@RSM: Term 1 (Part 2)

 

Right, so grades-wise I did well in Term 1.

The RSM MBA class of 2012, like all previous classes, is a very diverse group. 20% Indians and 15% Chinese can appear to be overwhelming. But when comparing them with global population ratios, they are absolutely fine. Overall, there representatives of 40 nationalities, with 96% of the class being International. One could expect a LOT of cultural exchange. And there sure was, especially during the study group meetings. Besides that, there were some interesting and expected social phenomena.

The Chinese and Taiwanese hung out with Chinese and Taiwanese only, with one or two exceptions. The Koreans hung out ONLY with Koreans OR Chinese. This most likely had to do with language and culture. Most of the Indians, barring a few (including me), preferred to hang out with the Indians. It probably had to do with the fact that most of my Indian classmates, being very early admits, had met each other in India and developed a comfort level with each other. I on the other hand, got admitted only in the middle of November and had no time to mingle with my countrymen before arriving at Rotterdam. Why do I say this for Indians? Well that’s because the Indians hung out more with people from other countries than those from the far East. In these past 8 months, I have made some really good friends, some of who have stood up for me during some tense situations.

Most of the RSM students reside in accommodation provided by the school - International House (I-House) and De Schans.  De Schans, located on Kralinger Esch, is located a little outskirts of the city. I-House, located on Struisenburgdwarsstraat (roughly translated to Struisenburg Cross Street) on Oostzedijk (The old “Eastern Dyke”), is closer to the city than De Schans. What also helps I-House is that there is a bar/restaurant located right next to it - Concordia. No points for guessing which one I chose to stay in. Most of the Term 1 socializing activities of an MBA can be summed up by two activities - drinking binges and clubbing. A typical drunk night would start with at least 20 students gathering up at either Concordia OR Locus Publicus (A nearby pub that serves over 200 varieties of beer). The group would then head to a club at the town center. The most frequently visited clubs were Cafe De Beurs, Bed and Cinema. There would always be those BYOB party nights at the I-House terrace, also known as the I-House Hub. Some of us got into trouble for excess noise. Naturally, these were followed by hangovers.

With excessive drinking, comes crazy behaviour - be it imitating the Thriller dance at 4 AM, party and debauchery till 6 AM, or trashing an empty student apartment. Fortunately, there were a few activities that were more civilized, thanks to the RSM MBA International Culture and Social Club. I got along well enough with everyone to get elected as the president of the club. My exploits as the club president for Term 1 can be found on this post.

Dinners have always worked well if you want to get to know people better. Inviting and getting invited to dinners became a norm and would continue to remain so. And this has allowed me to perfect my culinary skills in a variety of dishes. More RSM to follow in Term 2!