somehow I don't think luck will be too much of a problem...

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